SERMON VIII.

THE UNJUST STEWARD.

LUKE XVI. 8, 9.

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.-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.

You will immediately perceive that these words are the conclusion of the parable of the unjust steward, they contain our Saviour's remark upon the story he had been relating, and our time will be very well occupied in searching out the true meaning of this remark of our great Instructor. A remark, the meaning of which is, at first sight, rather obscure.

To take the matter from the beginning, I shall refresh your memory by tracing the outline of the parable, which is not quite so obvious in its design, as many others delivered by our Saviour.He tells us of a certain rich man, who, having discovered his steward to be deficient in integrity, had determined on his dismissal, preparatory to which he demanded from him a statement of his accounts. The steward fully sensible of his iniquity, does not attempt to defend himself, but with worldly wisdom determines on a scheme to secure himself a refuge, when he is thrust from his master's service. He calls to him his master's debtors, and instead of claiming from them the full extent of their debts, commits a further fraud on his master by reducing the amount of the several sums they were indebted to him, in the hope that for the service thus iniquitously rendered to them, they would be ready to afford him a shelter in the hour of distress and disgrace, which he saw approaching. His lord is by some means informed of his conduct, and however he might be enraged at his villainy, could not but be struck with the ingenuity of the contrivance, and therefore commended the unjust steward because he had done wisely.

At first sight, and without due examination, some people may conclude that the remark of our Saviour which follows, "the children of this world are in their generation wiser than the children of light," was intended as an approbation of the conduct of this unjust man, and thenceforth draw an apology and defence for any ingenious fraud they may find it convenient to practice on their neighbour.

By looking more carefully at the matter, and comparing the several parts of my text together, we shall readily see how erroneous is this notion, and I hope be enabled to point out the real purport of the instruction intended to be conveyed by the parable. And, first, we may remark that the words, "the Lord commended the unjust steward," refer entirely to the sentiments entertained by the master, on hearing of this ingenious villainy of his servant, and are by no means to be considered as giving our Lord's approbation to the transaction. We may suppose the master of this steward to have been a man of the world, a person totally occupied in the contemplation of his possessions, placing his whole hope in the accumulation of

wealth, and of course considering those talents most valuable which tended most to this his great object. To a character like this the device of the steward would appear so extremely happy in its contrivance, that in his admiration of this ingenuity, he would almost forget the iniquity of the transaction, and would readily be led to pronounce the steward had done wisely; that is, had acted with the only wisdom he knew of, the only wisdom to which, alas, even to this day, the children of this world are willing to dedicate their time, their thoughts, and their exertions.

We must next consider what is meant by the distinction introduced between the children of this world, and the children of light. By the former are certainly to be understood those who, like the character I have drawn of the master of the unjust steward, place all their hopes and thoughts on the enjoyment of this world, and its goods, and have no expectation of higher joys than they can afford: who, in short, lay up for themselves treasures on earth, "where moth and rust do corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal." By the children of light are to be understood those whose

views are fixed on higher and holier pursuits, whose hopes, soaring above the grovelling contemplation of worldly objects, aspire to those more sublime and heavenly joys which christianity holds out to her followers; they seek treasures where no moth, no rust corrupteth, where no thieves break through and steal; they fix their hearts where alone true joys are to be found; they humbly and devoutly turn their desires to that ineffable source of light and life, in whom is fulness of joy, and at whose right hand are pleasures for evermore. Το enforce this interpretation of the expression "the children of light," I need only remind you that through the whole of the New Testament the dawn of christianity on the world is continually compared to light dispersing the darkness which had before thrown a thick veil over the designs of Providence. St. Paul, in the 5th chapter of his Epistle to the Ephesians, says to them, "For ye were sometime darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord, walk as children of light, and have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness." A multitude of similar passages might be quote to show that such is the intended meaning of th expression.