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BIRLEY'S treatment, we are glad to correspond with anyone in search of health, on receipt of a stamped envelope. The ARMY SCRIPTURE READERS' & SOLDIERS' FRIEND SOCIETY, SOLE object of the Society, to spread the saving knowledge of Christ among our soldiers. GEORGE TONKIN & SONS, CLERICAL TAILORS, Clerical Hatters, Cassock, Surplice, & Robe Makers, Park Street Viaduct, Bristol. Appointments to wait on Clergy in England & Wales receive prompt attention. Price Lists, Illustrated Clerical Catalogue, und Patterns FREE, on receipt of Post Card. Clergy and Church Outfits of every description. LEADING SERMON. The Mammon of Unrighteousness. BY THE EDITOR. Luke xvi. 8-"The lord commended the unjust steward, because he had done wisely. For the children of this world are wiser in their generation than the children of light." HIS parable of the unjust steward is one which has caused considerable perplexity to readers of the Bible. And yet its meaning is very simple and very plain, if we look at it in the light of its literal application. A steward was accused to his lord of wasting his goods. The master took him to task, and from what we gather, gave him a certain time to prepare his accounts and deliver up his stewardship. He was at a loss. The accusation was true, and he could not hope to clear himself. Instead, therefore, of attempting to do so, he accepted his position, and looked round him to see what he could do for his own advantage. He was a shrewd, far-seeing man, He knew he would not be able to obtain another situation when his character was gone. He could not dig, to beg he was ashamed." What was he to do? A very shrewd idea occurred to him. He would make as many friends as he could, who would be able to help him. How was he to do that? True, he had no property of his own; but while he remained steward he had unlimited control of his master's possessions. So he called the various debtors, and reduced their debts to such an extent that unless they were very callous indeed they would be forced to feel some amount of gratitude to him, and so to assist him in after life. In order to clear the way for applying the teaching of our text, let us— I. CONSIDER THE SERVANT'S CONDUCT. To understand this, we must remember that both he and his master were purely worldly characters— business men, acting in the ordinary every-day course of business life, and they looked at matters in the light of business and commerce, without regard to the morality of the matter. This steward was in difficulties. He had been acting unjustly, and was about to lose his situation. He had been an idle man, and had wasted his master's substance. He was to set to work to put things in order for his successor. And we see how the unity of his character is fully carried out. He had been wasteful of his master's property; he had also been negligent of his own. careless of himself as rainy day. He had not been dishonest, for he had been as of his master, and had nothing laid up against a Let us here, for one moment, consider, what was the duty of the steward in those times. He had unlimited control over his master's property. He had power to value the land and to assess the rents of the tenants on the master's estate. He could be extortionate or otherwise. The rents were paid in kind, not in money, and he had to collect them together and sell them in the best market for his master's profit. Hence, if he liked, he had abundant opportunities for dishonesty. Now, the man spoken of in our text was not dishonest-he was idle, wasteful, and careless; in fact, what our text describes him, unjust. Now he found himself in a difficulty. He aroused himself, stirring himself up, resolved upon a course of action. He had a little time left of his stewardship; he would employ it to the best advantage. So long as he retained his situation he still had unlimited control of his master's affairs. His own interest was to him then of more importance than his master's. He was like many other servants when about to leave their situations, utterly indifferent to the welfare of those with whom they expect to have no further connection; so he resolved to make friends with his master's tenants by reducing their debts, and he called them to him. His first debtor rented an olive yard. His tithe or rent amounted to an hundred measures of oil. "Take thy bill," says he, "and sit down quickly and write fifty." Another man rented a wheat field. "How much owest thou?" says the steward. "An hundred measures of wheat," was the reply. "Take thy bill and write fourscore." By this means he ensures their everlasting gratitude. And he did so in the legitimate exercise of his office. He had a perfect right, so long as he was steward, to assess his master's property at whatever rate he thought well to do so. His conduct, however morally unjust to his master, was perfectly legally right. And this leads us to notice II. THE MASTER'S COMMENDATION- "And the lord commended the unjust steward because he had done wisely." It was the master of the servant, not our Saviour, who commended (or, as the word would be better expressed, admired) this servant's act. And you must remember that he was a business man of the world, and struck at the sharp business stroke of his steward. He could not help admiring his wisdom, although he himself was the loser by the transaction. He saw that he had been outwitted. He could find no fault, for there was none to find; so he praised the bailiff's sagacity. There are some people who try to explain away this verse; they cannot understand why the lord should commend a bad man. But it is the mistake of supposing that this steward was dishonest or evil, that makes the parable hard to comprehend. If we do fall into this mistake, |