to rest satisfied in his present station, whatever it be. The Family we live in is God's, it is he that maintains us in it, and he is Lord of his Family, and placeth or difplaceth therein according to his own Wisdom. Whatever our Office, Station or Allowance be, it is not what we had any antecedent Right to, but what he hath of his undeferv'd goodnefs freely affign'd us. Howfoever therefore he difpofeth of us, we are to be content, and cheerfully to do the Business which he hath fet us to do.

5. As we are the Stewards of God, we are bound to behave our felves as becomes us towards the whole Family wherein we live. First, We are not to envy any one therein for his higher place, or greater allowance. Whatsoever he is, he is God's Steward too of fo much as God hath thought fit to inftrust him with, and he hath no more than his Master thinks fit to give him, and we have in the mean time all that God fees it fit for us to have. God is the beft Judge, and a juft Difpofer of his own, and it becomes not us to have an evil envious Eye at any one, because he is good to him. Secondly, We are not to wrong any one of God's great Family, the VVorld, of any part of his Goods, for in that we contradict the VVill of our Master, and wrong him. Whatever Portion of his Goods God hath committed to another's Truft, they are God's Goods ftill, and he hath placed them as he faw fit, and we wrong him in difplacing and removing them to our felves, or making ufe of them without his Authority. Thirdly, We ought to live in due Subjection and Obedience to every one in his Office and Stewardship whereinto God hath

put

put him, and to do his Commands cheerfully in all Things wherein God hath given him the Command over us. Lastly, We are to defpife no one, whatever he be, for his poverty, or low Eftate, and mean or vile condition in the World; for he is a Member of the fame great Family, and ferves the fame great Mafter, and is entertain'd by him, and is his Steward too of fo much as it pleafeth him, and lives as we do of his Allowance, and may (for ought we know) be dearer to him, and more in his favour than we are; and tho' he judge him not fo fit for the higher Office and Employment which he hath put us into at prefent, yet may his Fidelity and diligence in a lower be more acceptable, and in the end better rewarded.

6. Hence have we much caufe to comfort our felves, fo long as we behave our felves as we ought in our Stewardship, notwithstanding any ill Opinion Men may have of us, how much foever they may scorn, or abufe us. For what need we trouble our felves with what Men think or fay of us, fo long as we ftand in this honourable relation to God, and can affure our felves that he is well pleas'd with our carriage in our Stewardship? Him it concerns us to please, by whofe Bounty we live, and who can when he will difplace us. We are not to account to Men, but God. If others will be difpleas'd at us for pleafing our Master, we cannot help it, nor need we be much concern'd at it. So long as they can nei ther laugh nor frown us out of our Duty, they cannot out of his favour, and therefore not out of our Reward. Yea, tho' God, to try our conftancy and patience, thall fuffer them to deprive S

us of any of thofe Goods whereof he hath made us Stewards, they are his ftill whilft in their Hands, and he can when he will restore them to us, or give us a better Stewardship, or put us into Poffeffion of our eternal inheritance.

Verse I.

·--- And the fame was Accused unto him, that he had wasted his Goods.

WE

TE are all (as hath been faid) God's Stewards, and have every one of us fome Portion of his Goods committed to our Care and wife Management. God, I fay, is the Rich Mafter, and every one of us the Steward. We are now to confider three things more, viz. What are his Goods, when they are wafted, and what the Steward's being Accus' d'unto his Master for wafting them, fignifies,

First, What are the Master's Goods, which the Steward wafted? Now, in general (as was faid before) thefe Goods are the things (of what fort foever they be) that God beftoweth upon any of

us.

When God first made Man, he did very nobly enrich him. God created Man in his own

Image. Gen. 1. 27. And enriched him with thofe excellent faculties of Soul, which well fitted him to be the Lord of the lower World under him. And fo he made him. v. 28. Have Dominion (faith he to Man) over the Fish of the Sea, and over the Fowl of the Air, and over every Living thing that moveth upon the Earth. He put all things under his Feet. Pfal. 8. And the Earth bath be given to the Children of Men. Pfal. 115, 16. Thefe Goods are in particular either fuch as are common to Mankind, or fuch as are appropriated to certain Ranks, Orders and Relations among Men. The common Goods are either fuch as are ufually called the Goods of Fortune, or Worldly Goods, as Lands, Houses, Cattle, Gold and Silver, and whatever ferves for our bodily Life, Health and Refreshment, for Food and Raiment. All which are without us, and call'd therefore outward good things. Other Goods which God hath given us we have within our felves, fome in our Bodies call'd bodily good things, as Health and Strength, and Beauty, our Limbs, and the Inftraments of Senfe as well as Action; and fome belonging to the Soul, as Understanding, Wit, Memory, Will and Confcience, all which are natural to the Soul of Man; befides which, there be fupernatural Gifts of the Holy Ghoft, which he diftributeth among Men as he will, which I reckon not among common Goods, because they are common to all, for they are not fo; but because Mankind is capable of them generally, and they are not appropriated to any particular Order or Rank of Men. There are also other accidental circumftantial or acceffional good things which God giveth unto Men, as Time, Opportunities and Occafions, Credit

S 2

and

and Reputation, Friends, Helps and Advantages, and many forts of Encouragements, and in short, whatever may in any kind be comfortable or ufeful to us in this Life, or Inftrumental to a better, and eternal, especially the light of the Gospel, and the helps of the Miniftry, Churches, and Means of upholding the worship of God, with good Education, Schools of Learning, and the like: All of us, indeed, are not partakers of all thefe good things, or in the fame measure; but every one hath fome of them, and of fo much as he hath, is God's Steward.

Now there be alfo other Goods of God, which are committed to the charge of fome Orders and Ranks among Men. Thus Kings, and Governors, and all Subordinate Magiftrates, and Officers in the Kingdom or Commonwealth, have the People of whole Nations, or lefs and narrower Provinces and Precincts committed unto their Care, to make good Laws, and fee them duly executed for the maintenance of Piety, Juftice and Sobriety; Peace and Quietness. They are God's Minifters. Rom. 13. Bifhops and Paftors are God's Minifters in his Church, and Stewards of the mysteries of God. I Cor. 4. 1.

These

have the care of the Flock, over the which the Holy Ghoft bath made them Overfeers. Act. 20. 28. All Parents, and Mafters, and Miftreffes of Familics, have their respective charges of Children and Servants committed to their Care and Government. And this is enough to fhew us what are our Mafter's Goods.

Secondly, When are thefe Goods wafted? We must know, That God hath not (as too many vain Perfons in the World love to do) filled his

great