June 25

Tuesday in the Rigation Days

He that hath pity upon the poor lendeth unto the Lord. Proverbs 19:17.

WHERE is the almsgiving which our Redeemer condescends to solicit of our hands, which He has so blended with His redeeming love, to which He has promised an entrance into His own joy? What we need is alone ours; "our superfluities are the necessaries of the poor." God, Who knows the hearts of the rich, leaves us what we need for our health, our wellbeing, nay, our station in society, and the good condition of those, His and our children, whom He has given us. He Who has ordered variety of ranks to serve to His glory, does not call on us to resign what He has lent us, if we wish to retain it. But of that yearly increase He always reserved a portion whereby we should honour Him as our liege Lord, and own ourselves but His tenants at His will. His former people gave Him for His priests or His poor two tenths yearly, and a third tenth every third year. To us He leaves the poor as His representatives, and bids us give them our superfluities. Did He mean, in relaxing the law, to loosen the bonds and duty of charity, of which He gave the example, bared of all things outward, and giving His heart's Blood for us? Is His new commandment, "Love one another, as I have loved you," weaker than the old? He lays down no measure for us, that, giving, as did the early Christians, "to their power, yea, and beyond their power," we might imitate in some measure the measureless love of our God for us.

And with Thy Saints at last That we, with all the choir above, May sing Thy power and praise Thy love!

M