is pleased to make us
His stewards, whether as to temporal or spiritual things, if we are
indeed acting as _stewards_ and not as _owners,_ He will make us
stewards over _more._

Even in this life, and as to temporal things, the Lord is pleased to
repay those who act for Him as stewards, and who contribute to His work
or to the poor, as He may be pleased to prosper them? But how much
greater is the _spiritual_ blessing we receive, both in this life and in
the world to come, if constrained by the love of Christ, we act as God's
stewards, respecting that with which He is pleased to intrust us!

SYSTEMATIC GIVING.

Only _fix even the smallest amount_ you purpose to give of your income,
and give this regularly; and as God is pleased to increase your light
and grace, and is pleased to prosper you more, so give more. If you
neglect an _habitual giving, a regular giving, a giving from principle
and upon scriptural ground,_ and leave it only to feeling and impulse,
or particular arousing circumstances, you will certainly be a loser.

A merchant in the United States said in answer to inquiries relative to
his mode of giving, "In consecrating my life anew to God, aware of the
ensnaring influence of riches and the necessity of deciding on a plan of
charity, before wealth should bias my judgment, I adopted the following
system:

"I decided to balance my accounts as nearly as I could every month,
reserving such portion of profits as might appear adequate to cover
probable losses, and to lay aside, by entry on a benevolent account, one
tenth of the remaining profits, great or small, as a fund for benevolent
expenditure, supporting myself and family on the remaining nine tenths.
I further determined that if at any time my net profits, that is profits
from which clerk-hire and store expenses had been deducted, should
exceed five hundred dollars in a month, I would give 12 per cent.; if
over seven hundred dollars, 15 per cent.; if over nine hundred dollars,
17 per cent.; if over thirteen hundred dollars, 22 per cent.--thus
increasing the proportion of the whole as God should prosper me, until
at fifteen hundred dollars I should give 25 per cent, or 375 dollars a
month. As capital was of the utmost importance to my success in
business, I decided not to increase the foregoing scale until I had
acquired a certain capital, after which I would give one quarter of all
net profits, great or small, and, on the acquisition of another certain