when it is said, "Make to yourselves friends of the unrighteous mammon;" lay up for yourselves unsearchable riches, and make the riches that perish the means of your doing so. This is in perfect harmony with such passages as these: "With good will doing service, as to the Lord, and not to men; knowing that whatsoever good thing any man doeth, the same shall he receive of the Lord." There is the doctrine of Christian reward. Christ alone, I have repeated, is the foundation of our acceptance, the Holy Spirit alone our sanctifier for glory; and yet each man's happiness is augmented in the ratio in which each man has laid out the talent which God has given to him. Again, "Whosoever shall give to one of these little ones a cup of cold water in the name of a disciple, verily I say unto you, he shall not lose his reward." "Blessed are the dead that die in the Lord; they rest from their labours, and their works do follow them"-not precede them, you will observe, but follow them as seals and evidences of what they were; the Lord our righteousness shall still have all the glory of our forgiveness; the Lord the Spirit shall still have all the glory of our fitness for heaven. In other words, we are taught here to do what constitutes the great happiness of man—that is, to be beneficent, to be good. To do good is, to a Christian, the very highest happiness. Those words in our language which mean the highest happiness, are words which mean being out of self, beyond oneself: "ecstasy," standing out of self; "rapture," carried away from self; "transport," borne beyond self. All the words which denote the highest happiness imply the least selfishness, and doing the greatest good to others. Our Lord himself has defined such happiness in these words, "It is more blessed to give than to receive." And that man's Christianity has not reached its meridian brightness who cannot say, "I have felt more happiness

in giving that sovereign to that poor man, than I ever felt in winning that sovereign as the reward of my labours." And let me ask, what can be more delightful than to make the heart of the orphan glad, and the widow's soul to sing for joy? What can be more joyous than to snatch spoils from Satan, and make them trophies of the kingdom of heaven? What can be greater delight to us than to augment that current that rises from below, and will be lost in the joys and splendours of the everlasting main? What can be more worthy of a Christian and a redeemed soul, than to make oneself to be felt as a shower of blessings, so that when we leave the world, the world shall feel that we have neither been a curse nor a blank to it, but a gigantic and a lasting blessing? To be pronounced good is better than to be pronounced great; and he who does the highest good is he that gives evidence of the highest principle, and so will have the experience of the greatest happiness.

One word in concluding this parable. Recollect that we are all stewards. "Give an account of thy stewardship," will be addressed to every man. Each man has his property, his rank, his talent, his influence, his power, whatever it be, however small, as a stewardship; and each must answer to God how he has made use of that stewardship. How dreadful, if the only reminiscence should be this: "I have used the mighty influence which my position in society gave me in countless mischievous courses, or in doing nothing at all for those amid whom I was placed!" How sad to another will be such a reminiscence as this; "I have used money in horse-racing, in gambling, in all sorts of amusement, and there is not one widow that can bless me, nor one orphan that can thank me, nor one comforted soul that can say, I got a Bible, which if had you What a ternot given, I never should have received!' rible reminiscence will this be at the day of judgment:

"My talent, which God gave me, I have used in writing novels, in composing plays, in gilding the bad side, in darkening the bright, the holy, and the good; I have used all my talent in novels, in puns, in witticisms, in any thing and every thing except giving a tribute of glory to Him from whose altar it was kindled, and shedding light upon the path of the pilgrim who had otherwise perished!" What a reminiscence will it be for us, if we recollect at the judgment-seat, "We heard in that place many a faithful and honest sermon; this we can say, that if we have not had the truth made brilliant, we have had the truth honestly, and bluntly, and plainly spoken; we have had the Bible half a century; we have heard the gospel ten, fifteen, twenty years; we have been appealed to for missions, and for churches, and for schools; and lo! we laid out as much last week upon some little ornament for the drawing-room as we ever laid out in spreading Bibles, in extending the gospel, in clothing the naked, in feeding the hungry!" My dear friends, ought these things to be so? I am perfectly sure of this, that the church of Christ has never yet done what it ought to have done. All we have ever given have been superfluities. No man yet ever stinted himself, or very few at least, to do a grand beneficent act which would make the world better, holier, happier. In a few years, every one of us must render an account to God. The address will be made to us, "Give an account of thy stewardship." Then let us take a leaf from the book of the dishonest steward; let us repudiate his dishonesty; let us adopt his energy, his talent, his tact; let us concentrate all we have, all we say, upon the main and master end, namely, seeking first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and then all other things will be added unto us. In education, seek to make your children Christians first; leave accomplishments for the

postscript. In selecting a minister to preach the gospel to you, seek first of all a faithful man, a spiritual man, an honest man; next an eloquent man, a Churchman or a Dissenter. In providing for the future, first the soul, that is the main thing; next the poor tent, which must soon be struck, that the soul may resume its march to immortality. Do not provide for the future up to death, and leave the greater part of the journey altogether unprovided for. Look not into the depths of that ruin which lost souls have prepared for themselves; but look rather to the heights of that glory which disinterested love, which precious blood, which a glorious Saviour, in his sovereignty, and in his mercy, and in his grace, has procured for us. And when I ask you, “How much owest thou unto my Lord?" may the Spirit of God help you to feel, and help me to feel, that we owe all we are, and all we hope for, and ten thousand times ten thousand more than heart can conceive, or tongue can tell! When at length we are admitted into that millennial bliss, of which our highest spiritual enjoyment now is but a faint prelibation, how surprised shall we be to find that any man so clave to things temporal, that he lost all interest in things eternal; and was so wise about the world that was, that he missed his portion in the world that is.

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LECTURE XVII.

FORGIVEN AND FORGIVING.

Therefore is the kingdom of heaven likened unto a certain king, which would take account of his servants. And when he had begun to reckon, one was brought unto him, which owed him ten thousand talents. But forasmuch as he had not to pay, his lord commanded him to be sold, and his wife, and children, and all that he had, and payment to be made. The servant therefore fell down, and worshipped him, saying, Lord, have patience with me, and I will pay thee all. Then the lord of that servant was moved with compassion, and loosed him, and forgave him the debt. But the same servant went out, and found one of his fellow-servants, which owed him an hundred pence: and he laid hands on him, and took him by the throat, saying, Pay me that thou owest. And his fellow-servant fell down at his feet, and besought him, saying, Have patience with me, and I will pay thee all. And he would not: but went and cast him into prison, till he should pay the debt. So when his fellow-servants saw what was done, they were very sorry, and came and told unto their lord all that was done. Then his lord, after that he had called him, said unto him, O thou wicked servant, I forgave thee all that debt, because thou desiredst me; shouldest not thou also have had compassion on thy fellow-servant, even as I had pity on thee? And his lord was wroth, and delivered him to the tormentors, till he should pay all that 'was due unto him. So likewise shall my heavenly Father do also unto you, if ye from your hearts forgive not every one his brother their trespasses.-— MATT. Xviii. 23-35.

A CONSIDERABLE portion of the chapter from which the present parable is taken, relates to the law and the condition of mutual forgiveness. It is explained how all Christians are to proceed, who fancy they have, or really have, just cause of complaint of the treatment which they have experienced from a brother. We are told in the 15th verse, "If thy brother shall trespass against thee, (that is, shall commit any offence against thee,) go and tell him his fault between him and thee alone." Do not go