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to act thus, relying on the experience of ourselves or others. In the case before us, we have to place faith on the declaration of the word of God; and although this view may at first appear a singular one, we shall, with a little consideration, perceive that it calls into exercise two of the most important principles of our religion, faith and obedience, at the same time that it should fill us with gratitude to him who ever rewards faithful duty in his service. God seems to love to represent himself as a Father, and the more we regard him in this relation, and compare him with this interesting earthly friend, the more endearing will his character become, and the more, perhaps, shall we be reconciled to this view of the subject. Let us suppose that one of you, an earthly parent, give to his child a quantity of toys, or anything that he may value, with this proviso, in order to encourage fraternal affection, that he shall give a portion of that which either now or at any other time he may receive to his younger brother; and, by way of sti

mulating to its performance, promises to reward him in proportion to the liberality with which he acts-should we complain of the father for encouraging virtue in the child by hope of reward, or blame the child for putting implicit reliance in his father's word; or should we doubt that if he acted according to his father's wishes, the reward would come, and the character of the child be improved? Would not affectionate conduct to his brother be connected with gratitude to his parent, and thus faith in his father's word, obedience to his father's command, and fraternal duty, and affection, grow up together? and if the father had required the offering to be made to himself, the case would be no further altered than that the principles of faith and obedience would be intimately connected with duty and devotion to the parent. We have only to carry out this view to our Father which is in heaven, and we shall perceive that as faith in the promises of eternal reward produces obedience and holiness, so faith in the pro

mises of this temporal reward, if properly exercised, produces like feeling, and thus the same principles, in kind if not in degree, are in operation, although the promises in the one case are temporal, and in the other eternal. And what an encouragement is this promise to us to perform our offerings to the Almighty even under difficulties. We may look upon our children with anxiety, and feel for a moment that we are giving to others that which we ought to save for them; but our heavenly Father, who loves us more than the most tender parent can love his children, meets us here and assures us that we cannot better provide for them, than by giving ourselves, and teaching them to give their first fruits to him. The full discussion of the question would, however, occupy more time than we can at present give it. We must fall back upon the absolute declaration in the text. "Honour the Lord with thy substance, and with the first fruits of all thine increase; so shall thy barns be

filled with plenty, and thy presses shall

burst out with new wine.”

We shall proceed, in the last place, to consider the method by which the duty enjoined in the text may be, in our own case, most effectually performed.

Some are accustomed to consider that our only way of doing good is to assist and relieve our poorer neighbours, and thus honour God in the manifestation of regard to our brethren. This duty is not to be neglected, but there is much difficulty in knowing how to distribute pecuniary aid without producing evils even greater than those which we intend to prevent.

Poverty, for the most part, arises from idleness, mismanagement, or vice, and to give our aid is too often to encourage the idle and vicious, and to interfere with that check which Providence has put upon those who neglect his precepts. How often, my brethren, have we found ourselves deceived by some mock tale of imaginary woe, and defrauded by those whose

We must not

comfort and support we have done all in our power to promote ! steel our hearts against compassion, remembering that we are all brethren; and that God, our heavenly Father, has exhorted us in his word to remember the poor. It is, however, our duty to look beyond them in our endeavours to carry out the precept enjoined in the text.

Another method by which God is honoured is by the aid and assistance rendered to his ministers; but happily your ministers are provided for from other sources, so that in this respect, excepting so far as the manifestation of sympathy and kind feeling goes, you are deprived of the opportunities, even if you had the will, by aiding them, to honour God, whose servants they are. You must therefore look still further if you wish to devote your first fruits to God, and secure those blessings which are to be obtained therefrom. And this opportunity you have now, my brethren, presented to you; and it is for you to determine, whether from gratitude to your Divine

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