START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE PROPORTIONS OF CHRISTIAN LIBERALITY*** Transcribed from the 1824 Kingsbury, Parbury, and Allen edition by David Price, email ccx074@pglaf.org [Picture: Cover of pamphlet] THE PROPORTIONS OF CHRISTIAN LIBERALITY. A SERMON, PREACHED BEFORE A MONTHLY ASSOCIATION OF CONGREGATIONAL MINISTERS AND CHURCHES, HELD AT TREVOR CHAPEL, BROMPTON, APRIL 8, 1824. * * * * * BY WILLIAM BENGOâ COLLYER, D.D. LL.D. F.A.S. MEMBER OF THE ACADEMY OF SCIENCES, ARTS, AND BELLES-LETTRES, OF DIJON, AND OF THE AMERICAN PHILOSOPHICAL SOCIETY OF PHILADELPHIA; PASTOR OF THE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCHES ASSEMBLING AT HANOVER CHAPEL, PECKHAM, AND AT SALTERSâ HALL, LONDON. * * * * * LONDON: SOLD BY KINGSBURY, PARBURY, AND ALLEN, LEADENHALL STREET; AND BY B. COX, ST. THOMASâS STREET, SOUTHWARK. 1824. A SERMON, &c. &c. GAL. vi. 10. AS WE HAVE THEREFORE OPPORTUNITY, LET US DO GOOD UNTO ALL MEN, ESPECIALLY UNTO THEM WHO ARE OF THE HOUSEHOLD OF FAITH. THE subject proposed for discussion to-day is thus worded on the printed list: _The proportions of Christian liberality_. I have had some difficulty in determining, whether the inquiry intended to be instituted, regarded disposition or distributionâwhether it should relate to our temper of mind towards those who differ from us? or the application of our property to the various claims which are made upon us? If the first be intended, then the question will beâhow far may we advance in kindliness of heart, and in the exercise of charity, without yielding our convictions, sacrificing principle, and countenancing error? A difficult and delicate point to be settledâin which the dangers of concession and of separation seem to balance; where the one may sink into laxity and indifference, the other lead to intolerance and bigotry.âIf the last be principally designed, as I apprehend it is, then the inquiry will beâas the numerous and multiplying appeals to religion and humanity cannot all be alike answered, how shall we best distinguish their respective merits, and in what proportions should we apply our means, which must be necessarily limited, to their respective claims? The text seems applicable to every possible view of the subject. It unites, what Christian liberality can never separateâbenevolence and beneficence: the heart is to guide the hand, and Christian prudence is to superintend the whole. We are to â_do good_ââWe are to âdo good to _all_ menââWe are to pay particular regard to someââ_especially_ unto them who are of _the household of faith_ââWe are to do it â_as we have opportunity_ââseizing circumstances, seeking occasions, estimating our means.âAre not these â_the proportions of Christian liberality_?â âAs we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith.â Having thus inspired authority for our guide, we shall, perhaps, best understand the subject, by discussing the terms in which it is expressed, and submitting them to the test of the text and itâs connexion. First, What are we to understand by LIBERALITY? Itâs seat must be in the _heart_. It is goodwill to man as a principle, exhibiting itself by corresponding exertions. This expansion of soul distinguishes the liberal from the illiberal:âcompulsion or interest may lead to a distribution of propertyâbut âthe liberal mind deviseth liberal thingsââitâs bounty flows spontaneouslyâthe streams are diffused all abroad, but the spring rises in the bosomâand the largeness of the supply demonstrates that the fountain is inexhaustible. The heart of the liberal man is a heart of fleshâit is sensitive, and can feelâit is soft, and can yield to the touchâit is tender, and requires not to be pressed. The heart of the miser is a rockâit may be calcined, but not softenedâit may be consumed, but not meltedâthe sunbeam of mercy, and the fire of judgment, fall upon it alike in vain. His chest, although made of iron, may be broken, itâs bars and bolts forced, itâs locks openedâbut his heart, never! Every moral malady proceeds from the heartâand every Christian grace is enthroned there. Charity is loveâand without love, there is no liberality. Liberality, when the heart is itâs centre, has the world for itâs circumference. Itâs ample circle embraces all mankind. The _denomination_ is overlooked to make room for the species. âAm I not a man, and a brother?â is the irresistible appeal; and whether it come from the east or the west, the north or the south, it finds itâs way to the secret recesses of the soul, and calls into action all itâs mighty energies. Forgetful of the lines of political demarcation assigned by princes, and recognised by nationsâregardless of the narrow limits into which a sectarian spirit has distributed the Christian worldâas indifferent to the colour of the skin, and to diversity of tongues, as to the shibboleth of a partyâunfettered even âby the bounds of the people,â which âthe Most High set, when he separated the sons of Adam, and divided to the nations their inheritanceââChristian liberality, on the wings of love, swift as those of the morning, and strong as those of the seraph, sweeps over seas and mountains, the depths of the forest, and the sands of the desertâun-scorched at the torrid zone, and unfrozen at the polesâto scatter her blessings over the great Family of Man. âHave we not all one Father? Hath not one God created us?