he was in his father's family again; so with joy he entertained the thought of occupying the meanest station in it. Thus while the liberality of the great Parent of men makes them wantonly run away from his family, the miseries which they involve themselves in, often constrain them to return. By the natural consequences of sin, God sometimes makes sinners to feel that there is no felicity to be found any where but in himself *. And now the young man having taken the resolution of returning to his father, put it immediately in execution; he set out just as he was, bare-footed and all in rags. Luke xv. 20. And he arose and came to his father. But when he came within sight of home, his nakedness, and the consciousness of his folly, made him ashamed to go in. He skulked about therefore, keeping at a distance, till his father happening to spy him, knew him, had compassion, ran, though old and infirm, fell on his neck and kissed him. But uhen he was yet a great way off, (ετι δε αυτά μακραν απέχοντος, but he keeping yet at a distance) his father saw him, and had com passion, and ran, and fell on his neck and kissed him. The perturbation which the aged parent was in with ecstasy of joy, hindered him from speaking; so the poor, ragged, meagre creature, locked in his arms, began and made his acknowledgments, with a tone of voice expressive of the deepest contrition. 21. And the son said unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven and in thy sight, and am no more worthy to be called thy son. But the father grieved to see his son in that miserable plight, interrupted him, ordering his servants some to bring out the best robe immediately, and a ring, and shoes, that he might be clothed in a manner becoming his son, and others to go kill the fatted calf, that they might eat and be merry. 22. But the father said to his servants, Bring forth the best robe, and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet. 23. And bring hither the fatted calf, and kill it, and let us eat and be merry. 24. For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found. We looked upon him as utterly lost, but lo he is come back again beyond all expectation in safety. And they began to be merry: they sat down to the feast, rejoicing exceedingly at the happy occasion of it. And now while every one in the family heartily joined in expressing their joy on account of the safe return of the second son, the elder brother happening to come from the field, heard the noise of singing and dancing within; wherefore, calling out one of the servants, he asked what these things meant? The servant replied, that his brother was unexpectedly come, and that his fa ther, Augustine has well expressed this grand truth in the following address: "Væ ergo animæ audaci, quæ sperat si a te recessisset, se aliquid melius habituram. Versa & reversa, in tergum & in latera & in ventrem, & dura sunt omnia, & tu solus requies." ther, being very glad to see him, had killed the fatted calf, and was making a feast, because he had received him safe and sound. Luke xv. 25. Now his elder son was in the field; and as he came and drew nigh to the house, he heard music and dancing. 26. And he called one of the servants, and asked what these things meant? 27. And he said unto him, Thy brother is come, and thy father hath killed the fatted calf, because he hath received him safe and sound. When the elder brother heard this, he fell into a violent passion, and would not go in; the servant therefore came and told his father of it. The father rising up, went out, and with incomparable goodness intreated his son to come and partake in the general joy of the family, on account of his brother's return. Luke xv. 28. And he was angry, and would not go in; therefore came his father out and intreated him. But the kindness and respect which his father shewed him on this occasion, did not soften him in the least. He stubbornly persisted in his anger, and answered the affectionate speeches of his parent, with nothing but loud and haughty accusations of his conduct. 29. And he an swering, said to his father, * Lo these many years do I serve thee, neither transgressed I at any time thy commandment, and yet thou never gavest me a kid, that I might make merry with my friends. This branch of the parable is finely contrived to express the high opinion which the Pharisees, here represented by the elder brother, entertained of their own righteousness and merit. 30. But as soon as this thy son: the ungracious youth disdained to call him his brother, and at the same time insolently insinuated, that his father seemed to despise all his other children, and to reckon this prodigal only his son; as soon as this thy son was come, which hath devoured thy living with harlots, thou hast killed for him the fatted calf. The father meekly replied, Son, as any considerable time, I thou hast never been absent from me for could not in this manner express the affection which I entertain for thee. Besides, thou hast not been altogether without a reward of thy service, for thou hast lived in my family, and hast had the command of my fortune, as far as thine exigencies, or even thy pleasures required. 