1. That in his word God representeth himself by mercy and good- ness rather than any other attribute. Mercy is natural to him ; he is ' the father of mercies/ 2 Cor. i. 3. God is not merciful by accident, but by nature. The sun doth not more naturally shine, nor the fire more naturally burn, nor water more naturally flow, than God doth naturally show mercy. It is pleasing to him, Micah vii. 18 ; James ii. 13, ' Mercy rejoiceth over judgment.' Punitive acts are forced from him, but gracious acts drop from him of their own accord, like life- honey. Nay, God is mercy itself : 1 John iv. 8, ' God is love.' It cannot be said of a man that he is learning and wisdom, though learned and wise. But God is not only loving, but love, an infinite sea of love, without banks and bounds. It was well observed of CEcolampadius, that men were taught amiss to know the nature of God by vulgar pictures and representations (for their fashion was then to picture God in some fair and beautiful form, and the devil in some foul ugly shape). Puerorum major pars nescit quid sit Deus, quid sit Sathan. But he adviseth parents, if they would teach their children to know what God is, they would first teach thorn to know what goodness is and justice
470 SERMONS UPON MATTHEW XXV. [SeR. XV.
is, what mercy is, what bounty and loving-kindness is ; per illo.s enim proprie quid Deus sit discimus. Again, it they would know what kind of creature the devil is, they should first know what malice is ami filthiness, and what villany and treachery is ; for Satan is a compound of all these. The best picture that could be taken of the devil would be by the characters of malice, falsehood, and envy. But God is justice itself, goodness itself, mercy itself, as it is expressed in scripture.
2. In Christ, who is the 'express image of his person,' Heb. i. 3. Now, Christ disdained not the company of sinners, went about healing sicknesses and diseases, and doing good. His miracles were acts of relief, not done for pomp and ostentation.
3. In his providence : Acts xiv. 17, ' He left not himself without witness, in that he did good, and gave us rain from heaven, and fruit- ful seasons, filling our hearts with food and gladness.'
SERMON XV.
His lord said unto him, Thou wicked and slothful servant, thou knewest that I reaped where I sowed not, and gathered where I have not strawed ; thou oughtest therefore to have put my money to the ex- changers, and then at my coming I should have received mine own with usury.— Mat. XXV. 26, 27.
Here is the master's reply to the servant's allegation. In the words we have two things : —
1. An exprobration of his naughtiness and sloth.
2. A retortion of his vain excuse upon his own head, ' If thou knewest,' &c. Not as if the lord did grant it to be true that the sloth- ful servant' had alleged ; but his own opinions and conceits were enough to convict him.
[I.J Here is a o-vyxeopTjo-is, a concession ; for dispute's sake, be it as thou hast said.
[2.] The inference, ' Thou oughtest therefore to have put my money to the exchangers, that at my coming I might have received my own with usury.' The argument is returned upon himself. The bankers and usury here mentioned are only by way of comparison, aud can no more be urged to justify the putting money to use than, ' Be- hold, I come as a thief,' can justify theft; or that parable Luke xvi. should justify fraud and injustice; the unjust steward did wisely, non servi fraudem, sed prudentiam, &c. Parables are not taken from those things that de jure ought to be done, but de facto are done. There- fore I shall not interpose any judgment of mine upon this occasion as to that case, whether any putting money to use be lawful, yea or no: only observe, that Christ will have his own with usury ; some improve- ment he expects when he cometh.
First, I begin with the exprobration. It was a sharp but well deserved reproof ; if the bad servant had feared this aforehand, it might have been better with him ; shame is the fear of a just reproof. Mark
Vers. 26, 27.] sermons upon matthew xxv. 471
the different entertainment of the good and bad servant: there it is, Good and faithful servant ; here, Thou wicked and slothful servant : Christ will upbraid the unfaithful at the day of judgment. He is called a ■wicked, evil servant, because unfaithful ; slothful, because negligent.
Doct. 1. A slothful servant is a wicked servant.
These two terms are here coupled. There is a twofold sloth : — ■
First, Common, in the ordinary affairs of this life : 2 Thes. iii. 10, ' We commanded you, that if any would not work, neither should they eat;' 1 Tim. v. 8, ' He that provideth not for his own is worse than an infidel ; ' ver. 13, 'And withal, they learn to be idle.'
Secondly, Spiritual, called a/ci]8ta, and torpor spirituals, one of the seven deadly sins among the papists ; a remiss will in divine and heavenly matters, or a negligence in the duties of holiness, because of the labour and trouble that accompanieth them : Kom. xii. 11, ' Not slothful in business, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord ; ' Heb. vi. 12, ' That ye be not slothful, but followers of them who through faith and patience have inherited the promises/ There are in these scriptures two words, oKvrjpoi, and vcodpbt, dull, stupid, backward. They are both bad ; but this latter is worst, because of the matter about which it is conversant. The one in our particular, the other in our general calling. To be negligent in our ordinary callings is bad ; but much more in the great affairs of our souls. It is not only an evil thing, but an evil sin. Of this principally.