tal. Here, then, he is expressly violating the Christian prohibition as to laying up. But further, how does he employ the proceeds of his provident investment? Does he give to him that asketh, or is he ready to lend to the borrower? Not he indeed. He knows that such a course of conduct would directly militate against all the views and objects he had in the original investment, and therefore he naturally turns from such proceedings with disdain. Very well; now let us look at the position in which he is placed by such a course of conduct. It is that of a man well to do in the world, of fine independence, of more than competency—but is it the position of a Christian? Here is a prohibition, forbidding-"Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth." Here is a Precept, enjoining—“ Give to him that asketh," &c. Test, then, the objects of your investigation; they may be professing Christians, pious saints, sound divines-try them, we say, by these available, and to us infallible, criteria. If they abstain from laying up because of the prohibition, if they give away what they have got because of the precept, then we shall not only acknowledge that they are acting as Christians, but we shall be ready to guarantee to them individually every blessing which the Spirit of the Christian Dispensation attaches to faithfulness and obedience. O! it is a most delightful errand to be engaged upon, to tell any brother Christian that he can make no advance in Christian knowledge, or refinement in Christian practice, which will not bring its own reward, its own confirmation and bliss!

But where there is not abstinence from laying up because of the prohibition-where there is not distribution of what is possessed, because of the precept— while we do not say that the disobedient individual worships the idol, that he is mean, and sordid, and avaricious, or that he has no knowledge of Christianity, we do allege, that the defections imputable to him, bring down all his professions, his attainments, his spirituality, his aspirations, his gifts, to the worth of the sounding brass and tinkling cymbal; and that he is wholly devoid of that governing, discriminating principle which marks and constitutes the true Christian-we mean the spirit of that benevolence which led the Christian's Lord to sacrifice everything for the good of others.*

We have adverted, in the process of our argument, to the great principle laid down by our Lord, that Mammon is the arch-antagonist of God in the Christian Dispensation; and we have also adverted to the Spirit of his Precepts, both prohibitory and prescriptive : The testimony of his PARABLES comes next to be considered.

The parable of Dives and Lazarus speaks perhaps in

* The authority on which we venture to pronounce a judgment like this on any fellow-creature, is the Gospel, the word of the Lord himself.-Vide Matth. v, 43, 47; Luke, vi, 34; John, xiii, 34, 35.

If words like these require comment, the sincere Christian will not refuse to advert to the apostles of this divine Teacher.-See Gal. v, 14; Eph. v, 2; 1 Pet. 1, 2; 1 John, ii, 9, 11, iii, 14-20.

the plainest terms, provided we read the authenticated text without the glosses which certain shrewd divines have contrived to throw upon the question.

"There was a certain rich man, who was clothed in purple and fine linen, and fared sumptuously every day; and there was a certain beggar, named Lazarus, which was laid at his gate full of sores, and desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man's table.

* And it came to pass that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham's bosom; and the rich man also died, and was buried. And in hell he lifted up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. And he cried and said-Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame. But Abraham said, Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things; but now he is comforted, and thou art tormented," &c. &c.

The time has come, Christian reader, for all those glosses and false interpretations to be dissipated, with which covetous and clever men have contrived to obscure this parable, as well as all the other parts of our Lord's instructions, which show the poisonous, malignant nature of worldly wealth. They, the learned expounders, tell us, that Gluttony* was the sin which

* See the heading of the chapter (Luke xvi) in all our orthodox Bibles.

the Lord of the Christian Dispensation has here so utterly condemned. And they have led millions to suppose, that in the corresponding parable of the unjust steward, our Lord has made himself the apologist of fraud and embezzlement, overlooking the true import of those Gospel elucidations, which put rich men, as such, in a position of censure and condemnation. All these things show how subtle and how entire that influence is which Mammon exercises in our world, as the antagonist of the Redeemer's Dispensation.

The parable of the unjust steward affords another striking illustration of the same argument, if required, in all its primitive simplicity and truth. We see the Lord of Righteousness placing in juxta-position a RICH MAN and a dishonest steward, for the sole purpose of commending the latter in the character of a detected culprit; that is whilst his character and conduct stood in competition with that of the self-sufficient rich man !

The testimony of another parable uttered by our Lord, is equally decisive on the subject. He said"The ground of a certain rich man brought forth plentifully; and he thought within himself, saying, What shall I do, because I have no room where to bestow my fruits? And he said, This will I do; I will pull down my barns, and build greater, and there will I bestow all my fruits and my goods. And I will say to my soul, Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry. But God

said unto him, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee; then, whose shall those things be which thou hast provided? So is he that layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich towards God." If this memorable parable be read and considered in the light cast upon it by the principles and representations we have adduced, it will be found quite conclusive for our purpose.

The illustrations which our Lord has given in his parables of the truth for which we are contending, are strongly confirmed by two striking incidents recorded in his history.

The first incident is THE TEMPTATION to which He was exposed before he entered upon the great work of human redemption. It is recorded by the sacred penman, that the Devil, invested with miraculous power, made a complete display of the riches of the world to the view of the Redeemer, and made a proffer of them all in these explicit terms, "All this power will I give unto thee, and the glory; for that is delivered unto me; and to whomsoever I will I give it; if thou, therefore, wilt worship me, all shall be thine.”

Is it not manifest from these words, that the Evil One has had the riches of the world committed to him, that there was a time when he could do as he pleased with them, and that his purpose was to employ them to man's destruction? The supposition, that the Almighty has resumed his sovereignty in the case, is not supported by