their account; he says, "Well done, good and faithful servant." The master is pleased, the man is pleased, all is cheerfulness. This man had a happy life; he enjoyed abundance and activity; now he meets a gracious acceptance. The diligence and integrity of those, who are good and faithful servants, will certainly be found "unto praise, and honour, and glory, at the appearing of Jesus Christ. (1 Pet. i. 7.) It is by patient continuance in well doing, that we seek and if we seek we shall find. of our Master, the matter is servants say of us.

for this glory and honour; If we have the good word

not great what our fellowNot he that commendeth himself, or

whom his neighbours commend, is approved, but he whom the Lord commends.

His lord adds here, "Thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee a ruler over many things." It is usual in the courts of princes, and families of great men, to advance those to higher offices that have been faithful in lower. Christ has honour in store for those that honour him,-a crown, a throne, a kingdom; here they are beggars; in heaven "they shall be rulers:" the upright shall have dominion, Christ's servants are all princes. There are few things in which the saints are serviceable to God, but many things wherein they shall be glorified with Christ. Put together all our services, all our sufferings, all our improvements, all the good we do to others, all we get to ourselves; and they are but a few things, next to nothing, not worthy to be compared, not fit to be named the same day, with the glory to be revealed and the joy set before us.

What a gracious Saviour! who, of rebels and enemies, makes us servants and willing subjects to himself. Well may we praise him, who found us in our blood and bought us with his blood. Who now is the fool? He who hath trodden under foot the Son of God, and hath counted the blood of the covenant, wherewith he was

-sanctified, an unholy thing, and hath done despite to the Spirit of grace; or he who renounces his own righteousness, and in faith depends upon the righteousness of Christ, whose blood cleanses from all sin?

His Lord says, "enter thou into the joy of thy Lord.” The state of the blessed is a state of joy, not only because all tears shall then be wiped away, but all the springs of comfort shall be opened to them. This joy is the joy of our Lord; the joy which he himself has purchased, the joy of the redeemed, bought with the sorrow of the Redeemer. It is the joy which he himself is in the possession of, and which he had in view when he endured the cross and despised the shame. Here the saints possess the joy of their Lord in the earnest of the Spirit ; shortly they shall enter into it, shall be in it to eternity, as in their element.

Here we have the bad account of the slothful servant, Though he had received but one talent, for that one he is called to account. He comes to give his account with a deal of assurance. He says, proudly enough, “Lo! there thou hast that is thine;" as if he had said, I was no spendthrift of my estate, no prodigal of my time, no profaner of Sabbaths, no opposer of the ministers of God, no blasphemer, no persecutor, no drunkard, no glutton, nor ever to my knowledge did injury to any body. Many that are called Christians, build great hopes for heaven upon making such an account, though this, too, is a false account; and yet all this amounts to no more but "there thou hast that is thine," as if no more were required or could be expected. This part of his character should be particularly noted; the other servants say, "Thy talents have gained talents." They give the glory to God; this man assumes it to himself. Many go very securely to judgment, presuming upon their own righteousness, when at the last, it will be found that all is but vain. When we depend upon our own, it is vain to talk of the righte=

ousness of Christ; when we trust to our works for salvation, we know nothing of Christ as a Saviour.

Observe what this servant confesses, "I hid thy talent in the earth." He speaks as if that were no great fault; nay, as if he deserved praise for his prudence, in putting it in a safe place, and running no hazards with it. People make very light of that which will be their condemnation in the great day. He makes his excuse, "I knew thee that thou art a hard man, and I was afraid." All this man's misfortunes arose from a mistaken view of the character of God; how carefully then should we read his revealed will? Good thoughts of God lead us to love him; and that love makes us diligent and faithful; but hard thoughts of God lead to a slavish fear of him, and that fear makes us slothful and unfaithful.

