The Trust and the Account of a Steward, Imprimatur – Dedication
Die Mercurii 28. April. 1647.
ORdered by the Commons aſſembled in Parliament, That Mr. Ball, doe from this Houſe give thankes unto Mr. Strong for the great paines he tooke in the Sermon he preached on this day at Margarets Weſtminſter, before the Houſe of Commons (it being a day of publique Humiliation) and that he doe deſire him to Print his Sermon: VVherein he is to have the like Priviledge in Printing of it, as others in the like kinde uſually have had.
H. Elſynge Cler. Parl. D. Com.
I appoint Jo. Benſon, and Jo. Saywell to Print my Sermon.
William Strong.
THE TRUST AND THE ACCOVNT OF A STEVVARD. Laid open in a Sermon preached before the Honourable Houſe of Commons, at Margarets Weſtminster; upon Wedneſday the the 28. of April 1647. being the day of their Publique Humiliation.
By William Strong.
Potes & officio juriſdictionistuae fungi; & humanitatis memiſſe: vel quia & vos ſub gladio eſtis.
Tertul. ad Scapulum. c. 4
Confragoſa in faſtigium dignitatis via eſt; non in praerupto tantum illic ſtabis; ſed in lubrico.
Sen. Ep. 14.
LONDON, Printed by Tho. Harper for John Benſon and John Saywell, and are to be ſold at their Shops in Dunſtans Church-Yard, and at the Greyhound in Little-Britaine. 1647.
To the Honourable Houſe of Commons Aſſembled in Parliament.
I Could not minde you of any thing better then that which God would have alwaies before your eyes; your latter end, and your laſt account, that it is appointed for all men once to dye, and after death the judgement; that after death, a mans workes follow him either in eternall puniſhment or rewards, and that with God there is no respect of perſons; he that hath received but one talent ſhall give an account for no more, and he that hath received five, ſhall give an account for five; the truſt indeede and honour is the greater; but ſo will alſo the account be, to whom much is given, of him much will be required.
It will be a dreadfull thing for all men with naked conſciences to appeare before the Judgement Seate of Chriſt, when the Thrones ſhall be ſet, and the Bookes ſhal be opened, and the dead ſhall be judged out of thoſe things which are written in the bookes, according to their workes. But above all others, the Accounts of Kingdomes, and the accounts of ſoules muſt needes be dreadfull. And yet Angels and men may ſtand amazed to conſider with how much precipitancy and inadvertency men ruſh upon both theſe, as in ſinne men abſtract the pleaſure from the ſting, and therefore powre out themſelves with greedineſſe; ſo in rule men abſtract the honour and advancement from the account and judgement, and then its no wonder if with violence they are carryed after the one, when they wholy caſt off thoughts of the other.
I beſeech you therefore let my counſell be acceptable to you, which I know, yee will all wiſh you had taken in the great day of your account.
Bee holy your ſelves even as the Lord is holy in all manner of converſation; theſe white Robes and Crownes become none ſo well as they doe the Elders; that as yee judge with God, ſo God may dwell in you, that yee may have a double Image, not onelyonly his Image upon you as Magiſtrates; but his Image in you as Saints. Yee have greater opportunities to improove; greater temptations to reſiſt; greater oppoſitions to conflict with, and (which is moſt of all to be conſidered;) a greater account to make then other men; and therefore neede more of Gods grace; more of Gods preſence and his bleſſing. Yee have begun a worke of Reformation, and yee have profeſſed a more cloſe walking with God then other men, and are the firſt Parliament in this Nation, that have undertaken by a publique Covenant, with hands lifted up to the moſt high God, to endeavour a perfect Reformation, and that to begin at home, in reforming your owne wayes; …. l. 1. c. ….ſo that wee mry ſafely, and without flattery give you the ſame encomium that is given by Lactantius to Conſtantine the Great: Primus Romanorum Principum, quirepudiatis erroribus Mijeſtatem Dei ſingulariis acveri, & cognoviſti & honor…ſti. Theſe are the Titles that yee hold forth to the world knowne and read of all men; therefore the eyes of the whole Chriſtian world are upon you, and the expectations of all the reformed Churches: The Lord teach you to anſwere them; That ye may have ſomething which is ſuetable to your profeſſion without, that, that may not be objected to you as a reproach which the Father doth to the Philoſophers. … l. 3. c. 15.Quos non aliter intueri decet, quàm medices, quorum tituſiremedia habent, pixides venen…. Leaſt yee make ſad the hearts and ſhame the hopes of the Saints, and cauſe thoſe who are both enemies to holineſſe, and to you to blaſpheme.