â âAs we have, therefore, opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto those who are of the household of faith.â Liberality of heart will extend to the _purse_. âIf a brother or sister be naked and destitute of daily food, and one of you say unto them, Depart in peace, be you warmed and filled; notwithstanding ye give them not those things which are needful to the body; what doth it profit?â I am not surprised that some religionists should quarrel with the doctrine of James, and scarcely allow him to be orthodox. What a melancholy consideration it is, that the purse should prove so fatal a test, as it frequently does, to professors, otherwise of good report. They can speak fluently on spiritual topicsâthey can distinguish accurately between things that differâthey settle down firmly upon a sound system, and resolutely defend itâbut when you touch their property, you discover their idolatry. See that young man retiring, sad and dissatisfied, from Jesus Christ;âhe was moral, just, amiable, goodâwhat qualities must he not have possessed to have excited the admiration of the Redeemer! for it is said, âJesus, beholding him, loved him.ââWhy does he turn his back upon his Lord, and refuse to follow in his train? Ah! this touchstone was applied, which his worldly spirit could not endure! He could pass through all the forms of external religionâand maintain the beautiful symmetry of moral characterâbut he could not part with his money. Liberality is evinced in no small degree in _manner_. There are delicate touches in the movements of a feeling heart, which cannot be described. Sorrow renders the sufferer sensitive; and harshness of deportment destroys all the value of the gift. The sigh of sympathy, even where there is nothing more to bestow, is, to him who suffers, like the alabaster-box of precious ointment which Mary broke over the head of Jesusâan odour is diffused on every sideâand he is âanointed for his burialââhe is soothed into resignation, and wafted in spirit to the world of love, where poverty and tears shall be unknown. But the proud imperious spirit cannot confer a benefitâitâs very bounty inflicts an injuryâand its roughness tears open a wound, which it lacks the skill to heal. Misery is insulted rather than alleviatedâand the reed bruised by adversity, is broken by unkindness. Yetâ ââSuch is the pitiless part Some act, by the delicate mindâ Regardless of wringing, or breaking, a heart Already to sorrow resigned!â The absence of feeling demonstrates the want of affection; and we repeat, where this is lacking, there cannot be liberality. âBe pitiful, be courteousâââFor all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyselfââand we know what tenderness we exercise towards ourselves, and what sympathy we expect from others: âAs we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith.â Secondly, CHRISTIAN LIBERALITY ranks higher than the mere emotions of humanity; it is a spiritual grace stamping the very image of the Deity upon the benignities of our nature; while it softens whatever is harsh, enlarges whatever is contracted, extinguishes whatever is unkind, refines, sublimates, and perfects whatever is amiableâand this is the subject upon which your attention is engaged. How beautifully and with what pathos is this principle described, in itself, and in its active operation, by the Apostle, in the context! It springs from _a right source_. It is all referable to a Divine Agent. âThe fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: against such there is no lawââno sentence of condemnation. This is Christian libertyâa deliverance from the curse; but it is not licentiousnessâit releases from no moral obligation, and it requires the active exercise of Christian liberality. âFor, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another.â If âevery good gift, and every perfect gift, is from above, and cometh down from the Father of Lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning,â how distinctly may we trace all our kind affections, under the regulation of religious principle, to that greatest and best of Beings, of whom it is emphatically said, âGod is love.