eable, and the sacrifices he makes and
the interest he feels in the work in which he is engaged, will afford
him pleasures that the passively generous can never comprehend.

2. But the _bountiful eye_ will not only industriously search for
occupation, it will also exercise a discriminating watchfulness. How
essential is this to a profitable exercise of charitable distribution.
He who is not aware of the deceptions which are constantly practised by
many of the poor, and of the injudicious modes which are often adopted
for relieving their wants, must have had but small experience in this
duty. Sound judgment is required, and without it a liberal and active
charity may produce evil rather than good. Evil to the community, not to
the benevolent individual. If our alms are given with proper motives, we
shall not fail of our reward from our Heavenly Father, though we fail of
doing the good we intended. We are often deceived; but this should not
be made an argument, as is frequently the case, for contracting our
bounties. It should only excite us to greater caution. The common
applicants at our doors and in our streets, are in general, undeserving
of the alms which they entreat. This however, is by no means uniformly
their character, for I have known the most worthy objects, those whom
modesty and a laudable pride had restrained, until acute distress had
fairly driven them forth to seek needful comforts for the destitute
sick, or perhaps, bread for their famishing children. We must not, with
cruel indifference, drive such away in the common herd of undeserving
beggars. We must _consider the cause of the poor_,[6] as respects their
characters and their condition.

Perhaps the most discriminating mode of exercising charity, and one
which, if generally adopted, would almost preclude the necessity for
giving to unknown objects would be this. Let all persons desirous of
performing works of mercy from christian principle, make an estimate of
what they ought to contribute from the stores with which God has favored
them.[7] Let them duly consider the various claims that are presented to
them, and from amongst the many charitable societies with which we are
surrounded, let them select the depositaries of their bounty. Let each
family also, according to their means, select one or more of the poor
whom they can know, and to a certain extent, follow through their good
or ill conduct. These let them regard as a charge peculiarly committed