repentance; and of repentance there are three parts, contrition,
confession, and satisfaction--in plain English, making the wrong
right, and giving each man back, as far as one can, what one has
taken from him. To each man, I say; for I have no right to rob one
man and then give to another. I ought to give back again to the man
whom I have robbed. I have no right to cheat the rich for the sake
of the poor; and after I have cheated the rich, I do not make
satisfaction, either to god or man, by giving that money to the
poor. Good old Zaccheus, the publican, knew better what true
satisfaction was like. He had been gaining money not altogether in
an unjust way, but in a way which did him no credit; he had been
farming the taxes, and he was dissatisfied with his way of life.
Therefore, Behold, Lord, he says, the half of my goods, of what I
have a right to in the world's eyes--what is my own, and I could
keep if I liked--I give to the poor. But if I have done wrong to
any man, I restore to him fourfold. Then said the Lord, 'This day
is salvation come to this man's house; forsomuch as he also is a son
of Abraham;' a just and faithful man, who knows what true repentance
is.

But now, my friends, suppose that this was just what our Lord tells
us to do in this parable. Suppose that this was just what the
unjust steward did. I only say, suppose; for I know that more
learned men than I explain the difficulty otherwise. Only I ask you
to hear my explanation.

The steward is accused of wasting his lord's goods.

He will be put out of his stewardship.

He goes to his lord's debtors, and bids them write themselves down
in debt to him at far less sums than they had thought that they
owed.

Now, suppose that these debtors were the very men whom he had been
cheating. Suppose that he had been overcharging these debtors; and
now, in his need, had found out that honesty was the best policy,
and charged them what they really owed him. They were, probably,
tenants under his lord, paying their rents in kind, as was often the
custom in the East. One rented an olive garden, and paid for it so
many measures of oil; another rented corn-land, and paid so many
measures of meal. Now suppose that the steward, as he easily might,
had been setting these poor men's rents too high, and taking the
surplus himself. That while he had been charging one tenant a
hundred, he had been paying to his lord only fifty, and so forth.

What doe