both of body and soule And I did beleeue and acknowledge it to bee so and yet like a desperate wretch reiecting counsell and all warnings I haue cōmitted all these euils When wee remember and speake these things in our cōsciences before God to whom the secrets of all hearts be open then Moses and the Prophets the Apostles and Euangelists whose bookes wee haue read then the ministers of Iesus Christ whose Sermōs we haue heard and the word of God written pronounced which wee haue seene and heard these do accuse vs before God These will be your accusers O wastfull cōsumers of your masters goods that abuse your soules your bodies your time your faculties members and houres your dignities goods offices and qualities otherwise then the Lord whose stewards you are hath giuen you in charge The diuell that hath bin a prompter and intiser vnto you hateful and lying that wil adde rather then omit Your owne harts and consciences priuie to your sinnes consenting to them and oft times also prouoking Your sins and actuall transgressions that remaine witnesses in recorde of your misled liues and lastly the word of God that hath called you vnto better waies and often warned you to take heed these wil accuse you In the first step of the stewards danger that was accused to his master to haue wasted his goods we are as deepe as he if we waste as he For we haue many accusers What shall we say then to these things I know that there is nothing that maketh men more bold to sin then spes celandi hope to keep hidden their doings Which hope foolish sinners conceiue deceiuing themselues imagining that they shall bee able to keep their doings secret both from God man Such we reade the wicked mans conceit to be Psal. 10.11 He hath said in his heart God hath forgotten he hideth away his face and will neuer see They acknowledge a Iudge and acknowledge a iudgement yet sin they boldly supposing the Iudge shall not know it nor they come to iudgement for it For so we find their words reported to be Psal. 73.11 Who doth know it or is there knowledge in the most high They hope that their sins secretly done can by no meanes come to the knowledge of God And hence doe they vse much cunning to hide and keepe secret their sins But in vaine is all that cunning and in vaine is all that hope God will easily come to the knowledge of al thy doings He needeth no informer to acquaint him for hee beholdeth all things And sillie man that which thou thinkest is done in secret is done in the presence and before the eyes of God who seeth in secret to whom the night is bright day the darknes is cleere light to whom the closet is as the wide fields and thine heart lies open before him as a volume spred Ierem. 23.24 the Lord saith Can any hide himselfe in secret places that I shall not see him saith the Lord Doe not I fill heauen and earth saith the Lord But if the eye of the Lord could be shadowed with darknes cunning dealing if his knowledge could be deluded by thy suttleties sleights yet can it not be but he must know all thy doings there are so many accusers that will not spare to report vnto him thy falsehood and wickednesse if thou waste his goods The diuell thine own conscience the sinnes thou hast committed and Gods word which thou hast seene and heard Therefore the safest way for vs is to consider first what goods our master hath committed vnto vs then to inquire how he hath commaunded vs to vse those goods last of all diligently and faithfully to vse them according to his order that we may be out of danger of these accusers Thus much of this first degree of the Stewards danger And thus are wee now got through the first verse of our text And he called him and said vnto him How is it that I heare this of thee giue an account of thy stewardship for thou maist bee no longer steward In the words of this verse there follow two other degrees of the stewards daunger one that hee was called to account the other that he must be put out of office But before the words noting these steps of his danger there is recorded a checke that the master gaue his steward in these words He called him and said vnto him how is it I heare this of thee First let vs consider a little of this checke and then of the further degrees of his danger He called him and said vnto him how is it that I heare this of thee In this manner masters and Lords are not wont to speake vnto their stewards but when they heare of some disorder in them that they haue not behaued themselues so diligently and faithfully as they ought to doe nor answered the expectatiō of their Lords And they are wordes of rebuking words of reproofe wherein appeareth the displeasure of the master and wherein he giueth a check vnto his false seruant And this check doth teach vs in what sort wastfull stewards that is wicked men shall be intertained whē they come into their masters presence The faithfull steward that looketh to his masters order and the good seruant that vseth well the talent committed vnto