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Parable of the unjust steward;

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A.M. 40:3 him, How is it that I hear this of 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?

An. Olymp. thee? give an account of thy stewardship; for thou mayest be no longer

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steward.

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.

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

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

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

* The word Batus in the original containeth nine gallons three quarts: See The word here interpreted a measure, in the original containeth about fourEzek. 45. 10, 11, 14. teen bushels and a pottle.

having the products of the field, business, &c. put into his ury, or else starve. Woe to the man who gets his bread in hands for this very purpose. See on chap. viii. 3. this way! the curse of the Lord must be on his head, and on his heart; in his basket, and in his store.

There is a parable very like this in Rab. Dav. Kimchi's comment on Isaiah, chap. xl. 21. "The whole world may be considered as a house builded up: heaven is its roof, the stars its lamps; and the fruits of the earth, the table spread. The owner and builder of this house, is the holy blessed God; || and man is the steward, into whose hands all the business of the house is committed. If he considers in his heart, that the Inaster of the house is always over him, and keeps his eye upon his work; and if in consequence, he act wisely, he shall find favour in the eyes of the master of the house: but if the master find wickedness in him, he will remove him, intipa ja min pakidato, from his STEWARDSHIP. The foolish steward doth not think of this: for as his eyes do not see the master of the house, he saith in his heart, I will eat and drink what I find in this house, and will take my pleasure in it, nor shall I be careful whether there be a Lord over this house or not.' When the Lord of the house marks this, he will come and expel him from the house, speedily and with great anger. Therefore it is written, He bringeth the princes to nothing." As is usual, our Lord has greatly improved this parable, and made it in every circumstance more striking and impressive. Both in the Jewish and Christian edition, it has great beauties. Wasted his goods.] Had been profuse and profligate; and had embezzled his master's substance..

Verse 2. Give an account of thy &c.] Produce thy books of receipts and disbursements, that I may see whether the accusation against thee be true or false. The original may be translated, Give up the business, Tov λoyov, of the stewardship. Verse 3. I cannot dig] He could not submit to become a common day-labourer, which was both a severe and base employment: To beg I am ashamed. And as these were the only honest ways left him to procure a morsel of bread, and he would not submit to either, he found he must continue the system of knavery, in order to provide for his idleness and lux

Verse 4. They may receive me] That is, the debtors and tenants, who paid their debts and rents, not in money, but in kind; such as wheat, oil, and other produce of their lands.

Verse 6. A hundred measures of oil.] Exarov Batovs, a hundred baths. The 2 bath was the largest measure of capacity among the Hebrews, except the homer, of which it was the tenth part; see Ezek. xlv. 11, 14. It is equal to the ephah, i. e. to seven gallons and a half of our measure.

Take thy bill] Thy accompt-Tо yeaμpa. The writing in which the debt was specified, together with the obligation to pay so much, at such and such times. This appears to have been in the hand writing of the debtor, and probably signed by the steward and this precluded imposition on each part. To prevent all appearance of forgery in this case, he is desired to write it over again, and to cancel the old engagement.

Verse 7. A hundred measures of wheat.] Exaтov xogovs, a hundred Cors. Kogos, from the Hebrew cor, was the largest measure of capacity among the Hebrews, whether for solids or liquids. As the bath was equal to the ephah, so the cor was equal to the homer. It contained about seventy-five gullons and five pints English. For the same reason for which I preserve the names of the ancient coins, I preserve the names of the ancient measures. What idea can a mere English reader have of the word measure in this and the preceding verse, when the original words are not only totally different, but the quantity is as seven to seventy-five? The original terms should be immediately inserted in the text, and the contents inserted in the margin. The present marginal reading is incorrect. follow Bishop Cumberland's weights and measures. See on chap. xv. 8.

In the preceding relation, I have no doubt our Lord alluded to a custom frequent in the Asiatic countries: a custom which

What use should be made

ST. LUKE.

A. M. 4053. 8 And the lord commended the un- friends of the

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An. Olymp. just steward, because he had done, eousness: that,

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of the foregoing parable.

