Cheraw gazette. [volume] (Cheraw, S.C.) 1835-1838, 1837-01-31
Fran t5e Southern Ciristian Herald.
C0VETOCSNESS.

so,ecism in terms. It is contradiction IN ,
languages. A Christian is one who has !
Le,n led to repentance and 10 faith in Jesus .
Christ. He has gri,ved with IL go'ilv sor- !
row over his own corrupt and SinIai nature, !
he has fell the plague Of his own heart, has
seen himself to be exceedingly vic and
abomipable, and JUSTLY condcmned by the
law of God but he has fled aud lad hold !
of the hope SGT before him IN the Gospel
he has received Jesus Chris. by ialth.
The goodness. forbearance anil long sui.
fcring Of GoI," Rom. ,: 4. 10 such an un-
deserving sinner has led hun TO repentance
and he comes to aJhor himself, job A.: 6,
but no.hng ds.resscs him more than the
SELFIStlNESS of his NATURE, this evil
fountain of"bittrrness," Of the" wormwood
aud the gall" Lam. 3: 10. Having no
hope in himself, he has believed Oh the
Lord Jesus Christ ard is sarcd. "He hath
peace with God" Rom. 5: /. IL" has
heard the terms in which he is called 20 be
soldier and by the grace of God he has
embraced them fully, with his rholc heart,
without any reservation. lie hath heard
The Saviour say, "He that lovcth father or
mother more than me is not worthy of me.
and he that lovelh son or daughter more
than me is not worthy of me and he that
takelh not his cross and foliowcth after me
is no, worthy OF me-. Math. 10: 27-29.
And again in Luke IA: 26, If any man
come TO me and hate not his father and
mother, and wife and children, and brethren
and sisters, yea and his own life also, he
cannot be my disciple;" and again, aye arc
not YOUR OWN, therefore glorify God in
Your bo1ics and in your spirits which are
Gods. Cor. 6: l9--20, and in the 10Th
verse the covctous" are enumerated
among those vino shall not inherit the hing
dom Of God. From which scriptures and
considerations i, is manifest that man who
is nndcr the dominion of covctousncss can
not be a Christian. Rom. 6 IA, )" Ye cannot
serve God and mammon." Math. 6 "a.
The very existence then Of the Christian
character, necessarily implies, that the pos
-sr.ssor loves Christ more than his money.
Ysrhis love to the Saviour is demonstrated by
"A life of seJ:denial. Not in always having
: no desires opposed to his will, but in sub
DUNG those desires, or rather in refusing TO
CRAFTY them, and this out of regard TO the
aciN of Christ wherever that demands any
thing in collision with our wishes and sell
fishness, then to do the will Of Christ is proof
of lore to him. This is love,hat We keep
nv commandments" 2 John G.
There are few sacrifices which tse
Christian offers up in which he has more
certain evidence of selEdenial than in " CIV
ing of his substance" And if he loves the
cause Of Chris: more than his money, it will
be found IN FACT 10 make considerable
impression upon his resources, and the
Lord in order That this grace should have
exercise has said. " The poor We shall have
ways" Math. 26 IL. You can manifest
Your love for me by visiting the poor, the
sick, the prison. Math. 25: 81. 1t is doubt.
less the duy Of Christians 10 GO to the suf.
i.ring, find them out, and minister TO their
necessities; not to ,rait till they come TO the
erich mans gate full of sores." Luke l6:
20. Christian charity niN rist such mfr.
mites at the poor naan's heme, giring money
to the soup society" will no: satisfy his
conscience. "Purc religion and undefilcd
before God and the Father is this.'o risit the
fatherless and widows in their afiliction and
to keep himself unspo;tcd from the world"
James l: 81. And again, l john 3 II,
ls, But whose hath this worlds goods and
see;h his brother have need and shut:cth up
his bowels of compassion from him, how
dwelleth the love of God in him ? my liule
children let us not love in word neither in
tongue but in decd and in truth"
Thus we see it does no: avail 20 have the
most poctical and sympathizing sentiment
imaginable on this subject; and TO entertain
the kindest and most benevolent ariskes TO-
wards the poor and the destitute. TO do
the thing is what is necessary to prore the
Spirit, James =: Is, l6.
To provide for the poor of the flock is so
manifest a part of Christian duty, that those
who are in this situation in the Church and
who are not supplied with erery thing ne
cessary and needful, are absolutely ro5Jed
by those who have the whercwilhal and re.
tain it from them. To minister 10 their
wants is but sstting apart to them what Is
their just due by the highest possible right
and title. she gift Of Cod" and his prcccpt
10 his Caurch. Christian persons arc too
apt reason on this subject like people Of
this world, and to adopt their sentime@s: but
the christian principle and worldly morality
are very wide apart.
In the Church of Christ there is in truth
community Of property. Yet this fact does
not equal;ze all in their POSSESSIONS In the
Church at Jerusalem we find that the d;sci.
pies literally introduced community of
goods, Acls 4: "a, 35. We do DO. read
that any of the other Apostolic Charches
dill 50. nor is il likely the custom continued