him is intertained with words of kindnes that giue comfort and gladnes to the hearers Mat. 25.21 It is well done good seruant and faithfull thou hast bin faithfull in little I will make thee ruler ouer much enter into thy masters ioy And in the same chap. vers 34. Come yee blessed of my father inherit yee the kingdome prepared for you frō the foundations of the world These are words of comfort able to raise vp euen frō the gate of hell And with such words are good seruants and faithfull stewards intertained into their masters presence For wisedome dexteritie truth and fidelitie deserue fauour praise and reward But when the steward looketh not to his masters order but proueth wastful and when the seruant vseth not his masters talent left with him well but proueth riotous they are worthie to be intertained with rebukes for negligence falsehood disorder and riot deserue displeasure anger rebuke and punishment Therefore doth God say vnto the wicked that take his couenant in their mouth and know well al the orders of his household and yet hate to bee reformed and cast his commaundements behinde them making themselues fellowes to theeues and companions with the adulterers speaking deceitfully and dealing euen with their brethren vncharitably vnto them God saith Psalm 50.21 These things thou hast done and I held my tongue therefore thou thoughtest that I was like thee but I will reproue thee and set them that is thy sins in order before thee Surely though the euill steward wasting his masters goods be long spared and borne with in the patience of his master and inioyeth his place as if he inioyed al fauour yet let him know that
where Iohn saith I saw the dead both great and small stand before God and the bookes were opened and another booke was opened which is the booke of life and the dead were iudged of those things which were written in the bookes according to their workes The booke of life is the register of heauen containing the â—ames of Gods elect The other bookes that were opened wherein their workes were seene were the registers of their consciences then laid open before Gods iudgement seate So that now we haue found two witnesses and two accusers to come foorth against vs the diuel that prouoked and thine owne conscience priuie to thy sinne And against this second accuser no exception to bee taken when thine owne heart speaketh in thine owne cause There are yet more accusers The very sinnes which thou hast committed shall accuse thee yea alreadie long since haue accused thee For so soone as thou committest them their crie ascendeth vp into heauen they appeare against thee before God and the remembrance of them remaineth vnto iudgement except by repentance and faith in the bloud of Christ they be done away God saith to Cain Gen. 4.10 The voyce of thy brothers bloud crieth vnto me from the ground Hee saith vnto Abraham Gen. 18.20 The crie of Sodome and Gomorrah is great and their sinne 〈◊〉 exceeding grieuous That is their grieuous sinnes crie alowd in my eares against them Esay 59. vers 12. in his complaint the Prophet hath these words Our transgressions are many before thee and our sins testifie against vs. And Iames 5.3 the Apostle saith Your gold and siluer is cankred and the rust of them shall be a witnes against you and shall eate your flesh as it were fire You haue heaped vp treasures for the last daies Behold the hire of the labourers which haue reaped your fields which is of you kept backe by fraud crieth and the cries of them which haue reaped are entred into the eares of the Lord of hostes Al these places of scripture testifie that our sinnes by vs committed doe accuse vs and they remaine euidence vpon record against vs to conuince vs to haue bin wastfull stewards And their mouth accusing vs cannot be stopped but by speedie conuersion vnto God And of these witnesses and accusers a clowde a tempest an armie yea a world is ascended vp against vs vnto God and hath cried out and still doth against vs. Infinite prophanations of holie things the prophanation of Gods holy name of his holy Sabboths of his holy word of his holy Sacraments of his holie religion Infinite wrongs and iniuries while euery one defraudeth another oppresseth another and spoyleth another Infinite excesses in wantonnes vncleannes and pride in furfetting drunkennes and idlenes and other our infinite sinnes Whereof the Prophet saith for his part that his sinnes were more in number then the haires of his head And we may well say for our parts that our sinnes are more in number then the starres of heauen then the sand on the sea shore These sinnes long since haue begun and cease not still with open crie to accuse vs to be wasters of our masters goods and yet we are secure as if none durst once open his mouth against vs. And what canst thou except against these accusers when it shall appeare that they are thy iniquities There is yet another accuser most faithfull and most incorrupt whom no mans greatnes can make to