hose calling is a heavenly one,
and who know distinctly that we are children of God, and joint heirs
with the Lord Jesus! Yet do all the children of God give even the
tenth part of what the Lord gives them?

That would be two shillings per week for the brother who earns 1l.,
and 4s. to him who earns 2l., and 2l. per week to him whose income is
20l. per week.

In connexion with I Cor. xvi. 2, I would mention two other portions:
1. "He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly: and he that
soweth bountifully, shall reap also bountifully." II Cor. ix. 6. It
is certain that we children of God are so abundantly blessed in
Jesus, by the grace of God, that we ought to need no stimulus to good
works. The forgiveness of our sins, the having been made for ever the
children of God, the having before us the Father's house as our home:
these blessings ought to be sufficient motives to constrain us in
love and gratitude to serve God abundantly all the days of our life,
and cheerfully also to give up, as He may call for it, that with
which He has intrusted us of the things of this world. But whilst
this is the case, the Lord nevertheless holds out to us in His Holy
Word motives why we should serve Him, deny ourselves, use our
property for Him, etc.; and the last mentioned passage is one of that
kind. The verse is true, both with reference to the life that is now
and that which is to come. If we have been sparingly using our
property for Him, there will have been little treasure laid up in
heaven, and therefore a small amount of capital will be found in the
world to come, so far as it regards reaping. Again, we shall reap
bountifully if we seek to be rich towards God, by abundantly using
our means for Him, whether in ministering to the necessities of the
poor saints, or using otherwise our pecuniary means for His work.
Dear brethren, these things are realities! Shortly, very shortly,
will come the reaping time, and then will be the question, whether we
shall reap sparingly or bountifully.--But while this passage refers to
the life hereafter, it also refers to the life that now is. Just as
now the love of Christ constrains us to communicate of that with
which the Lord intrusts us, so will be the present reaping, both with
regard to spiritual and temporal things. Should there be found
therefore in a brother the want of entering into his position as
being merely a steward for the Lord in his calling, and should he
give no heed t