â The liberality which springs from a right source will be always governed by _a right motive_. We seldom err so entirely as on this great point. Hypocrisy is a wilful deceiving of others; an unblushing pretension to qualities which the individual is conscious he does not possess; and regarding which he is carelessâexcepting that the assumption of them subserves some supposed interest. But it is very possible for a man to deceive himself, who intends to practise no deceit upon others; and to give himself credit for qualities which he does not really possess. Christian exertion may meet with opposition and hostility; but it will also, in the present day, be encircled with distinction and applauses. Ah! who can be certain of his motives, when so much intermixture of interest, influence, and approbation, is found in connexion with the consecration of our time, our talents, and our property, to God? It is a solemn inquiry, which we ought closely to put to our own consciencesâShould we be the same persons, if attachment to the cause of religion (for the subject is _Christian_ liberality,) subjected us to privations and persecutions, fines and imprisonments, disgrace and death, as we now are, when a superiority of exertion in the cause of God and humanity, commands the esteem of a large proportion of society, and thus confers a present reward of the most flattering description? What man can trust his heart on such a point without incurring the censure of the wisest of menââHe that trusts his own heart is a fool?â On what point are we so liable to be deceived as upon one so intimately associated with our self-love? Singleness of heart is essential to simplicity of operation. The Apostle, therefore, fastened upon one motiveâhe touched it as the main-spring of whatsoever things are âtrue, and honest, and just, and pure, and lovely, and of good reportââof whatsoever things declared âvirtue,â deserved âpraise,â and were worthy of Christian considerationâof all the sacrifices which he himself madeâof all the labours which his colleagues achievedâof all the privations which primitive Christians cheerfully enduredâof all the mighty and unparalleled characteristics of that matchless ageâthe âfirst-born,â the âbeginning of the strengthâ of Christianityâevery motive, every power, every feeling, reposed in one commanding and irresistible principleââThe love of Christ constraineth usââall human hopes and fears, joys and sorrows, pleasures and pains, were borne along the bosom of this irresistible tide of attachment to the Redeemerâand all earthly considerations were rendered subservient to his cause. Liberality springing from a right source, regulated by a right motive, could not fail to exhibit a corresponding _operation_. The principle is accordingly seen in all itâs beautiful influenceâthose who feel itâs power have not âthe grace of God in vainâânor âthe faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, with respect of persons.â They value men according to their qualities, and not according to their rank; and they are prepared to produce that âcharity which is the bond of perfectness,â on every occasion which requires itâs exercise. They will know how to shew candour and brotherly tendernessââBrethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted.â They will know how to manifest Christian sympathyââBear ye one anotherâs burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ.â They will know how to apply their property and their influenceââAnd let us not be weary in well-doing; for in due season we shall reap if we faint not.â I have chosen to borrow the illustration of this principle, in itâs diversified operation, from the contextâthat we may discern the union between the cause and the effect, and the connexion of both with the passage which I have selected, as bearing upon the subject of discussion, and as demanding, and exhibiting, active Christianity. Christian liberality distinguishes itself by itâs _perpetuity_. Man is a capricious being; his views, his emotions, his affections are perpetually changing. Persons of quick feelings, and extraordinary sensibility, are especially fluctuating. Those who have power, and property, put the question of human instability beyond dispute, by movements as unpremeditated on their own part, as unexpected by others. Hence have arisen the melancholy details of changes connected with humanityâthe emptiness of human trustâthe uncertainties of human friendshipsâall of which have become common-place topics, that excite but little attention from their recurrenceâor are considered as ornamental only to moral disquisitionâas appropriate to point a verse or to round a periodâuntil some stroke of calamity brings the conviction home to the individualâand then this worn-out truism strikes him with all the force of noveltyâand he complains, as though he had sustained personally some unexpected and unprecedented injury. âA double-minded manââa man of mixed motives, and of unfixed principles, âis unstable in all his waysââbut the operation of Christian liberality, because of itâs source, and itâs motives, cannot fail. âThis holy fire for ever burnethâ From heaven it came, to heaven returneth.