His excuse speaks the sentiments of an enemy; I knew thee, that thou art a hard man." This was like that wicked saying of the house of Israel, "The way of the Lord is not equal." (Ezek. xviii. 25.) Thus his defence is his offence. God thus expostulates with the Jews, "What iniquity have your fathers found in me?" (Jer. ii. 5.) Wherein has he wearied us with his work, or deceived us in his wages? (Mic. vi. 3.) Does not all the world know the contrary, that God is so far from being a hard Master, that the earth is full of his goodness? So far from reaping where he sowed not, that he sows a great deal where he reaps nothing! for he causes the sun to shine, and his rain to fall upon the evil and unthankful, and fills their hearts with food and gladness, who say to the Almighty, "Depart from us." God does not demand services where he bestows no talents; no: whatever is required in the covenant is promised in the covenant, so that if we perish it is all of ourselves. Observe in this servant the spirit of a slave: "I was afraid." This fear of God arose from his false notions of him; this fear was bondage and torment, and is directly opposite to that en

tire love which the great commandment requires. Those who think it impossible to please God, and in vain to serve him, will do nothing to purpose in religion.

But his plea will stand him in no stead; it is overruled; nay, it is made to turn against him, and he is struck speechless with it; for here is his conviction and his condemnation. This servant is convicted of slothfulness. "His Lord answered and said unto him, "Thou wicked and slothful servant." Slothful servants are wicked servants; for " he that is slothful in his work," and neglects the good that God has commanded, "is brother to him that is a great waster," by doing the evil that God has forbidden. (Prov. xviii. 9.) He that is careless in the work of God is a-kin to him that is busy in the devil's work. Omissions are sins, and must come to judgment. When the house is empty the unclean spirit takes possession. When men sleep, the enemy sows tares. This servant is condemned out of his own mouth, as his lord said to him, "Thou knewest that I reap where I sowed not: thou oughtest therefore to have put my money to the exchangers." In the day of account, wicked and slothful servants will be left quite without excuse; frivolous pleas will be over-ruled, and every mouth will be stopped; and those who now stand so much upon their own justification, will not have one word to say for themselves.

Observe his condemnation; "Take therefore the talent from him and give it unto him which hath ten talents." Our Lord takes the talent from the unfaithful servant to punish him, and gives it him that was eminently faithful, to reward him. And the meaning of this part of the parable we have in the reason of the sentence; "Unto every one that hath shall be given." This may be applied, first, To the blessings of this life. Now he that has these things, and uses them for the service of God, he shall have abundance; perhaps abundance of the things themselves; however, abundance of comfort in them, and of

better things: "but for him that hath not," that is, that hath these things as if he had them not, hath them with-out improving them, or doing good with them, they shall be taken away. They who are diligent in improving the opportunities they have, God will enlarge them; but they who know not the day of their visitation, shall have the things that belong to their peace hid from their eyes. These gifts improve by exercise, and brighten by being used: the more we do, the more we may do in religion; but those who stir not up the gift that is in them, their gifts rust and decay, and go out like a neglected fire. From him that has not a living principle of grace in his soul, shall be taken away the gifts which he has, as the lamps of the foolish virgins went out for the want of oil. Thus the arm of the idle shepherd, which he had sluggishly folded up in his bosom, comes to be clean dried up; and his right eye, which he had carelessly or wilfully shut, becomes utterly darkened, as it is threatened, (Zech. xi. 17.)

This slothful servant is sentenced to be "cast into outer darkness." Here his character is that of an "unprofitable servant." Slothful servants will be reckoned with as unprofitable servants, who do nothing to the purpose of their coming into the world, nothing to answer the end of their birth or baptism, who are no way serviceable to the glory of God, the good of others, or the salvation of their own souls. A slothful servant is a withered member in the body, a fruitless tree in the vineyard, an idle drone in the hive, is good for nothing. In one sense we are all unprofitable servants; (Luke xvii. 10.) we cannot profit God. But to others, and to ourselves, it is required that we be profitable; if we be not, Christ will not own us as his servants. It is not enough not to do hurt, but we must do good-must bring forth fruit; andthough thereby God is not profited, yet he is glorified. (John xv. 8.)

His doom is to be "cast into outer darkness." The