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bability is, that by success they will only add to the weight of the mill-stone that is already dragging them down into the sea of debt? Such men hope, indeed, that this policy will somehow extricate them at length from embarrassment, while, at the same time, they know that there is more ground for fear than for hope. Now such a course is not merely injurious to others, but destructive of that essential element of successful enterprise, viz., courage, inspired by confidence in one's own resources. How strong

a mau is made to feel by the self-assurance, that he will do as he agreed that his word is as reliable as a written bond, and that trials have served but to strengthen his determination to meet all his responsibilities.

IV. Discretion requires that the good man guide his affairs at least according to law.

We say at least, because such a man is expected to do more and better than to meet the requirements of mere human law or as the text expresses it, "the good min showeth favor and lendeth." This is more than human laws can bind men to perform; their great object being to secure simple justice between man and man, while the law of Christ requires the recognizance and application of the law of benevolence in all our dealings with mankind.

For this reason we said that the good man will at least guide his affairs according to law. For can a man be good, and not be a law-abiding man? setting up his simple will against the will of the government, when it requires the sacrifice of no religious principle, but only that he yield his selfish interests to the demands of the public good! Can he sell intoxicating drinks, or keep houses of ill-fame, or do what human laws forbid, which is manifestly injurious to his neighbors, and still be the good man, who guides his affairs with discretion? Be it so, that the law is not approved by the individual himself, or that he supposes it to operate to his disadvantage, still Christian principle requires him to be subject to the powers that be, and to yield obedience to law, till it is repealed in the manner provided for by the constitution of the government. Of all men, those who believe in the general licentiousness of the human heart should be the last to break down the fences which human legislation has attempted to throw around it—they should be the foremost for order and for law, else the salt of the earth has lost its savor.

And even when the law releases the debtor from the legal claims of his creditor, by his taking advantage of the Bankrupt Act, or other legislative provisions, still the discretion, by which the good man professes to guide his affairs, requires that he discharge the debt, principal and interest, should he ever acquire the means of doing it. Doing less than this, in such circumstances, he will

fail to "provide things honest in the sight of all men," and therefore to guide his affairs with discretion.

Thus far all seems to be plain. The good man, if discreet in the management of his business, will know the state of his affairs; he will also leave them at his death in such order that others can understand them; he will not assume responsibilities which he will probably fail to meet; and he will, at least, guide his affairs according to law.

But we must not dismiss the subject till we have noticed some of the reasons which more particularly enforce these points of duty on good men, in the guidance of their affairs:

1. A regard to Christian principle.

How much it honors the religion of Christ, when its friends carry its noble and generous spirit into all their business transactions! Yet Christianity will never be satisfied, until good men are as religious in their business as in their prayers; and when they are-when the generous and upright spirit of religion enters into, and moulds all their habits of business, they will indeed stand before the world "living epistles," forcibly commending the Gospel of Jesus Christ to universal acceptance. To this end, the good man should ever have studious regard in the conduct of his affairs. He should remember, that he liveth not unto himself, but to illustrate the power of Christian principle to restore the ruins of the fall, and to raise the soul above the degrading influences of selfishness.

2. The good man should guide his affairs with discretion, from a regard to his own character and influence.

No good man can exert a wide influence in this world without a sound character for enterprise. Those who often stumble and fall, cannot be used as the pillars of society. Blown about by every wind of doctrine, and acting without any well settled plan of enterprise, promising much and performing but little, they will soon be set aside as unfit for the public service. All are subjected to trials, which develop character, and show who are the real business men in the several professions, and who know how to guide the affairs entrusted to them with discretion. These are the men of power-the master-spirits of their generation. Nor is this power confined to such as have great reach of thought, enabling them to grasp the details of a large and complicated business. The man of one talent, if he is known to use it to the best advantage, has an influence, in proportion to his ability, as truly as the possessor of five talents. And it is to such an one, that the community will at length say, "Friend, go up higher; cultivate this larger field;" for to him that hath, and uses it well, will more be

given; and "he that is faithful in that which is least, is faithful also in much."

3. A good man should guide his affairs with discretion, from a sense of justice to others.

A

Society is injured, if any one member fail to bear his part with discretion. It is like breaking one link in the chain which bears up the interests of the community. We wrong others, as well as ourselves, by indiscreetly managing our affairs-by making promises which we fail to redeem-and engaging in a business which we are unable to direct. The redemption of the promise made to may be all that can give him the ability to redeem his to B; and so down through all the letters of the alphabet, there will be found a dependence of one upon another, insomuch that A's single failure to redeem his pledge to B may send disappointment along the whole line, creating heart-burnings and strife, which may embitter whole neighborhoods towards each other for years, and utterly paralyze the power of the Christian profession.

The good man, then, should guide his affairs with discretion, to prevent such calamitous results to society.

