because they do not confider them- | selves under the law. They fay in their hearts, what is it to us how much we abuse God, fo long as Chrift is our furety. And it might be wished that real Chriftians were never fo low, as to be guilty of fomething of the fame nature. But in the main it has a quite contrary effect upon them. So far as they are renewed, they are no longer mercenary fervants, but have the ingenuous fpirit of children; their hearts are drawn by the cords of love; they are exceedingly affected with the infinite mercy of God, and are more effectually drawn by his grace into holiness and obedience to his law, than they could be driven to it by terror. God treats men as they are. If they can be influenced by no motive but terror, they are kept under the law; but when he fees in them an ingenuous fpirit, he uses the motive of mercy to excite them to their duty. If then, people find that they take licence to fin, because they conceive that they are not under law, but under grace, it fhould convince them, that they are not under grace, but are condemned already, and the wrath of God abideth on them. It is only when this confideration excites them more effectually to deny themselves, and take up their crofs, and follow Chrift, that they have reafon to conclude that they are under grace. It is not therefore in itself a dangerous doctrine, fin, on the presumption that I hoped that God would pardon me? Have I not lived more quietly in rebellion against the law and authority of God, because I confidered him a merciful being? Have I not done this every day from my youth upwards? Has any confideration given me half fo much relief and ease of mind, in finning against God, and rejecting Chrift, and trifling with every thing facred, as the confideration that God is gracious and merciful? If fo, what a wretch am I? How depraved and defperately wicked my heart? What greater evidence can I have that I am a child of wrath? And what more powerful motive to give all diligence to agree with my adversary quickly, while I am in the way with him, left I be caft into that prifon, from which I can never escape, till I have paid the uttermoft farthing. MIKROS. Thoughts on Luke xvi. 8, 9. "THE lord commended the unjuft fteward, because he had done wifely for the children of this world are in their generation wifer than the children of light.felves friends of the mammon of And I fay unto you, make to yourthey may receive you into everlaftunrighteoufnefs; that when ye fail, ing habitations." but is a rule of trial, of great ufe, MANY have found difficulty in understanding this pafby which to judge ourselves, whe-fage. Some perverfe and avarither we are true believers, and is a powerful motive to quicken the people of God to obey his law, and devote themselves more zealously to his fervice. It is important that men ferioufly confult their confciences on this fubject. Let a man afk himself, have I never indulged myself in cious minds, use it as a warrant for their selfishness. Others, to avoid this inconfiftency with the current of fcripture, fuppofe, that the conduct of the fteward was the effect of his repentance, for his extortions on his master's customers. Both of which, I conceive, are totally wrong: And, fome oth er conftructions, perhaps, are equally wide of the truth. paved the way for a hearty wel come to their houfes. His lord, when he heard of the policy of his fteward, was afton It should, alwys, be remembered that parables are not to be understood as applicable in all refifhed at his knavery, but could not ard. pects; they have one particular help admiring his worldly wifdom. point in view; if that is attained, He acknowledged he had been it is of little confequence how dif- crafty and wife for himfelf; and fimilar they are in other views. had dexterously provided a liveliOur Saviour, in this paffage, re- hood without the drudgery of dig. commends to his followers the ging, or, the the fhame of begging. right and diligent ufe of the gifts Nothing more than this, I conceive, of providence, both worldly and is meant by the lord's commendfpiritual; which, as a Chriftianing the wifdom of his unjuft ftewduty, may be very confiftently enforced from the bad example of Our Saviour, very naturally obthe steward. For, though his, ferves, upon this parable, that the and his master's intereft were divi- children of this world are in their ded; yet, the intereft of God and generation wifer than the children man is not divided: God's glory of light. The worldly man is vaftis man's higheft intereft. Chriftly more diligent, wife and crafty might, therefore, from the felfish-in getting and ufing the things of nefs of the fteward, very confift- this world, than profeffing Chrif ently recommend to his followers tians are in the right fpiritual ufe the beft poffible perfonal ufe of the and improvement of them. Look! gifts of divine providence: What How diligent-how indefatigable is man's highest perfonal good, is is he in all his labors ?-He fpares moft for God's glory. no time nor pains to make gain He is wife to plan, eagle-eyed to fpy and take advantage, and vig orous to execute. What a fhame is this to profeffors of religion! Will the avaricious man thus toil for falfe and perishing riches; much more ought we to ftrive for the true riches. Therefore, faid Chrift, Make to yourselves friends of the Mammom of unrighteousness Suffer not the covetous and unjuft Thefe things being premifed, we will take a direct view of the text befere us. The fteward, upon information that he should be difmiffed, made no attempt to excufe himfelf, nor any promifes of amendment. He was merely anxious for a future livelihood-What fball I do?