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mammon of unright- A.M. 4053. when ye fail, they An. Olymp.

wisely for the children of this world may receive you into everlasting habi

are, in their generation, wiser than the children tations.

of light.

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10 He that is faithful in that which is least,

9 And I say unto you, Make to yourselves is faithful also in much and he that is unjust

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John 12. 56. Ephes. 5. 8. 1 Thess. 5. 5. Dan. 4. 27. Matt. 6. 19, & 19. 21. ch. 11. 41. 1 Tim. 6. 17, 18, 19.

Or, riches.

Matt. 25. 21. ch. 19. 17.

still prevails, as the following account taken from Capt. Hadley's Hindostan Dialogues sufficiently proves. A person thus addresses the Captain: "Your Sirkar's deputy, whilst his master was gone to Calcutta, established a court of justice.

Having searched for a good many debtors and their creditors, he learned the accounts of their bonds.

"He then made an agreement with them to get the bonds out of the bondsmen's hands for half the debt, if they would give him one fourth.

"Thus, any debtor for a hundred rupees, having given fifty to the creditor, and twenty-five to this knave, got his bond for seventy-five rupees.

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Having seized and flogged 125 bondholders, he has in this manner determined their loans, and he has done this business in your name." Hadley's Gram. Dialogues, p. 79. 5th edit. 1801.

Verse 8. The lord commended] Viz. the master of this unjust steward. He spoke highly of the address and cunning of his iniquitous servant. He had, on his own principles, made a very prudent provision for his support; but his master no more approved of his conduct in this, than he did in his wasting his substance before. From the ambiguous and improper manner in which this is expressed in the common English translation, it has been supposed that our blessed Lord commended the conduct of this wicked man: but the word xugos, there translated lord, simply means the master of the unjust steward.

The children of this world] Such as mind worldly things only, without regarding God or their souls. A phrase, by which the Jews always designate the Gentiles.

Children of light.] Such as are illuminated by the Spirit of God, and regard worldly things only, as far as they may subserve the great purposes of their salvation, and become the instruments of good to others. But ordinarily, the former, evidence more carefulness and prudence, in providing for the support and comfort of this life, than the latter do, in providing for another world.

Verse 9. The mammon of unrighteousness] Maμavans adixas-literally, the mammon, or riches, of injustice. Riches promise мUCH, and perform NOTHING: they excite hope and confidence, and deceive both in making a man depend on them for happiness, they rob him of the salvation of God and

of eternal glory. For these reasons, they are represented as unjust and deceitful. See the note on Matt. vi. 24. where this is more particularly explained. It is evident that this must be the meaning of the words, because the false or deceitful riches here, are put in opposition to the true riches, ver. 11. i. e. those divine graces and blessings which promise all good, and give what they promise; never deceiving the expectation of any man. To insinuate, that if a man have acquired riches by unjust means, that he is to sanctify them, and provide himself a passport to the kingdom of God, by giving them to the poor, is a most horrid and blasphemous perversion of our Lord's words. Ill gotten gain must be restored to the proper owners: if they are dead, then to their sucWhen ye fail] That is, when ye die. The Septuagint use the word EX in this very sense, Jer. xlii. 17, 22. See the note on Gen. xxv. 8. So does Josephus, War, chap, iv. 1, 9.

cessors.

They may receive you] That is, say some, the angels, Others, the poor whom ye have relieved will welcome you into glory. It does not appear that the poor are meant, 1. Because those who have relieved them may die a long time before them; and therefore they could not be in heaven to receive them on their arrival. 2. Many poor persons may be relieved, who will live and die in their sins, and consequently never enter into heaven themselves. The expression seems to be a mere Hebraism:-they may receive you, for, ye shall be received; i. e. God shall admit you, if you make a faithful use of his gifts and graces. He who does not make a faithful use of what he has received from his Maker, has no reason to hope for eternal felicity. See Matt. xxv. 33. and for similar Hebraisms, consult in the original, chap. vi. 38. xii. 20. Rev. xii. 6. xvi. 15.

