his lord's debtors to him, and said to the first, how much owest thou to my lord? "And he said, A hundred measures of oil; "and he said unto him, Take thy bill, and "sit down quickly, and write fifty. Then "he said to another, and how much owest "thou? And he said, a hundred measures "of wheat; and he said to him, take thy bill "and write fourscore." The meaning of all this is sufficiently clear. The rents of lands were formerly paid, not in money, but in the articles which those lands produced; and the unjust steward, by deducting a part of those different articles, which were due from the several tenants to his master, secured to himself their assistance, when he should be reduced to distress; for he knew, that, by making them partners in his dishonesty, they could not refuse to lend him assistance in future, as they would be afraid of his accusing them also to their landlord, of having paid, not the whole, but only a part of their rents. No long time, however, passed before this contrivance of the steward came to his master's ears; and, struck with the cunning which the man had shewn on the occasion," the lord," says our Saviour, commended the unjust steward, "because he had done wisely;" "for," adds CHRIST, "the children of this world

"are, in their generation, wiser than the "children of light." This part of the parable, may, perhaps, require a little explanation; though its meaning, to an attentive reader or hearer, will not be difficult to be understood. When our Saviour says, that "the lord commended the unjust "steward," he does not mean that he was pleased with his dishonesty; for it is absurd to suppose, that any one who has been robbed, will be pleased, either with the act of depriving him of his property, or with him who committed it. No! he neither applauds the manner in which the steward made friends for his need, as if it were proper to be imitated; nor was pleased with the transaction, as far as himself was concerned; but he commended the steward, because he "had done wisely" with respect to his own interests. He saw a good deal of foresight, ingenuity, and policy, in his contrivance; he could not help acknowledging, that he had made the best of a very bad situation; and that the man had done wisely, in thus providing a sure means of succour in the hour of need. That this is the true meaning of the lord's commendation of the steward's conduct, is clear from what our Saviour immediately says: "For the children of this "world are wiser in their generation than

the children of light:" those who only care about this life, its pleasures and its business, take more pains to secure what they are in search of, than they who call themselves christians do, to obtain the favour of GOD, and secure everlasting habitations for themselves when they die. The same foresight and diligence, therefore, which the unjust steward made use of in a wicked way, to obtain the worldly advantage which he had in view, should be practised by christians, in fulfilling the duties of religion; and in obtaining, when they fail, (or die,) a blessed inheritance in the kingdom of heaven. Having thus explained the parable to you, I shall consider, in the remainder of my discourse, these two passages of it; "Give an account of thy stewardship, for "thou mayest no longer be steward;" and, "the children of this world are, in their "generation, wiser than the children of light."

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"Give an account of thy stewardship, "for thou mayest no longer be steward." My brethren, this saying applies to all mankind; not only to the "high and lofty" ones of the earth, but also to the most poor and humble creature alive; for "it is appointed unto men once to die;" and, there is no man that hath power over the

"spirit to retain the spirit; neither hath he

power in the day of death; and there is "no discharge in that war, neither shall "wickedness deliver those that are given "unto it." Thus says the word of God: and common experience tells us the same truths; for we see every day, the young and the old, the great and the small, the strong and the weak, called from their stewardship here below; dropping into the grave; and overshadowed by that night, "in which no man can work." This we all know, and there is no man so hardened, or so foolish, as to deny the certainty of death; and that he himself, sooner or later, must submit to its sting. We all know too, (at least we have all the means of knowing, and are, therefore, without excuse, if we do not know it,) that, in the next world, we "must "give an account of our stewardship ;" or be judged by JESUS CHRIST for what we have done in this world; for the manner in which we have performed those duties, which, as christians, we were bound to fulfil. Now, my friends, the gospel of CHRIST has so clearly pointed out what these duties are, that no man can possibly be ignorant of them, if he take the least pains to enquire about them. The Bible is before him, as "a lamp to his feet, and a light to his

" paths." The Church is open to him,
where he may hear the word of God, and
the duties of a christian life, both read and
explained. A standing and regular Ministry
are ever at hand, to "preach the word,"
"to reprove, rebuke, comfort, and exhort,
"with all long-suffering and doctrine;" and
the small still voice of his own conscience
speaks within him, to tell him what is right,
and to warn him against what is wrong.
Now all these means of knowledge unite in
declaring to him, that the business of his
stewardship, in this world, is, to repent him
truly of his former sins; to seek, and love,
and have a lively faith in, that Saviour who
died on the cross as a propitiation for them;
to endeavour, with all his powers, to live
according to his holy law; to pray for grace
and assistance to enable him to do this; to
keep a strict watch over his passions, lest they
should lead him into sin; to avoid all bad com-
munications, lest they should corrupt his own
good principles; to be regular in his religious
duties, in private prayer, and public worship,
in the frequenting of God's church, and par-
taking of the blessed sacrament of the body
and blood of CHRIST; and finally, to "live
"soberly, righteously, and godly, in this
present world." Such are the obligations
every christian ;
the duties of his steward-

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