Propof. z. All God, ftewards toit give an ac- count. Two layes of . reckoning. I. In this life. The Stewards Summons. as a Mallet of a Family, governed his Family teaching andcommanding his children' and his hen/hold to walk in theway of the Lord: Mark how other ofGods fervantsl have employed their gifts ; As Sampfon, all his ftrength for the Church : and fo'. Solomon, all his wifdome, and whatfoever gift any of them had, they acknowledged that the Talents that were committed to them,were for God, and for the fervice of¡ his Church, for the furtherance of his glory in the particular places that he had fet them in. I fay, if menwould be wife Stewards theymuftdothus. But I cannot íland upon this, leis I be prevented in that which I moll intend in that thatfolloweth. Ye have heard who is the Steward:. ft is every one that bath received any ability fromGod to do him fervice; Godexpee4s that he Ihould employ that ability in his fervice. We come now in the fecond place to confider the reckoning which every Man' muff make, the account that every man muff give ofhis Stewardlhip. And that (as ye have heard) in the fecond point ofDo&rite that offers it felf tous out of the firfl part of the Text, viz. That all Gods Stewards muff givea reckoning one time or other untoGod. As cvcry Man in the world is Gods Steward, fo every Steward muff give an ac- count. In opening of this I will (hew ye two things. FitrrIl, I will thew ye what time of Reckoning God bath with his Stewards. Secondly, I will thewye why God judicioufly proccedethin thismanner,called a Reckoning, or an Account. For the fitfh : There are two times of Reckoning that God will hate with his Stewards. . The firth in this Life. The fecond Sfter death. Firll, he calleth them to account in this life, while they live on the Earth, and that two mayes a $y hisÇWord. Rodd. By the Word. Fiat, by his Word, haffning every man to an Account by the Gofpcl, and the' Doarineof Repentance. This courir God hid-deli tookwith Adam, called him Gen. 3. 3t. to account for his carriage in the Garden Adam ( faith he) where are thou ? who told thee that thou wert naked ? had thou eatenof the tree whereofI command- edthee that thou fhouldeft not eat? Afterwards when God font his Prophets into the World, they took the farne course : fo Elijah when he came to Ahab,. haft t King. t9. thou killed,- ' and .alfo -taken poffe ón ? as if he ihould have faid, know that. God hath found out thy fin, and now calleth thee to a, reckoning:, So.John Bapiïft, when he come to the Pharifees, and thole hard-hearted finners, he calleth,them to mat. 3 a reckoning,-Oh Generation of vipers, who hath warned ye toffeefrom the wrath to come ? So,Peter called thofe three thoufand fouls in Ads z.! to a Reckoning for crucifying,ofChtüt; him (faith he) who is the Lordoflsfe,yehave taken, andwith wicked hands have crucified azdHain. By the rod. A tad becaufc there are many, that like the Adder, flop their ears at the voyce of the Charmer ; and if God fpcak but in his Word, they pats it by, as Elihu in Job 34-14, : Job faith, Clad,lpeak, once, yea twice, ye, man perceivetb it not, therefore when the Word doth not prevail, G od calleth them to a reckoningby his Rodd, Mia1 Mic. 6.9. 6.9. Hear age rodd, and him that appointeth se that is : God bath appointed' fcourgesand afi]ííhions for men,to aware: them, to hearken to thevoyee that calleth them to a Reckoning. j Now affil &ions are outwarcfor inward, corporal or fpiritual. Godfometimes' calleth men :to an account by corporal a$lillions t tie fmiteth man ( as Le faith) job 17, with pains upon his head, and the multitude of his bones with flrongpains. What's! ¡ the rcafon of this? but that man,tnay come to this conclufon with,himfeif, that hej may bring his own heart to a reckoning for his former carriage ? This is that the Apoffle ACE, z.
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