â Independent of human considerations, it survives them allâand let us place our generous principles out of the reach of accident, and out of the controul of our own caprice, by subordinating them to the unchanging law of our Eternal LordââAs we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith.â Thirdly, There are MANY CLAIMS upon Christian liberalityâThis is supposed by the requisition that we should (attempt at least to) adjust their _proportions_. There are _religious_ claimsâand these occupy, and deserve to occupy, the first rank. The Christian world is at length awakening to some perception of the wants and the miseries of manâto the purposes of the divine mercy, and the freeness of the divine promisesâto the fulness of time, the lapse of ages, and the great crisis so long foretold, and so rapidly approaching. The voice of more than six hundred millions of the human race, rises at last above the collision of human passions, and rouses professors of religion from their criminal slumbers. The obligations which we owe to that scattered and despised people, from whom we derive the oracles of truth, and all the hopes of immortality, begin to be better understood, and more powerfully felt. The moral wastes spreading around us, even in this highly-favoured country, this Eden of the world, have attracted the eye, and moved the heart, of Christian benevolence; corresponding instrumentality is employedâand exertions, not indeed commensurate with the work, but proportionate to our ability, are called into complete and effective operation. Bible Societies are multiplying throughout Europe and America, having lighted the torch of scriptural knowledge, from the fire which burns on the altar of Great Britainâand the divine blessing upon human industry, applied to a cause so sacred, has almost supplied the absence of the miraculous gift of tongues. Men of God have been found, fired with apostolic zeal, who, after having prepared themselves so far as human effort could extend, have given themselves wholly to the sublime work, of âpreaching the unsearchable riches of Christ,â to unenlightened nations, and heathen countries. They have sacrificed country, home, family, personal ease and distinction, every thing that men most esteem, for this arduous, this laborious undertaking. Some of them have fallen martyrs in the causeâthey have fallen under the effects of an unhealthy climate, or the oppression of wicked menâbut their graves are watered with the tears of strangers, and their memory is cherished in the hearts of their countrymenâforeign eyes have wept their departureâforeign hands have prepared their sepulchreâand an unknown tongue has recorded their disinterested and successful labours. At home, the education of the poor has occupied the public attention, throughout all classes of society, and all denominations of Christiansâit has called forth the most astonishing exertionsâand been crowned with the most unexampled success. Corresponding efforts have been made, in preaching the gospelâ_that_ scriptural and divinely authorized mode of diffusing religious truthâand the increasing spirit of hearing, and the multiplication of our sanctuaries of every description and denomination, prove that these things have not been in vain. The claims of _humanity_ have kept pace with those of religionânecessarily soâfor the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ, has identified itself with whatever can contribute to the alleviation of human wretchedness here, while it has eternally secured human salvation hereafter. Philosophy erected no asylums for the afflictedâand made no provision for misery. As the Roman empire waned, and the influence of the gospel began to be feltâsome efforts were made to wipe the tear from the cheek of wretchednessâbut nothing of a fixed and national character established itself, until the religious reign of Jesus obtained in society. Then arose the structures of mercyâthen, all the powers of the human mind were bent to the alleviation of distressâthen, encouragements to industry were proposedâand it was attempted to repel affliction so far as it was possibleâand to ameliorate it, where it could not be excluded. Then female virtues were elicited and cherishedâwoman was advanced to her proper rank in societyâreleased from the chains, physical, mental, and moral, in which an unnatural bondage had held her; and her ministering graces, her tender sympathies, her soothing powers, were called into exercise. Now it is only necessary to name the wrong which requires to be redressedâto state the woe which can be alleviatedâto present to Christian compassion a new picture of human miseryâor to open before Christian philanthropy a new channel in which its exhaustless streams may flowâin order to command attention and secure success. Men are no longer willing to settle down upon a barren creed: but have learned from inspired oraclesâthat âpure religion from God even the Father is thisâto visit the fatherless and the widow in their afflictions, and to keep ourselves unspotted from the world.