The central Presbyterian. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1856-1908, 1873-12-17

a-aAas-~
, q good one, and much may be made of it,
:. But If tithes were not compulsory, thong
diVinely imposed, under the Mosaic economy
I it were certainly, hard case both to impos
and make them compulsory under the new
and that without the shadow of divine wal
rant. If HChristians in the United States an
Great Britain have not been as liberal a
they ought to have been, memories of tn
odious compulsory tithe law of England hav
| probably had no little direct and indirect in
Auence in producing this result; while th
cowardice of ministers in Withholding grea
part of the Lords viii in the matter of aims
giving and Christian stewardship and liberal
ity, with the low state of piety among botf
ministers and people, largely due to that class
of 'reyiVals" when leave converts as abso
Lutte proprietors o Their worldly goods as they
! were before, wiz explain all the rest And
yet in spite q all sbis, where in the world,
and when sine the 6rSs fusion of the Holy
t9hesf ia a a A.siio tmesssits pure Christ;aG:
ity, without making any allowance for Ia
meutable corruptionS and dangers on which
we cannot shut our eyes, been in SO -four
ishing a condition as in the dissenting
churches of Great Britain, and the evangeli-
cal churches of America? Take century by
century and go backward from the eighteenth
to the second, and (although brother Miller
thinks our righteousness bears no comparison
with that of the Scribes and Pharisees, PIP.
80, ~, where in all the annals of the Church
shall we find so bright page as that which
is now filling up? We don't like brother
Miller's statistics, though he says they are
according to the last Census; for if the vol
untary contributions of our churches in Great
Britain and America to Foreign Missions
alone amounted to near $6,000,000, the last
year, it is fair to assume that their total of
contributions to all religious objects would
not be less than $50, 600, 900 or $50, 900, 900.
The contributions of the Northern Presby-
terian Church alone, two years ago, amount
ed to about 100000 If the voluntary
principle In vogue among us has SO affected
the nation at large that the Government com
missioner on Education reports $1s, 10000
of contributions to the cause of Collegiate
education, including nearly million and
half for Theological SeminarieS, We don't
think it will do to call that voluntary prin-
ciple failure. And if in spite of an army
of assessors and collectors of tithes, &C.,
imposed as of divine obligation, and whose
non payment forfeits all church privileges,
Romish countries contribute prOportiOnally
far less to religious objects, as we believe to
be the case, than Great Britain and the Uni.
ted States, we believe that matters can only
be much worSted by the advocacy of the
same system among ourselves; we have no
fears as to its adoption.
Let then this Odious 1.-THE system, which
even Moses in the days of legal bondage un.
der the rudiments of this world never thought
of imposing, go to its own place. Let Chris
tians be taught to give, not grudgngly or of
necessity, but manfully, generously, joyfully,
freely, even as Christ gave his all for them.
Let them understand that aims giving and
liberality are essential traits of all who
"kno@ the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Let the selfish and covetous be admonished
that in the day of accounts they will be
judged by deeds, not by professions; accord
ing to their works and not according to that
wretched calculation of chances about time
and eternity, which they have miscalled
" faith" that when ChristS coming kingdom
of life and Immortality is opened up to the
gaze of an astonished universe, when the
books are opened to determine who are the
subjects Of that kingdom, prepared from the
foundation of the world, none will be ac-
counted worthy to enter it, but those whO
haze suffered for 1t, z Thes. i: 5, because
they believed in it, and in Him who has
promised and procured it; SO that if even
their purse has been too precious to suffer
loss therefor, both it and they will perish
with an unbelieVing world. Let those who
are more concerned about "laying up treas
ure for themselves" than about being rich
toward God, be made to remember that the
Lord Christ has already fOrewarned his SER
wants, that to have grown rich, or to have
been rich in the midst of such world as this,
of ignorance and apostacy, of wretchedness,
and woe, will form capital ar
ticle of indictment in that day, which will
render it easier for camel to pass through
the eye of needle than for the rich man to
enter and possess the kingdom of heaven
Let these and other like truths of which the
Bible is full, be taught and pressed on awak
ened and awakening eonsciences with one
half the zeal with which we call on man to
repent, and to believe half preached, half
understood and half received Gospel, and our
Christianity will no longer be that defOrmed
and one sided thing it too often is; and the
Lords house will be well furnished with
those willing and gladly offered Sacrifices
with which God is well pleased"
Brother Miller thinks it (page 54) wholly
incredible that Christ should have founded
his kingdom " Exclusively upon system of
free-will offerings" For our own part we