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2 OrELiKA, Ala., D c. 31, 1850. When afrtbe Association in Montgomery county, Ala., last October, two or three requests were made by different brethren for me to write on certain scriptural subjects, but I hare not had the oppor tunity to do so. This being a cold, rainy day, and the last day of the present year, I am kept wilhin the house, and will try to comply with the request of brother Smith in offering a few thoughts respect ing the Parable of the “ unjust steward,” as record ed in Luke 16. At the time of the coming of Christ, and for some time thereafter, there appeals to have been but few, if any, who properly understood His char acter, the nature of his kingdom, the efleet of his coming, his death, resuirection, ascension, &c. — Even those who had some understanding of his gloiious gospel, did not seem to know that it was to extend beyond the limits of the Jewish nation, or to any others but the natural descendants of Abraham. Many of the parables of our Lord were designed to correct these erroneous impressions, and to show, as Paul afterwards plainly taught, that between “Jew and Gentile there is no differ ence,” and that the time would come, notwithstand ing the Jewish notion of exclusive privileges, the gospel should go to the gentile nations, and the Jews should be dispersed and put out of their stew ardship. In the 15lb chapter we notice three dis tinct parables having a bearing upon this point, which appear to have been spoken because of the murmuring of the Scribes and Pharisees, saying, “ This man receiveth sinners and eateth with them.” lie then tells them of the lost sheep, of the lost piece of money, and of the prodigal son, and final ly said also unto his disciples, “There was a cer tain rich man which bad a steward, and the same was accused unto'Liin that Ue had wasted his goods.” This steward being iufoimed that he would be put out of the stewardship, began to consider his future welfare, and acted wisely, though unjustly, in having his lord’s debtors to reduce their bill by making it less than it really was. But why did he do this—what was the motive? Simply to make these debtors bis fritnds to maintain him when he should be put out of the stewardship. The Lord commended the wisdom, but not the injustice of the steward, and in this wise transaction there is a lesson soy Jewish disciples, to be wise as serpents but harmless as doves. They were to be sent forth as “ lambs among wolves,” not only in Jerusalem and all Judea and Samaria, but “ uuto the uttermost part of the earth.” Acts i. 8. Let them not, therefore, think that they are bet ter than others, or that the exclusive national priv ilege which Israel had long enjoyed would con tinue. The disciples thought strange that Christ would talk with a Samaritan woman, and the wo man herself, supposing Jesus to be a Jew, thought strange that he should ask water of her, for the Jews and Samaritans had no dealings with each other. These pre-possessed and prejudiced feelings which so strongly existed were designed to be il lustrated, and to some extent aflayed and broken down by the many instructive parables which SOUTHERN BAPTIST MESSENGER. Christ introduced. The middle wall of partition was soon to be broken down, the temple worship and Jewish ceremonies should all be fulfilled in the death of Christ. The Jews should fail as a nation, and be dispersed among all nations. Therefore it become them to act wisely, and cultivate a spirit of love aod kindness towards others, “Make to your selves friends the mammon of unrighteousness, that when ye fail they may receive you into ever lasting habitations.” Mammon is riches, or the heathen God of riches, and while the Jews were so peculiarly favored above other nations, they should not make a god of their wealth and riches, but as good stewards give it up freely at the command of their Lord, to clothe the naked and feed the buo gry whether Jew or Gentile, and in Ibe true Spirit of the Gospel promote peace on earth and good will to man. The Jewish disciple is taught by this parable to not make a god of any blessing, but to be ready to distribute, willing to communicate, “Laying up in store for themselves a good founda tion against the time to come.” 1 Tim. vi. 18. — The * ‘everlasting habitations” are simply the things pertaining to this life, which those that use this woild’s goods as not abusing them enjoy, while those that make a god or worship earthly riches, frequently find such riches take wings and fly away. W. M. MITCHELL. —■* .. •*=— “ And if children, then heirs: heirs of God, and joiat-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him.”—Horn. viii. 17. Dear Brethren Editors —l feel as though 1 should like to presant you with some of my thoughts upon the above passage of Scripture, and leave it with your good judgment whether it will be for the good of Zion to place it before your readers or not, l lt .'a Hmt tbte ebildreJn spoken o 4 in oui text, aie those children who have been born of the Spirit, because we find in Rom. ix. 8, “ they which are the children of the flesh, these are not the children of God.” And another thing, we know that an illegitimate child cannot be a lawful heir, therefore all who are heirs of God, God must be their Father, and the New Jerusalem which i s above, their Mother, and unless God is our Father and the New Jerusalem our Mother, we are not heirs of God, or joint-heirs with Christ. God is a Spirit, and all of his children must be born of the Spirit. Again we know that God is incorruptible, therefore it follows that all of his children must be born of incorruptible seed. I am well aware that there is many at the pres ent day who seem to suppose that it is the earthly natural man that is born again, and by that birth their natures, passions and carnal mind become good ; but I cannot think so, and I cannot see how any s®n or daughter of the Lord Almighty, who knows the plague of their own heart can have such a view. But the Savior says, “ that which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is boro of the Spirit, is Spirit .” And Paul says, “ the carnal mind is enmity against God, for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. And again, it is written that Abraham had two sons, one by a bond-maid, the other by a free-woman, but he who was of the bond-woman, was born after the flesh, but he of the free-woman was by promise and God’s word is, cast out the bond-woman and her son, for the son of the bond-woman shall not be heir with the son of the free-woman. Therefore it is plain to be seen that for any one to be a lawful child or a lawful heir, he rau9t have a lawful father and a lawful mother. But perhaps some may say that we are children by adoption. But my dear reader, how can a man who has a family of cbild/en by a law ful wife, adopt any of those children ? It cannot be done, but an illegit imate child may be adopted, hut they cannot he a lawful lieir. But ihose children who have God for their Father, and the New Jerusalem for their Mother, which are born not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, hut of God, and are born of incorruptible seed by the word of God, and were created in Christ Jesus, or the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness, such children are God’s lawful children and lawful heirs, and I cannot see how it can be consistently made to appear that Gud can adopt them, or how they can be children by adop tion, when they ate his by birth. But the New Jerusalem which is above is not the mother of these natural, earthly, corruptible bodies, but if we turn to Gen. iii. 19, we shall find who is the moth er of these earthly bodies, which reads, “In the sweat of thy face sbalt thou eat bread, till thou re turn unto the ground, for out of it was thou taken, for dust thou art, and unto dust sbalt thou return.” Therefore, it appears plain to me, that the earth is the mother of these earthly bodies, and they must return back into their mother’s arms. Now my dear brethren, it appears t® me that it is these earth ly bodies which when they are,raised spiritual bodies. And it is quite evident from the Scripture that many of the old saints have looked forward with pleasing anticipation to the time when these vile bodies shall be raised, or changed and fashioned like unto the glorious body of their Redeemer; for the Psalmist says, “as forme I shall behold thy face in righteousness; 1 shall be satisfied when 1 awake with thy likeness.” And Job says, “though after my skin worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God.” And Paul is very explicit on this point, for when speaking of the creature being delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God he says, “ Not only they but ourselves also, which have the first fruits of the Spirit; even we ourselves, gtoan within ourselves waiting for the adoption, to-wit: the redemption of our body.” The children being joint-heirs with Christ shows plainly that they sustain a very near relationship to him, in fact, they are so closely joined together, that it is impossible for the joint ever to be seper ated. For their names were written in the book of life before they were ever created in Adam. — They were chosen in Christ before the foundation of the world; their life is hid with Christ in God. Christ was given to be the Head over all things to the Church, which is his body, and ail of his chil-