â Fourthly, ALL these things are to be met in their variety of claims, and in due proportion. In _general_ we may remark, that they can only be met in partâall things are not within our powerâand all things have not equal claims upon our attention. It is the diversity of such objects that often produces distractionâand their multiplication, rendering an attention to all impracticable, furnishes an apology to the indolent or the avaricious, for not supporting any.âBut the question is not left to our decision. Man is himself the property of Godâand all that he possesses he holds in trust for his Maker. Every thing that relates to him is a stewardship for which he is accountable upon the peril of his immortal spirit. The interests of society are involved in the result, and it is not abandoned to individual caprice. The law is positive as to the right of man upon human ministry, the question only relates to the proportions of its distributionâand rules are assigned even to thisâIt is required of stewards that they be found faithfulâand he who ministers to man, should at the same moment remember his obligations and his responsibility to God. In _particular_, local claims demand to be first satisfied. The man has a duty which he owes to himselfâand it is not demanded that he should lose sight of this, in pursuit of the interest of others. How delicately the Apostle states this: âAnd herein I give my adviceââno authoritative commandâno usurpation over the right of private judgmentâand with what consideration! âFor I mean not that other men be eased and you burdened: but by an equality, that now at this time your abundance may be a supply for their want, that their abundance also may be a supply for your wantâthat there may be an equality. As it is written, he that had gathered much had nothing over; and he that had gathered little, had no lack.ââWhat an argument!âThe giver may hereafter stand in need of the giftâand he shall meet with reciprocal liberality.âThe divine Providence furnishes all the supply; and sheds a correspondent blessing upon enlargement of heartâIt equalizes human affairs now, above our present perceptionâand strikes the eternal balance at last. The man has a duty which he owes to his neighbourhood. On the plea of sending the gospel abroad, he has no right to neglect it at homeâand to see British heathens perishing at his feet, unmoved. On pretence of spreading it over the dark villages of his country, he has no authority for abandoning his own church, and his own minister. He who is âhigher than the highestââthe Judge of heartsâand the Lord of propertyâwill another day say to the man who has speculated upon general interests and overlooked such as are personalââThese things ye ought to have doneâand not to have left the other undone.â The bounds of our habitation are assigned by the divine Providence; and they clearly mark out the first and most pressing sphere of operation; while they are sufficiently wide to afford ample scope for beneficence, without restraining a benevolent regard to objects more remote, but not less interesting. It is evident that the man must decide for himself, amidst this variety of claimsâthat he is bound to decide promptly, for immortal spirits are perishing while he is hesitatingâequitably, for the tribunal stands at the end of his courseâand that only general rules can be laid down for his guidance. To these we now proceedâWhat is our duty in respect of these different claims individually? in other words: Fifthly, What are THE PROPORTIONS of Christian liberality? The principles already established will go far to decide this important inquiry; and have therefore been broadly stated, and have occupied so much of your time. But specific directions will be expected, and may be necessary. They must be plain, in order to be understood; short, in order to be remembered; and scriptural, in order to possess due weight.âIt is of little consequence what human opinion is upon a point so importantâWe are expressly bound by the law of that Being at whose bar we are to be finally judged. If I produce his requisitionsâI presume no man will dare to question their authorityâThe rules laid down in the word of God, are theseâ 1. _Ability_âreally and honestly estimated by a manâs own conscience. Thus Jesus applauded Mary!ââShe hath done what she could.â The questionâWhat can I afford?