feare nor any mans gift blind that shall both accuse and condemne doing al things both with truth and with authoritie and that is the word of God both written and spoken The word and testimonie which we haue heard shall testifie against vs that we haue been better taught and would not amend And the Prophets Apostles and messengers of the Lord of hostes that haue spokeÌ„ vnto vs in his name shall come foorth and say We haue shewed them the way wherein they should walke and they chose rather to walke after the stubbornnes of their owne heart Iesus saith vnto the Iewes Ioh. 5.45 Doe not thinke that I will accuse you vnto my Father there is one that accuseth you euen Moses in whom ye trust And Ioh. 12.47 If a man heare my words and beleeue not I iudge him not for I came not to iudge the world but to saue the world He that refuseth me and heareth not my words hath one that iudgeth him the word that I haue spoken it shall iudge him at the last day Thus the word of God and his ministers accuse and condemne Which is not to be vnderstood as if Moses and the other seruants of God should come foorth in person to accuse or as if the word of God written or pronounced should found out against vs but the remembrance thereof in our consciences shall crie out against vs and accuse vs before God to whom the secrets of al hearts shall be manifest When we shall say in our selues and against our selues in such a booke leafe and chapter of the holy Scripture I read it and at such a Sermon in such a place and time and from the mouth of such a minister of God I heard it deliuered with authoritie my conscience euen trembling and quaking at the hearing of it That I should not lie nor blaspheme nor curse nor raile nor speake filthilie but that I should speake the trueth and glorifie God and giue holesome and good counsell to my neighbour And that I should not steale nor cousin nor deceiue nor oppresse nor vse false waights nor packe wares deceitfully but giue my selfe to honest labour and deale truly in bargaining and vse others as I would haue them vse me And that I should not delight in chambering and wantonnes in fornication and vncleannes but should keepe my vessell in holines and in honour and my body chast as a cleane temple for the holy Ghost and should vse the lawfull remedie of honourable mariage if the gift of continencie were wanting vnto me And that I should not be wrathfull furious cruell smiting wounding and killing but should be meeke louing and mercifull helping by all means to cherish and maintaine life And that I should not delight in surfetting and drunkennes consuming wastfully y â— creatures of God which others want and perish for want of them but that I should feed soberly that my very eating and drinking might be to the glorie of God that I should breake my bread to the hungry and refresh the thirsty soule And that I should feare God and flie the lusts of the flesh That I shuld call vpon God not trust in my wealth And should sanctifie his Sabboths and loue the assemblies of his Saints and serue God in spirit truth And when I read and heard these things which I now remember Gods spirit working together with his word told me that these were the holie rules of God that in keeping of them there was great reward and the contempt breaking of them was death
the enuious man that is offended at nothing else but thy prosperitie and well doing as Dauid gaue no occasion to Absolom to rebel against him nor to Shemei to raile vpon him yet thou hast giuen almightie God the director good occasion to stirre vp against thee these instruments of thy hurt as Dauid had giuen God by his sinne in the matter of Vriah iust cause to stirre vp those enemies agaynst him and so thou art the occasion of thine owne hurt But if thou haue walked vprightly with God and dealt iustly and kindly with men and neither giuen heauen nor earth iust occasion of offence but the diuell of enuie maketh suite and God for thy triall giueth leaue and then wicked men without cause are set on worke and thou art vexed on euery side in thy name in thy goods in thy children in thy bodie by railings slanders robberies wounds and such other indignities In this case as thou thinkest that thou hast giuen no occasion to be thus euill intreated so know that all this euill intreatie shall be no hurt vnto thee as Iob in the ende after some long triall found himselfe benefited not hurt by all his sufferings For Peter telleth vs 1. Pet. 1.7 that the triall of our faith that is more precious then gold that perisheth shall be found vnto our praise and honour and glorie at the appearing of Iesus Christ. And that which maketh to thy praise and honour and glorie by the triall of thy pure and precious faith as all thy sufferings do that must not be esteemed hurt but a benefit vnto thee especially considering that the end of thy rebukes shall be glorie with God the end of thy losses treasures in heauen when hauing first suffred with Christ here we shall after