The central Presbyterian. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1856-1908, 1869-01-13
ALL AT IT, AND ALWAYS AT IT."

Such was the famous motto of John Wesley
for the Methodist Church. And it is an ex
cellant one for all Churches. 1t is enough to
6ll any ones heart with gladness when he sets
down and can prove by calculation. how easily
our Church might support all It's benevolent
operations. Suppose, for example, We count
the number of white communicates at 10, 600;
then that each one would give an average of
only FIVE cents a week That would amount
to SlS2, 900 year. This would sustain and
enlarge all our schemes. And who could not
give, by little exertion and self-dena as
much as FIVE cents a week? Not one in
hundred. But it must be remembered how
many could give great deal more, and that
there are many who are not members that
would give willingly and literally. So that
the acreage is put very low.
When this is all thought, and counted over,
until the heart rejoices in the goodness Of God
that puts it in the power of our people to do
so much, it is enough to make us sit down
and weep in humiliation and shame, to think
how far we come short of it. Every one OF
our committees having special charge of these
great enterprises, is often straitened for means
TO 90 on, and filed with alarm lest the work
should be brought to stand.
What is the reason? Some do give heartily
and literally the Lord bless them for it
But the trouble is precisely at this point-they
are not AL at 1t. The great majority give
nothing. While in the act of writing these re
marks an illustration comes in point, We take
up the North Caroliaa Presbyterian of the
9th instant. just from the post office. Upon
reading over the very thorough report made to
the Synod last fall, by its agent for Pubca-
ton and Colportage, the Rev. j. Henry
Smith, it is found that last year the contribu.
ton for this cause was 81, l53 This sum came
from II churches l6 churches reported no
contributions. This year the contribution
from the whole Synod Was 1919, from 81
churches lS2 report nothing Substantially
the same result would be found true Of other
parts of the Church. Surely this is for
lamentatiOn, aud shall be for lamentation.
1t is easy to lay our finger upon the very
point where the trouble comes FROM
|. \ majority of the churches give absolute
ly nothing.
= In those from which contribution is re-
ceived, a close inspection would show that it
comes FROM few; very large part do moth
ing.
B. In probably every instance where no con
tribution is made, it is because the pastor,
elders, and deacons have never asked the PEG
pie of God to give anything.
Now is it any wonder that "the ways of
Zion mourn p Is it any wonder that our op
erations go along hating and crippled? The
civil government has not half so good an op.
portunity for collecting it, revenue as the
Presbyterian Church has for inviting and gath
ering the free will offerings of her children,
meeting their brethren, as they do, every Sab
bath day, or at farthest once month.
When will the whole Church be brought
to see what some, an increasing number,
are ntelligently, faithfully and effec,ually
acting upon? The way to bring the ener-
gies of the whole Church to bear upon this
great wOrk-the way to have them AL ut it..
and always at it, is the way laid down by an
inspired apostle 1900 years ago, for the
churches of Galatia and Corinth coatriJu-
ton on the first day Of the geek" by every
one, ''dS the Lord hath prospered.'