: 7 uzht this Parable was very obſcure, and Fulian obedience to his Will in our diſtribution of them, 2. Or, ma Kg 6 p3.-96 hap tozether with ſome of the Heathen Philoſophers, | Chriſtians our Friends, fo as we may have their Prayers : w wo þ. took occaſion from it to approach the Do(trine of Chriſt, as teach- [ when ye fail] when you dye, when ye fail of any more comfort Fe fpoach ins and commanzdins righteouſneſs, But there will ap- | trom them, | they may recerve you into everlaſting Habitations,)] Th 6A no ſuch Lifficulty in it, nor cauſe of Reproach to Chriſt and | Holy Trinity, or the blefled Angels (whoſe Work it is, as we ſhall his Doctrine from it, if we confider what I. have before hinted - | hear) to carry Sou's into Abraham's Boſom, may receive you into That it is no more neceflary to a PR | - all _ —_ in | Heaven. * it ſuppoſed be juit and honeſt, than that all the parts of 1t be true 10 X ic faithful in a 2 Tz A va che of Fatt. whether paſt, or poſſible to be 3 for a Parable 15 not ful at bs _ _ —_ ER = mon ts faich- * Chatg deſigned to inform us 1n a matter of Fat, but to defcrive to us our |, & alſo i 7 J nt eaſt, IS un- \ Duty, under a fiftitious repreſentation, nor doth every part of a | JUIT AO IN rouch. E Parable, point at ſome correſpondent Duty to be done by us, but This is an uſual Sentence, (our Saviour made uſe of many ſuch » as to which kind of Speeches it is not neceſſary they ſhould he UNi-
the main Scope for which it is brought, is principally to be attend- nd eches ed by us, and other pieces of Duty which may be hinted to us, are verſally true, it 15 ſufficient if they generally be fo. Beſides, that to be judged of, and proved not from the Parable, but from other | our Saviour plainly ſpeaketh here according to the common opinion
Texts of Holy Writ, where it 15 inculcated. . The main things in and judgment of men, Men ordinarily judge that he who is faith- which our Saviour ſeemeth deſirous by this Parable to inſtru us, | ful in a little thing, ot no high concern or moment, will be faithfyj are, I. That we are but Stewards of the good things God lends us, | 1N what is of an higher concern, or greater moment, and if the and muſt give an. account to our Maſter of them. 2. That being | have found a perſon unfaithful in a ſmall thing, they will conclude no more than Stewards intruſted with ſome of our Maſters Goods | that he will be ſo in a greater, and not truſt him ; tho! ſometime; for a time, it is our higheſt Vradence, while we have them 1n our | it falls out otherwiſe, that one who 1s faithful enough in ſome trj- Truſt, to make ſuch an uſe of them, as may be for our advantage, | fling things, proves unfaithful in a greater truſt, where unfaithfy. when we give up our Account, Thus we ſhall hear our Lord in neſs will turn more to his profit 3 and on the contrary, he that j, the following Verſes expounding his own meaning. To this purpoſe | unfaithful in a little thing, may prove more faithful in a greater, he ſuppoſed a Rich Man to have a Steward, and to have received but none will truſt to that, and that is our Saviours deſign. to teach ſome Accuſation againſt him, as if he imbezelled his Maſters Goods | us that God will do by us, as we in the like Caſe do by our Servants, committed to hls truſt. Upon which he calleth him to account, and | or Neighbours.
_ —_— he ior metry I. no qr, jo oe wo nr} _= 11 If therefore ye have not been faithful in the yr.
eward to be one who had noother means of Lively-nood, -| .* G ſiftence, than what his Place afforded him 3 a Man not uſed to La- I WY who will commit to your truſt the
bour, and too proud to beg. At length he fixed his Reſolution, to . : ſend for his Maſters Debters, and to abate their Obligations, making | This Verſe now oppoſeth the Unrighteous Mammon to the tne them Debters to his Maſter for much leſs than indeed they were 3 by | Riches, which would ſtrongly incline one to think, that by the this means he probably hoped, that when he was turned off from his | Mammon of Unrighteonſne/s before mentioned » Our Saviour meant Maſter, he ſhould be received by them. He ſuppoſeth his Maſter to only talſe, and deceitful Riches. By the true Riches, I cannot think, have heard of it, and to have commended him, not for his Honeſty, | 15 meant the Goſpel, which indeed is ſaid to be committed to truf but for his Wit in providing for the time to come, What was of the Miniſters, but not of all Chriſtians. I had rather interpret Knavery in this Steward, 1s honeſt enuugh 1n thoſe who are the | it of ſpectal effettual Grace, which is of all other the true Riches, Stewards of our Heavenly Lord's Goods 5 ſuppoſe Riches, Honours, and ſo it teacheth us this great Truth, That God is juſtified in the Parts, Health, Life, or any outward Accommodation, viz. to uſe our denial of his ſpecial Grace to thoſe, who do not make a due uſe of hi Lords Goods for the beſt profit, and advantage to our ſelves, during | 9/7771 Gifts and Graces ; and indeed here will lie Mens Damnation, ſuch time as we are entruſted with them. For tho' an Earthly Lord, becauſe they do not make a juſt uſe of that common Grace which
they have, and might make a better uſe of them than they do, if
and his Steward, have particular divided Intereſts, and he that ma- 1 | keth uſe of his Lords Goods for his own beft advantage, cannot at 54 Sagan be faithful in that, God would not deny them the te iches.