Year: 1867

BEECHER.


have received letter of inquiry from
Il gentleman in Boston. 1t seems long
way to send TO find out ones duty. After
some preliminary remarks, he says:


70 be brief my case is this six wears ago
| failed in business. At that time | could
have paid my bills in full ; but fearful that
my family would suffer, compromised with
part of my creditors. by paying fifty per
cent The other portion remained unpaid
vt that time made my house over to my
wife and She has it now in her possession
W hat | would like to know is. have | moral
right 10 use her property to pay my bills.
Or, in other words, Is 1t my duty. a. the case
stands to have the house sold, and make a
full settlement with my creditors?


hardly dare to trouble YOU with such a
matter and had it been in any other cause
than in the cause of Christ, in which knew
You To be so deeply interested, should not
nave written.


IL began the letter by saying;


Having had a strong desire to become
Christian for some time, and having STUN
bling blocks in the way, | would like to pre-
sent my case to you. provided Won are willing
70 answer my question


| DO not propose to spend the whole
evening in discussing this case of ethics ::
but | shall make few remarks with special
reference to this case, and then consider
the whole field in which thi, ease, and
others ike it, stand


In the first place, ! think that man Is in
a gospel exercise | think it Is genuine
case Of awakening. 1t Is case that
is fit for modern times 1t is not case
of metaphysical trouble. 1t Is not case
of morbid feeling 1t Is case that springs
up in the mans life. And one of the
signs Of promise in hi, case is. that his
conscience has become so sensitive that he
cannot feel quite contented to abide to-
day in that which six years ago satisfied
him.


Ia the next place, | would say, in re-
gard to this particular case, that he may
be right or he may be wrong. An agree
ment between HIM and his creditors, if it l.
equitable and Christian, Is so not merely
bv the fact that it is an agreement, but by
the whole spirit and temper with which it
was executed. He may have put them in
to such circumstances that they We're driven
to this, and did it unwillingly perhaps with
the feeling that there was some unequity
i'll it. Or, they may have consider
ed his whole case. and heartily agreed
to it. The whole thing would be sound
or msound, very much according to those
minute shades that 90 to make equity. JUS
tee rcctitude.


Then again, / think that the presump-
tion always is i'll favor Of doing more than
a man Is inclined to do in such matters as
this. No one thing can be more mtortu-
nate for a man who Is beginning to live
publicly as a Christian, than to have at
tached TO him the impression that he has
winked at injustice and selfshness, and
that he has now entered upon Christian
course as it were to cloak his wickedncss.
and to get release III his own feelings from
trouble concerning it. There is nothing
in the world that a man who Is beginning a
Christian life wants more than to give evi-
dencc to the world that hi. Righteousness
exceeds the righteousness of the ScribeS
and Pharisees. 1t must more than equal
it. II certainly cannot afford to lag behind
it. And should say to man in those
circumstances . Look here. Call to mind
cases that you have known. There have
been men who have made settlements be-
fore, and gone out of their houses into
poverty and actual suffering, and borne Il
witness for Christ which was perhaps the
most impressive and convincing that it was
i'll their power to bear. And consider
whether it is best for you, merely fer the
sake of the comfort Of yourself and your
family, to make Il good and snug arrange
ment, or whether there is not an opportu-
nitv for YOU to do thing that is more sig
nificant than almost anything else that you
ever did in your life


Now, look at this case. 1t is very like
" ali right | know nothing about the
facts, and have to exercise my imagination
respecting them. Let us suppose that this
man, on making compromise with his
creditors, and getting released from hi.
obligations, turns over his house to his
wife, as much as to say g L will put a
screw on that so no debts shall ever take
it out of my hands, He loves his wife
and children, and he says, 4 will keer
them in comfortable circumstances, and viii
keep my children at school, and will keeE
my family well clad" That is amiable
And he says, . am determined to put
forth my best efforts, and work night an6
day, and pay off the other half of my debt:
as quick as I can" That sounds very
well, and he means what he says; but it /:
not quite as it should be. We are APT
to put off present duty to be performed by
and-by. All men mean to do right next