Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1903-12-03
THANKSGIVING SERMON
Preached in the N. E. Church, woodbury.,
Nov. 90, 1908. by
REV. GEORGE W. ToMsoN.
Published by Requestl.

IS sometimes Called, ne EruueH6 oteW-
art The story is Of course strictly orien.
tai, though the phase Of human nature
which it describes is very modern. a
certain rich man placed the administration
Of his estate into the hands os an agent,
giving him unqualified authority. It was
his dnty to oversee the tenants, to value the
products gathered from the soil, to fix,
collect, and sell their rents, and TO make a
full return Of receipts to the proprietor.
We.can readily see that there was lar e
opportunity for dishonesty to person who
was open to temptation on that side of his
nature, and it seems that this particular
Steward was susceptible in that direction.
It came to pass that the oil lost in measure
between the selling and the accounting, and
the wheat declined in weight It often
happened that there was a marked dis
crepancy between bill OF sale, and the
actual amount which came into the own
er's hand. At last detection came, as it is
almost sure TO come in such case. Re
Iuctant as the anaIord may have been, to
believe aught against his trusted employ ee,
his offence became so evident and SO scanda-
lOus that it could be no longer doubted nor
eOndoned. Therefore the steward was sum-
moned into his presence, aud thunderbolt
was let fall upon him in the form Of a
notice that, after a certain date, his services
would be no longer required.
The shrewdness Of the man that had be-
fore turned to stealing, now turned to
inventiyeness. He had laid up nothing,
though he had absorbed much more than
his honest wages. he was not equal to
nanueal labor, and though he thought it no
shame to steal, he was ashamed to become
a beggar. Luxury had untitled him for
toll, and aims would choke his pride The
question that now thrust itself before him
was, what was to become Of him? ? Who
sv-es.ld take care of him when the date Of
ewardship had expired Finally he
hits upon most ingenious expedient. 1t
occurs to him that he will compound with
his employers debtors, and by duplicating
them in his crime, compel their favorable
consideration Of him in his time of need,
he says: / viii make friends Of the tenants,
I will bind them to me by ties Of self
interest, and then, instead Of my having to
beg at their doors, they will receive me
into their houses. Accordin ely he calls
his lords debtors-the tenants whose rent
was not yet paid, though it was due and
RENTS in part, the obligation of each. thus,
as it has been said, splucking from present
circumstances, down enough to feather his
nest for the days in which he should be no
longer Steward Z
You may wonder where this oriental
story of long ago, can possibly be made TO
connect with our Thanksgiving Day of
1901 will try to show the connection in
moment. It is not my purpose to dis
euss this interesting parable as whole,
which might be considered foreign to the
occasion on which we are met. Ny CON
Germ is with an incident Of the story,
rather than with the story itself. pause
at the question which read at the begin
ming. / want, for the time being. to de-
tach this question from its moorings in the
midst Of the parable, AID hold it up as a
thanksgiving interrogation make it a
question for our hearts. hoping that its use
may lead US to some grateful and profitable
thinking on this Thanksgiving Day.
Ny sermon is about indebetedness, indeb-
tedness to God for his manifold mercies. aud
thus the connection is made between the
question which forms our text, and the
occasion on which we are met, in response
to the proclamation Of our Chief Magis-
trate, aud more trust by the promptings
Of our hearts. AS Steward Of she ons
Lord, come to you this merning. who are
equally his stewards, and put TO you this
question How much owest thou unto
my Lord ?n am not here to speak Of
obligations fnancia or Of the methods Of
your earthly commerce, but Of obligations
moral, and Of species Of business that in
wolves the issues Of eternity. It is not my
duty, as it is not TX privilege, to inspect
your earthly account Docks, but it is part
Of my obligation as a Steward Of the
Master, TO make some inquiry about your
business relations with him.
All men are tenants Of Gsd's world, and
stewards ia trust, Of his land and goods.
We have nothing 10 fee-simple. The Law
Of the State makes certain concessions to