libcrnl re'l"l"ard; to him are those most gladdening words addressed, and to him are entrusted_ not five b~;t ten cities over which to rule (ver. ! 7). "Then ehall every man have praise of _God. But then shall th?se who he.ve striven hard e.nd toiled long e.nd suffered much m the cause of Jesus Chnst have a full measure of benediction· and to such will be apportioned a crown that will be bright indeed, a sphere that will be broad indeed. IY. THE PENALTY OF :i-.~LTGENCE. (Vers. 20-24.) The slothful servant may make excuses, but they will be brushed aside; he himself will be severely condemned; he "ill be divested of what be has left him; he will be sent into saddest exile (Matt. xxv. 30). It is not the atheist, or the criminal, or the perpetrator of vicious deeds• it is not the outward and flagrant transgressor, who is here condemned and sentenced ;' it is the me.n who made nothing of his life; it is the man who had no sense of sacred responsi- bility; it is he who withheld his powers from the service of God ;-it is he who is pro- nounced to be so guilty. To let our lives go by without making them a service and a blessing, to let our powers and our opportunities rust in mere disuse, is to be accu- mulating a debt which we shall not be able to discharge, and which will make us to appear bankrupt at the great account.-C. Ver. 26.-The law of spiritual increase. Here we have one of those paradoxes of Jesus Christ into the heart of which many have failed to find their we.y. Why, it is asked, should one who has have more? will he not have too much? Why should he who has but little lose the little he has? will he not be still worse off than ever? Where is the '\\;sdom, where the righteousness of this course? This criticism arises from a pure misunderstanding of Christ's meaning. We shall see what he meant if we consider- !. THE "l'IEW CHRIST TOOK OF POSSESSION. When may a,mau be said to have any- thing? When he has legal documents to prove that it belongs to him? Or when it is securely locked up in a box. or buried in the earth? Not at all. It is when he is using it, when he is turning it to account, when he is making it answer the purpose for which it exists. If a man lets an object rust in disuse, remain unemployed, he has it not. virtually and practically. It is not his at all ; it does him no good, renders him no 1Sernce, is to him as if it were not; he has it not, in truth. This accords perfectly with Christ's usage in Matt. xx.v. There the men who put out their talents had them; the man who hid his latent had it not. He who does not make use of that which is at his command only "seemeth to have" (or thinketh he has) it (eh. viii. 18). It is use that really constitutes possession. This is not a mere fancy or conceit; it is the language of truth, it is the verdict of experience. The miser does not really poss'ess his gold; it answers to him none of the ends which make it the valuable thing it is. He might as well own as many counters. He seems to have (thinks he has)money, but in truth he has it not. It is thus with men of great intellectual capacity which they do not employ; their faculties, unused, are of no value to themselves or to others; they might as well be non-existent. According to the wise and true usage of the great Teacher, we have the things we use; those we use not we have not. Now we can understand- II. '.l'HE DIVINE LA w OF INCREASE AND DECLINE. For this is not a mere action done on one particular occasion; there is nothing exceptional or arbitrary about it. It is a Divine method invariably adopted; a Divine principle running through the whole econony; a Divine law with illustrations on every hand. It affects us at every turn of our life, in every part of our nature. It applies to us considered: 1. Physically. The muscle that is used is developed; that which is neglected shrinks, and in time becomes wholly powerless. To him that has is given; from him that hath not is taken away. 2. Mentally. The boy who cultivates his intellectual capacities becomes mentally strong; every acquisition of knowledge is an increase of power; the more he knows the better he can learn: to him that has is given. Bt1t the boy who does not study, but wastes his youth in idleness, not only does not acquire knowledge; he loses the faculty of acquisition: from him that has not is taken away that (capacity) which he has. 3. Spiritually. (1) Spiritual perception, Tbe lit.tie child can readily understand the elements of the Christian faith, and, apprehending them, go on to master "the deep things of Gou." But the aged me.n who has learnt nothing of Divine trnth through a 011. XIx.1-48.) THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO ST. LUKE. 153
long life of godleeenees, is quite unteachable; he is dull of apprehension : from him has been taken away, etc.; his faculties have become shrivelled. (2) Christian work. Every one has o. certain capacity/or usefulness; and he is bound t'o put it out at once; if he waits until bis capacity has grown into a power, be, will find that not only will he not gain the skill he is waiting for, but he will lose thEI capacity he now has. But if, on the other hand, he uses what he has, the exercise of his humblest talent will bring increase, and he will soon acquire the strength and facility he is eager to possess. What, therefore, we wish to be able to do-teach, preach, pray, etc.-we must set about doing; every intelligent, devout effort to do good means not only a little good done, but a little power gained. What we do poorly to-day we shall do fairly well to-morrow ; be ow·selves to-day, we shall surpass ourselves to-morrow. Aptitude comes with effort and exercise: to him that has is given. (3) Spiritual sensi"bility. The little child is open to impression, and, if he yields to the truth he knows, that truth will alway3 be effective; but if he rejects it his heart becomes hardeneil, and he becomes increas- ingly unresponsive: from him that has not, etc. Thus God's holy Law engirts us on every side; we cannot step outside it. It is determining our character and our destiny. We must act upon it, must turn it to good account. We must see to it that we really have what we seem to have, that we are using the talent, the opportunity, that is at our command. Then to us will be given-here, on the earth, in the shape of increased faculty and multiplied usefulness; there, in the heavens, in the way of a far broader sphere of celestial service.-C.