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Ob." But at all events, surely you would not apply your rule to the poor."

Ans.-Certainly not to the destitute. One object of liberality is to relieve and comfort them. But rising above those who need help, upon whom do you fix as poor? It would be no small blessing, if some of those well-meaning but ill-judging persons who are continually telling the poor that they are too poor to do any good, or support any cause, would stand out of the way of the poor. The worst thing you can do for a man is to pauperise him. I would say to the poor, Never count that man your friend who teaches you to lean on other people. He is your friend, and your children's friend, who teaches you to lean alone on the good providence of God, and on your own right hand.

On the very same ground that it is a serious injury to a man to pauperise him, it is a great service to teach him to save something, and give it away. The one induces feebleness, the other power; the one inclines him to be listless in earning, and thriftless in spending; the other to be alert in earning, and careful in spending. The moment a man begins to save something and give it away, he rises in the social scale, and takes his place in the family circle of benefactors. When one sees how the poor tax themselves by waste, by hurtful luxuries, by ill-spent time, how often their spare money, not pre-engaged for good ends, is the cause of their ruin, one feels indignant at those self-constituted friends of theirs who would protect them from the calls of generosity, the very calls which would raise and make men of them.

There was one who was no amateur in poverty, but had known it from the manger, in His own lot and that of His friends. Did He think it a pity that the widow should give away her two mites? He who delights in mercy has never yet denied to the poor the joy of giving. O what a blessing had it been to

many a poor working-man, what a saving to his means, what a comfort to his home, had his father trained him to honour the Lord with the first-fruits of all his increase!

The giving of a fixed proportion of their income is especially suited to the condition of converts in India. Like their countrymen, in general, they have little forethought; whatever money comes in, is soon spent ; little or no provision is made for the future. They need a plain direct rule, and probably no better plan can be devised than to urge them to begin with one-tenth. Dr. Caldwell in South India, and Dr. Mullens in Bengal, recommend its adoption among their people. A good tract on the subject for circulation among converts in India, is greatly needed.

The Missionary should consult the following: Gold and the Gospel; Arthur's Lecture on the duty of giving away a stated proportion of our Income; The Lord's Treasury and How to Fill it, by the Rev. J. Ross; and Systematic Beneficence, Prize Essays published by the American Tract Society. "The Benefactor," the Quarterly Journal of the Systematic Beneficence Society, should be obtained.

Endowments. Some persons would seek to reproduce in India nearly the same system of supporting the ministry which prevails in endowed Churches at home. They suppose that it is difficult to secure faithfulness in a clergymen dependent upon the contributions of his people. A minister of the Church of Scotland remarked when he saw a crowded chapel,

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Ah, the parish minister must be a good man; the people have left because he told them of their sins." But what is the real state of things? As a rule, which Churches at home are best attended-those where the minister prophesies "smooth things" or where sin in every form is denounced, and the holiness of the Gospel inculcated?

Vain man often thinks that he can improve upon

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God's plans. He considers that they are attended by certain evils; but in attempting to guard against them

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he causes others far more hurtful. God's plans work best on the whole.

The Christian should ask, what rule is laid down in The command given in the New Churches gathered among the

the Word of God? Testament to the heathen is plain :—

"Let him that is taught in the word communicate unto him that teacheth in all good things."

It is admitted that sometimes this may lead to evils. The Churches under the Apostles showed traces of it, as well as those of the present day. The evils, however, are often caused, not being the rule itself, but by injudicious conduct in other respects.

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Sir Charles Trevelyan justly observed, we all need to be looked after. Every legitimate stimulus to exertion is required. The beadle of a Parish in Scotland said to the Minister, "To-day the folk are going over the hill," referring to a dissenting chapel. The Minister consoled himself by remarking, "Did you see any my stipend going over the hill?" The natural tendency of endowments is to lead to indolence. In Ceylon the Buddhist priests in the interior are supported by temple lands; on the coast they depend upon the offerings of the people. The Buddhists in the maritime provinces are far more zealous than those in the centre of the Island.

In England, notwithstanding the natural energy of the Anglo-Saxon character, the bracing climate, the Christian training of the nation for a thousand years, the strength of public opinion, and the many beneficial influences brought to bear, it cannot be denied that endowments, both in the case of Churches and Schools, have, in a considerable number of instances, diminished exertion. This evil would be greatly aggravated in India, where the people are naturally less vigorous; where the climate tends powerfully to lassi

tude; where one of the worst forms of heathenism held undisputed sway for more than two thousand years; where public opinion is weak; and where many incentives would be wanting. The effect would be, to some extent, the same as that of the pauperising system of certain Missions. An enemy could scarcely devise a surer plan of robbing the Indian Church of energy.

It is most preposterous to ask an infant Church, just emerging from Heathenism, to bear the burden, in all coming time, of what ought to be a wealthy and powerfull Christian community. The objection is made, that the Indian Church of the future will still find ample scope for benevolent effort. Experience, however, confirms the remark, that, as a general rule, those who do least for the support of the Gospel among themselves, do least to send it to others. In proof of this let an examination be made of the contributions to Missions by the three largest bodies of Christians in England and Scotland. It would be unfair to the endowed Churches to divide the sums they raise by the number of all their nominal adherents. The best plan seems to be to base calculations upon the actual attendance at public worship. This information is given in the Census Report for 1851. The compiler has no later data; and, applied to all, there can be no objection. As the attendance is only for England and Scotland, funds raised in Ireland and foreign countries are excluded as far as possible. So also are dividends and similar sums, as not representing the contributions of the particular year

Attendance at
Public Worship
March 30, 1851.

ENDOWED CHURCHES.

Church of England. 2,541,244 Church Missionary Society.

Contributions per head, less.*

£
1861 116,747

Gospel Propagation. do.
Colonial and Continental do.

1861 68,805

1861 17,987

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* This deduction is made because the population of England in

ereased from 17,927,609 in 1851 to 20,233,094 in 1861.

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It will be seen that the unendowed Churches, besides supporting their own Ministers, give about one half more for Missions than those which are endowed. The only information possessed by the compiler with regard to the contributions of the unendowed Churches for the support of religious ordinances among themselves, is the fact, that in 1862 the Scottish United Presbyterian Church raised for congregational purposes at the rate of 16s. 1d. per head.

Every one familiar with benevolent enterprise knows that, as a rule, when any thing has to be done, the worst person to apply it is the man who has no particular duties of his own, Busy men are, in general, the best correspondents, the most likely to help when any work has to be undertaken. It is much the same with benevolent contributions. The more a man throws into the Lord's Treasury, the more he finds that he can give.

India afford further proofs of the correctness of the above remarks. The Free Church Congregation, Calcutta, supports its own Minister. During the last twenty years, the total sum raised by the Congregation for all objects amounts to Rupees 6,22,080. Granting that some liberal donations from members of other Churches are included, it shows how much may be done.

Another objection to endowments is, that the money

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