The Faithful Steward | Page 4

the other, will
eventually secure the victory. The combatant, who is for a moment off
his guard, or ceases to struggle, falls. As selfishness is always awake,
benevolence must never slumber. The latter must be as spirited and
persevering as the former. Hence, benevolence must be systematic in
its operations, or it will be overborne by the ever-stirring energies of its
opponent. Its series of acts must be as continuous and energetic as that
of selfishness, in order simply to arrest the course of the latter; and to
make advances against its headlong current, a strong additional force is
requisite. A system, therefore, one founded in the depths of the soul,
and bringing to its aid all the resources of reason and conscience, is
indispensable to efficiency in the angelic work of doing good. System
must be emblazoned on the banner of every benevolent society; and
inscribed on the brow of every man by nature selfish, would he bless
the world by his munificence.
Especially is system necessary to encounter emergencies. Men of
business not unfrequently meet with crises when their affairs are in a
critical state. Numerous calls for money may come thronging in upon
them almost simultaneously. Their nerves may become depressed, and
things may appear darker than they really are. Besides, Christians even
may become worldly-minded, and their religious affections low. At
such times benevolence will almost surely be submerged by the
whelming tide of selfishness, unless buoyed up by well-established
system.
V. _From experience, which shows the inefficiency of impulsive
benevolence_. That liberality is sometimes the offspring of the kindly
tendencies of our natures, is readily admitted. God, in making us social
beings and helpers of each other's joy, gave us susceptibilities to
sympathetic emotions. When objects of suffering are presented before
us, our sensibilities are moved, tears flow, and the hand is extended in
relief. But these emotions are short-lived. The exciting object being
removed, they soon expire. And though thousands have flowed into the
treasuries of charity from this source, when an accomplished agent,
with a soul heated to a glow with his theme, has stirred the sensibilities

of his hearers as the trees of the forest are rocked by the tempest, or
some other influence has violently swept the chords of the heart; yet it
is a source of too little depth and durability to give vitality to the
persevering work of beneficence, in a world cankered to its center with
corruption. Selfishness soon leads off the mind to other subjects; so that
contributions can be drawn from the natural sympathies only by the
repeated and almost continued presentation of the suffering object. But
this course will ultimately defeat its own end; tending, as it does, to
harden the heart, and thereby to seal up the very fountains intended to
be opened. Accordingly, we find that those who have no plan of
munificent effort, but give merely as their sensibilities are moved,
usually contribute less and less as they advance in age; their
susceptibilities to sympathetic emotion becoming hardened like the
road over which the crushing wheel has rolled for years. Hence, though
the product of impulsive benevolence may sometimes be bountiful, yet
when we contemplate its workings for any lengthened period, its fruits
are found neither uniform nor abundant. The soil is too thin for
enduring fertility.
We find this exemplified in our churches where no system of charity is
adopted. For want of stated times for contributions to the different
objects, they are apt to be forgotten or neglected. They whose duty it is
to make the appointments, are engaged in other cares; time whirls on;
the year passes away, and no collection is made. Or if a few objects
receive occasional attention, others are passed over for years altogether;
proving to a moral demonstration, that what is done irregularly in the
work of beneficence, is ill done. To this, the agents of our benevolent
societies passing through our churches, can bear sorrowful
testimony.--The same is true of the individual. Every one knows that
what falls not into his regular routine of duties, is apt to slide from the
memory. This is peculiarly true of benevolence, for selfishness helps us
to forget; and it the contribution come to our recollection, we are not
ready to give just then; some debt must be first paid, some convenience
purchased, or some other urgent call attended to. Thus he, who has no
system in the bestowment of his bounties, is always finding excuses to
turn off the edge of arguments and the force of appeals; though perhaps
with the resolution of giving liberally at some future period. Here lies

his greatest danger. The resolution satisfies his conscience; and while
resting upon it, the opportunity to contribute passes away, and souls are
lost; whereas, had he acted