upon him because he is so far away from God. 3. His condition is wretched. He is needy, in famine, and without a friend. His condition is aptly denoted by that of the prodigal, who would gladly have partaken of the food of the swine. The sinner has taken the world for his portion, and it neither supplies the wants of his immortal soul, nor gives him comfort when he is far away from his Father's home, and from God. 4. God is willing to receive the true penitent, and has made the richest provisions for his return and for his comfort. None need hesitate to go to him. All who go, feeling that they are poor, and miserable, shall find God willing to receive them, and shall not be sent empty away. 5. It God is willing to receive sinners now, then all should at once return. There will be a time when he will not be willing to receive them. The day of mercy will be ended. And from the misery and want of this wretched world they will go down to the deeper miseries and wants of a world of despair, where hope never comes, from whence the sinner never can return, and where the cheering thought can never enter the mind, that in his Father's house there is bread enough and to spare; or if there is, it will be for ever untasted and unpossessed by the wretched prodigal, in the land of eternal famine and death!

CHAPTER XVI.

1 AND he said also unto his disciples, There was a certain rich man, which had a steward; and the same was accused unto him that he had wasted his goods. 2 And he called him, and said unto him, How is it that I hear this of thee? give an account of thy stewardship; for thou mayest be no longer steward.

After Jesus had shown the pharisees, in the preceding chapter, the propriety of his conduct, it was natural that he should turn and address his disciples. Among them there might have been some wealthy. Jesus always adapted his instructions to the circumstances of his hearers; and it was proper, therefore, that he should give these disciples instructions about their peculiar duties and dangers. He related this parab'e, therefore, to show them the danger of the love of money, the necessity of using money aright, and that if they would serve God, they must give up supreme attachment to money; they could not serve God and mammon. The first duty of religion demanded that they should resolve to serve God, and be honest in the use of the wealth intrusted to them. It should be borne in mind, however, that in this, as well as in other parables, we are not to endeavour to spiritualize every circumstance or allusion. We are to keep in view the great moral that we cannot serve God and mammon, and that all attempts to serve mammon and God together will involve us

in difficulty and sin. A steward." One who has charge of the affairs of a family or household, whose duty it is to provide for the family, to purchase provisions, &c. This was, of course, a office of much trust and confidence. It afforded great opportunities for dishonesty, and waste, and embezzling property. It was an office commonly conferred on a slave, as a reward for fidelity; and of course was given to him that, in long service, had shown himself most trustworthy. By the rich man, here, is doubtless represented God. By the steward, his professed followers, particularly those whose chief danger arose from the temptations to the improper use of the money intrusted to them. Was accused.' Complaint was made. 'Had wasted.' Had squandered or scattered-had not been prudent and saving.

3 Then the steward said within himself, What shall I do? for my lord taketh away from me the stewardship. I cannot dig; to beg I am ashamed.

Said within himself.' Thought, or considered. 'My lord.' My master, my employer. 'I cannot dig.' To dig, here, is the same as to till the earth, to work at daily labour. 'To beg.' These were the only two ways that presented themselves for a living-either to work for it, or to beg. 'I am ashamed.' He was too proud for that. Besides, he was in good health and strength, and there was no good reason why he should beg. It is well for the sick, and lame, and feeble, to beg; but it is not well for the able-bodied to do it: nor is it well to aid them, except by giving them employment, and compelling them to work for a living.

4 I am resolved what to do, that, when I am put out of the stewardship, they may receive me into their houses.

'I am resolved.' It would have been better to have considered before this, and resolved on a proper course of life. And his perplexity here teaches us that dishonesty will, sooner or later, lead us into difficulty; and that the path of honesty is not only the right path, but is the path that is filled with most comfort and peace. "When I am put out,' &c. When I lose my place, and have no home, and no means of support. They may receive me,' &c. Those who are now under me, and whom I am resolved now to favour. He had been dishonest to his master; and, having commenced a course of dishonesty, he did not shrink from pursuing it. He was resolved to lay these persons under such obligations, that they could not well refuse to return the kindness to him, and give him a support. We may learn here, 1. That one sin leads on to another, and that one act of dishonesty will be followed by many more if there is opportunity. 2. Men who commit one sin cannot get along in their evil course without

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committing many more. One lie will demand many more to make it appear like the truth; and one act of cheating will demand many more to avoid detection. The beginning of sin is like the letting out of waters; and no man knows, if he indulges in one sin, where it will end.

5 So he called every one of his lord's debtors unto him, and said unto the first, How much owest thou unto my lord?

'Called every one.' As he was steward, he had the management of all the affairs, and of course debts were to be paid to him. 'Debtors.' Those who owed his master, or perhaps tenants; those who rented land of his master.

6 And he said, An hundred measures of oil. And he said unto him, Take thy bill, and sit down quickly, and write fifty.

'An hundred measures.' The measure here mentioned is the bath, which contained about seven gallons and a half of our measure. 'Oil.' Oil of olives, or sweet oil. It was much used for lamps, as an article of food, Ex. xxix. 2, and also for anointing, and of course as an article of commerce, 1 Kings v. 11. These were persons, doubtless, who had rented land of the rich man, and who were to give him a certain proportion of the produce. Thy bill.' The contract or obligation. It was probably written as a promise by the debtor, and signed by the steward, and thus became binding. The bill or contract was in the hands of the steward, and he gave it back to him to write a new one. Quickly.' He supposed that his master would soon remove him, and he was therefore in haste to have all things secure beforehand.