-I cannot dig, to beg I am afbamed-I am refolved what to do!-Like other wicked men, inftead of repenting and reform-children of this world to out do ing, he refolved to purfue his ways you in care and diligence; but be of unrighteoufnefs; and to ftrikeye as prudent and industrious in a bold ftroke at his lord's expenfe, the ways of charity and virtue in that he might make to himfelf the ufe and improvement of the friends of his cuftomers, and bring talents entrusted to you, as they them under obligation of gratitude are to provide for themselves falfe to him. Accordingly, he called and perifhing riches. every one of his lord's debtors, and The term, Mammon, is here ufgave in a certain large proportioned in a large and general fenfe, not of their accounts; and thus, he only implying riches, but all world ly talents, privileges and acquifitions. Thefe may be called unrighteous, on account of the craft, intrigue, oppreffion, hypocrify and various means of dishonesty, generally practifed in getting and ufing them. The original word, here, tranflated unrighteoufnefs, however, may fignify falfe or uncertain; and is thus contrafted with true riches, in the 11th verfe of the context. If, therefore, ye have not been faithful in the unrighteous Mammon, who will commit to your trust the true Mammon. The duty therefore, ftands thus, Make to yourJelves friends of the falfe riches of this world. To grace and eternal life, we muft make friends of the falfe riches, the Mammon of unrighteoufnefs, by carrying our views beyond this life, and acting in all things, with reference to an eternal ftate. To advance God's glory, through the ufe of created things, is our highest perfonal good. The motives for fuch a courfe of conduct, are of infinite weight and importance-That when ye fail, they may receive you into ev erlafting habitations. We fhall foon fail-our life is a fhadow-death is at hand; yet, forgetful of this truth, we feek riches, honors and pleafures; and think we lay up durable happiness-but we are deceived. The acquifition of these things is uncertain, the enjoyment precarious and unfatisfactory, and at beft, of short duration. It is folly in extreme to fet our affections on them. They will foon leave us, or we fhall leave them. To this failure of our steward This duty is inculcated on us, upon the idea that we are ftewards of God in the gifts of Providence, the good things of this life; and bound to be faithful to him. Every one of us have talents committed to us, for which we must give an important account. make friends of thefe talents is the great bufinefs of life. They muftfhip, we must add the certainty be fo used as to advance God's of accounting for it. It will be glory, our own and neighbor's of infinite importance that we be good; then they will be our friends: found faithful in the falfe Mamthey cannot reproach us in this mon, otherwise, God will not com. world, nor condemn us in the next. mit to us the true riches; but punBut if we use the gifts of provi- ifh us for our abuse of the falfe dence to aggrandize ourselves- riches. And how diftreffing will opprefs the poor and needy, or it be to reflect, that of all the gratify the lufts of the flesh, they numberlefs gifts of providence, will certainly be our enemies. For we have not made friends of any, though, by a mifapplication of tal-fo as to lay hold on eternal life in ents and privileges we may increase the quantity of our good things; yet, we fhall lofe proportionably in their good quality, and confequently, in their friendship. The wife and prudent ufe of what we have, is better than a forced and perverfe accumulation of that which is forbidden. The little that a righteous man bath, is better than the revenue of many wicked. Would we obtain the true riches, faving relative to friends. VOL. II. No. 12. Kk k Chrift Jefus? Our lofs will be infinite-Not one friend in heaven, nor on earth! Are not our minds callous to every fpiritual sensation, *Some eminent men have fuppofed that the word they in this paffage refers to the Trinity-Father, Son and Holy Spirit; and to elect Angels, &c This conftruction appears, to me, foreign and forced; I have, therefore, chofen a different one. They, is doubtlefs a fuch a motive must excite us to diligence, and faithfulness in the ufe and improvement of the good things of this life. H The work of God perfe&. (Contin. from p. 410.) NUMBER II. AVING, in a former num ber, proved, if I mistake not, the goodness of God from his works, and obviated the great objection urged by fome to invalidate this proof, arifing from the But on the other hand, do we, like the unjust steward, use the goods of our divine Mafter for our own best perfonal good, the glory of God, eternal and glorious will be our reward. Our friends, the good improvement of tranfitory things, will receive us into ev-existence and prevalence of naturerlafling habitations. They will evidence our love and faithfulness to our divine Mafter, through which, we shall be received into his favor. Though riches and honors of this world fail, our good improvement of them will be ever⚫ lafting gain. al and moral evil in the world; I proceed to take several other views of the work of God, illustrative of its perfection, in its being calculated to exhibit the character of God, as the