mo:n^ey axd the Ki:t^GDOM. 235 



Here is a large family of which the husband and father 

 is a contemptible lounger (if loafers had any appreciation 

 of the eternal fitness of things, they would die) ; he does 

 simply nothing for the support of the family. Excep- 

 tional cares are, therefore, laid on the wife and mother. 

 She must expend all her time and strength to secure the 

 bare necessaries of life for her children; and with the 

 utmost sacrifice on her part they go hungry and cold. 

 If her wretched husband did his duty, she could com- 

 mand time and means to beautify the home and make 

 the dress of herself and children attractive ; but, under 

 the circumstances, it would be worse than foolish for her 

 to spend her scant earnings on vases and flowers, laces 

 and velvets. God has laid upon Christian nations the 

 work of evangelizing the heathen world. He has laid 

 on us the duty of Christianizing our own heathen, and 

 under such conditions that the obligation presses with 

 an overwhelming urgency. If this duty were accepted 

 by all Christians, the burden would rest lightly upon 

 each; but great multitudes in the church are shirking 

 all responsibility. So far as the work of missions* s con- 

 cerned, these members of the household of faith are 

 loungers. The unfaithful many throw unnatural bur- 

 dens on the faithful few. Under these circumstances he 

 who would be faithful must accept sacrifices which 

 would not otherwise be his duty. That is, the principle 

 always and everywhere applicable, that we are under 

 obligations to make the wisest use of every penny, binds 

 him to a use of his means which, if every Christian did 

 his duty, would not be necessary. Notwithstanding all 

 the sacrifices made by some, there are vast multitudes, 

 which the established channels of beneficence have placed 

 within our reach, who are starving for the Bread of Life. 

 As long as this is true, must not high uses of money 

 yield to the highest? It is not enough to be sure that we 

 are making a good use of means; for, as the Germans 

 say, the good is a great enemy of the best. The expen- 

 diture of a large sum on a work of art may be a good use 

 of the money, but can any one not purblind with selfish- 