4. The good man should guide his affairs with discretion, from a regard to the account which he is soon to give of his stewardship to God.

The thought that all his business transactions are to be reviewed at the final judgment, should prompt him to guide all the affairs of this life with thoughtfulness and wisdom-to dismiss and disregard every suggestion of selfishness in favor of dishonesty--or of such resting from self-denying toil, as will bring injury to others. Not a contract should be concluded, nor an entry made in his books, nor any plan of business adopted, without the previous inquiry, how it will appear in the great unfolding day. Indeed, what is so fitted to make a thorough business man, and to keep him true to himself, to society, and to the great Master, as the practical hold upon his thoughts of this truth, "Thou, God, seest me." Such a conviction, vivid and influential, morning, noon, and night, will, beyond a doubt, induce him тo GUIDE HIS AFFAIRS WITH DIS

CRETION..

SERMON CCCCLXXIX.

BY REV. W. B. SPRAGUE, D. D.,
Pastor of the Second Presbyterian Church, Albany, N. Y.

THE USES AND ABUSES OF MONEY.

"Charge them that are rich in this world-that they do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to distribute, willing to communicate, laying up in store for themselves a good foundation against the time to come.'

1 TIMOTHY, Vi: 17, 18, 19.

Ir is one distinguishing characteristic of the Scriptures, that while they exhibit the duties which mankind in common owe to each other and to God, they also point out the particular duties of different classes of individuals, resulting from their peculiar circumstances and relations. Parents and children, magistrates and subjects, ministers and people, masters and servants, the rich and the poor, the aged, the middle-aged and the young, have only to open the Bible to find their respective duties indicated and urged with the utmost clearness and force. In our text, the apostle charges Timothy, a young minister, faithfully to set forth the obligations of the rich, and he would have them encouraged to be faithful in the use of their wealth, by the consideration that they would thereby lay up in store for themselves a good foundation against the time to come.

Is there an individual present who is congratulating himself that the passage of Scripture which I have just read, and of course the remarks which I may derive from it, do not apply to him, inasmuch as he is not rich; nay, that the text virtually absolves him from the obligations of charity, as it seems to limit the charge to men in opulent circumstances,-that individual, let me say, is so far a self-deceiver. The word rich is a relative term, the meaning of which is decided by the standard of wealth that prevails in a community. What would be regarded as bare competence in one place, would be considered affluence in another. Besides, the precept in the text is to be taken in connection with other precepts, such as those that require every man to do good according to his ability, and to render to others as he would that others should do to him; and thus the spirit of it fairly applies to other classes as well as the rich. True it is that a man's first duty is to provide for his own subsistence and that of his family; and if he

really have nothing, and can honestly obtain nothing, beyond what is essential to this, why then he is absolved from this particular form of doing good, however much he may be able to do, and may be bound to do, in other ways. But if God puts at the disposal of an individual property more than is necessary for the purposes I have mentioned-whether he be rich according to the prevailing standard or not-he comes fairly within the range of the injunction in the text; and the motive which the text suggests may fairly be urged upon him.

The general topic which I deduce from the text is the true value of money. I am aware that this is a subject of some delicacy-a subject upon which most people are more impatient of anything that has the appearance of dictation, than almost any other. Well I do not blame them for that, nor do I intend, in the remarks that I am to make, to render myself obnoxious to the charge of having made such an attempt. Nevertheless you will agree with me that ministers are bound by the very terms of their commission to declare the whole counsel of God; and as God has been pleased to reveal something in regard to the manner in which we should use our worldly substance, so we are bound to preach this as truly as any other part of the record; giving it, so far as we can, the same prominence which the Bible gives it. I only ask that whatever I shall say may be judged by the standard of God's word; and if you are satisfied that it is not in accordance with that, let it be rejected as nothing worth; but if your reason and conscience witness to the truth and right of what I say, then let nothing prevent you from acting in accordance with your honest convictions.

The great principle on which all our reasonings in this discourse must depend, and which I beg you to keep in mind as we proceed, is this that the value of money is to be estimated by the amount of happiness which it produces; and hence that it is of great value, or little value, or no value, or greatly worse than nothing, according to the purposes to which it is applied.

If I mistake not, it will be easy to show that money used for mere selfish and worldly ends, without reference to God or the future, is scarcely to be regarded as a blessing.

What are the elements of true happiness? I will limit myself for the present to two-a good conscience, and a contented mind; and I am sure that a moment's reflection will show you that money employed for the purposes which I have mentioned, does not promote either of these.

How is it with the first-a good conscience? Conscience pro perly enlightened, always renders its testimony in favor of the right; and there is no such thing as legitimate peace of conscience that is not inspired by the consciousness of being in the right. Now God has commanded that we use the wealth which he has

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