righteous, but sinners to repentance; and hath with a most compassionate kindness assured them, there is joy in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, more than over ninety and nine just persons who need no repentance—that is, who need not that severe repentance which the one sinner required.

One should think that nothing could so effectually convince us of the necessity of doing what we can to be saved, as the consideration of the last great judgment which awaits us all.

He who hath ever seen, in our courts of justice, some wretched criminal tried for his life-when he hath heard the evidence of his guilt brought out so strong against him-and how little he has had to say in his own defence-when he hath seen him stand trembling in expectation of his doom-and finally heard the sentence of death pronounced against him-when he hath seen him led back to his dungeon; and afterwards heard the convict-bell tolling the hour of his execution-if he has had any feeling about him, he must have been struck with all this dismal solemnity; and have pitied a fellow-creature, though so deserving of his fate, in an hour of such deep distress.

But

But what is all this, my brethren, to that general judgment which awaits us at the last day, when we must all appear before the judgment-seat of Christ-when the grave and the sea shall give up their dead-when sinners of every kind, and crimes of every name-when thousands, and ten thousands of terrified wretches, shall all be called to one general account? We may imagine the wild fright and confusion of those who have carried guilty lives, and unrepented sins into the other world. Then, no doubt, they will be ready to cry out with horror, What shall we do to be saved ?. But it will then be too late. Their doom is fixed. Salvation was once in their power, as it is now, thank God! in ours. To them will only remain the recompence of guilt. Their sentence is on record: Depart from me,

ye cursed, into ever

lasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels.-There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

SERMON

SERMON XI.

LUKE, XVI. 2.

GIVE AN ACCOUNT OF THY STEWARDSHIP; FOR THOU MAYEST BE NO LONGER STEWARD.

THIS verse is taken from one of our Saviour's parables, in which he introduces the master of a family calling an unjust steward to an account. I shall not however enter into the particular intention of the parable; but confine my discourse to the single circumstance mentioned in the text, Give an account of thy stewardship, for thou mayest be no longer steward.-These words I shall consider in an enlarged sense; and shall endeavour to shew you first, that we should all consider ourselves in the light of stewards to our heavenly Master'; and secondly, that we should all act faithfully, as we must give an account of our stewardships.

VOL. I.

K

IN

IN the first place, we should all consider ourselves in the light of stewards to our heavenly Master. A steward is a person appointed to ma

nage affairs, in which he himself has no property; but must give an account of the management of them to the person who appoints him. In this sense then, according to the scripture account, we are all stewards to God Almighty. We have no property, we know, in any of the things we enjoy; but enjoy them merely on the good-will and sufferance of our heavenly Master, who expects an account of our several trusts. Let us then see what those things are, which are intrusted to us, and of which we must give an account.

Our

In the first place, we should consider ourselves as stewards of our time, not a moment of which is our own. What belongs to God therefore we should use as God directs. time is intrusted to us by our great Master; and he hath given us directions how to employ it properly in working out our own salvation, and in being of service to others. These are the great ends for which our time is intrusted to us. Like good stewards therefore we should endeavour, in the general employment of our time, that is, when it is not necessarily engaged in the

matters

matters of this world, to have one or other of these ends in view.

Again, we should consider the goods of fortune, as they are called—that is, such possessions as God hath given us, or enabled us to procure, in the same light. No man, according to the scripture account, can be said to have a property in any of these things. How can we call any thing our own, of which we may be deprived in a moment? They are all intrusted to us by God; and we are therefore only stewards of them. Some people are rich, and are stewards of large possessions. But even they who have the least, will find themselves much mistaken, if they suppose they have no trust committed to them. They should remember him, who had only one talent. His great Master did not expect from him the improvement of ten talents; but certainly the improvement of one, In short, whether God intrusts us with more, or less, is not the question; but whether we are good stewards of what we are intrusted with; and of this God will be the judge; and we shall be the sufferers, if we are found to have neglected

our trusts.

Qur different stations in life, which furnish us with different means of being of use, are all