Verse 10. He that is faithful in that which is least, &c.] He, who has the genuine principles of fidelity in him, will make a point of conscience of carefully attending to even the smallest things and it is by labituating himself to act uprightly in little things, that he acquires the gracious habit of acting with propriety, fidelity, honour, and conscience, in matters of the greatest concern. On the contrary, he who does not act uprightly in small matters, will seldom feel himself bound to pay much attention to the dictates of honour

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15 And he said unto them, Ye are

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mon, who will commit to your trust the true they which justify yourselves before men; but riches? God knoweth your hearts: for that which is highly esteemed among men, is abomination in the sight of God.

12 And if ye have not been faithful in that which is another man's, who shall give you that which is your own?

13 No servant can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon. 14 And the Pharisees also,

who were co

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•Or, riches.

Matt. 6. 24.

Matt. 23. 14. ch. 10. 29.——— Ps. 7.9.- 1 Sam, 16, 7.——— Matt. 4. 17. & 11. 12, 13. Luke 7. 29.

Ps. 102. 26, 27. Isai. 40. 8. & 51. 6. Matt. 5. 18. 1 Pet. 1. 25.
Mait. 5. 32. & 19. 9. Mark 10. 11. 1 Cor. 7. 10, 11.

and conscience, in cases of high importance. Can we reasonably expect, that a man who is continually falling by little|| things, has power to resist temptations to great evils?

to come a little near it, we say, they turned up their noses at him :--and why? because they were lovers of money, and he showed them that all such were in danger of perdition. As Verse 12. That which is another man's] Or rather, an- they were wedded to this life, and not concerned for the other, other's, vw uñλorgia. That is, worldly riches, called another's, they considered him one of the most absurd and foolish of 1. Because they belong to God, and he has not designed that men, and worthy only of the most sovereign contempt, bethey should be any man's portion. 2. Because they are con- cause he taught that spiritual and eternal things should be pretinually changing their possessors, being in the way of com-ferred before the riches of the universe. And how many merce, and in providence going from one to another. This thousands are there of the very same sentiment to the present property of worldly goods is often referred to, by both sacred || and profane writers. See a fine passage in Horace, Sat. 1. ii. s. 2. v. 129.

Nam propria telluris herum natura neque illum,
Nec me, nec quemquam statuit.

Nature will no perpetual heir assign,

Nor make the farm his property, or mine. FRANCIS. And the following, in one of our own poets :

"Who steals my purse steals trash; 'tis something, nothing;

"Twas mine, 'tis his, and has been slave to thousands.” That which is your own ?] Grace and glory, which God has particularly designed for you-which are the only proper satisfying portion for the soul; and which no man can enjoy in their plenitude, unless he be faithful to the first small motions and influences of the divine Spirit.

Verse 13. No servant can serve two masters] The heart will be either wholly taken up with God, or wholly engrossed with the world. See on Matt. vi. 24.

Verse 14. They derided him.] Or rather, they treated him with the utmost contempt. So we may translate the original words uxor auto, which literally signifies, in illum emnunxerunt—but must not be translated into English, unless,

day!

Verse 15. Ye-justify yourselves] Ye declare yourselves to be just. Ye endeavour to make it appear to men, that ye can still feel an insatiable thirst after the present world, and yet secure the blessings of another :-that ye can reconcile God and mammon; and serve two masters with equal zeal and affection; but God knoweth your hearts: and he knoweth that ye are alive to the world, and dead to God and goodness. Therefore, howsoever ye may be esteemed among men, ye are an abomination before him. See the note on chap. vii. 29.

Verse 16. The law and the prophets were until John] The Jaw and the prophets continued to be the sole teachers till John came, who first began to proclaim the glad tidings of the kingdom of God: and now, he who wishes to be mad a partaker of the blessings of that kingdom, must rush speedily into it; as there will be but a short time, before an utter destruction shall fall upon this ungodly race. They who wish to be saved, must imitate those who take a city by storm-rush into it, without delay, as the Romans are about to do into Jerusalem. See also on Matt. xi. 12.

Verse 17. For heaven and earth to pass] See on Matt. v. 17, 18.

Verse 18. Putteth away (or divorceth) his wife] See on Matt. v. 31, 32. xix. 9, 10. Mark x. 12. where the question

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concerning divorce is considered at large. These verses, from the 13th to the 18th inclusive, appear to be part of our Lord's sermon on the mount; and stand in a much better connexion there than they do here: unless we suppose our Lord delivered the same discourse at different times and places, which is very probable.

