GENUINE BENEFICENCE.

(No. II.)

"AND HEREIN I GIVE MY ADVICE," &c.-2 Cor. viii. 10-15.

In these verses there is a continuation of the subject presented in the preceding ones, viz., genuine beneficence. And there are three further remarks suggested concerning this all-important subject.

I. It is the EMBODYING OF THE BENEFICENT DESIRE IN

CONTRIBUTIONS FOR THE GOOD OF OTHERS. "Herein I give my advice (judgment), for this is expedient for you who have begun before (who were the first to make a beginning), not only to do but also to be forward a year ago. Now, therefore, perform (complete) the doing of it, that as there was a readiness to will so there may be a performance (completion) also out of that which ye have." They had shown the will to contribute, for they had "a year ago" commenced their subscriptions. Now Paul exhorts them to go on and complete the work. "As there was a readiness to will so there may be a performance." The mere generous will is good in itself, but is not enough; it requires to be embodied in deeds. Every good desire requires embodiment. First: For our own sake. It is only as our best desires are translated into deeds that they give solidity and strength to our character. In words and sighs they die away, they are like the morning dew. A good desire in itself is like the raindrop on the leaf of the tree, it may excite admiration as it glistens like a diamond in the sun, but it is soon exhaled, and probably does no good to the tree. But when embodied in a generous deed it is like the raindrop that penetrates the roots, and contributes

some portion of strength to all the fibres. A charitysermon delivered with the eloquence of a Chalmers may excite in the congregation the beneficent idea, almost to a passion, but unless that passion takes the form of a self-denying act it evaporates, and leaves the congregation in a worse state than the preacher found it. Every good desire requires embodiment, Secondly: For the sake of others. It is generous deeds that bless the world. They go where ideas cannot penetrate, into the hearts and consciences of men; they work silently and salutarily as the sunbeam.

II. The contributions of beneficence are only VIRTUOUS AS THEY SPRING FROM A GENEROUS DESIRE.

"For if there be first a willing mind, it is accepted according to that a man hath, and not according to that he hath not." The doctrine is this, that the disposition of the heart, not the doings of the hand, constitute the essence of moral character. This is the divine method of estimating human conduct. "The Lord judgeth not as man judgeth," &c. The motive is the soul of the deed. "Though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing." Do not judge the desire by the effort, but judge the effort put forth by the desire. The poor widow would have made munificent contributions, but she could only give a "mite," but in that mite there was more value than in all the amount in the temple exchequer. Some have the means to do good and not the heart, and some have the heart but not the means. The former are grubs in the universe, the latter are angels. There are deeds done in the body, seen of God infinitely more numerous and essentially more valuable in most cases than deeds done by the body.

III. The contributions of others cannot SUPERSEDE THE OBLIGATION OF OURS, BUT MAY SUPPLEMENT THEIR

DEFICIENCIES. (1) It is not a substitute. "For I mean not that other men be eased and ye burdened." It behoves every man to contribute to the extent of his riches, to the good of others. If one man gives a thousand it does not relieve me from my obligation to contribute what I can. (2) It is a supplement. "But by an equality that now at this time your abundance may be a supply for their want." It is the duty of all to contribute. Some have the ability to contribute a hundred times the amount of others; let their large sums go to supplement the deficiencies of their poorer brethren, so that there may be "an equality." Thus the old Scripture will be illustrated, that "He that had gathered much had nothing over, and he that had gathered little had no lack."

THE CENSURES ON MINISTERS AND THE WAY TO TREAT THEM.

"Now I, PAUL, MYSELF BESEECH YOU," &c.-2 Cor. x. 1, 2.

Throughout the whole of these epistles the writer reveals various moods of minds. He is alternately mild and severe, tender and rigorous, menacing and wooing. A considerable modification in his tone begins with this chapter and runs on to the tenth verse of the thirteenth chapter, probably the cause of the change was some fresh information that some messenger had just brought him from Corinth, information concerning evils still prevalent amongst them,

and especially concerning the unkind and unjust remarks which those teachers who were envious of him made about him personally.

These verses may be regarded as illustrating the censures on ministers and the way to treat them.

I. THE CENSURES ON MINISTERS. In the verses there are four faults which Paul's enemies at Corinth seem to have alleged against him. The first refers to his personal appearance, the second to his speech, the third to his lack of courage, and the fourth to his temporal deportment. As to the first he says, "Who in presence am base among you." His bodily presence they considered weak. Paul, instead of being in body full grown, symmetrical and commanding, was probably diminutive and deformed. Chrysostom (with what authority I know not) says his stature was low, his figure crooked, and his head bald. Nothing indicates a baser and a profaner mind than to notice, still less to censure, mere physical defects. Strange to say, though the defective person is conscious that he is utterly unaccountable in the matter, few things are more painful to him than to have them ill-naturedly remarked upon. As to his speech, it is indicated in the tenth verse that they regarded it as "contemptible." Paul did not practice the graces of Grecian oratory, and perhaps his voice lacked music. What of that? In his case the transcendent doctrines he proclaimd should have been sufficient to have drawn the hearer's attention from any infirmities of language. The matter, not the manner, should have been attended to. But his speech was not contemptible. Read his discourse to the Athenians, his defence before Agrippa, and recollect that the inhabitants of Lyconia regarded him as Mercury,

the god of eloquence. As to his lack of courage, they said, "being absent," he was "bold," but "present," he was not so. As if they had said, how bold he is in his letters when away from us, but how cowardly he would be in our presence. It is his cowardice that prevents him from visiting us, and thus fulfilling his promise. No charge could be more false than this; a braver man than Paul, perhaps, never lived. He did not count his "life dear unto him.". As to his temporal deportment, they implied that he lived a worldly life, that he "walked according to the flesh," that he was ruled by a carnal policy, and pursued his own advantage. Such are the censures on Paul, and such censures on ministers in every age are by no means uncommon. Some find fault with ministers because they are not good looking, some because they are not eloquent in speech, some because they are not sufficiently fearless, some because their deportment in life is not sufficiently spiritual. Some of these censures, alas, are too just in relation to ministers in general, but utterly unjust when pronounced on Paul. The verses illustrate

II. THE RIGHT TREATMENT OF SUCH CENSURES. In what spirit did Paul treat his unjust censors? "Now 1, Paul, myself beseech you by the meekness and gentleness of Christ." His appeal here to the "meekness and gentleness of Christ" implies, First That Christ's gentle temper was universally acknowledged among them. None of them would dispute it, or could; it was patent to all. Gentleness characterised the life of Christ from the manger to the Mount of Olives, whence He ascended to the heavens. He did not "cause His voice to be heard in the street," &c. His appeal denotes, Secondly: A belief that Christ's gentle temper was the