âis answered differently, under different circumstances. If a man is disposed to build a houseâto enlarge his establishmentâto extend his connexionsâto increase his businessâhe feels no difficulty in answering this inquiry. He is apt to calculate even beyond his means; and he is certain not to fall short of them. But if the same question be put relative to any cause of religion, or humanity, his perplexities instantly commence. Then, he is doubtful of his resourcesâthen, his calculations become contractedâthen, he measures his duties by the standard of others, rather than by his own capacitiesâthen, he is anxious to ascertain how little he may do, and yet preserve his character.âNothing can more decidedly settle this point, than the indisputable factâthat of all the great societies formed for the furtherance of religious knowledge, and moral improvement, there is not one whose funds are not more dependent upon the contributions of the lower classes of life than upon the rich and the noble. Look at the proportions of those contributionsâand decide for yourselves. The poor have but little to giveâthey are therefore under the full force of the principle of doing what they canâthe rich are content to shake the superfluities of their prosperity over a Christian causeâand sometimes reluctantly grant even these.âBut the final estimate will be made according to a manâs ability: he will be judged not merely by what he has done, but by what he might have done; and he must abide all the consequences. 2. _Prosperity_âought to determine the measure of benevolence. So said the Apostle when he wrote to the CorinthiansââNow concerning the collection for the saints, as I have given order to the churches of Galatia, even so do ye. Upon the first day of the week let every one of you lay by him in store, _as God hath prospered him_, that there be no gathering when I come. And when I come, whomsoever you shall approve by your letters, him will I send to bring your _liberality_ into Jerusalem.â The personal question isâHas this plain and imperative rule been observed by you individually? Have you rendered unto the Lord, according to the benefits received? Changes have occurred in your circumstances. Some can say, like Jacob, âWith my staff I passed over this Jordan, and now I am become two bands.ââThe table is spread for themâtheir âhead is anointed with oilââtheir âcup runneth overââHave their grants to the cause of religion corresponded with the bounties of Providence? Oh, if this were the case, it would not be necessary to press the subject of Christian benevolence and of humane consideration so far and so earnestly as we are now compelled to do! There would be a spontaneity of heart springing up with the claimâand the inquiry would be, âWhat can I do for him, who has done so much for me?ââLet every one within this sanctuary examine his personal deportment, and answer it to his conscienceâwhether his liberality has kept pace with his prosperity. 3. _Adversity is no absolute bar to generosity_âWhen that all-seeing eye, to which motives are as discernible as actions, was fixed upon those who brought their gifts to the treasuryâa poor widow approached, and cast in two mites, the value of which amounted to one farthingâand the offering received the commendation of Him who is the Lord of propertyâto whom the silver and the gold belong of rightâand when they are consecrated to his service, it is of his own that we take to present to him. âAnd he said, Of a truth I say unto you, that this poor widow hath cast in more than they all: for all those have of their abundance cast in unto the offerings of God: but she of her penury hath cast in all the living that she had.â âMany that were rich, cast in much:â but she _indeed did_ â_what she could_.â What high and deserved praise was that which the Apostle Paul pronounced upon âthe churches of Macedoniaâ!ââthat, in a great trial of affliction, the abundance of their joy and their deep poverty abounded unto the riches of their liberality.â âFor,â said he, âto their power (I bear record) yea, and beyond their power, they were willing of themselves: praying us with much entreaty that we would receive the gift, and take upon us the fellowship of the ministering to the saints. And this they did, not as we hoped, but first gave their ownselves to the Lord, and unto us by the will of God.â When penury and poverty lend their aid to the cause of humanity and religion, the heart is indeed engaged in the good work. Some would shut these sluices of benevolence on the part of the poor, and deprive them of the highest gratification of which a generous mind is susceptible, under the pretext of compassion for their circumstances. But the Apostle produced this liberality of the Macedonians amidst the contractedness of their means, as an evidence of the power âof the grace of God,â upon their hearts; and such persons as would restrain the hand of the indigent, would, if they preserved any measure of consistency, have condemned the widow whom the Lord commendedâand have censured the act which he approved. 4. _Domestic wants and claims must be first regarded_.