More Blessed to Give than to Receive
It is more blessed to give than to receive.” — Acts xx. 35.
These words form part of a most touching address which Paul made to the ministers of Ephesus, when he parted th them for the last time. He took them all to witness that he was pure from the blood of all men: ‘’ For I hare not shunned to declare unto you all the counsel of God.” It is deeply interesting to notice that tVi q
giving to the poor is marked by him as one pai counsel of God; so much so, that he makes it his h to them: “I have showed you all things, how labouring ye ought to support the weak, and to re the words of the Lord Jesus, how he said. It blessed to give than to receive.” These words, w Quotes from tha mouth of the Saviour, are nowhei round in the Gospels. It is the only traditional sa our Lord that has been preserved. It seems to ha one of his household words — a common-place — utt him again and again; It is more blessed to give receive.*
I am glad of having this opportunity of laying bei this part of the counsel of God — for God knows th< part of it I wish to keep back from you — that you c labour to support the weak; and the only argument use with you is that of our blessed Lord: “It i blessed to give than to receive.”
I. We should give liberally to the poor, because happier thing to give than to receive.
It is happy because it is like all happy being happy beings are giving beings — their happiness not in receiving, but in giving.
1. Angels, The whole Bible shows that the are happy beings — far happier than we can conceive They are holy beings — ever doing God’s commanc Now, holiness and happiness are inseparable. (2. are in heaven — always in the smile of their Father. “do always behold the face of my Father which heaven” — they must be happy — no tear on their — no sigh in their bosom. (8.) They are repn as praising God — one crying to another, “Holy, holy,” and singing, “Worthy is the Lamb.” Now. ing praises is a sign of mirth and gladness. “] merry? let him sing psalms.*’ Now, I want i see that the happiness of these happy spints c * in giving. 1*/, They all give: “Are they not all mi ing spirits, sent forth to minister to them that shall b of salvation?” Upon the earth very few people givepeople like to receive money — to keep it — to lay it the bank — to see it becoming more and more. The only a few people that give — these often not the ri hut in heaven. aW. we. It y& ^eir greatest pie rch every dwelling of every angel — you will not find hoard among them all. They are all ministering its.
rf. They give to those who are far beneath them. They not contented to help those that can help them hack n, but they give, hoping for nothing again. There i some poor shepherds in nie fields near Bethlehem; yet eat angel did not hesitate to visit them with kind and Je words; nay, it would seem that there were many e that would fain have been allowed to carry the mes-; for no sooner was it done than a multitude of the renly host were with him praising God. You rememtoo, how kind the angels were to the beggar Lazarus, dogs were the only ones that ministered to him on earth; the angels stooped on willing wing, and bore him to aham’s bosom.
3?, The highest love to give most* There is reason to sTe that the highest angels are those who go down jst, and give up most in the service of God. Jesus exsly says so: “He that is greatest among you shall be: servant.” The angels that see the face of God, stoop to e the meanest children of God. It is the happiness of the piest angel that he can give up more, and stoop lower 11 in sweet humble services, than the angels beneath
)ear Christians, you often pray, “Thy will be done on h as it is in heaven?” If you mean anything, you mean b you may serve God as the angels do! Ah, then, your »piness must be in giving. The happiness of the angels isists in this. If you would be like them, become a nistering spirit.
2, God* We know very little of God; but we know at he is infinitely happy. You cannot add to his ifiness, nor take from it. We know also many things enter into his happiness. Everything he does must lord him happiness. As when he created the world, and ™i “All very good” — God was happy in creating. But the shows that his happiness mainly consists m giving, ‘0 receiving. (1.) His giving food to all creatures is y Wonderful — not one sparrow is forgotten before God. ‘^tole world has been cursed, and God could justly he whole into destruction; but he does not — he th in mercy. The young lions seek their meat from, fie feeds the ravens when they cry. (^^ Yl« ^^«&
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to the wicked: ^’ He maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and nnjnst” Just think for a moment how many thousands God feeds «, every day who hlaspheme his name, and profane his Sab- ||. baths. He gires them food and raiment — turns the hearts of people to be kind to them; and yet they curse God ereiy day. Oh! how this shows that God deUghteth in merer. iii “Be ye merciful, even as your Father in heaven is merciful.” (3.) But, most of all, he gave his own Son. God delights in giving. It is his nature. He spared not his own Sod. Although he was emptying his own bosom, yet he would not keep back the gift. Now, some of you pray night and day to be made like God: ‘’ Blessed art thou, O God: teach me thy statutes.” If you will be like him, be like him in giving. It is God’s chief happiness — be you like him in it
Ohj, Would you have me give to wicked people, who vrill go and abuse it? Ans, God gives to wicked people, who go and abuse it; yet that does not diminish his happiness. God makes the sun rise on the evil and on the. good, and pours down rain on the just and on the unjust It is right to give most and best to the children of God; but give to the wicked also, if you would be like God. Give to the unthankful — give to the vile: “Give to him that asketh of thee; and from him that would borrow of tlee turn not thou away, remembering the word of the Lord Jesus.”
