SERMON VII.

"He that giveth unto the poor shall not lack, but he that hideth his eyes shall have many a curse."-Prov. xxviii., 27.

No thoughtful and sincere reader of Scripture can well have failed to observe what a prominent position the poor of this world seem to occupy in regard to the care and attention and special protection of Almighty God; they appear to be under His special and peculiar care. Those passages of Holy Scripture which contain any reference to them ought to bring to them the very greatest encouragement, and to all those whose circumstances. in worldly matters are better than theirs they ought to convey the most terrible warning. Those who are poor in the world are usually powerless, therefore the Lord will stand up in their defence in a special manner. The very existence of upon the earth seems to have been expressly ordained by God as a means by which charity, the most perfect of all Christian graces, might be called into exercise, and men's dispositions clearly proved, in order on the one hand that those who have a kind and tender heart might have an opportunity afforded them of manifesting their love, and that on the other hand those who are selfish

poor

and devoid of these high feelings might be actually shewn to be so by their own conduct. By this means, too, they who receive charity are taught what the power of love is, and how right it is to be thankful.

Whether we go to the Old or to the New Testament, we everywhere find the declaration of the text supported by God's Word. "Thou shalt open thine hand wide unto thy brother, to thy poor and to thy needy in thy land"-thus was Moses commanded to speak. Solomon again says, "He that oppresseth the poor to increase his riches shall surely come to want." "He that giveth unto the poor shall not lack; but he that hideth his eyes shall have many a curse." See what an important emphasis Isaiah lays upon this point when he reproves the Jews for their formalism and hypocrisy, and declares to them what the nature of their worship and piety ought to be. "Is not this the fast that I have chosen? to loose the bands of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, and to let the oppressed go free, and that ye break every yoke? Is it not to deal thy bread to the hungry, and that thou bring the poor that are cast out to thy house? when thou seest the naked that thou cover him; and that thou hide not thy self from thine own flesh?" These words of Isaiah teach us that compassion upon the poor forms a necessary and essential element in all true piety

and worship, and that without this it is impossible that true piety and worship can exist. It is remarkable to observe, too, how closely many of the chief troubles of the Jews were partly occasioned by neglect and oppression of the poor. Hearken to the words of Ezekiel. "The people of the land have used oppression and exercised robbery, and have vexed the poor and needy." He then goes on to declare God's wrath for this as well as for other crimes, saying, "therefore have I poured out mine indignation upon them; I have consumed them with the fire of my wrath." In like manner the prophet Amos in several places denounces judgment upon the Israelites for the same cause. "Hear this word ye kine of Bashan that are in the mountain of Samaria, which oppress the poor, which crush the needy, which say to their masters, Bring and let us drink. The Lord God hath sworn by His holiness, that, lo, the days shall come upon you that He will take you away with hooks, and your posterity with fish-hooks." And again, "Forasmuch as your treading is upon the poor, and ye take from him burdens of wheat: ye have built houses of hewn stone, but ye shall not dwell in them; ye have planted pleasant vineyards, but ye shall not drink wine of them." It would be out of place for me to increase the number of these quotations on the present occasion. Those which I have already brought before your

attention are quite plain enough in their significance to show that anything like disregard for the wants of the poor, or oppression of them, is a sin so great in the eyes of God, who is their special friend, that not only private loss, but also national disaster, is the consequence. So much we may gather even from the Old Testament. And in the writings of the New Testament, where the idea of love is developed in its fullest degree, we cannot be surprised to find that the poor are spoken of with even greater consideration. "Blessed be ye poor:" said the Saviour, "for yours is the kingdom of God." "Blessed are ye that hunger now: for ye shall be filled." One of the heaviest charges which St. James had to bring against the Christians whom he wrote to was under this head, "Ye have despised the poor," said he. "Do not rich men oppress you?" It is impossible to read these, and other like passages to these, without being reminded how terrible are our responsibilities in regard to the poor if we are rich. If the poor are really the objects of God's special care and protection, who dare oppress them? Who dare neglect or despise them?

Men sometimes sigh to become rich, but surely they can little then think what they are sighing for, what terrible responsibilities they are anxious to entail upon themselves. Better far for many if they had remained in the meanest circumstances

than to have been raised to wealth and to have misused their property. "He that hideth his eyes shall have many a curse," said Solomon ; but "he that giveth unto the poor shall not lack."

When we make gifts to those that are in want, we are sometimes inclined to think that we are bestowing gifts which will prove to be an entire loss to us. Such is the way in which worldly men usually regard their liberality. But the text says No, you shall not lack in consequence of your charity. It reminds us of those other words of Solomon, "He that hath pity upon the poor, lendeth unto the Lord; and that which he hath given will He pay him again." "God is not unrighteous," says St. Paul," that He will forget your works and labour of love." What you give you may intend to be in its fullest sense a gift, without having any expectation of a return being made to you; and so far you may intend it to be a loss to yourself; but it will not really be so. The Word of God assures you that you shall not lack in consequence of your gift. Your gift is really only a loan lent to the Lord, and which He will pay you again. We are not to be liberal in order that we may receive repayment. The excellence of the gift depends upon the motive with which we give : if it proceed from a selfish motive, it had better not be made at all; but if the motive be good, the gift is also good, and will surely be repaid.