case hath no priuilege and both men and women must giue account Neither is there greater immunitie in the condition then in the sex For the King together with his subiects the Noble together with the base the honourable Iudge together with the people the Captaine together with his souldiers the Lord together with his tenants the master together with his seruants the rich together with the poore and the free together with the bond must all come to account with God If any sort and condition should be freed the inferiour sort of subiects of common people of souldiers of tenants of seruants of poore men and bond men should be freed rather then Kings Nobles Iudges Captaines Lords Masters rich men and free men For Luk. 12.48 our Sauiour saith To whomsoeuer much is giuen of him shall much be required and to whom men commit much of him the more will they aske As we doe rather vrge them to come to account with vs that haue in their hands of ours many pounds then those that haue but a few pence But it is certaine that al both great and small must giue account For the duties euen of Kings Iudges great men is set down in the word of God as well as the duties of subiects meane and poore men and great mē haue bin examined iudged and punished in the day of Gods visitation as well as meane men The Kings of Sodome and Gomorrah perished with the people and Pharaoh was drowned with his seruants And howsoeuer in this world the difference is great betweene the great and the small yet to God they are all one his seruants and his stewards and all people of whatsoeuer age sex or condition they be must giue account Heare this I pray you and beguile not your selues you must all giue account and woe to the faulty You must giue account how you haue ruled and woe vnto tyrants You must giue account how you haue obeyed and woe vnto rebels You must giue account how you haue vsed superiour dignitie and woe vnto the proud And how you haue borne your low estate and woe to the enuious You must giue account how you haue vsed riches and woe to them that haue set their hearts vpon them And how you haue borne your pouertie and woe vnto murmurers You must giue account of your soules and the faculties therof that haue corrupted your vnderstanding with errours and haue refused to be inlightened with the truth that haue inclined your will vnto euill and haue refused when you were called to turne backe vnto goodnes Here all your delights pleasures studies and thoughts shall be brought to remembrance You must giue account of your bodies that haue decayed your health with surfets your strength with fornication that haue your mēbers maimed through braules and fraies that haue made more reckoning of the beautie of the face then of the glorious comelines of the well attired inward man that haue wantonnes and enuie in your eyes lying slander and blasphemie in your tongues bloud and spoyles in your hands You must giue account also of your time which some of you haue lost in sleeping some in playing some in pursuing pleasures riches and honours in the meane while neglecting the work of the Lord standing idle all day long in the market place taking great paines to serue the diuell the world and the lusts of your flesh and wholy idle vnto God neuer entring into his vineyard no not at the eleuenth houre to do any seruice there How many spend a summers day and doe not the good of an houre How many spend a whole yeere and doe not the good of a day How many spend their whole age and doe not the good of a yeere and grow old in yeeres remaining yong in knowledge and are come hoareheaded to the graue and vnderstand not the mysterie of their Baptisme For all these things all must giue account and woe to wastfull stewards Heare this I pray you that haue the precious riches of God in occupying and take heede of wasting and be carefull both of the stocke and of the gaine for the time will come when it shall be said vnto you as it was here said vnto the steward Giue an account of thy stewardship We fooles thinke our selues Lords and are but seruants and thinke our selues freeholders and are but stewards and bailifes VVhatsoeuer is in our hands wee thinke it to bee our owne and haue learned without booke and without vnderstanding also that text of Scripture Matth. 