Let not pollicy give rules to piety, and ſet the bounds to your Religion; an evill that hath interwoven it ſelfe into even the very conſtitution and fabricke of moſt Chriſtian States, to appeare for God; ſo farre as ſtill to take care of themſelves, and to venture into this ſea of Reformation; ſo as they may ſee a ſafe harbour to put themſelves into. This is the way to loſe all your labour: Its an empty win… that brings forth fruit to it ſelfe, if men faſt to themſelves, rule for themſelves, live to themſelves, they will alſo dye to themſelves; what pretences ſoever men may fancy to themſelves, and what plea…s they may have; ut honeſte piccare videantur.
Bee alſo a refuge to the Saints, love holyneſſe in others; there is not a greater teſtimony of holyneſſe in a mans ſelfe, then i… he love the ſame in another. God loves his owne Image whereſoever it is; ſo ſhould yee alſo, there is nothing will honour you more before God and men. Davids eyes in his Government were upon the faithfull; ſo let yours be, and let not the Kingdome have cauſe to continue the complaint, that none are preferred or reſpected by you, but friends, kindred or creatures, and if he be never ſo faithfull to God, and never ſo ſerviceable to you; if he come not under one of the fermer Titles, whatever his deſert or his condition be; foreign, &c. foreign. Orat. adver. Julian. 1. p. 64 foreign. Ethic. l. 8. c. 12. Hiſter Aminahum. par 2 c 4. Briſſon. de repub. l. 8. c. 1 S. 19. Camerar. operat. ſuccifiv. l. 1. c. 12.yee have no reſpect to him, no pray on him; Surely that precept extends to you alſo; doe go… to all but ſpecially to the houſehold of faith. Nazian ſpeakes it both of the goodneſſe and wiſdome of Conſtantius; that he did in his government affect nothing more, and laboured nothing more, then the encreaſe of Chriſtian Religion, and the flour ſhing thereof. For he wiſely conſidered that as Chriſtianity flouriſhed, ſo did Rome, and the encreaſe of holineſſe in the Church, was the glory and ſtability of the commonwealth.
Bee tenderly affected to the people that God hath put under you, the Titles of Fathers and Nurſes call for bowels. The difference that the Philoſopher gives betweene a King, and a Tyrant is, the one rules for himſelfe, and the other for the Subject. And in an Epiſtle to Alexander, he did tell him, that a Magiſtracy was appoinied by God, foreign; to doe good to the Commonwealth, and not to oppreſſe it, or inſult over it. Its ſaid of the Pelican that her yong one being hurt by a Serpent, ſhe doth recover them with her owne bloud, which Franzius doth apply, as a glorious reſemblance of Chriſt. But John the 2 King of Portugall, did make it an Embleme of a good Magiſtrate, and cauſed that bird to be put into his eſcuttchion, to minde him, and his ſucceſſors of their duty to be willing to be ſpent for the people.
Let not the gloſſy condition of this world deceive you, there is a time to be borne, and a time to dye, a time to put off your Robes as well as to put them on. Its a Ceremony that they uſe at the Popes inauguration, one ſtands with two Reedes or Canes in his hands, on the one a burning torch; one the other a little courſe flaxe, which he lights, and by and by its out, and this he doth thrice, and the Maſter of the Ceremonies cryes, Sancte Pater, ſit tranſit gloria mundi. Have you ſuch conſiderations alwaies with you, that yee may never enter into your houſe, but with an expectation to be called by God unto his Barre as ſoone as you riſe.
The Lord make you ſuch as feare God, men of truth, and hating covetouſneſſe; that what yee doe or have done for this poore diſtreſſed people; (that wereas ſheepe not having a ſhepheard) may be all fruite abounding to your Account.
So prayes the unworthieſt of the Miniſters of Chriſt, and the meaneſt of your ſervants in the Goſpel, WILLIAM STRONG.