Verse 19. There was a certain rich man] In the Scholia of some MSS. the name of this person is said to be Ninive. This account of the rich man and Lazarus, is either a parable or a real history. If it be a parable, it is what may be if it be a history, it is that which has been. Either, a man may live as is here described, and go to perdition when he dies: or, some have lived in this way, and are now suffering the torments of an eternal fire. The account is equally instructive, in which soever of these lights it is viewed. Let us carefully observe all the circumstances offered here to our notice, and we shall see I. The CRIME of this man; and II. His PUNISHMENT.

intimate that this was carried to excess, or that it ministered to debauch. He is not accused of licentious discourse, of gaming, of frequenting any thing like our modern plays, balls, masquerades, or other impure and unholy assemblies; of speaking an irreverent word against divine revelation, or the ordinances of God. In a word, his probity is not attacked, nor is he accused of any of those crimes, which pervert the soul or injure civil society. As Christ has described this man, does he appear culpable? What are his crimes? Why, 1. He was rich. 2. He was finely clothed. And 3. He feasted well. No other evil is spoken of him. In comparison of thousands, he was not only blameless, but he was a virtuous

man.

4. But it is intimated by many that "he was an uncharitable, hardhearted, unfeeling wretch." Yet of this there is not a word spoken by Christ. Let us consider all the circumstances, and we shall see that our blessed Lord has not represented this man as a monster of inhumanity, but merely as an indolent man, who sought, and had his portion in this life, and was not at all concerned about another.

1. There was a certain rich man in Jerusalem. Provided this be a real history, there is no doubt our Lord could have mentioned his name; but as this might have given great offence, Therefore, we do not find that when Abraham addressed he chose to suppress it. His being rich is, in Christ's ac- him on the cause of his reprobation, ver. 25. that he reproachcount, the first part of his sin. To this circumstance our ed him with hardheartedness, saying, "Lazarus was hungry, Lord adds nothing; he does not say that he was born to a and thou gavest him no meat; he was thirsty, and thou gavest large estate, or that he acquired one by improper methods; him no drink, &c." but he said simply, Son, remember that thou or that he was haughty or insolent in the possession of it. Yet Yet didst receive thy good things in thy life-time, ver. 25.-" Thou here is the first degree of his reprobation-he got all he could, hast sought thy consolation upon the earth, thou hast borne and kept all to himself. no cross, mortified no desire of the flesh, received not the salvation God had provided for thee-thou didst not belong to the people of God upon earth, and thou canst not dwell with them in glory."

2. He was clothed with purple and fine linen. Purple was a very precious and costly stuff; but our Lord does not say, that in the use of it, he exceeded the bounds of his income, nor of his rank in life: nor is it said, that he used his superb dress to be an agent to his crimes, by corrupting the hearts of others. Yet our Lord lays this down as a second cause of his perdition.

There are few who consider, that it is a crime for those called Christians to live without Christ, when their lives are not stained with transgression. If Christianity only required men to live without gross outward sin, paganism could furnish us with many bright examples of this sort. But the re-. ligion of Christ requires a conformity, not only in a man's conduct, to the principles of the gospel; but also a conformity in his heart, to the spirit and mind of Christ.

3. He fared sumptuously every day. Now let it be observed, that the law of Moses, under which this man lived, forbad no- || thing on this point, but excess in eating and drinking: indeed it seems as if a person was authorized to taste the sweets of an abundance, which that law promised as a reward of fidelity. Verse 20. There was a certain beggar named Lazarus] His Besides, this rich man is not accused of having eaten food name is mentioned, because his character was good, and his which was prohibited by the law, or of having neglected the end glorious; and because it is the purpose of God, that the abstinences and fasts prescribed by it. It is true, he is said to righteous shall be had in everlasting remembrance. Lazarus, have feasted sumptuously every day, but our Lord does not is a contraction of the word & Eliezar, which signi

The rich man

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21 And desiring to be fed with the in torments, and seeth Abraham afar A.M. 4033. off, and Lazarus in his bosom :

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table: moreover the dogs came and licked his sores.