20.15 Is it not lawfull for me to doe as I will with mine owne when as wee haue not a peny of our owne no not a minute of time to cast away and waste at our pleasure But we are the Lords and all wee haue is the Lords and wee must one day giue account Thus much of this second degree of the stewards danger For thou maist be no longer steward In these words is y e last degree of his dāger to lose his seruice and to be turned out of office Infinit are the things that God doth betrust vs withall while we are in this world wherin he proueth our fidelity Some are outward things as kingdomes offices riches houses lands friends children seruants and such like Some in a sort are proper to the bodie as health strength beautie agilitie long life with foode and cloathes which wee vse to sustaine those other things in the body withall Some things pertaine to the soule as dominion ouer the bodie in the vse of all the members thereof sense vnderstanding memorie will affections wisedom and other vertues with manifold knowledge of Artes tongues histories and other things together with the graces of Gods holy spirit as knowledge of God in Christ faith loue humilitie with all the branches of true regeneration Of these things many are transitorie and serue onely to transitorie vses as the outward things and the things of the bodie sauing that after the resurrection vnto the bodie raised vp out of the dust of the earth many things shall be restored better then now they are In the meane while kingdomes riches and all outward things decay and come to nothing And in the body also sicknes taketh away health much labour spendeth strength age chaungeth beautie into wrinckles and the graue taketh away life and all The things of the soule are either naturall therby I meane al those things that a natural man not regenerate may attaine vnto or spirituall whereby I meane those things that are giuen to the spirituall man and which the naturall man sauoureth not things naturall either faile or are chaunged Also some spiritual things in the regenerate cease for faith and hope excellent graces of Gods sanctifying spirit doe cease when the promises are performed vnto vs and we possesse the things that we hoped for These things that cease are sometime taken away with Gods fauour and without their losse that lose them because God otherwise recompenceth them As sight was taken from
SERMON OF THE STEWARDS DANGER Preached at Paules Crosse the 15. of August by IOHN HAYVVARD And now published at the earnest request of diuers well disposed LVKE 16.11 12. If then you haue not been faithfull in the wicked riches who will trust you in the true treasure And if you haue not been faithfull in another mans goods who shall giue you that which is yours AT LONDON Printed for Humfrey Lownes and are to be sold at his shop at the West doore of Paules 1602. THE STEWARDS DANGER LVKE 16.1 2. 1. And he said also vnto his Disciples there was a certaine rich man which had a Steward and he was accused vnto him that he wasted his goods 2. 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 be no longer Steward OVr blessed Sauiour in this place rehearseth a Parable of a rich man and his steward that before he was to leaue his office prouided for himselfe whereof to liue afterward By the example of whose wisdome he teacheth al men that are stewards to the most rich God all the time of their abiding in this world before they leaue their office and deliuer vp their account to prouide wisely for the time following that they may then haue whereof to liue in another world The parable reacheth vnto the eight verse and from thence vnto the fourteenth reacheth the application of the parable in the doctrine that from the parable our Sauiour Christ deliuereth In the parable occupying seauen verses we are to consider the persons whereof report is made and the report that is made of them the persons are named to be a rich man and his steward in the beginning of the first verse The report made of them reacheth to the end of the seauenth verse The report hath in it two things the daunger of the steward and the remedie which he deuised aforehand to helpe afterwarde The stewards daunger is in the two verses of my text The remedie that he deuised is in the next fiue The two verses that report the stewards daunger report also the occasion of his danger The occasion of his daunger was his wastfulnes The daunger occasioned by his wastfulnes is set downe in diuers degrees thereof The first degree was that he was accused to his master to bee a waster in the first verse A second degree of his danger was this that hee was called to giue account A third and last that he must be put from his office These two last degrees are in the second verse And he said also vnto his disciples there was a certaine rich man which had a steward In these words the persons are named of whom the report is made in this parable the one for his wealth is called a rich man there was a certaine rich man the other by his office is called a steward which had a steward And here wee are to consider whom our Sauiour would haue vs to vnderstand by this rich man and his steward that wee may profit our selues by the parable By the rich man wee are to vnderstand almightie God to whom the title of rich doth most properly appertaine because the heauēs and the earth are his and all that is in them Concerning the heauens who shall contend against him Among men the wicked haue no inheritance there no claime they can make no title haue they vnto it The godly haue but it is of