31. And he said unto him, Son, thou art ever with me, and all that I have is thine. By calling him son, after the insolent speech he had made, the father insinuated that he acknowledged him likewise for his son, and that neither the undutifulness of the one or of the other of his children, could extinguish his affection, or cancel the relation subsisting Ver. 29. Lo, these many years do I serve thee, &c.] This is the young man's own testimony concerning his dutifulness, in which respect he fully represented the self-righteous Pharisees. It is his testimony also concerning the returns which his father had made to him for his services. Nevertheless, his behaviour on this occasion, as well as that of his father, seems to give him the lie in both particulars. ing between them. 32. It was meet that we should make merry and be glad: Both reason and natural affection justify me in calling the whole family to rejoice on the present occasion.: For as thy brother is returned to us sensible of his folly, and determined to lead a better course of life, his arrival is like his reviv ing after death; at least it is his being found after he was really lost. For which reason, our joy ought to bear a proportion to the greatness of this occasion. For this thy brother was dead, and is alive again; and was lost, and is found. Though he has devoured my living with harlots, he is thy brother as well as my son; wherefore, thou shouldst not be angry, because he hath repented and is returned, after we thought him irrecoverably lost. Thus the goodness with which the father bare the surly peevishness of his elder son was little inferior to the mercy shewed in the pardon that he granted to the younger. Jesus having thus set before them the affectionate behaviour of an earthly parent towards his undutiful child, left every one to judge whether such weak and wicked creatures can love their offspring with more true tenderness, than the great Father Almighty does his, or shew them more indulgence for their benefit. In this inimitable composition, the amazing mercy of God is painted with captivating beauty; and in all the three parables, the joys occasioned among heavenly beings by the conversion of a single sinner, are represented; joys even to God himself, than which a nobler and sweeter thought never entered into the mind of rational creatures. Thus high do men stand in the estimation of God; for which cause they should not cast themselves away. in that trifling manner wherein multitudes destroy themselves; neither should any think the salvation of others a small matter, as some who are intrusted with their recovery seem to do. Had the Pharisees understood the parable, how criminal must they have appeared in their own eyes, when they saw themselves truly described in the character of the elder son, who was angry that his brother had repented! Withal, how bitter must their remorse have, been, when they found themselves not only repining at that which gave joy to God, the conversion of sinners, but excessively displeased with the methods of his procedure in this matter, and maliciously opposing them! If these parables had been omitted by Luke as they have been by the other three historians, the world would certainly have sustained an unspeakable loss. XCV. The parable of the steward who wasted his lord's goods. Luke xvi. 1,--13. THE maliciousness of the Pharisees, and the obstinacy with which they opposed every thing that was good, had by this time made a deep impression upon our Lord's spirit. Wherefore, he did not content himself barely with justifying his receiving sin ners ners in order to reform them; but while the Scribes and Pharisees were present, he turned to his disciples, and spake, the parable of the crafty steward, whom he proposed as an example of the dexterous improvement which worldly men make of such opportunities and disadvantages as fall in their way, for advancing their interest. By this parable, Jesus designed to excite his disciples to improve, in like manner, the advantages they might enjoy for advancing their own spiritual welfare, and particularly to spend both their time and money in promoting the conversion of sinners, which of all the offices in their power, was the most acceptable to God, and the most beneficial to man. Luke xvi. 1. And he said also unto his disciples, There was a certain rich man which had a steward: to whom the care of his family, and all his domestic concerns were committed; and the same was ac cused unto him that he had wasted his goods: Some of the family who had a real concern for their lord's interest, observing the steward to be both profuse in his distributions, and negligent in taking care of the provisions of the family, thought fit to inform their lord that he was wasting his goods. 