Ministers should not use flattery or be respecters of persons. There ever has been, and still is, great danger of erring here, of making a little difference with the wealthy, or flattering them by special attention, if not by words. There is danger of “having men’s persons in admiration” for the sake of gain, but in doing this their eternal interests are endangered. The minister may be the special favorite of some wealthy man, and he may be very liberal with him; this gratifies the minister, and he in turn lavishes praise upon the benevolence of his donor. His name may be exalted by appearing in print, and yet that liberal donor may be entirely unworthy of the credit given him. His liberality did not arise from a deep, living principle to do good with his means, to advance the cause of God because he appreciated it, but from some selfish motive, a desire to be thought liberal. He may have given from impulse and his liberality have no depth of principle. He may have been moved upon by listening to stirring truth which for the time being loosed his purse strings; yet, after all, his liberality has no deeper motive. He gives by spasms; his purse opens spasmodically and closes just as securely spasmodically. He deserves no commendation, for he is in every sense of the word a stingy man, and unless thoroughly converted, purse and all, will hear the withering denunciation: “Go to now, ye rich men, weep and howl for your miseries that shall come upon you. Your riches are corrupted, and your garments are moth-eaten.” Such will awake at last from a horrible self-deception. Those who praised their spasmodic liberalities helped Satan to deceive them and make them think that they were very liberal, very sacrificing, when they knew not the first principles of liberality or self-sacrifice. {1T 475.1}

Prædikanter bør ikke benytte sig af smiger eller have personsanseelse. Her har der altid været og stadig er, en stor fare for at fejle, at gøre en lille forskel med de velhavende, eller smigre dem med særlig opmærksomhed, om ikke ved ord. Der er en fare for »at de for fordels skyld smiger folk,« for at nå vinding, men ved at gøre dette, er deres evige liv i fare. Prædikanten kan foretrækkes af velhavende folk og han kan være meget gavmild over for ham; dette tilfredsstiller prædikanten og til gengæld priser han rigelig sin givers godgørenhed. Hans navn kan være fremhævet på tryk og alligevel kan denne rundhåndede giver være helt uværdig til den tillid han får. Hans gavmildhed kommer ikke af noget dybt og principielt ønske, om at gøre godt med hans midler, for at fremskynde Guds sag fordi han værdsætter den, men fra selviske motiver, fordi han vil anses for at være rundhåndet. Han har givet af hans indskydelser og hans rundhåndethed har ingen dybere principper. Han kan være grebet ved at lytte til en betagende sandhed, som et stykke tid har åbnet op for hans bånd; alligevel havde hans rundhåndethed ingen dybere bevæggrund. Han giver af et pludseligt anfald; hans pung åbnes kun i ryk og lukkes ligeså i ryk. Han fortjener ikke ros, for han er i bogstavelig forstand en nærig mand; og hvis han ikke er helt forvandlet vil han høre den knusende anklage: »Og nu, I rige! klag og græd over den elendighed, som venter jer. Jeres rigdom er rådnet op og jeres klæder er mølædte.« Disse vil til sidst vågne op af et forfærdeligt bedrag. Dem, som har værdsat deres ustabile gavmildhed, (476) har hjulpet Satan til at bedrage dem og fået dem til at tro at de var meget rundhåndede og meget opofrende, skønt de ikke kendte de største principper i gavmildhed og selvopofrelse.