SERMON XIV. The Athenians and strangers which were there spent Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal; But lay up for yourselves treasures in Heaven, where neither SERMON I. CHRISTIAN WISDOM. LUKE xvi. 9. And I say unto you, Make to yourselves friends of the Mammon of unrighteousness; that, when ye fail, they may receive you into everlasting habitations. THIS is a passage of the Gospel which has no doubt perplexed many persons; for certainly it is not plain at first sight to be understood. However it has a very certain meaning, and one of great importance, and it is this: Our LORD, we are told in the 8th verse, says that the lord of the unjust steward, "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 :" and then HE goes on to say, "And I say unto you, Make to yourselves friends of the mam B mon of unrighteousness; that, when ye fail, they may receive you into everlasting habitations." com Now the unjust steward was mended not for his dishonesty, but for his prudence in making himself friends, by giving away what indeed was not his own, but what the debtors very much desired. And our LORD, when HE says, "Make to yourselves friends of the mammon of unrighteousness," does not of course mean us to act unjustly, but to say "make to yourself friends of all the advantages of situation or money which this world gives you, that when ye fail, that is, when ye die, they may receive you into everlasting habitations, that is, you may be received into heavenly habitations by GOD." This then is the meaning of these words, that we are so far to imitate the unjust steward, as his almsgiving and his outward consideration for his neighbours, only taking care that our motives are different, that we do not defraud others by it, above all not our Master in heaven of His glory in all we do that so, when we ourselves are to leave this world and give up to others all that we have had in it, this love to our fellow-men may be reckoned to us among the fruits of faith, which the Lord Jesus Christ expects at the hands of those who are His servants, and without which we are not His servants, and shall not be received into those everlasting habitations which He is preparing for the faithful. But before I say anything about the duties which our LORD here teaches us, there is a very natural question to be answered, which has, I dare say, already occurred to your minds, namely, in what are the children of this world wiser in their generation than the children of light? Now by the children of this world our Lord means those whom we daily see, not only engaged in the business of this world, for that we must all be in our degree, more or less, but those who are so much taken up with the business of |