be glorified with him in his kingdome No hurt therefore groweth to man but whereof he giueth the occasion himselfe As the steward in this place grew into danger by his owne default wasting his masters goods Thus much of the occasion of his daunger Now let vs consider of his daunger Thereof are diuers degrees The first degree in this first verse was this he was accused to his master that he wasted his goods And wee also waste our masters goods Mispending our health in wātonnes our strength in violence our wisedome in deceiuing our authoritie in oppressing our riches in riot and much wickednesse our knowledge vnto pride and almost all the gifts of God vnto the satisfying of our owne lusts aduancing our owne praise augmenting our owne gaine not seeking the glorie of God nor the good of our brother Like to the seruant in the Gospell that did smite his fellow-seruants and did eate and drinke with the drunken And like to the prodigall sonne that wasted his goods with riotous liuing And as there were accusers that informed against this steward so there will be accusers that will informe agaynst vs. In Common-wealths well gouerned there haue alwaies been allowed informers and accusers to bring to light the offences of the people that reformation might bee had In the Common-wealth of the Israelites this was looked vnto that no man should accuse falsely for that was punishable in the accuser Otherwise it was lawfull among them to accuse So the man that gathered stickes on the Sabboth day was detected and the man that blasphemed the name of the Lord which were stoned in the wildernesse Among vs besides the common libertie and charge also giuen to all men to reueale and not to keepe secret some offences there are appoynted also informers and sworne quest men to make inquirie and report Which offices if they were religiouslie perfourmed were most profitable to the kingdome And euen so is it in the kingdome of God hee hath his inquisitors and informers to giue knowledge and to accuse if his stewards doe waste his goods First Satan will accuse thee who is called the accuser of the brethren Reuel 12.10 When the great Dragon the old Serpent called the Diuell and Satan was cast out of heauen a voyce was heard saying Now is saluation in heauen and strength and the kingdome of our God and the power of his Christ for the accuser of our brethren is cast downe which accused them before our God day and night The Saints doe ouercome him by the bloud of the lambe and by the word of their testimonie Yet is he a most bitter accuser and he is priuie to the euils that thou hast done by whose suggestion thou hast also done them And he hateth thee desiring thy condemnation And being a liar and the father of lying he will rather falsely accuse thee of that thou neuer didst then forbeare to speake of that that thou hast done As appeareth in the historie of Iob against whom when he could bring no euidence of truth he brought a false surmise saying vnto God that if he would stretch out his hand and touch all that Iob had that is take away his goods frō him and would touch his bones flesh that is afflict him with paine and sores and grieuous sicknesses Iob would blaspheme him to his face Vntill the time come in the end of the world that the diuell be cast into the bottomlesse pit he will not cease to accuse vs before God But perhaps you make light of this because God hath ordained in his law that one witnesse shall not rise vp against a man and that no man be punished vpon the testimonie of one And it may be further that you thinke against the diuels accusations to answere and say for your selues before God that the diuell is a lyar and therefore in nothing to bee beleeued and also a deadly enemie seeking your bloud and speaking of malice and therefore not to be heard These indeede seeme good exceptions against him Let vs therefore see if there bee not more accusers then this one And also if there bee not such as against whom no exception can be made There are other accusers and those also worthie of credit Thine owne heart out of which as out of a fountaine all thy euill deedes haue flowed and the vncleane lusts whereof haue stirred thee vp to the same euill deedes and thine owne conscience which is greater then a thousand witnesses because it inioyneth silence imperiously and permitteth no replie This conscience this heart and the thoughts thereof will accuse thee and will informe against thee As Paul teacheth saying Rom. 2.14 When the Gentiles which haue not the law doe by nature the things contained in the law they hauing not the law are a law vnto themselues which shew the effect of the law written in their hearts their conscience also bearing witnes and their thoughts accusing one another or excusing When men haue done well according to the law their thoughts excuse them When they haue done euill against the law their thoughts accuse them This conscience and these accusing thoughts are that booke spoken of Reuel 20.12