convince me of sin, and to draw me to thy throne of mercy, through Christ our Mediator; receive me for His sake, not imputing my trespasses to me, but accetping his precious blood-shedding as a full, perfect, and sufficient sacrifice for all my sins. (2) I praise and glorify Thy name, for the freeness of that salvation, which has been wrought for us by thy Son our Saviour, and for the tender love with which Thou forgivest and receivest sinners in Him. Let thy love be shed abroad in my heart by thine own Spirit, that I may ever rejoice in the return of any penitent sinner to Thy grace; and that I may freely forgive and as readily receive every one who may have offended me, as I would be received and forgiven by Thee. (3) I come to thee on behalf of thine ancient people Israel: take from them all ignorance and hardness of heart, and contempt of thy word;send forth thy Spirt to gather into thy Church the remnant according to the election of thy grace;-affect the hearts of the whole people with a true repentance towards thee, and hasten the time when thou shalt again establish thy Jerusalem as a praise in the earth. I ask all to the glory of the name of Jesus Christ our Lord and Saviour. AMEN.

Our Father, &c.

ONE HUNDRED AND FORTY-FOURTH

PORTION.

The unjust Steward.-Parable, No. 19.

PLACE-Galilee. TIME-Less than two months before His death.-Year 30.

I. BEGINNING PRAYER.

MAY GOD, for the sake of JESUS CHRIST, give me the HOLY SPIRIT, that I may understand this portion of his Holy Word, and profit by it. AMEN.

II. THE SCRIPTURE.

Read St. Luke's Gospel, chap. xvi. ver. 1 to 13. III. THE MEANINGS;

or sense of some words as used in this portion. LUKE XVI. verse

8. the lord means here the master

...

acted with cleverness

in their generation .... for the concerns of

done wisely

After having addressed the last parable to the Pharisees and Scribes, our Lord was pleased to deliver another parable; which he spoke more particularly to his own disciples.

There was once (he said) a steward, belonging to a man of large property. Rich people in those days used to have a great number of servants and slaves, who all lived in the house with them. But to support them, instead of being fed at one

common table, each received a certain allowance of the necessaries of life, which was given to them once a week, or once a month, as it might be. To manage these supplies, every rich man employed a person called the ruler of the household, or steward; whose duty it was to contract for the proper articles, and distribute them to the different servants and slaves in the most provident manner. Somebody came and told this rich man, that the person whom he employed as his manager did not take proper care of his property, but allowed it to be squandered unjustly. The master sent for his steward, and asked how it happened that such an accusation could be brought against him. He desired him to get his accounts ready, and gave him warning to leave his service.

The steward began to turn in his mind what was best for him to do for his own benefit, now that his master had deprived him of his situation. He was not strong enough to gain his bread by field-labour, and he was ashamed to go about begging. After much consideration, he made up his mind how to act; in order that when he left his place, he might find some friends to take him into their families and keep him, in return for what he had done for their advantage while he was able to benefit them. He lost no time in putting his plan into execution; but sent for the contractors, who were under bond to supply his master's household with the regular allowances, for which they had probably already received the money. When the first of these came, he asked him, what it was his duty to supply the house with the man told him, that his contract was for a hundred measures of oil, each of which was

about seven gallons and a half; (this was most likely what he had to send in weekly.) The steward looked out his bond; and, putting it before him, bid him make haste and alter the figures from a hundred to fifty. Then he turned to another, and asked what he had contracted for. The man told him, that he had to supply a hundred of the common measures of wheat; (each of which was a little more than thirty-two pecks,) the steward put this man's bond also before him, and bid him alter the account to eighty. By this means, although the contracts had been made for the larger quantities and the master's money paid accordingly, yet the contractors would only have to supply the smaller quantities every week, or month and as the difference would be a great gain to them, they could afford to give a livelihood to the cunning but dishonest man, who had given them such an advantage. When the master of this steward heard this piece of deceit, he could not help saying that the man had acted very cleverely.

And no wonder, (Jesus said,) for people whose hearts are set upon this world, are in general, wiser in their way,-more prudent and skilful with respect to the things which advance them in this life, than those persons are, who look beyond this world, and profess to be guided in their conduct by the light of heavenly hopes. He told the disciples that they ought to take a lesson from this dishonest cleverness of the steward ; and to employ whatever portion of this world's goods it might please God to give them, in such a manner as to produce a like effect, with respect to the consequences that would happen to them,

whenever God should call them to account for the management of what he had entrusted them with. The cunning steward, looking forward to lose his office, considered how he might make friends who would afford him a home in this world; one which at best would only be for a little while. Jesus commanded his disciples to use even their worldly good things so as to secure the friendship of Him who, when they cease to be stewards of his bounty upon earth, can provide for them a home which shall endure for ever.

An expression is here made use of by our Lord "the mammon of unrighteousness" which it will be necessary to explain. The word mammon is taken from the name of a heathen idol-the god of money. Mammon, by itself, would only mean worldly goods; but "the mammon of unrighteousness means to shew that the good things of this world are deceitful, and not to be relied upon. And it And it may also put us in mind how often money (the love of which is called by the Apostle "the root of all evil," 1 Tim. vi. 10,) is used by sinful men for purposes contrary to the righteous will of God; instead of being used for the glory and service of Him, to whom all riches belong; who alone places his bounties in the power of men, and will require all men to give an account of the way in which they have employed whatever they have received.

Our Lord proceeded to show his disciples that, according to their conduct as stewards of whatever God might trust to them in this world, would be their blessings in the world to come. If any one be trust-worthy in the management of his worldly goods, so as to use them for the glory of