'Why, they get too proud to work. By and by, you wont get a man to load a dung cart, but he must have gloves on; and the girls, why they dress so fine already, that you can't tell them from their mistresses. Then, there's machinery,' he went on to say; 'they'll want a machine next for milking cows; but they wont get it though, that's a comfort.'

It was an odd thing: only the next day I happened to look into a newspaper, and what should I see, the very first thing I set my eyes on, but a description of a new machine for cow-milking! Here's a pretty job!' thought I; 'what will Harry Watson say now ?'

6

So, when I heard the old gentleman speak of the old times of ignorance and superstition in our country, I naturally thought of Harry. But this it was not that perplexed me; for I remembered that there always had been such croakers in the world as Harry, even as long ago as Solomon lived,-else, why did he say, 'Say not thou, What is the cause that the former days were better than these? for thou dost not inquire wisely concerning this.' And for all friend Harry can say, I am so much for the new times of education, as to wish that I and others had more of it.

And now I come to the part where I did get into perplexity.

It was towards the close of the meeting that another speaker got up, and talked a good deal about money, and liberality, and so forth. He reminded us all, that those who have property are only stewards, and not real owners; that God is the owner, and will some day call the stewards to give an account of their stewardship; and that even those who have but little are bound to employ that little aright, and, in some way or other, to glorify God with their bodies and spirits, and property too, which are His.

Well, thought I, that is good truth, let who will gainsay it.

Then he said he was glad to hear the last year's

subscriptions read over. He was pleased that even the poor had been able and willing to do something. Right again, said I to myself; it is a good thing to have a willing mind; and I shouldn't wonder if other ways could be found out of honouring God, and, by his blessing, helping on his cause a little. Yes, said I-to myself, of course-quite right.

Then the speaker hoped that the collection at this meeting would beat last year's, seeing there were so many present.

Right once more, I thought; I hope so too, and I think it will. And so, indeed, it afterwards proved.

'We do not ask those who are in debt to give any. thing,' said the gentleman; nor those who are in distress; but I hope none of you besides will leave the hall without doing something, however little, for the missionary cause.'

Very right, I thought again; it is God's cause, I hope, and if it is, we can say as David said once, 'Of thine own do we give thee.'

"I have often heard,' the speaker went on to say, 'of people becoming bankrupt by gaming and high living, and speculating, and drinking

So have I, that's quite true, thought I again

- but nobody ever became bankrupt by giving to the cause of God.'

Stop, thought I, that depends. There is such a thing as Christian prudence: and a man may go beyond this, and then I don't see what is to prevent even his becoming a bankrupt.But let this pass; it is not often that people ruin themselves in this way; so the gentleman is right in the main.

'

He went on :-'On the contrary,' said he, there is not a better paymaster than God; and nobody ever repented of being liberal in his service.'

Right still, I thought; for does not the bible tell us that God is not unrighteous to forget the work of faith and labour of love?' To be sure it does.

'And nobody,' the gentleman went on to say, 'ever missed anything lent to God: He pays back fourfold all that he borrows.'

I wont speak to the exact words, but this was the sense of what the gentleman said, and, Right once more, I thought,-in one way or other, God does pay back liberally.

If any of you want to prosper in the world,' said he, the way to prosper and get rich is to put out your money to such good interest as this. Make God your banker,' said he, and I'll answer for it, every shilling you put into his bank will bring back a rich return in kind. So, my friends, you need not be afraid of giving your money to God. Be liberal to His cause, and He will give you the good things of providence more liberally in return.'

When the gentleman had said this, he sat down, and some one near him said, 'Hear! Hear!'

Yes, yes, said I to myself, I do hear; but I must think a little as well. I am a bit perplexed.

Presently, the meeting came to an end; and I walked slowly homewards. I had certainly been delighted and edified; but I had been perplexed too.