3. Christ, He was the eternal Son of God — equal with the Father in everything, therefore equal in happiness. He had glory with him before ever the world was. Yet his happiness also consisted in giving. He was far above all the angels, and therefore he gave far more than them all: ^’ The Son of Man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.” He ivtf highest — therefore he stooped lowest. They gave their witting services — he gave himself: “Ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for our sakes he became poor, that we, through his poverty, might be made rich. Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ”
Now, dear Christians, some of you pray night and daj to be branches of the true Vine; you pray to be made mover in the image of Christ. If so, you must be like Yasoc in giving. A branch bears the same kind of fruit as the tree. If you be braxiceA t ^V^ ^Qipx mnat bear the nine
An old dinne says well:” What would hare be of us if Christ had been as saving of his blood as some
are of their money?”
‘OAf. 1. My money is my own. Ans. Christ might have
‘Mid, My blood is my own — my life is my own; no man
:CMroeth it from me: then where should we have been?
Ohj* 2. The poor are undeserving. Ans, Christ might Ikaye said, the same thing. They are wicked rebels against IBJ Father’s law: shall I lay down my life for these? 1 will
- give to the good angels. But no, he left the ninety-nine, and
«une after the lost. He gave his blood for the undeserving, ‘Obj. 3. The poor may abuse it. Arts. Christ might Itfiye said the same; yea, with far greater truth. Christ knew that thousands would trample his blood under their fee — pthat most would despise it — that many would make it an excuse for sinning more; yet he gave his own blood.
Oh, my dear Christians! if you would be like Christ, give much — give often — give freely, to the vile and the poor — the thankless and the undeserving. Christ is glorious and happy, and so will you be. It is not your money I want, but your happiness. Remember his own word: “It it more blessed to give than to receive.”
IL It w happier because of the peculiar character of a Christian.
1. A Christian is a steward. In every great house
liiere is a steward, whose duty it is to manage his master’s
gioods in such a way that every one may have his portion of
-. meat in due season. Now you will see at once that the hap-
pmess of the steward does not consist in the receiving of more goods, but in the due distribution of what he has got. If there be any grieve or foreman hearing me, you will know ^nite well that your happiness consists not in the quantity of your master’s goods which goes through your hands, but in the right distribution of it. The happiness of every steward consists in giving — not in receiving.
Now, dear Christians, you are only stewards of all you
pomess. You have not one halfpenny of your own. ‘^ Occupy
till I come,” is written upon everything. The reckoning-day
18 near; O that you would be wise stewards! You would
’ ke far happier. It is the devil that persuades you that it is
- better to hoard and lay up for yourself and your children. It is far happier to be an honest steward.
Olff» I iun in very poor circumstances. Ans. Still you.
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are a steward. Use what yoa haTe as a stewaid
and you will do well. He that used his two talents did not
lose his reward.
2. Christians are members one of another. Whm we are united to Christ, we are united to all the brethren. It is a closer relation than any other, for it outlasts CTeiy other. The wife of jour bosom will one day be separated from you. Father and child, sister and brother, may be Kpanted eternally; but not so Christian and Christian-^^they are for erer and for eTer — branches of the same tree for eteniit stones of the same temple for erer. Now it must be the happiness of one member to help another. ( 1.) In the body when one limb is hurt or is weakly, the others help it It is their happiness to do so. When, the left hand is wounded, the right hand will do everything for it — it supplies all its need. (2.) So it is in Christ’s body. It is the happiness of one member to help another. It is just like helping one’s self; yea, it is like helping Christ. If Christ were to come to your door poor, and clothed in rags, and shiyering with cold, would you feel it an unhappy thing to supply all his need? Oh, then, you may do thu wheor ever you see a poor Christian: “Inasmuch as ye do it to the least of these my brethren, ye do it unto me.” Woe is me! ^ow many of you turn Christ away from your door, with a rude and angry countenance. Are you not ashaaied to call yourself a Christian?
