The Grace of Benevolence.
By Raymond F. Cottrell
WE pray for the Christian graces. This is right; and to be consistent, we must work in harmony with our prayers; that is, we should labor to obtain the object for which we pray. Among the graces of the Spirit the gift of giving is not the smallest. This grace should be cultivated; for it is of the first importance. The Lord Jesus said: It is more blessed to give than to receive; but how difficult for men to believe it. All that will give it a trial will find it true. The Son of God set us the example. He gave himself for us. Nothing was reserved, not life itself. He poured out his soul unto death. And Paul affirms that, in view of the mercies of God, it is our reasonable service to offer ourselves a living sacrifice in return. Rom. 12:1. We are not our own. Ourselves and all that we have are the Lord's. We are his both by creation and redemption; our life and being were his free gifts, and we have been bought with the blood of Christ. The earth is the Lord's. The cattle on a thousand hills are his. We live and move and have our being by his providence. He provides for our wants. Our lives are in his hand. He can cause us to prosper, or he can bring us to want. He can increase the products of the earth to give us food, or he can blow upon them to scatter and diminish. Hag. 1:6, 9. And he promises to bless us by causing the earth to produce for us, on condition that we do not rob him by withholding the tenth which he has reserved to himself; not because he is needy, but to prove the sincerity of our love and to benefit us. He desires fruit that may abound to our account. Mal. 3:9-11; Phil. 4:17. Yet it is impossible to convince many of these truths, though they will admit them in words. They think they must take care of themselves, as though God's providence has nothing to do in the case; and so to take care of self they rob God by claiming and using for their own selfish purposes that which God has reserved to himself. They may boast of faith; but their faith in God dares not trust him. Selfishness and sin are bound together like the noted Siamese twins. Jesus came into the world to save his people from their sins. Cure men of their selfishness, and you cure them of their sins. For this object Heaven has set us an example of unselfishness in the self-denying, suffering Saviour. And to cure us of our selfish covetousness, God requires us to give. The gift of giving when acquired will pay a thousand fold. It is more blessed to give, than to receive. Therefore the apostle desired that this gift or grace might be perfected in the churches. He informs the Corinthians of the grace of God bestowed on the churches of Macedonia. This grace was the grace of giving; for he adds: "How that in a great trial of affliction the abundance of their joy and their deep poverty abounded unto the riches of their liberality." They were poor, but rich in faith, and consequently in liberality. We never heard of a rich man giving away all that he had, but a certain poor widow did. Now this grace was so valuable that the apostle desired Titus, that as he had begun, so he would also finish in the Corinthians the same grace also. See 2 Cor. 8:1-7. Excellent grace bestowed by God! Who would not desire it? We can have it if we will. None of us are too poor. But we must labor to this end, while we pray God to give it. The gift cannot be strengthened without exercise. But when attained, how blessed. Oh! let us learn from experience that it is more blessed to give than to receive. Let us cultivate the missionary spirit. Laboring for others will tend to our own salvation.