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24 And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Laza22 And it came to pass, that the beggar rus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in wadied, and was carried by the angels into Abra-ter, and cool my tongue; for I am tormentham's bosom the rich man also died, and was ed in this flame.

buried;

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25 But Abraham said, Son, remember that 23 And in hell he lifted up his eyes, being thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things,

Zech. 14. 12. Isai. 66. 24. Mark 9. 44, &c.

Job 21. 13. ch 6. 24.

fies the help or assistance of God--a name properly given to a man, who was both poor and afflicted, and had no help but that which came from heaven.

Verse 21. And desiring to be fed with the crumbs] And it is likely this desire was complied with, for it is not intimated that he spurned away the poor man from the gate, or that his suit was rejected. And as we find, ver. 24. that the rich man desired that Lazarus should be sent with a little water to him, it is a strong intimation, that he considered him under some kind of obligation to him: for had he refused him a few crumbs in his life-time, it is not reasonable to suppose, that he would now have requested such a favour from him; nor does Abraham glance at any such uncharitable conduct on the part of the rich man.

We may now observe,

II. In what the punishment of this man consisted. 1. Lazarus dies and is carried into Abraham's bosom. By the phrase Abraham's bosom, an allusion is made to the custom at Jewish feasts, when three persons reclining on their left elbows on a couch, the person whose head came near the breast of the other, was said to lie in his bosom. So it is said of the beloved disciple, John xiii. 25. Abraham's bosom was a phrase used among the Jews, to signify the paradise of God. See Josephus's account of the Maccabees, chap. xiii.

Scarcely had he entered the place of his punishment, when he lifted up his eyes on high; and what must his surprise be, to see himself separated from God, and to feel himself tormented in that flame! Neither himself, nor friends, ever suspected that the way in which he walked, could have led to such a perdition.

1. And seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom, ver. 23. He sees Lazarus clothed with glory and immortality-this is the first circumstance in his punishment. What a contrast! what a desire does he feel to resemble him, and what rage and despair because he is not like him! We may safely conclude, that the view which damned souls have in the gulf of perdition, of the happiness of the blessed, and the conviction that they themselves might have eternally enjoyed this felicity from which, through their own fault, they are eternally excluded, will form no mean part of the punishment of the lost. 2. The presence of a good to which they never had any right, and of which they are now deprived, affects the miserable less than the presence of that to which they had a right, and of which they are now deprived. Even in hell, a damned spirit must abhor the evil by which he is tormented, and desire that good that would free him from his torment. If a lost soul could be reconciled to its torment, and to its situation, then of course, its punishment must cease to be such. An eternal desire to escape from evil, and an eternal

tion of which is for ever impossible, must make a second circumstance in the misery of the lost.

3. Son, remember that in thy life-time thou receivedst thy good things, ver. 25. The remembrance of the good things possessed in life, and now to be enjoyed no more for ever; together with the remembrance of grace offered or abused, will form a third circumstance in the perdition of the ungodly. Son, remember that in thy life-time, &c.

Verse 22. The rich man also died, aad was buried] There is no mention of this latter circumstance in the case of Laza-desire to be united with the supreme good, the gratificarus; he was buried, no doubt-necessity required this: but he had the burial of a pauper, while the pomp and pride of the other, followed him to the tomb.. But what a difference in these burials, if we take in the reading of my old MS. BIBLE, which is supported by several Versions: Forsothe the tiche man is deed: and is buried in helle. And this is also the reading of the Anglo-saxon, par on helle zebynged, and was in hell buried. In some MSS. the point has been wanting after rap, he was buried; and the following xa, and, removed and set before smaşaç, he lifted up: so that the passage reads thus, The rich man died also, and was buried in hell; and lifting up his eyes, being in torment, he saw, &c. But let us view the circumstances of this man's punishment.

4. The torments which a soul endures in the hell of fire, will form through all eternity, a continual present source of indescribable wọc. Actual torment in the flames of the bottomless pit, forms a fourth circumstance in the punishment of the lost. I am tormented in this flame, ver. 24.

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