4. The Lord will then inquire, “How didst thou employ the _body_ wherewith I intrusted thee? I gave thee a _tongue_, to praise me therewith: didst thou use it to the end for which it was given? Didst thou employ it, not in evil-speaking or idle-speaking, not in uncharitable or unprofitable conversation: but in such as was good, as was necessary or useful, either to thyself or others? Such as always tended, directly or indirectly, to _minister grace to the hearers_? I gave thee, together with thy other _senses_, those grand avenues of knowledge, _sight_ and _hearing_: were these employed to those excellent purposes for which they were bestowed upon thee? In bringing thee in more and more instruction in righteousness and true holiness? I gave thee hands and feet and various _members_ wherewith to perform the works which were prepared for thee: were they employed, not in doing _the will of the flesh_, of thy evil nature, or _the will of the mind_, (the things to which thy reason or fancy led thee,) but _the will of him that sent_ thee into the world, merely to work out thy own salvation? Didst thou present all thy members, not to sin, as instruments of unrighteousness, but to me alone, through the Son of my love, _as instruments of righteousness_?”
5. The Lord of all will next enquire, “How didst thou employ the _worldly goods_ which I lodged in thy hands? Didst thou use thy food, not so as to seek or place thy happiness therein, but so as to preserve the body in health, in strength, and vigour, a fit instrument for the soul? Didst thou use apparel, not to nourish pride or vanity, much less to tempt others to sin, but conveniently and decently to defend thyself from the injuries of the weather? Didst thou prepare and use thy house and all other conveniencies, with a single eye to my glory? In every point seeking not thy own honour, but mine: studying to please not thyself, but me? Once more: in what manner didst thou employ that comprehensive talent _money_? Not in gratifying the desire of the flesh, the desire of the eye, or the pride of life? Not squandering it away in vain expences, the same as throwing it into the sea? Not hoarding it up to leave behind thee, the same as burying it in the earth? But first supplying thy own reasonable wants, together with those of thy family: then restoring the remainder to me, through the poor, whom I had appointed to receive it: looking upon thyself as only one of that number of poor, whose wants were to be supplied out of that part of my substance, which I had placed in thy hands for this purpose: leaving thee the right of being supplied first, and the blessedness of giving rather than receiving? Wast thou accordingly a general benefactor to mankind? Feeding the ♦hungry, cloathing the naked, comforting the sick, assisting the stranger, relieving the afflicted, according to their various necessities? Wast thou eyes to the blind, and feet to the lame? A father to the fatherless, and an husband to the widow? And didst thou labour to improve all outward works of mercy, as means of saving souls from death?”
♦ ‘hungery’ replaced with ‘hungry’