beyond which he might not pass; unless, in the disposal of his property, there were a portion placed out of his discretion, of which God had said, "This may not be used for thy pleasure, it is mine."

Even in Eden it was so. Even to man just come from his Maker's hands, the voice, scarce silent, that had called all things into being, the impress of Heaven's workmanship still fresh and vivid upon the creation, even to unfallen Adam, this limit was placed. The fruit of his fairest trees, and the seventh part of his time, were hallowed. He might not touch the one, nor infringe upon the other. They were the peculiar property of Him who had placed him in the garden to dress it and to keep it—the sign and token of his inalienable sovereignty.

If this were the case with sinless man, how much more does sinful man require it? "Who is Lord over us?"* is the suggestion of the natural heart. Deny it, or disguise it as they will, practical independence of God is the darling aim of the natural man, in all his ways, in the use of all his talents, and, among them, of his substance. To use it just as he pleases himself,-on his pleasures, on his vanities, subservient to the attainment of power, or, as in the miser's case, to hoard and worship it for itself, is the determination and the habit of the unregenerate mind. To use it as God pleases—with a thankful spirit for his own purposes, with as thankful a spirit when expended on objects foreign to himself-this is not in all his thoughts. And this tendency remains in the regenerate. Checked, conquered, crucified, it is still there to his dying day, a lurking, treacherous foe. Too often it insensibly influences the conduct and thoughts of God's saints. Unseen and unsuspected, it breathes a noxious vapour, deadening the liberality, and checking each generous impulse; or, watching its opportunity, it comes forth and lords it for a time with all its former sway. How absolutely necessary, then, that there be a perpetual check to

* Ps. xii. 4.

this universal tendency!—a perpetual reminder to man that he is not a sovereign, but a subject; that his goods are not his own, but God's and this is found in that perpetual ordinance in force in patriarchal, and Jewish, and Christian times alike, whereby God has reserved for his own especial glory and service a portion of that which in his bounty he has bestowed on man. This is the rent which reminds the tenant that he is not owner in fee; this is the interest which reminds the borrower that the principal belongs not to him; this is the tribute-money, which reminds a subject nation that it is not independent; this is God's share, to remind his creature that all belongs to him.

What that proportion may be is not the subject of the present chapter, but will be discussed in those that follow. All that is here insisted on is this, which every page almost of Old and New Testament asserts, that while to God belongs our all, and while at times he insists on this his claim, he at all times requires from us a portion of our goods, a tribute to his sovereignty, and a means of spreading his name and glory throughout the world.

CHAPTER IV.

"THE WAY OF MAN IS NOT IN HIMSELF."-Jer. x. 23.

I HAVE thus prepared the way for the consideration of the chief point of inquiry in our Essay, What is the proportion of his means which the Christian should give to God? The Lord's right to a portion, or to all, will not now be contested; nor will it be denied

that he actually claims a part. It remains to be seen if we have any sufficient reason to decide what that part should be. Has God left the decision of this important matter to each man's con

science and judgment, or has he made known his own will thereon?

I do not think that any à priori reasoning can determine this point, at least with such as are disposed to reduce God's claims to as small a compass as they can; but I certainly think that the weight of antecedent probability is in favour of his having done so. Let us remember, at this stage of our inquiry, that the gift of any portion, no matter what, of our goods to the bestower of them does not appear by any means to be a natural suggestion of the mind, as some might suppose. To propitiate an offended Being with presents does, indeed, appear natural to man; but it was not with such a view at all that the men of enlightened religion, such as Abraham, offered their gifts to God. They regarded their Maker as their friend, and gave him a portion of their substance in thankful acknowledgment that it was he who had given it all. Now, if we reflect, we will see that this is by no means an obvious conclusion to come to. The recipient of bounty with ourselves does not feel himself called on to return a portion of that bounty to the giver. And far less would he feel the necessity of such return when it was God who was the bestower, from the consideration that he, who had all things in his power, could not possibly want anything at his creatures' hands. If, then, it be but reasonable to suppose that it was God who first claimed from the creature a portion of his gifts, it seems equally reasonable to suppose that he mentioned what that portion was to be. This is the natural inference, unless we are to suppose that anything, no matter how mean, and trifling, and worthless, is sufficient for God. But few, I imagine, will suppose this, who reflect upon the goodness and greatness of God as seen in the creation; and most assuredly none will allow it, who will learn God's character from his own account of it in Scripture, where they find him rejecting with disdain the unsuitable acknowledgment of his mercies. If it be, then, a matter of importance what is the suitable proportion that man

should give, does it not seem most likely that he, who could best determine this, and alone with authority determine it, should, indeed, have done so? Man were else left to a painful uncertainty. The scrupulous mind, anxious to please God, could never be certain of having done so, and would, in many instances, even when far exceeding the expected proportion, be yet subject to perplexity and uneasiness; while in the case of, we fear, the vast majority of mankind, the fact of this portion being left entirely to their discretion would be made the pretext of their reducing it to so small a point that the gift, so far from honouring God, would rather be an affront to his name.

For these and other reasons, I think that the probability is, that God would himself decide this matter, and declare plainly what proportion of man's substance he expected as a suitable tribute to his sovereignty, a becoming token of our gratitude, and a sufficiency to uphold his worship in the world. But on this point I will not argue any further. To some it may appear of force, to others it may seem destitute of strength. All that I will require to be conceded is, that at any rate no antecedent improbability lies against my argument. The great and deciding arguments must be drawn from other sources; and, beyond all others, from the inquiry, "What hath God said?" Has he spoken to us in that Book which is the lamp to our feet and the lantern to our paths,* or has he been silent there? If he has spoken there, clearly then the controversy is decided with those to whom this essay is addressed, namely, such as take the Bible for their one infallible guide; if he has not spoken, I should despair of deciding it by any other reasoning. But that he has done so,- not merely for one time, dispensation, or people, but for all times and dispensations,that he has done so for us Christians, as he did for his ancient people Israel, is the conclusion to which a careful examination of

*Ps. cxix. 105.

с

Scripture has led me, and which I will endeavour to prove in the following pages.

In pursuing my inquiry, I will first advert to the fact of a certain proportion being found among a great variety of nations as the measure of their gifts to God; I will then examine what the Old Testament has said upon this subject,-not confining myself to any one part of it, but examining its several notices upon the subject; satisfied that each throws light upon and confirms the rest, and that the whole taken together with the evidence of the New Testament leads to one incontrovertible conclusion. The conclusion is, that God requires from men in general a tenth part of that increase with which he blesses them to be spent in his especial cause; while from some more peculiarly favoured he looks for more: the gift of the former portion being to be regarded as a positive duty, that of the latter as the free-will offering of loving and grateful hearts, left in its amount to each according as he is disposed to act according as circumstances seem to call for an extended liberality, or his own generous and grateful impulses, quickened by a sense of God's exceeding goodness, lead him to bestow it. Our review of the Old Testament will lead me to dwell chiefly on four points,—namely, the gift of a tenth by Abraham to Melchizedek, Jacob's vow of a tenth to God, God's requirement of a tenth from his people Israel, and that people's free-will offerings on extraordinary occasions over and above their tenth.

And may He, whose office it is to guide to truth, by enlightening the understanding and purifying the wills of his people, guide us in our inquiry on this important subject, enable us to perceive what is revealed to us, and to regulate our practice thereby.