But what is all this, my brethren, to that general judgment, which awaits us at the laft day, when we must all appear before the judgmentfeat of Chrift-when the grave, and the fea, fhall give up their dead-when finners of every kind, and crimes of every name--when thoufands, and ten thousands of terrified wretches, fhall all be called to one general account? We may imagine the wild fright and confufion of those, who have carried guilty lives, and unrepented fins, into the other world. Then, no doubt, they will be ready to cry out with horror, What fhall we do to be faved?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 fentence is on record: Depart from me, ye curfed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels-There fhall be weeping, and gnashing of teeth.

THIS verfe is taken from one of our Saviour's parables, in which he introduces the master of a family calling an unjuft fteward to an account. I shall not however enter into the particular intention of the parable; but confine my discourse to the fingle circumstance mentioned in the text, Give an account of thy fewardship, for thou mayeft be no longer Steward. -These words I fhall confider in an inlarged fense; and fhall endeavour to fhew you first, that we should all confider ourselves in the light of stewards to our heavenly mafter; and fecondly, that we should all act faithfully, as we must give an account of our ftewardships.

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In the first place, we fhould all confider our felves in the light of stewards to our heavenly master. A steward is a perfon 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 fenfe then, according to the fcripture account, we are all ftewards 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 fufferance of our heavenly master, who expects an account of our feveral trufts. Let us then fee what those things are, which are intrufted to us, and of which we must give an account.

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In the first place, we should confider ourfelves as stewards of our time, not a moment of which is our own. What belongs to God therefore we fhould ufe as God directs. Our time is intrusted to us by our great mafter; and he hath given us directions how to employ it properly in working out our own falvation, and in being of fervice to others. These are the great ends for which our time is intrufted to us. Like good stewards therefore we should endeavour, in the general employment of our time, that is, when it is not neceffarily engaged in the

matters

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

Again, we should confider the goods of fortune, as they are called that is, fuch poffeffions as God hath given us, or enabled us to procure, in the fame light. No man, according to the scripture account, can be faid 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 ftewards of them. Some people are rich, and are stewards of large poffeffions. But even they who have the leaft, will find themselves much mistaken, if they suppose they have no trust committed to them. They fhould remember him, who had only one talent. His great master did not expect from him the improvement of ten ta lents; but certainly the improvement of one. In fhort, whether God intrufts us with more, or lefs, is not the queftion; but whether we are good stewards of what we are intrufted with; and of this God will be the judge; and we shall be the sufferers, if we are found to have neglected our trufts.

Our different stations in life, which furnifh us with different means of being of use, are all trufts

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trufts likewife committed to us as ftewards. is through God's appointment for the benefit of fociety, that there are different stations in life. to all of which different duties are affigned and we shall all, no doubt, be called to give an account how we have acted in thefe feveral ftations. The magistrate, the clergyman, the lawyer, the merchant, the husbandman, and every one else, has his proper duty, and acts as a steward under God.-Among these trusts, that of mafters of families is a most important one. The care of fervants, and of children, is certainly one of the greatest trufts of which we must give

an account.

Then again our reason, which contributes fo much to the government of our lives-which is capable of fuch use, and abuse, and is the grand distinction between man, and the inferior parts of the creation, ought furely to be confidered as a very great trust.

Our paffions and appetites fhould be confi dered in the fame light. They are all given us for useful purposes; though, if neglected, and suffered to run wild, they will lead us into every mifchief. We are to confider them therefore as a kind of wastes, of which we are appointed ftewards. With care they may be improved to

great