The Pulpit Commentary — Luke — Volume 2 — Section 82

the divinely true, tba.t souls were to be saved. And this doctrine is in conformity with the known facts of our human experience. Men that know their Lord's will but delay to do it will find some excuse for disobedience when the unusual or even when the supernatural is before them. The disobedient heart goes on in sinful procrastina- tion, with a. vague and feeble hope that this hour will come; but it does not arrive. He has a vision of sudden death, but he rises from the sick-bed to pursue the old path; he loses some companion and is powerfully admonished of his own mortality, but be returns from his friend's grave the same man that he was before; he goes to hear the wonderful preacher •and listoni with admiration not unmixed with fear or even trem- bling, but he a.wakes on tho morrow with a closed mind, with an unbroken heart. Some great trouble overtakes and overthrows him, but his soul is hardene<l, and the "sorrow of the world worketh death" and not life in his case. His hope is a vain one. 2. The folly of it. Why should he wait for the extraordinary, the supernatural ? Has he not at hand everything he needs to convince him and to induce him to take the step of spiritual decision? Why want some one from hea,en to bring down the word of truth or the Saviour himself (Rom. x. 6)? All that we waut we have. (1) Our conscience is urging us to a life of holy service. (2) Our reason tells us that our present and eternal welfare is bound up with the forgiveness a.nd the favour of the living God, in whose power we stand and who hold1 a.11 our future in his sovereign hand. (3) Our Divine Father is summoning us to his side, to his hearth, to his table, and is waiting to welcome us. (4) Our gracious Saviour is invitiniz us to an immediate and to an absolute trust in himself. (5) The Holy Spirit of God is pleading and striving with us. There is no reason, there is no excuse, for a single day's delay. Every one to whom it is right to listen, everything to which it is wise to yield attention, says, "Come." It is only the evil voices a.round us a.nd from below that say," Wait." Delay means the doom of Dives ; immediate obedience leads along the paths of heavenly wisdom and holy service to the home of the blessed.-C. Vera. 1-13.-Money as a means of grace. The previous chapter was spoken against the pride of the Pharisaic party, who were too exclusive to welcome publicans and sinners to the same feast of privilege as themselves. 'fhe parable now before us was spoken against their covetousness. It will be found that, as the graces are to be found and grow together, so do the vices of mankind. The idolatry of wealth goes hand-in- hand with pride. In warning his disciples, however, against the vice, our Lord incul- cates positive truth, and brings out in his parables the important fact that mouey may either be a means of grace to men, or a temptation and a snare. The first parable, a.bout the unjust steward, shows us one who was wise in time in the use of money; the second parable, about the rich ma.n and Lazarus, shows us one who became wise when it wa.s too late a.nd his doom was sea.led. The story need be no moral difficulty to us. The all-important point is the deprivation of his stewardship. It was taken from him on the ground of injustice of some kind. In view of his exodus from the stewardship, he prudently makes his lord's debtors his debtors too, by largely reducing their liabilities. Haviag thus made friends with them a.II, he awaits his dismissal with confidence, and expects befriendment when out of his situation. It is his prudence, not his motives, that our Lord commends. Now, to our Lord's spiritual eye, this wall a beautiful representation of what a soul may do in prospect of dismissal from his earthly stewardship a.t death, He may take the money he happens to possess, and, feeling that it is not his own absolutely, but God's, and that he is only a steward of it, he can use it liberally, making the troubles of his brethren lighter, so that, having laid them under obligations to him, he can calculate with certainty upon their cordial sympathy in the world beyond the grave. A prudent outlay may make hosts of friends among the immortals beyond; in a word, money may be utilized as a vert important means of grace. I. MAMMON IS A BAD MASTER. (Ver. 13.) We start with this thought a.s a kind ol backoround to the more comforting teaching which our Lord here emphasizes. The soul that is enslaved by mammon becomes misernble. Is not this implied in the term "miser," wbich designates the slave of money? The poor slave is kept griudiu~ away, ama.ssin"' more and more, and yet never getting 1my benefit from all the lust of gold. Nothing seems more foolish and insane than the race for riches; nothing moro  84 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING 'l'O ST. LUKE. [err. xvr. 1-31.