respecting them, we evince anything but a will in harmony with the
Divine will. I know some fondly cherish the opinion, that their
sagacity or peculiar tact for money-making at least is their own; and
that they may employ it in devising such pecuniary schemes as they
please, provided they are strictly honest, and do not interfere with the
privileges of others. But this is not true. This reference to the
Divine glory sheds the sunshine of heaven over all our employments, and
must be the guiding principle of all our enterprises. It is also
indispensable to any sustained system of munificence. If our schemes
have ultimate reference to self, we shall be likely to use their
proceeds as selfishness shall dictate; whereas, if our plans are laid
with a view to the honor of God, we shall be disposed to use their
results for the promotion of the same great end. This is a truth of
incalculable importance to our present subject. It should be bound to
the conscience of every Christian, and burn there with such intensity
that it can never be forgotten.

6. That God made us to be almoners of his bounty to others.
Reciprocity is the pillar of every social system; it is of the human
family. This principle was practically developed in Eden. On this
ground, Paul argued that there should be equality between those who are
in want and those who have abundance. (3 Cor. viii. 14.) Every man was
designed to stand like a conductor of the electric fluid, to convey the
influences of heaven to those around him. Our Creator has made the duty
of benevolence as obligatory as that of justice. One is as much bound
to help other, and thus, unless in very extreme cases, to contribute of
his substance for the benefit of the needy, as to be honest. When,
therefore, we pass a portion of the good things of life to others as
they are conveyed to us, we are fulfilling the great end of our social
being; when we grudgingly retain it, we are defeating that end. This