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
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
all flesh because his mercie indureth for euer If cloathes be wanting he made the first garments for our first parents and cloatheth the grasse of the field If health he is the Phisition that killeth and maketh aliue that woundeth and maketh whole If peace it is God that maketh men to bee of one minde in an house that maketh warre to cease in all the world that breaketh the bow and knappeth the speare asunder and burneth the chariots in the fire If knowledge it is hee that teacheth man knowledge and it is his promise to his Church they shall be al taught of God If wisedome aske of God saith the Apostle who giueth to all men liberally reprocheth no man If faith it is not of our selues it is the gift of God Whatsoeuer thou wantest bodily or spirituall transitorie or eternall earthly or heauenly aske it of God for euery good giuing and euery perfect gift is from aboue from the father of lights Hee is most rich and wee most poore and if our eyes looke vp vnto him hee will open his hand and fill vs with his blessings Thus much of this rich man Which had a steward It was an vsuall thing from the beginning for Princes great men and rich men to haue stewards that did ouersee their households and had rule of theyr goods not that they themselues in the meane while would be idle nor giuing absolute power to their stewards to dispose of their goods at their pleasure but that being eased by their stewards in the ordering of their household affaires they might the better attend vpon publike causes and require account of their stewards at their pleasure So had Abraham his steward Eleazer of Damascus of whom he was afraid least he should be his heire because he was then childlesse And Potiphar hauing bought Ioseph of the Midianites finding that the Lord was with him and made all that hee did to prosper he made him ruler of his house and put al that he had into his hand so making him his steward And in the parable in the Gospel the Lord of the vineyard when the euening was come called his steward and commanded him to reckon with the labourers and to begin with the last And vnto this day Princes Noblemen and rich men haue stewards and like officers whose seruice they vse in gouerning their priuate estate And euen so almightie God the rich man in our text a King of the greatest dignitie an householder of the greatest family hath his stewards and officers whose seruice he vseth not for neede of their helpe but for triall of their fidelitie himselfe is the meane time most prudently gouerning hiâ— whole kingdome and most watchfully obseruing the behauiour of his stewards Now who this steward is wee may easilie learne by another parable Luk. 19.12 A certaine noble man went into a farre countrey to receiue for himselfe a kingdome and so to come againe And he called his ten seruants and deliuered them tenne peeces of money and said vnto them occupie till I come Euery man and euery child of man that hath receiued any gift of God is this steward betrusted with his masters goods What hast thou saith the Apostle that thou hast not receiued In which words hee sheweth vs that no man hath any good thing of his owne and whatsoeuer he hath is the goods of his master and he a steward to account for the same Such a one is the Magistrate in the Common-wealth Such a one is the Minister in the Church Great things are committed to their charge Such a one is the learned man that knoweth much The wise man that vnderstandeth the reasons and causes of things Such a one is the politique Captaine the valiant souldier the skilfull artificer the father of the familie many great precious things are committed to the disposing of these men Yea such a one is euery man and child of man though he be not called to any publike charge nor betrusted with those things that are esteemed great in the world Yet notwithstanding many talents of his masters goods are committed vnto him and he is made a steward of great trust He hath receiued of God his soule liuing vnderstanding and indeed with many excellent gifts of nature and grace He hath receiued his bodie strong comely and healthfull a house for his soule and a temple for the holy Ghost to dwell in the countenance whereof is lifted vp to heauen to behold the place of his rest which hee should aspire vnto and to contemplate and thinke vpon his Creator that dwelleth there hauing many members seruing to honourable vses the care to heare the eye to see the tongue to speak the throte to breathe the feete to walk and the hands to handle with many other members and organes both inward and outward of more excellent price then al the treasures of the earth Also he hath receiued of God his precious time a treasure much to be accounted of his houres his daies his moneths his yeeres in which many excellent workes may bee brought foorth honourable to Gods name profitable to our brethren and of great benefit to our selues These talents and portions of the goods of our God euery one euen the poorest is betrusted with and thereby he is made one of the stewards of God Therefore we are al stewards that must one day giue accounts to God for great things And what is required of Stewards but that they bee faithfull The Apostle faith 1. Cor. 4 vers 1 2. Let a man so thinke of vs as of the ministers of Christ and disposers of the secrets of God And as for the rest it is required of the disposers that euery man be found faithfull Whatsoeuer hee is to whose disposition God hath committed any thing the same is bound in dutie to be faithfull to him that hath trusted him Giue me leaue therefore to put you in minde of this your dutie You are stewards to God be faithfull to God Art thou called to a publike office God in his word teacheth thee how thou shouldest carrie thy selfe in thy office Follow thy masters rule and be faithfull If thou be a Iudge iudge iustly betweene a man and his brother If thou bee a Minister of the word preach the word in season and out of season Art thou a father bring vp thy children in the feare of God mildly Art thou a master doe vnto thy seruant that which is iust Whatsoeuer thy place is carrie thy selfe holily Thou art a steward therfore be faithfull Hast thou the goods of the world hast thou the graces of Gods spirit hast thou honour power riches health and strength hast thou wisedom counsel knowledge vtterance and the like The word doth teach thee that is God thy master doth commaund thee how to vse these things Doe so faithfully for thou art his steward If thou haue nothing els yet thou hast an immortall soule with the faculties thereof Thou hast an humane bodie with the members