ââIf any provide not for his own, and specially for those of his own house, he hath denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel.â These natural claims are allowed to act with all their power upon the heart of the Christian; and he is charged to pay homage to them in all the extent of their commanding influence. He cannot resist, or neglect, them, without renouncing his character and his religion. This furnished the great and palpable distinction between Christianity and the infidelity, which in modern times borrowed the venerable name of philosophy. The philosophy, âfalsely so called,â was always boasting of universal philanthropy, applying the telescope to the vision, to bring near distant objects, in the mean while neglecting those which were at home, and branding the respect due to the ties of nature, with the epithets of weakness, or of crime; teaching that while speculation upon abstract principles is virtue,âgratitude, love, natural affection, are vices. Such monstrous propositions, however plausible in theory, were in practice destructive of human happiness, and ruinous to society. The beneficence of Christianity, on the other hand, resembles the pebble dropped into the centre of the lake; circle expands beyond circle, until they wash the distant shore. She first implants in the heart the seed of Christian benevolence, whose diffusive influence extends to the most remote claims; but the operation is progressiveâit passes through all the nearest relations of life to the great family of man. She teaches the man to set first an infinite value upon his own soul, then to feel the most lively interest for his family, for his neighbours, for his countrymen, for the whole human race. The characteristics of the parent, the patriot, the true citizen of the world, the universal philanthropist, are successively developed; and they all centre in the Christian. Neither is this a theory of speculation; but a system of active and unwearied benevolence. 5. _Justice must be always observed_.ââDefraud not,â âowe no man any thing,â are imperative rules. The last rule cannot, from the nature of our general pursuits, and the constitution of society, be always rigidly interpreted; but it should be as closely observed as circumstances will permit; and invariably associated with the former,âto the utter exclusion of every species of fraud. He who risks the property of others in speculation, except with their full concurrence, and perfect understanding of the contingent character of the scheme, can scarcely be called honest; and he who expends on any pretence what is not his own, is guilty of injustice. But we must be just, before we are generousâwe cannot be generous, except we are justâfor no service can be good, which is not strictly righteous. Reverse the proposition, and it holds equally trueâwhen the claims of justice are met, it becomes instantly an act of justice that we should be liberal. No man, for the sake of appearance, has a right to give beyond his meansâand no man can be justified, on the contrary, in withholding so much of assistance from the cause of religion and humanity, as his circumstances will really allow. Justice in principle will decide the dutyâand justice in operation will regulate the distribution. As all means are limited, it is alike prudent rightly to measure them, and equitable to select such causes as are most extensively useful in their nature and operationsâand such characters as are most deserving of assistance, as the first, although not exclusive, objects of our attentionââFor we are to do good unto all men, as we have opportunityâbut especially to them who are of the household of faith.â 6. _Personal sacrifices will be certainly required_, _and must be made_.âHe who will tread in the Saviourâs steps, and in those of apostles and primitive Christians, must learn to âdeny himself.â This rule is necessary to enable us to judge of our actual power of liberality. We should carefully examine what indulgences we can resign, and what superfluities we can retrench, for the advantage of others, without an unreasonable sacrifice of our own comforts. To yield something personal for general good, imparts a zest to liberality which rewards the generous surrender. This is a rule which we should connect with the earliest instructions of our children. Let that which their hearts prompt them to give be really their ownâthey will then learn to spare in order to gratify the kindly impulses of their natureâand this submission to a partial privation, will impart to them the consciousness of acting from principle. It will further teach them early to estimate property aright, for itâs use, and not for itâs own sakeâand shew them (for they are most correct reasoners, from the simplicity of their ideas, and the undivided attention which they pay to the single object which at any one time occupies their reflections) that the way to be truly blessed in themselves, is by becoming blessings to others. This is a lesson needed all through lifeâwe cannot begin to learn it too soon, nor put it in practice too early. âThere is that withholdeth more than is meet, and it tendeth to poverty.