Our Lord’s Teachings About Money 41 traders ? I t was not fear but sloth that lay behind his unfaith fulness and unprofitableness. Thus indirectly is taught the valuable lesson that timid souls, unfitted for bold and independent service in behalf of the kingdom, may link their incapacity to the capacity and sagacity of others who will make their gifts and possessions of use to the Master and His Church. James Watt, in 1773, formed a partnership with Matthew Boulton, of Soho, for the manufacture of steam engines— Watt, to furnish brains, and Boulton, hard cash. This illus trates our Lord’s teaching. The steward has money, or it may be other gifts, that can be made of use, but he lacks faith and foresight, practical energy and wisdom. The Lord’s “exchangers” can show him how to get gain for the Master. The Church boards are God’s bankers. They are composed of practical men, who study how and where to put money for the best results and largest returns, and when they are what they ought to be, they multiply money many-fold in glorious results. The Church partly exists that the strength of one member may help the weakness of another, and that by co-operation of all, the power of the least and weakest may be increased. III. THE SUBORDINATION OF MONEY Another most important principle is the subordination o f money, as emphatically taught and illustrated in the rich young ruler. (Matt. 19:16-26.) This narrative, rightly regarded, presents no enigma. With all his attractive traits, this man was a slave. Money was not his servant, but his master; and because God alone is to be supreme, our Lord had no alter native. He must demolish this man’s idol, and when He dealt a blow at his money, the idolatry became apparent, and the slave of greed went away sorrowful, clinging to his idol. I t was not the man’s having great possessions that was wrong, but that his possessions had the man; they possessed him and
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