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When we look over the face of society, and behold, in the midst of civilized and Christian communities, such numbers of human beings sunk in poverty and destitute of the comforts and almost of the necessaries of life, struggling for a bare subsistence, and sometimes actually dying of want,—one is apt to ask, "Can there be a God above, of infinite goodness and wisdom—and power, too—who yet looks on, and suffers such wretchedness to exist, and to continue from year to year and age to age? If He be our Creator, why does he not provide for those whom He has brought into existence? If He be truly our Heavenly Father, why does He not supply the wants of His children?"

To these questions, reflection, aided by knowledge and enlightened by religious principle, will give the true answer,—namely, that the good Creator has provided and does continually provide, for all whom He has created;—that, as a Heavenly Father, He does make ample provision for the support and the comfort of all His children: but that man's own evil continually either misapplies or perverts or destroys the goods so bestowed. The misapplication (or, more properly, mal-distribution) takes place, when one part of mankind selfishly snatch away from another part the portion of goods intended for the latter,—thus taking to itself a double share, and leaving the other none. The perversion takes place, when the goods so received, instead of being properly used and soberly enjoyed, are turned into sources of wretchedness, either by excess and over-indulgence in their use,—or by