The Sumter watchman. [volume] (Sumterville, S.C.) 1855-1881, 1870-07-27
.onld lsng since h.ve ceased to sxS

4uo otSWaroS mo0tln8 "en0ut0 ba
held with uuvaryipg regularity, and
the financial and other business Of the
Church receive that degree Of system..
attic attention, in its turu,' aud st the
time set apart for it, which is bestowed
upon other interests, public or private,
.hccs which real concern is felt, but
which weigh 50 little in the great bal
anoes Of immortal interests, aud como
80 far short Of q couuterpoise when conn
pared to this.
Lovers of:the Church canuot fail to
see. especially under the great changes
which have come over the county, that
the great interests she represents must
languish, unless, under the moving
inspiration of thu Divine spirit, they
thus come up to her help. Every off.
cial member Of the Church should set
apart, specifically aud regularly, so
much Of his time aud energies as shall
be sufficient to enable him to discharge
properly the duties of his position, and
in spirit Of christian justice snd love
for the Church, and the building up
and extention, through her influence,
If our Redesmer's Kingdom op earth, !,
il is urged that our Boards of Stewards
should be filled only by members who
will thus givo attention to the work Of
their Lord and Master.
The preacher should be so provided for,
as to leave him free from actual anxiety
or care in oonuexion with the support of
himself and family. He should feel an
abiding confidence that the amount
determined upon as his allowence will
be fully paid-entirely discharged
previous to his departure for conference
and realized by him oil along during the
year, 70 the extent sufficient to meet
his wants. This, it is easily seen, can
only be accomplished by regular coll
leotions from the membership, and
regular meetings of the Boards Of Stew.
ards. And these regular meetings will
be found to infuse healthful vigor
into the energies of the official member.
ship, aud aggregatiug, at the close of
the year, an amount of systematically
accomplished financial and other busi-
ness, which, under the irregular, spas.
modio and disjointed practice of the
past, it were idle to hope for the attain
ment of.
Aud here your Committee feel called
upon to make allusion, direct and poin-
ted, to practice into which Boards of
Stewards have fallen, In too many
instances, which is not only an OWL
which cries aloud for Reform, but which,
when viewed deliberately, and in the
light of truth and fairness, amounts TO
q reproaeh. The allusion is to the
habit of specifying and fixing an amount
for tho support of the preacher and his
family, and afterwards refusing or neg
Letting to meet that amount-pledging
the faith and promise of the Church and
violating that faith and promise. A
moral delinquency, the remedy for
which is found in clearly defined and
easily accessible rules of law and
practice, In reference to all secular
affairs, but which, in the relation here
alluded to, is practiced with impunity,
because the Church, in her high and
holy mission, which is not Of the world,
seeks not the ways aud contrivances of
the world for tho enforcement of her
mandates aud the prosecution of her
great business This practice, wore it
brought to bear in the ordinary business
affairs if life, would break down and root
out all confidence, and bring disrepute.
And how is it that Board of the Stew
ards of the Church of our Lord Jesus
Christ, may do that, in connexion with
her interests, when dealing with her
ministers, with impunity, which they
would not, and it may be could not, or
dare not do, in their connection with the
world ? Is it because the Injured and
wronged servant ofGod has no means of
redress except that which is to be found
in the corrective power of the pr;nci-
Piles and sentiment of the Church? If
this be so, then let the Church speedily
lift her voice, and create a sentiment
on this subject, which shall at once ap-
ply the remedy Nay God give to tho
stewardship Of the Church, eyes to see
the moral deformity ola practice like
this, aud His grace lead them into
higher and purer and better ways.
A proper discharge Of duty on tho
part Of the stewardship in connexion
with the body Of the membership, will
60 far to relieve the premises Of the
evil of which we complain. And
part of that duty is, by cline upon line
and precept upon preoept," to impress
the truth chat the obligation to support
the Church rests alike upon all her
members, according to the means which
God has given them-thet from this
none may claim exemption. In the
financial system Of English Methodism
even those whose Indulgence enables
them to draw from the charities of the
Church, are expected or required to
cast back into the treasury penny or
more a week, in order that the princi-
pie of which we speak may be fully
applied. And our Church, in her fnan.
cial interests, cannot be placed upon or
easy and safe basis, until this principle
is brought into operation. And it is
believed, that in The administration of
discipline, locking to her spiritua! vital
ity and progress, as involved in the
temporal means for her support, she
sh or1I roooxk IN ANNA voruotsoo founIod