Again: if Christ lired in some poor dwelling, with not enough of fire to keep away the cold — with not enough of clothes to make the bed warm, would you not seek lum out? — would you stay till he sought you? Ah, woe is mel in how many dwellings does Christ dwell thus? and yet, there are Christians hearing me that never have sought him out. Change your plan, I pray you. it is more blessed to give than to receive.”
III. Because Christians will be no losers.
1. They shall be no losers in this world by what they giveaway: There is that scattereth, and yet increaseth; there is that withholdeth more than is meet, and it tendedi to penury.** I am going to say now what the wodd will scoff at; but all that I ask of you is, to be like the Bereans. Search the Scriptures, and see if these things be not so. The whole Bible shows, then, that the best way to have plenty in this worid is to give liberally. (1.) “Cast
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thj bread upon the vraters, and thou shalt find it after many days.” This refers to the solving of rice. The rice in the East is always sown when the fields are flooded with water. The bread-corn is actually cast upon the water. After many days the waters dry up, and a rich crop of waving rice coTcrs the plain. So it is in giving liberally to the poor out of love to Jesus. It is like Sirowing away your money — it is like casting seed upon the waters; yet fear not, you shall find a crop after many days — you shall hare a return for your money in this world.
A word to Christians in humble life. You say, If I werd a rich Christian, how happy would I be to give! but I am 80 poor, what can I give? Now I just ask you to look at the man sowing seed. When he has but little, does he keep back from sowing that little? No; he sows all the more anxiously the little he has, in order to make more. Do you the same.
How little you believe God! He says: “He that gireth to the poor, lendeth to the Lord.” Now, I believe there is not one in a hundred who would not rather lend to a rich man than lend to the Lord. You believe man — not God. In fact, it is hut the other day I heard of a child of God who was in very reduced circumstances, her husband being blind, yet who contrived not only to live, but to give to ouiers also. She wrought with her own hands, that she might have to give. She gave largely to the poor — largely also to missions abroad. This was sowing the seed, all the seed she had, for she had no hoard. And did the crop fail? No, it appeared in India — a distant relative died, leaving £20,000 to her alone. God is able to do this every day. God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that ye always having all-sufficiency in all things, may abound to erery good work.”
How easily God can give you, by the smallest turn of his providence, more than all you give away in a year! O trust the Lord! But the wicked cannot trust God. The world is an Infidel at heart.
Borne will say: I will begin to-night — I will put your wotd to the test — I will give double what I ever gave, and lee if I will get a return. Ans. No such thing; keep your money, I advise you. If you give hoping for something again, you will get nothing. You must give as a Christian giTes — cheerfully, liberally, and freely, hoping for nothing again; and then God will give you back goo&T&fia£rai«^ pressed down: ^’ Giye, and it shall be given to you.” He that giveth to the poor shall have no lack.
2. Christians tvill be no losers in eternity. The whole Bible shows that Christians will be rewarded in eternity just in proportion to the way they have made use of their talents. Now, money is one talent. If you use it right you will in no wise lose your reward. Christ plainly shows that he will reckon with men in the judgment according as they have dealt by his poor Christians. They that have done much for Christ shall have an abundant entrance; they that have done little shall have littk reward.
I thank God that there are some among you to whom Christ will say: “Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.” Go on, dear Christians, Uve still for Christ Never foiget, day nor night, that you are yourselves bought with a price. liy yourselves and your property all in his hand, and say: ‘’What wilt thou have me to do? Here am I, send me;” and then I know you will feel, now and in eternity, ‘^ It is more blessed to give than to receive.”
I fear there are some Christians among you to whom Christ can say no such thing. Your haughty dwelling rises in the midst of thousands who have scarce a fire to warm themselves at, and have but little clothing to keep out the biting frost; and yet you never darkened their door. You heave a sigh, perhaps, at a distance; but you do not visit them. Ah, my dear friends! I am concerned for the poor; but more for you. I know not what Christ will say to you in the great day. You seem to be Christians, and yet you care not for his poor. Oh, what a change will pass upon you as you enter the gates of heaven! You will be saved, but that will be all. There will be no abundant entrance for you: *’ He that soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly/*
I fear there are many hearing me who may know well that they are not Christians, because they do not love to give. To give largely and liberally — not grudging at allrequires a new heart; an old heart would rather part with its life-blood than its money. Oh, my ends! enjoy your money — make the most of it — give none away — enjoy it quickly; for I can tell you you pvill be beggars throughout eternity.
Dundee, Fil. 4, 1838.
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