fountain of good, and of course the character and dependence of creatures. Our Lord Jefus Chrift has told us, "There is none good but one, that is God." The truth of this appears Though we fail on trial of ftrict justice at the bar of God; yet, through the grace of our Lord Jefus Chrift, our good improve-in every part of the work of God.. ment of the falfe Mammon will be laying up treasure in heaven, where neither moth nor ruft doth corrupt, nor thieves break through and fleal. Thus, the friends we make of the falfe and perishing riches of this world, will receive us into everlafting habitations. They will ftand an everlasting evidence of our faithfulness to God, in the stewardship, to which he appointed us and, as fuch, will introduce us, with a welcome to the joy of our Lord. To fuch, Jefus our King, will fay, Come, ye bleed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you: For I was an hungered, and ye gave me meat; I was thirfly, and ye gave me drink; I was a firanger, and ye took me in; naked, and ye cloathed me; I was fick, and ye vifited me; I was in prifon, and ye came unto me. Verily, I fay in as much as ye have done it unto one of the leaft of thefe my brethren, ye have done it unto ISRAEL. unto you, me. ift, Nothing can be more certain than this, that whatever of greatnefs, goodness, or happiness creatures poffefs, is from God. Still this truth is displayed to much better advantage, in the endless variety vifible in the degrees of excellence or happinefs communicated to creatures, than if they were lefs, or not at all, diverfified. To confider this variety more particularly. God has imparted to inanimate matter, various degrees of excellence, from mere ftones and dirt to the light of heaven. He has fuperadded to certain portions of matter vegetative life, animal life, intelligence, incorruptibility and immortality. The fenfitive creatures below us have animal life, various low degrees of intelligence, the power of volition and felf-motion, fuited to their defign and place in the creation; they are impelled by certain propenfi-. ties and paffions to what is necefla ry for their fupport, defence, and the multiplication of their kind :| Scripture, of thrones, dominions, but force is their only law of or- principalities and powers; and also, der; and having no capacity of to the individuals of the fame orknowing or enjoying God, they der, as may be gathered from the have only a fleeting existence; and names angel and archangel: fo feem neceffarily fubject to pain, we read that Michael and his andecay and death. gels fought with the dragon, and the dragon fought and his angels. To man God has given far nobler powers. In moral and intellectual excellence he is capable of endless improvement; he perceives the difference between right and wrong in moral conduct; he is capable of knowing God, of being like him, and of enjoying him; of course, he is capable of praise and blame, rewards and punishments: And it being important that God's perfection and glory fhould be always feen and enjoyed by creatures who are capable of it, and are like him in temper and character, as they fhall be dif played both on the veffels of mercy and on the veffels of wrath, God will give him immortality This prerogative is common to all men. In their original powers and inclinations however, individuals are greatly diftinguished. But all are equally fitted to bring to pafs that part of the universal system of events, fixed in the counfels of God, which his wifdom faw fit to connect with their feveral volitions and exercifes. Mofes, David and Washington were not better fitted for their work, than Pontius Pilate, Herod and Judas Iscariot were for theirs. In every age, fome are raised up to be lights in the world; fome to produce important changes in the ftate of things; fome to move in the walks of more private life; and others to pass their days in the vale of humble obfcurity. It seems evident, that a like variety takes place among the angels, with refpect to their feveral orders; as may be gathered from the distinct names given them in To crown all, it appears, God has given to the man, whom he hath appointed to be the head of all principality and power, fuch tranfcendent glory and excellence, as are far above all blessing and praife. To create the smallest particle of matter requires, indeed, Almighty Power; ftill we feem, more diftinctly and forcibly to ap-. prehend the glory of creation, in viewing the different grades of being and perfection communicated to creatures. They afford a fort of relief to the mind, as it foars from one degree of being and perfection to another, until it arrives at the highest and as we judge of great or fmall by comparison, we can make a jufter eftimate of created beings, and of the fulness of the Creator, in tracing and retracing thefe various degrees, than if the fame degree of perfection were given to all creatures; and the whole is more clearly feen to be from God. But what is ftill more important, we are able to trace the goodness of God, in communicating his own fulness to his creatures, according to their refpective natures; and the footsteps. of divine wifdom, in caufing every part of a fyftem, infinitely complex, to unite in this defign; that the whole might be to his praife. No finite understanding can comprehend fully the use of every part of creation to this end. Yet, it is eafy to fee, in general, that this earth was made for the habitation of man; that the fun, the moon and |