ed first in abuse of the laws, and neglect of the
duties concerning wealth. And thus the love of money, with the
parallel (and, observe, _mathematically commensurate_ looseness in
management of it), the "mal tener," followed necessarily by the "mal
dare," is, indeed, the root of all evil.

176. Then, secondly, I want you to note that when the prodigal comes
to his senses, he complains of nobody but himself, and speaks of no
unworthiness but his own. He says nothing against any of the women
who tempted him--nothing against the citizen who left him to feed on
husks--nothing of the false friends of whom "no man gave unto
him"--above all, nothing of the "corruption of human nature," or the
corruption of things in general. He says that _he himself_ is
unworthy, as distinguished from honorable persons, and that _he
himself_ has sinned, as distinguished from righteous persons. And
_that_ is the hard lesson to learn, and the beginning of faithful
lessons. All right and fruitful humility, and purging of heart, and
seeing of God, is in that. It is easy to call yourself the chief of
sinners, expecting every sinner round you to decline--or return--the
compliment; but learn to measure the real degrees of your own relative
baseness, and to be ashamed, not in heaven's sight, but in man's
sight; and redemption is indeed begun. Observe the phrase, I have
sinned "_against_ heaven," against the great law of that, and _before_
thee, visibly degraded before my human sire and guide, unworthy any
more of being esteemed of his blood, and desirous only of taking the
place I deserve among his servants.

177. Now, I do not doubt but that I shall set many a reader's teeth on
edge by what he will think my carnal and material rendering of this
"beautiful" parable. But I am just as ready to spiritualize it as he
is, provided I am sure first that we understand it. If we want to
understand the parable of the sower, we must first think of it as of
literal husbandry; if we want to understand the parable of the
prodigal, we must first understand it as of literal prodigality. And
the story has also for us a precious lesson in this literal sense of
it, namely this, which I have been urging upon you throughout these
letters, that all redemption must begin in subjection and in the
recovery of the sense of Fatherhood and authority, as all ruin and
desolation begin in the loss of that sense. The lost son began by
claiming his rights. He is found when he resig