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النشر الإلكتروني

234

SERMON CXXIX.

The children of this world wifer than the children of light.

Preached at Whitehall, Anno 1684.

LUKE XVI. 8.

For the children of this world are 'in their generation wiser than the children of light.

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Hefe words are in the parable of the rich man's fteward, who being called upon to give up his accompts, in order to his being discharged from his office, caft about with himfelf, what courfe he had beft to take, to provide for his fubfiftence, when he fhould be turned out of his employment. At laft he refolves upon this; that he will go to his Lord's debtors, and take a favourable account of them and instead of a hundred meafures of oil, write down fifty; and instead of a hundred measures of wheat, write down fourfcore; that by this means he might oblige them to be kind to him in his neceffity. The Lord hearing of this, commends the unjuft steward, because he had done wifely; that is, he took notice of his difhonefty, but praifed his fhrewdnefs and fagacity, as having done prudently for himself, though he did not deal juftly with him. And this is ufual among men ; when we fee a man ingeniously bad, to commend his wit, and to fay it is great pity he doth not use it better, and apply it to good purpofes. Upon the whole, our Saviour makes this obfervation; that the children of this world are in their generation wiser than

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children of light; as if he had faid, thus did the worldly wife man; thus provident was he for his future fecurity and fubfiftence. He no fooner under

ftands that he is to be turned out of his office, but he confiders what provifion to make for himself against that time. And is it not pity, that good mẻn do not apply this wildom to better and greater purpofes For is not every man fuch a fteward,” intrufted by God with the bleffings of this life, and many opportunities of doing good? For all which, fince he must fhortly give an account, he ought in all reason so to use them, as thereby to provide for the happiness of another life, against this temporal life have an end.

And this is all the parallel intended in this parable, as we may fee by our Saviour's application of it. For parables are not to be ftretched to an exact parallel in all the parts and circumftances of them, but only to be applied to the particular point and purpofe intended. A parable, and the moral accommodation of it, being (as one well obferves) not like two planes, which touch one another in every part, but like a globe upon a plane, which only toucheth in one point. Thus our Saviour feparates the wifdom of this fteward from his injuftice, and propofeth that to our imitation The children of this world are in their generation wiser than the children of light.

The words are a comparifon; in which we have, ft, The perfons compared, the children of this. world, and the children of light. It is a very usual phrafe among the Hebrews, when they would exprefs any thing to partake of fuch a nature or quafity, to call it the fon or child of fuch a thing. Thus good men are called the children of God, and bad men the children of the Devil; those who mind earthty things, and make the things of this world their greatest aim and defign, are called the children of this world; and thofe who are better enlightened with the knowledge of their own immortality, and the belief of a future ftate after this life, are called the children of light.

adly, Here

2dly, Here is the thing wherein they are compared, and that is, as to their wifdom and prudence.

3dly, The object of this prudence, which is not the fame in both; as if the fenfe were, that the children of this world are wiser than the children of light, as to the things of this world; but here are two feveral objects intended, about which the prudence of these two forts of perfons is refpectively exercifed; the concernments of this world and the other. And our Saviour's meaning is, that the children of this world are wifer in their generation, that is, in their way, viz. as to the interefts and concernments of this world, than the children of light are in theirs, viz. as to the interefts and concernments of the other world.

4thly, Here is a decifion of the matter, and which of them it is that excels in point of prudence, in their way and our Saviour gives it to the children of this world; they are wifer in their generation than the children of light.

Now this propofition is not to be taken in the utmoft ftrictnefs and rigor as if it were univerfally true, and without any exception, as if no man had ever been fo wife and provident for his foul, and the concernments of another world, as worldly men are for the interefts and concernments of this life. For there are fome that are fools at large. and impru dent in their whole conduct and management, both as to the affairs of this world, and the other; who are in too strict a fenfe, the children of this world : They mind nothing but this world, and yet are grofs ly imprudent, even in their profecution of their temporal interefts: They neglect and forego all other worldly advantages, for the fake of a little fenfual pleafure; and then they lofe and destroy that too, by an over-hot and eager purfuit of it, and turn it at laft into gall and wormwood. And there are others (as St. Paul for inftance) who, I doubt not, have been as prudent and zealous, and induftrious for the promoting of religion, and the falvation of themselves and others, as any man can be about the affairs of this prefent life; and I hope there are fome

fuch

fuch in every age; but God knows they are very few, and their wisdom and induftry is feldom fo equal, and constant, and uniform, as that of the men of this world.

So that we are to understand this faying of our Saviour's with the fame allowance as we generally do all moral and proverbial fpeeches, that they are true for the most part, and the inftances, and exceptions to the contrary are very rare. It is feldom feen, that good men are fo wife for the concernments of their fouls, and of religion, as many worldly men are for their worldly interefts.

In fpeaking to this propofition, I fhall do these three things:

Firft, Confirm and illuftrate the truth of it, by confidering the feveral parts and properties of wifdom.

Secondly, Give fome probable account of this, by confidering what advantages the children of this world have above the children of light.

Thirdly, I fhall draw fome inferences from the whole, by way of application.

First, I shall endeavour to confirm and illuftrate the truth of this, by confidering the feveral parts and properties of wifdom. Now this is wisdom, to mind and regard our chief end, and by all means to promote it; and this regard to our chief end doth exprefs itself chiefly in thefe particulars; in our being firmly fixed and refolved upon it; in choofing the fittest means for the compaffing and accomplishing of it; in a diligent ufe of thofe means; in an invincible conftancy and perfeverance in the profecution of it; and in making all things to fubmit and ftoop to it. These are the principal parts and properties of wisdom; and I fhall fhew that in all these the children of this world do ufually excell the children of light.

ft, They are ufually more firmly fixed and refolved upon their end. Whatever they fet up for their -end, riches, or honours, or pleafures, they are fixed upon it, and fteady in the profecution of it. If they fet up for riches or honours, they neglect and

despise

defpife pleasure, if it crofs either of thofe ends. And this fixed refolution of the end is the great fpring of action, and that which infpires. men with vigour and diligence in the use of means; and the more refolved men are upon the end, the more active and industrious they will be in the ufe of means; for the end governs the means, and gives law and meafure to our activity and induftry in the ufe of them, and sweetens and allays the trouble and difficulty of them.

So that where the end is once firmly fixed and refolved upon, there will not be wanting fervour of profecution; but if we be wavering and unfteady as to our end, this will weaken our hands, and quench the heat of our endeavours, and abate the eagerness of our purfuit, and according to the degree of it, will derive a debility and inconftancy into all our motions. The double-minded man (as St. James fays) is unstable in all his ways. Now the children of this world are commonly more fixed and refolved upon their end, than the children of light. It is rare to fee the whole life and actions of a good man, fo conftantly and uniformly confpiring to the furtherance of his great end, fo directly tending to the falvation of his foul, and the increase of his glory and happiness in another world, as the actions of a worldly man, and the whole courfe of his life do to the advancing of his worldly interests. The covetous or ambitious, men feldom do any thing to the best of their knowledge that is impertinent to their end, much lefs contrary to it; through every thing that they do, one may plainly fee the end they aim at, and that they are always true to it: Whereas the best men do many things which are plainly crofs and contrary to their end, and a great many more which have no relation to it; and when they mind it, it is rather by fits and starts, than in any even courfe and tenor of actions.

And of this we have a famous inftance in that worldly and fecular church, which now for feveral hundred of years hath more steadily pursued

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