Vermont telegraph. [volume] (Brandon [Vt.]) 1828-1843, 1838-08-08

DodTui or the Doard OF any olner religious
society, may Justly be considered, are re-
,quired 10 do much more than to have it
open to the gifts of all. They are as
clearly bound to admonish their contribu-
tors 10 giUe right as preachers Of the Cos
pei are to admonish their hearers TO hear
right; for, accessible as the Lords treas
ury should be 10 the gifts of all, it no
more follows that these gifts are all accep-
table than that they who visit the house Of
public worship, are all acceptable Worship
pers. Furthermore, they are 10 adapt
their admonitions 20 the character Of their
patrons. II, for instance, it be The charac-
leristic fault of your New England con-
Iributors that they give grudg then
your Board are especially 10 lncuIcate on
that portion OF their contributor the duty
Of giving chcerGuIIy and willingly. if
ldeceitfulness be the peculiar and strikino
bIemish upon the gifts you obtain from
the State of New York--ir your New
York patrons put you off with contribu-
tions unworthy of their means, and seek
10 conceal from you the abundance of these
means-if like Ananias and Sapph;ra,
they kept back part" Of what their pro-
LESSONS pledge them to give, then your
Board are to endeavor to impress their
New York donors with the. Divine alb
horrence Of deceltful offerings. So also,
if there be section of our country in
which they who contribute 10 the treasu-
~ Of your Board, are robbers, the Board
are not to fail Of visiting that section with
their abundant and solemn testimonies
against the crime Of insulting God with
sacrifices which are the fruit Of robbery
This course Wou,l b. obviously proper,
even though there were 10 specific author
'y for it in the Bible But there is such
authority. When Moses made collections
for the building AMI furnishing Of the tab
ernacie, his knowledge of the people led
Nun to appreheud that there might b. re-
luctant contributors amongst them, and
hence he spoke Of the duty of giving with
willing heart" 1t is nferabie from
his rejoicing in the willingness Of the pco-
pes gifts, that David also spoke of this
DUTY, when he coIIecte materials for the
tempe. AT another period in their hiso-
~, the Jews were addicted to deception in
their offerings % the Lord and hence was
the curse OF God denounced against "the
decelver." At another period, centuries
distant from those referred 10, God said by
his prophet, hate robbery for burnt Of
ferng." 1t may be confidently inferred
from this dec laration, that this errin9 peo-
pie, were guilty, not only of the compara
lively small sins Of making reluctant Of
fcrings and of making deceitful offerings
to the Lord, but of presuming, in the har-
dihood Of their depravty, TO poIue the
Divine altar with the fruits Of robbery.
1t may, with reason, be further inferred,
that they were peculiarly addicted to this
emo. nous crime at the time this fearful
declaration was made.
How far our Board have followed the
plain teachings Of the Bible, ard endeav
ored to show their patrons what are &C
! ceptable gifts, | do not know. | can wit
+ ness that they have not been entire y de-
linquent in this respect. Ofentimes have
| received from them sheets that set forth
Ia Gods own language, the spirit in which
gifts to him should be made. And furth-
ermore, these sheets, as they incucated
the duty OF giving freel y and literally,
were ada 2ted TO my case, and to the cor
recion Of the faults which characterize
my gifts. l am not informed that your
Board have been equally faithful in sup
plying others with admonitions peculiarly
aIlpted to them. am not informCd that
they are in the practice OF reminding their
patrons in those parts Of our country where
wealth is for the most part obtained by
robbery, that God says that he hates rob
berry for sacrifice. 1t may, perhaps, be
said that these patrons, though the Board
were 10 sound the Divine testimony con-
tinuaIly in their ears, would nevertheless
deny its applicability to themselves, and
deny that they are guilty Of offering rob
berry for sacrifice. We're those patrons to
assume this attitude, it would in no wise
diminish the obligation OF the Board 10
repeat the rejected testimony, whilst II
would devolve on It a further duty, the du'
~ Of explaining wherein these patrons
are guilty of offering robbery for sacrifice
The prophet Malachi faithfully pointed
: out to him who gave deceitfuIiy aud hyp'
/ ocritically to the Lord, how he was gull
f ~. The offender drought that which
2 was torn, and the lame, and the sick );
r and whilst he vowed and sacrificed "untc
: the Lord corrup. thing" he had "ln bis
flock male" Now, as Malach hi explain
( ed in the case Of deceitful offerings, so, l
? there be occasion, let your Board folio"
! the safe and binding example Of the ProPh
4 cts, and explain how it is, that a portion
> of the contributors to its treasury are gull
|. ty OF offering robbery for sacrifice. LIE
e your Board but deal honestly with 1t
). slaveholding contributors, (for they ar
; the robbers 10 WHOM We refeI,) as tn
d prophet dealt with deceEfil glvers, and al