ugh the possibility of this favour he was now
enjoying issued from his circumstances, its acceptance was the act of
his own will; and he had accepted it greedily, longing for rest and
sunshine. And hence this allegation of God's providence did little to
relieve his scruples. I promise you he had a very troubled mind. And I
would not laugh if I were you, though while he was thus making mountains
out of what you think molehills, he were still (as perhaps he was)
contentedly practising many other things that to you seem black as hell.
Every man is his own judge and mountain-guide through life. There is an
old story of a mote and a beam, apparently not true, but worthy perhaps
of some consideration. I should, if I were you, give some consideration
to these scruples of his, and if I were he, I should do the like by
yours; for it is not unlikely that there may be something under both. In
the meantime you must hear how my invalid acted. Like many invalids, he
supposed that he would die. Now should he die, he saw no means of
repaying this huge loan which, by the hands of his father, mankind had
advanced him for his sickness. In that case it would be lost money. So
he determined that the advance should be as small as possible; and, so
long as he continued to doubt his recovery, lived in an upper room, and
grudged himself all but necessaries. But so soon as he began to perceive
a change for the better, he felt justified in spending more freely, to
speed and brighten his return to health, and trusted in the future to
lend a help to mankind, as mankind, out of its treasury, had lent a help
to him.

I do not say but that my friend was a little too curious and partial in
his view; nor thought too much of himself and too little of his parents;
but I do say that here are some scruples which tormented my friend in
his youth, and still, perhaps, at odd times give him a prick in the
midst of his enjoyments, and which after all have some foundation in
justice, and point, in their confused way, to some honourable honesty
within the reach of man. And at least, is not this an unusual gloss upon
the eighth commandment? And what sort of comfort, guidance, or
illumination did that precept afford my friend throughout these
contentions? "Thou shall not steal." With all my heart! But _am_ I
stealing?

The truly quaint materialism of our view of life disables us from
pursuing any transaction to an end. You can make no one understand that
his barga