the question is beginning to arise in the minds of many, whether society itself should not come to the rescue—­its own and the rich man’s.  No man, it may be pretty confidently affirmed, can possibly earn a million; he may obtain it, he may obtain it by methods which are not technically unjust, but he has not earned it.  Be a man’s powers what they may, it is impossible that his share of the wealth which he has helped to create can be fairly represented by a sum so vast.  If he receives it, others may reasonably complain that there is something wrong in the principle of distribution.  And unless, both by a larger justice to his employees, and by generous benefactions to the public, he do something to correct the defects in his title, he must not be surprised if some who feel themselves disinherited are driven to ask ominous and inconvenient questions.

This, however, is a matter which it is impossible now to discuss further.  Turning again to Christ’s sayings about money, we may summarize them in this fashion:  Christ says nothing about the making of money, He says much about the use of it, and still more about its perils and the need there is for a revised estimate of its worth.  Following the example of Christ, it is the last point of which I wish more especially to speak.  But before coming to that, it may be well briefly to recall some of the things which Christ has said touching the use of wealth.  Wealth, He declares, is a trust, for our use of which we must give account unto God.  In our relation to others we may be proprietors; before God there are no proprietors, but all are stewards.  And in the Gospels there are indicated some of the ways in which our stewardship may be fulfilled.  I will mention two of them.

(1) “When thou doest alms”—­Christ, you will observe, took for granted that His disciples would give alms, as He took for granted that they would pray.  He prescribes no form which our charity must take; we have to exercise our judgment in this, as in other matters.  Obedience is left the largest liberty, but not the liberty of disobedience; and they who open their ears greedily to take in all that the political economist and others tell us of the evils of indiscriminate charity, only that they may the more tightly button up their pockets against the claims of the needy, are plainly disregarding the will of Christ.  If what we are told is true, the more binding is the obligation to discover some other way in which our alms-giving may become more effective.  The duty itself no man can escape who calls Christ Jesus Lord and Master.