the gift of God And they doe not seeke heauen as men desiring to turne God out of the possession that they may hold it to themselues as the vnbeleeuing Gentiles fabulously reported of the giants that made warre against their gods sought to thrust Iupiter out of heauen By which fiction they noted the pride of men that spoyle God of his honour to decke themselues withall The Saints doe not so claime heauen as those that would turne God out of heauen to hold it themselues but they desire heauen in hope there to dwell with God he being King and they citizens of that place Concerning heauen therefore none will contend against the Lord but that it is his He made it of nothing and hath planted there his habitation and throne though the heauen of heauens cannot containe him The Prophet saith Psal. 115.16 The heauens euen the heauens are the Lords But concerning the earth men being in possession of it will perhaps contend against God and say that it is theirs And so indeede it is but of the gift of God as in the same Psalme and verse it followeth But hee hath giuen the earth to the sonnes of men Which hauing granted to men for a time he holdeth the right of it in his owne power for euer taking it at his pleasure from them to whom hee had giuen it and constituting new Lords of it As he teacheth vs in Iere. 27.5 saying I haue made the earth the man and the beast that are vpon the ground by my great power and by my outstretched arme and haue giuen it to whom it pleaseth me But now I haue giuen all these lands into the hands of Nebuchadnezzar the King of Babel my seruant But were it so that men helde the earth in absolute right so that they could not be remoued from it and God had no right at all in it yet should they bee beggars compared with God that is Lord of heauen and hee onely worthie the name of rich But now the earth also is the Lords and all that is in it and al that dwell vpon it so that rich men among vs are part of the Lords possession and the riches of the rich among vs are his possession As it is written in Psal. 24.1 The earth is the Lords and all that therein is the world and they that dwell therein This I could not passe ouer vnobserued for your sakes that are pinched daily with many wants One wanteth foode another cloathes a third wāteth a setled dwelling place a fourth peace in his place a fift hath outwarde things but hee wanteth health and strength Another hath the gifts of the bodie but his drie soule is thirstie his starned soule is hungrie he wanteth the knowledge of the truth he wanteth wisedome to direct him in prosperitie and aduersitie he wanteth faith and the comfort of Gods spirit and is not able to keep peace and to quiet the troubles of his conscience hee wanteth the grace and help of Gods spirit to subdue and keepe vnder the lusts of his flesh And it may bee those things which men haue not they know not where to haue and being themselues beggars they know not where the rich man dwelleth that is able to minister to their wants This rich man most rich I shew you this day aske of him and you shall receiue seeke at his hands and you shall finde knocke at his doore and it shall be opened vnto you If foode bee wanting hee giueth foode to
therof and thou hast as much time as any other for the day is as long vnto thee and the yeere also as vnto the greatest and richest in the world God in his word hath appointed vs how to vse these things For our time that wee walke circumspectly not as fooles but as wise redeeming the time because the daies are euill And that henceforth we liue as much time as remaineth in the flesh not after the lusts of men but after the will of God For it is sufficient for vs that wee haue spent the time past of the life after the lusts of the Gentiles walking in wantonnes lusts drunkennes in gluttonie drinking◠and in abominable Idolatries Concerning our bodies and soules that for as much as our bodies are the temples of the holie Ghost which is in vs whom wee haue of God and wee are not our owne but are bought with a price therefore wee must glorifie God in our bodies and in our spirits for they are Gods Thus Go◠commandeth how to vse things and they are his goods and wee are his stewards and stewards ought to bee faithfull therefore let vs be faithfull Thus much of this steward Thus haue we considered the parties of whome the report is heere made Now let vs come to consider of the report that is made of them The report reaching vnto the eight verse hath in it two things the stewards danger and the remedie that he deuised aforehand to helpe afterward His danger is contained in my text and therewith only we haue to deale at this time Together with his daunger is noted the occasion of his danger which came of himselfe for God is good vnto all and man euer giueth the occasion of his owne hurt The occasion of his daunger was this Hee wasted his masters goods The danger that grew vnto him by