â The curse of God is upon unsanctified wealthâit is unsanctified when it is unemployedâand the selfish can never be liberal. Lastly. _The general rule_ which should be honestly applied, is thisââIf there be first a willing mind, it is accepted according to that a man hath, and not according to that he hath not.â And the spirit which should sanctify all your distributions, is drawn by St. Paul with a masterly hand. âBut this I say, he which soweth sparingly, shall reap sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully, shall reap bountifully. Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver.â That is the suitable temper; and what an encouragement follows! âAnd God is able to make all grace abound towards you; that ye having always all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work.â It is also guaranteed by express precepts, promises, and examples all combinedââAs it is written, He hath dispersed abroad: he hath given to the poor: his righteousness remaineth for ever.â Then the fervour of ministerial affection breaks forth!ââNow he that ministereth seed to the sower, both minister bread for your food, and multiply your seed sown, and increase the fruits of your righteousness; being enriched in every thing to all bountifulness, which causeth through us thanksgiving to God.â He next directs their attention to the beneficial result, both to others and to themselves, of the right exercise of this Christian beneficence. âFor the administration of this service, not only supplieth the want of the saints, but is abundant also by many thanksgivings unto God: while by the experiment of this ministration they glorify God for your processed subjection unto the gospel of Christ, and for your _liberal distribution_ unto them and unto all men; and by their prayer for you, which long after you for the exceeding grace of God in you.â He could add nothing more, or greater, except in referring to the divine Fountain of all benevolence, and itâs matchless result. âNow thanks be to God for his unspeakable gift!â We must now appeal to the final judgment, as suggesting a perfect rule for the exercise of Christian affection, (did we accustom ourselves to realize the awful scenes of that day)âand as casting up the whole sum of Christian duty. Have I been defective in discussing this important subjectâand in discriminating the just _proportions of Christian liberality_? (and I am deeply sensible of my own deficiency,) I will now apply a test which cannot be mistakenâwhich needs no metaphysical disquisitions to settle moral claimsâwhich is universally intelligibleâwhich approves itself to every conscience. The doubts which appear to distract the mind now, as to what is required at our hand, will all vanish in the day, when âthe sound of the cherubim wings,â shall be âas the voice of Almighty God, when he speaketh.ââNow we may be blinded by our supposed interestâhardened by our avariceâseduced by our self-loveâconfirmed in all these by the conduct, and countenanced by the negligence and indifference, the coldness and the covetousness of othersâbut then the law will be proclaimed to the assembled universe by the âshout from heaven,â which shall announce the descent of âthe Lord himself,ââby âthe voice of the archangel and the trump of God,ââthen the transcript of that law of love written upon the heart of the JudgeââGood will to man,ââand recorded in the neglected volume of revelation, shall be read by the light of those fires which shall catch world after world, until above, beneath, around, the universe shall present one boundless ocean of rushing and devouring flame; while âclouds and darkness shall be round about the Lord;â ârighteousness and judgment shall be the habitation of his throne;â when he âcometh to judge the earth;â and into this awful pavilion men and angels shall be gathered, and in passing sentence, the legislator will establish it upon his own written law.âConnect then the claims of duty, and the testimony of conscience, with the responsibility of that great and dreadful dayâThink, that you hear the voice of the Son of God himself sayingâ(and you _must_ all hear it)ââInasmuch as ye have done itââor âhave not done itâââunto one of the least of these,âye have done it,â or âhave not done it, unto me,ââand remember that there are none who will then think that they have done too muchâand but few, who will not regret that they have done so little! * * * * * THE END. * * * * * J. 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{'title': "The Proportions of Christian Liberality by William Bengo' Collyer", 'source': 'Project Gutenberg', 'lang': 'en'}