[All persons have it not in their power to do good to the same extent : nor can all who have the same income, devote the same proportion of it to the poor : for a man who has a family, cannot possibly have so much to spare, as he who has none but himself to maintain : nor can it be reasonably ex- pected, that one, who, from his rank in society, has a certain degree of dignity to support, can afford as much as another, who, with the same income, has no such necessity imposed upon him. Besides, persons may be very differently circum- stanced. One may be able to afford a loan, when he is not able, with propriety, to give : and another may be able to give a smaller sum, when he cannot lend a larger. Persons there- fore must judge for themselves in such particulars as these ; and regulate their conduct according to their circumstances.]
2. The necessities of those who apply to us.
[To offer to a person who has been suddenly brought from affluent circumstances to poverty, such a pittance as we might give to a beggar, would be to mock and insult him : and, on the other hand, to bestow on a common beggar, what would be suited to the other case, would be most unpardonable profu- sion. Besides, we must judge whether there exist any neces- sity at all : for, if we will give to all who are willing to ask, and lend to all who are willing to borrow, we shall soon exhaust our own resources, however great they may be : and, by giving or lending where there is no necessity, we shall incapacitate ourselves for assisting those who are in real distress. Here then, doubtless, is scope for the exercise of discretion : and true liberality, instead of prohibiting such discretion, demands it at our hands.]
3. The prospect there is of our aid being effectual for the relief of him who asks it —
[Here is an idle man, who will do nothing for his own maintenance ; a prodigal man, who never thinks of the use of money ; a drunken and profligate man, who wastes all his substance in riotous living : to what purpose shall you exert yourself in any great degree for such persons ? Give them all that you have, and they will soon be poor again. The best way to relieve such persons, is to provide labour for them, and to make a reformation of their conduct necessary for their own subsistence. Sometimes a seasonable loan may enable a per- son to provide for his family, when, without such aid, he could not attain the situation which is open for him. There, to strain a point for him, is both liberal and wise : but where the case is such as occurs daily all around us, we must so give, as that we may have a reserve to lend ; and so lend, as that we may have a reserve to give. There are some cases, however,