And what added to my perplexity was that, as I was going homewards, Harry Watson tapped me on the shoulder, for he had been up at the meeting too, -and, says he, with a kind of sneer like. A good banker you have got, neighbour Johnson; you will be a rich man by and by. We shall have you buying an estate some of these days. I hope you put a good round sum out to interest to-night,' says he.

I had got an answer for him on my tongue's end; but I remembered what Solomon says about not answering a fool according to his folly; so I held my peace even from good,' as David says, but 'my sorrow was stirred.'

The best plan, when one is puzzled, is to turn to the bible, and read it prayerfully. So I took down mine, and read and thought.

While I was musing, who should come in but a very good and judicious old friend of mine. He, too, had been to the meeting.

'So,' says he, 'you have got to your bible, Johnson; do I disturb you ?'

'O no,' says I; 'you are just the man I am glad I want some one to guide me.

to see.

I am per

'From

plexed.' 'Why, said he whereabouts are you?' So I told him what my difficulty was. what I could understand,' said I, 'the gentleman that spoke last, laid it down as a fixed thing, that money given in God's cause, is sure to come back again,—in money, or money's worth,-mind you,--two, three, or fourfold to them that give it.'

'Well,' said my old friend; the gentleman did say something very much like that.'

And,' said I, 'it is not the first time I have heard the same thing said.'

Very likely not,' said he; 'I also have heard it before. But now, what is your objection to it?'

I

'Why,' said I, 'I don't pretend to much knowledge; but surely this is not just bible truth. don't think that God anywhere promises to pay back in that sort of way. To be sure, there are many encouragements in the bible for men to be liberal. There is that about giving to the poor being lending to the Lord; there is another, that says, 'The liberal soul shall be made fat; and he that watereth others, shall be watered himself;' and there are many such like, such as, 'Give, and it shall be given unto you, good measure, pressed down,' and so on. Now, it is not at these texts that I stumble. I think, if I understand right,' said I, 'the plain and simple meaning of them is, that a man who, from right motives, is kind to his fellow-men in temporal things, will have the kindness returned, in God's good providence, by his fellow-men, in some way that, perhaps, he little thinks of, and when he most needs kindness and sympathy. Is it not so ?'

I believe you are right in your interpretation,' said he; and I think that both you and I, friend Johnson, have seen enough to know that these are not vain words.'

'Indeed we have,' said I; 'but this is not it.

What I want to know is, does God anywhere promise to make people rich for this world, for any little matter it may be in their hearts and their power to do in His service--let it be what it may? Because,' said I, 'if there is, I cannot account for a vast deal that I see every day, the wicked prospering and increasing in riches; and many sincere Christians, who, if they had but two mites, like the poor widow we read of, would be ready to cast them into God's treasury,living in poverty, and dying in it, or, if they had a little once, perhaps losing it all at a stroke.'

'Very true,' said my friend; we see such things every day.'

'And then,' said I, 'it seems such a low motive to set before a Christian ;-to give, just to get back again a shilling for every sixpence or every groat, instead of giving out of gratitude and love. I cannot understand that doctrine,' said I; 'it perplexes me.'

'Well, said he; 'don't be over perplexed, Johnson; it is not worth while. I think our good friend made a little mistake this evening, in the warmth of his zeal. I noticed it, and was sorry for it. I am always sorry when I hear such things said, for though they may be rightly meant, they give a wrong notion and have a bad effect.

'Now,' said he; it is not true that worldly success always follows those who are liberal with their money in God's service: and it is a bad motive-that of giving for the sake of being paid back again with good interest. Such a motive ought never to enter a Christian's mind. The fact is, this is not the way our heavenly Father deals with his children. It is true, 'Godliness is profitable unto all things, having the promise of the life that now is, as well as of that which is to come;' but it is not in the way of payment in temporal things, for service rendered. And so we

sometimes find that the most humble and sincere, and the most liberal, according to their means, have many worldly troubles, losses, crosses, and even sufferings from poverty.