upon him the “fellowship,”—that is, “communion”—of ministering to the saints in carrying to Jerusalem their gifts to the poor of that city, and he urges his readers to accept a part in the same service that God might be glorified for “their liberal distribution”—that is, for the liberality of the communion, for so the word still is, “unto them and unto all men.” And to mention only one other passage, the same apostle in his Epistle to the Romans bids his readers “distribute to the necessities of the saints,”—that is, for the word is still the same, “hold communion with the necessities of the saints.” Thus the making of contributions for benevolence in every form of it in which the Church is engaged is as really a communion service as is the observance of the Lord’s Supper. The same word is used in reference to both, and both alike are manifestations of the oneness of all the people of Christ in their common Lord. If this were more generally understood and felt by us I am sure that we should all have greater enjoyment in that part of the service on which so many look with disfavor, the making of a contribution; for that, as Paul gives us to understand, is only the manifestation by us in another form of the fellowship which we show forth when the bread and wine of the supper are passed from hand to hand among us. In this view of the case it is to be feared that there are far more “_close_” communionists in the Church than those who are commonly so denominated, and it may be well for us to take the beam out of our own eyes before we seek to become oculists to others. Further, this giving is distinctly spoken of in the New Testament as a privilege. Remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how He said “It is more blessed,” that is, it is a greater happiness “to give than to receive.” In many enterprises in which men engage the cost is more than the profit, “the play” as the French proverb has it, “is not worth the candle,” but here there is always blessing; blessing in the consciousness that we have the means of doing good; blessing in entering into fellowship with God, whose happiness is all that of giving out; and blessing in the fact that the joy of the recipient comes back to us and redoubles our delight.