2. And he called him, and said unto him, How is it that I hear this of thee? Give an account of thy stewardship; for thou mayest be no longer steward. His lord calling him, told him what was laid to his charge; and, as he did not pretend to deny the accusation, he ordered him to give in his accounts, because he was determined he should be no longer steward. The steward having heard his doom pronounc ed, began to consider with himself how he should be supportedwhen he was discarded. He was of a disposition so prodigal, that he had laid up nothing; he was incapable of bodily labour, being old perhaps, or not accustomed to it; and as for begging, considering his temper and station, it was what he could not submit to. 3. Then the steward said within himself, What shall I do? for my lord taketh away from me my stewardship: I cannot dig, to beg I am ashamed. While he was thus weighing mat→ ters, a lucky thought came into his mind: he was not yet turned out of his office; he therefore resolved to use his power in such a manner as to make himself friends, who would succour him in his need. Luke xvi. 4. I am resolved what to do, that when I am put out of the stewardship, they may receive me into their houses. Anciently stewards, besides taking care of their master's domestic affairs, gave leases of their lands, and settled the rent which each tenant was to pay. Accordingly, the steward in the parable made use of this branch of his power, to purchase the good-will and friendship of his lord's tenants. Having racked the rents in the leases which he had lately given, he now determined that the tenants should have their possessions on the same terms as formerly; a resolution which as it was prudent for the steward, might in the issue be not unprofitable to his lord. lord. Wherefore, calling his tenants, he intimated his purpose to them. And whereas one by his bargain had bound himself to pay yearly for his possession an hundred baths of oil, each bath equal to seven gallons, four pints and an half, English measure, he let him have it at fifty; and whereas another was to pay an hundred homers of wheat yearly, each homer being equal to eight bushels and an half, Winchester measure, he gave him his lease at eighty, and altered the obligatory writings according ly *. 5. So he called every one of his lord's debtors unto him, and said unto the first, How much owest thou unto my lord? 6. And he said, An hundred measures (Bars, from the Hebrew which in the Old Testament is translated baths) of oil. And he said unto him, Take thy bill, and sit down quickly, and aurite fifty. 7. Then said he to another, And how much orest thou? And he said, An hundred measures (nogus is the 1, or homer of the Hebrews) of wheat. And he said unto him, Take thy bill, and write four score. 8. And the lord ( xugios supple AUTY, his lord) commended: for it is Jesus, and not the evangelist who speaks this, as is plain both from the structure of the parable itself, and from the application which Jesus makes of it, ver. 9." And I say unto you, Make to yourselves," &c. As the lord commended his steward, so I desire you my disciples, to make a prudent use of uncertain riches. "And his lord commended" the unjust steward, because he had done wisely; for the children of this world are in their generation wiser than the chil dren of light. The epithet of unjust, here given to the steward, does not necessarily imply that in his proceedings with the debtors he acted fraudulently. It may have been given him on account of his former bad management. Yet if the reader is of a different opinion, it must be observed, that our Lord, by mentioning the commendation which the rich man bestowed upon his steward, does not mean to approve of the man's knavery, which is sufficiently branded by the epithet of unjust, here given him by Jesus himself; neither was it designed to give countenance to the fraud of any person on any occasion whatsoever, nor to the conduct of those who are liberal out of other peoples goods. The wisdom of the steward in making himself friends only is commended by his lord, and proposed by Jesus as worthy the imita tion • This interpretation of the parable may be gathered not only from the nature of the thing, but from the proper sense of the words xgimpiaules and reapua, the one signifying any kind of debtor, and among the rest a tenant, and the other any king of obligatory writings and among the rest a lease. Besides, in this light the favour that was done to the tenants was substantial, and laid them under lasting obligations; whereas, according to the common interpretation, the steward could not propose to reap as much benefit from any requital the debtors would make him for the sums forgiven them, as these sums were worth to himself, and therefore he might rather have exacted them, and put them into his own pocket. |