master departed, than they exerted their utmost diligence, found out by what means they could most improve their talents, and were so successful in their management, that before their master's return, they each of them doubled what they were entrusted with.

On the contrary, he who had received but one talent, addicted to indolence, and, notwithstanding that, dissatisfied perhaps that his master had not committed to his care so large a portion of his goods, as he had to the other two*; instead of endeavouring to improve that little, went and digged in the earth, and hid his lord's money.

They had all a good opportunity of improving their stock, for their master did not return till after a long time: and then he summoned these servants to give an account of the talents which he had left them to occupy, and moreover of the addition which he expected each of them had been able to make. The two first cheerfully surrendered their trust, and both of them returned double what they had received The master thoroughly satisfied with the diligence of these two, and of the improvement which they

* Doddridge.

had made in his affairs, passed on them the highest commendation; and gave them a stronger proof of his approbation, by promising, as they had been faithful in few things, to make them rulers over many things: bidding them at the same time to enter into the joy of their tord.

The other, on the contrary, when called upon to give in his account, sullen and discontented, and endeavouring to excuse his own indolence by an unmerited censure of his master, brings back the talent which he had hid in the earth, disregarded in the absence of his lord, and unimproved: upbraiding his master with severity, as one who was willing to reap without sowing, and of gathering fruit without scattering seed. On this account therefore he pretended that he was afraid, and hid his talent in the earth, that on his master's demand he might return it unimpaired; which he now did, by telling him that he delivered up exactly that which was his. The master, incensed at the false and scandalous excuse of this wicked and slothful servant, convicted him by that very excuse, which he had offered for his indolence; took from him the talent, which he had ne glected to improve, and ordered it to be given to him who had been so faithful in

the management of five talents: and not only so, but condemned the unprofitable servant to a severe punishment, even to outer darkness; where shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth: promising at the same time, That more should still be given to those who improved what they had; while they who neglected even a little, should not only lose that little, but suffer for the neglect*.

You see then, my Brethren, that the great and important duty of watchfulness is strongly enforced in each of these beautiful parables and particularly in the last we are taught a most awful lesson, That it will not be sufficient for us to wrap up our talent, as it were, in a napkin, and thus preserve it entire; but that it will be expected from us at the day of judgment, that we shall be accountable not only for the talent itself, but also for the use or abuse of those means which the grace of GoD has afforded us for the improvement of it.

Our blessed LORD, having thus prepared the minds of his disciples, concluded the whole with a pathetic description of the day of judgment, dwelling on the solemnity of that appearance, the very

* Gilpin,

I

words of the respective sentences which shall then be past on the just and unjust, and the everlasting doom of all mankind, subjects which nothing less than Divine knowledge could suggest or explain*.

Not indeed that we are to regard these sentences as applicable to all mankind; for you may remark, that they relate only to one of our duties to our neighbour, without respect to the many other duties which we owe to him, the many duties which we owe to ourselves, and the many more which we owe to GOD. One inference, however, of great consequence is to be drawn from these sentences, that the branch of duty to our neighbour on which they dwell, namely, active compassion to the poor and afflicted, for the sake of CHRIST, is essential to salvation: and that faith, unproductive faith, will ultimately not profit him, who shall not have been careful to maintain good workst.

The parables, admonitions, and instructions, of our LORD, both to his disciples and to the people, which we have been considering in this and my last lecture, occupied part of tuesday and wednesday, that is the third and fourth

* Knowles. + Tit. iii. 8.

days of the weeks, in which he was to suffer. And then having finished all these sayings, JESUS informed his disciples, that within two days the feast of the passover should be celebrated, and that he should then be betrayed into the hands of his enemies, who should cause him to be crucified. The chief priests, the scribes, and the elders of the people, were assembled together at the palace of Caiaphas, the high priest, and were consulting how they might apprehend JESUS, by some secret artifice, and put him to death; but they were fearful of executing their malicious designs on the feastday, lest they should thereby create an uproar among the people, who still held him in very great veneration, and gladly heard his doctrine.

But here the divine Providence permitted an opportunity to be offered them, more favourable than their most sanguine hopes could have suggested to them. Never could they have conceived, that one of his own disciples, all of whom seemed so attached to him, would be so base as to betray him. But so it was. Satan, at that very instant, entered, by the permission of GOD, into Judas, surnamed Iscariot, who was one of the twelve. Judas was a man of a very covetous dispo