A Steward of His Lord's Bounty

An aged benevolent friend in a western city, states some interesting facts respecting his own experience in giving sytematically as the Lord prospered him. He says, “Our country and professors of religion in it have* become ’ rich and increased in goods,’ but I fear that a due proportion is not returned to the Giver of every good.

“I commenced business in 1809 with $600, and united with the Northern Missionary Society No. 2,’ which met monthly for prayer, and required the payment of two dollars a year from each member. That year I married, and the next united with the Christian church. No definite system of giving ’ as the Lord had prospered ’ me, was fully made until the close of the year 1841. The previous fourteen years had been assiduously devoted to the interests of Sabbath-schools and the temperance enterprise, when I found both my physical and pecuniary energies diminished, the latter being less than $30,000.

^’After ^ays and nights of close examination into my affairs with meditation and prayer, I promised the Lord of all, I would try at the close of every year to see what was the value of my property, and the one-quarter of the increase I would return to him in such way as my judgment, aided by his word and providence, might direct.

“For more than fifteen years I have lived up to this resolve, and though most of the time I have been unable to attend to active business, the investments I have made have more than quadrupled the value of my property, and in that time enabled me to return to Him ’ from whom all blessings flow,’ $11,739.61.”