occasion of his wastfulnesse is set downe in certaine degrees thereof The first degree was that hee was accused in the first verse A second that hee was called to giue account A third that he must be put out of office These two are in the second verse The occasion of his daunger was that he wasted his masters goods His place was good wherin he liued wel and his master kind vnto him that had preferred him well His own default bred his ouerthrow And this is a truth generally holding in all men that they onely giue the occasion of their owne hurt God created man righteous and placed him in Paradise and gaue him the fruits of the earth and the tree of life in the middest of the garden and dominion ouer the workes of his hands and withheld nothing from him but the fruit of one tree for the triall and exercise of his obedience Then was man an excellent creature and truly happie through the goodnes of God toward him And by no meanes can mans hurt be imputed vnto God But you will say the enuious Diuell tempted our first parents and drew them into the course that bred their vndoing and so the Diuell and not man guiltie of mans hurt Not so man cannot excuse himselfe by the diuell that he should not bee guiltie of his owne fall For hee ought to haue contented himselfe with that that God had allowed him and not to haue aspired vnto excellencie of knowledge like God And hee ought to haue beleeued God that said thou shalt dye and not to haue distrusted God and credited the Serpent that said contrarie to God thou shalt not dye He ought to haue obeied his Creator that had said vnto him as touching the tree of knowledge of good and euill thou shalt not eate of it then either the flatterie of an enemie or the counsell and example of his wife or the iudgement of his own eye Thus ought he to haue done and if thus he had done the enuie of Satan could not haue hurt him and he should still haue stoode in his first happines But his ambition that would bee like God his infidelitie to distrust God and his disobedience reiecting the commaundement of God these brought shame miserie and death vpon man and vpon all his posteritie in his loines guiltie together with him And man gaue occasion of his owne decay in his first and great decay And since the couenant of grace and promise of the womans seede that should crush the Serpents head since the restitution of man and recouerie of Gods fauour by the Mediatour no man falleth into destruction but by his own voluntary transgression For euen vnto lowring Cain whē his countenance was cast downe against his brother and his heart meditated murther God said Gen. 4.7 If thou doe well shalt thou not be accepted and if thou doest not well sinne lieth at the doore Therfore man is not hurt of God but of himselfe and perisheth not but by his owne default Your iniquities saith Esay 59.2 haue separated betweene you and your God and your sinnes hide his face from you that he will not heare And in Iere. 9.12 it is thus written Who is wise to vnderstand this and to whom the mouth of the Lord hath spoken he shall declare Why doth the land perish and is burnt vp like a wildernesse that none passeth through And the Lord saith because they haue forsaken my law which I set before them and haue not obeyed my voyce neither walked thereafter but haue walked after the stubbornnes of their owne heart and after Balims which their fathers taught them Therefore thus saith the Lord of hostes the God of Israel behold I will feede this people with wormewood and giue them waters of gall to drinke I will scatter them also among the heathen whom neither they nor their fathers haue knowne and I will send a sword after them till I haue consumed them So that from whence-so-euer mans destruction commeth God giuing order for it and Gods creatures doing executiō yet the occasion euer commeth from man himselfe without whose offence neither would God commaund neither should his creatures execute any euill vpon man for when the waies of a man please the Lord hee will make his enemies to be at peace with him And as for inferiour domages hurts and hindrances receiued from men that either of enuie seeke our vndoing or of a malicious nature desire to doe hurt to whom wee haue giuen no cause of such euill dealing with vs and in the testimonie of our conscience are not guiltie of the despite and hurt they doe vs As for these things wee are to vnderstand that as they are done by the ministerie of men so they are ordered by the prouidence of God And though wee haue giuen no occasion to the instrument yet we haue giuen it to him that directeth the instrument For though thou hast giuen no occasion to the theefe that robbeth thee by the high way to the drunkard that raileth vpon thee in the streetes to the false seruant that runneth away with thy goods to
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
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