7 Then said he to another, And how much owest thou? And he said, An hundred measures of wheat. And he said unto him, Take thy bill, and write four

score.

The measure here mentioned was ten times as great as the former, and contained about two bushels, or seventy-five gallons and a half.

8 And the lord commended the unjust steward, because he had done wisely for the children of this world are in their generation wiser than the children of light.

'The lord commended.' These are not the words of Jesus, as commending him, but a part of the narrative or parable. The unjust steward,' It is not said that his master commended him

because he was unjust, but because he was wise. This is the only thing in his conduct of which there is any approbation expressed, and this approbation was expressed by his master. The children of this world.' Those who are devoted to this world, who live for this world only, and who are careful only to obtain property, and to provide for their temporal necessities. See Matt. xiii. 22; 2 Tim iv. 10. ‘Are wiser. More prudent, cunning, and anxious about their particular business. In their generation. That is, in their manner of living, or in managing their affairs. The word 'generation' sometimes means manner of life, Gen. vi. 9; xxxvii. 2. They turn their connections with others to good account, and make it subserve their worldly interests, while christians often fail to use the world in such a manner as to subserve their spiritual interests. Children of light.' Those who have been enlightened from above-who are christians. This may be considered as the application of the parable. It does not mean that it is more wise to be a worldly man than to be a child of light, but that those who are worldly show much prudence in providing for themselves, seize occasions for making good bargains, are active and industrious, and exert themselves to the utmost to advance their interests: while christians often suffer opportunities of doing good to pass unimproved; are less steady, firm, and anxious, about eternal things; and thus show less wisdom. Alas! this is too true; and we cannot but reflect here how different the world would be if all christians were as anxious, and diligent, and prudent, in religious matters, as others are in worldly things.

9 And I say unto you, Make to yourselves friends of the mammon of unrighteousness; that, when ye fail, they may receive you into everlasting habitations.

'I say unto you.' I, Jesus, say to you my disciples. 'Make to yourselves friends.' The steward had so managed his pecuniary affairs as to secure future comfort for himself; or so as to find friends that would take care of him beyond the time when he was put out of the office. So, says our Saviour to those who had property, use it so as to secure happiness and comfort beyond the time when you shall be removed from the present life. Have a reference, in the use of your money, to the future. Jesus, here, does not say that we should do it in the same way that the steward did, for that was unjust; but only that we should secure the result. This may be done by using our riches as we should do-that is, by employing them in works of mercy and benevolence, aiding the poor, contributing to the advance of the gospel, bestowing them where they will do good, and in such a manner that God will approve the deed, and will bless us for it. Commonly, riches are a hinderance to piety. But every thing may, by a proper use, be made to contribute to our welfare in heaven.

Health, wealth, talents, and influence, may be so employed, and this is what our Saviour doubtless means here. Of the. By means of the mammon. 'Mammon.' A Syriac word meaning riches. It is used also as an idol, the god of riches. 'Of unrighteousness.' These words are a Hebrew expression for unrighteous mammon-the noun being used for an adjective, as is common in the New Testament. The word 'unrighteous,' here, stands opposed to the true riches,' in ver. 11, and means deceitful, false, not to be trusted. It has this meaning often. See 1 Tim. vi. 17. Luke xii. 33. Matt. vi. 19; xix. 21. It does not signify, therefore, that they had acquired their property unjustly, but that property was deceitful, and not to be trusted. We cannot calculate on its continuance. It may give us support or comfort now, but it may be soon removed, or we taken from it; and we should, therefore, so use it as to derive benefit from it hereafter, 'When ye fail. When ye are left, or when ye die. It refers to death, as if God then discharged his people, or took them from their stewardship, and called them to account. 'They may receive you.' This is a form of expression denoting merely that you may be received. The plural form is used because it was used in the corresponding place in the parable, ver. 4. The direction is, so to use our worldly goods as that we may be received into heaven when we die. 'Everlasting habitations.' Heaven, the eternal home of the righteous, where all their wants will be supplied, and there can be no more anxiety, and no more removal from enjoyments, 2 Cor. v. 1.

10 He that is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in much: and he that is unjust in the least is unjust also in much.

'He that is faithful.' This is a maxim that will almost universally hold true. A man that shows fidelity in small matters will also in large; and he that will cheat and defraud in small things will also in those of more trust and responsibility.

11 If therefore ye have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust the true riches?

'Who will commit,' &c. Men who are dishonest and worldly, and who do not employ the deceitful mammon as they ought, cannot expect to grow in grace. God does not confer grace upon them, and their being unfaithful in earthly matters is as if they would be in much greater affairs, and would likewise misimprove the true riches. True riches.' The graces of the gospel, the influences of the Spirit, eternal life, or religion. The riches of this world are false, deceitful, not to be trusted, ver. 9; the treasures of heaven are true, faithful, never failing, Matt. vi. 19, 20