Vermont farmer. [volume] (Newport, Orleans County, Vt.) 1870-1877, 1875-11-12

Inc way IN which church edihces are built |
nowadays really necesistates a new formula
OF dedication. How would this read
ave dedicate this edi6co 10 Thee, our Lord
and Master; we give il TO Thee aud Thy
cause and kingdom, subject to a mortgage Of
one hundred aud fifty thousand dollars
(Sl50,O0O) We bequeath IL To our child.
rem and our childrens children, as the great.
est boon we can confer on them Subject to
the mortgage aforesaid) aud we trust that
they will have the grace and the money to
pay tho interest and lift the mortgage. Pre-.
serve It from Ere and foreclosure, we pray
Thee, and make il abundantly useful to
Thyself,--subject, Of course, 70 the afore-
said mortgage"
The Offering of o structure to the AL.
mighty, as the gift OF an organization of
devotees who have not paid for il, aud do
not own it, strikes the ordinary mind as a
very strange thing, yet it is safe to say that
not one church in twenty is built 10 America
without mourning debt, larger or smaller.
A more commodious and a more elegant
building is wanted. A subscription is made
that will not more than half cover its cost.
aud money enough is borrowed to complete
1t. The whole property is mortgaged for
all that it will carry, the financial authorities
are saddled with floating debt which they
can only handle on their personal RESPONSE.
bility, and then comes taxation for interest,
sufficient to keep the church always in dis.
tress. This sort of church enterprise is SO
common that Il has become commonplace.
The children Of this world do not build rail-
roads with capital stock paid in. but they
build them with bonds. The children of
light really do not seem TO be less wise in
their generation, in the way in which they
build their churches Indeed, we think the
latter can give the former several points and
beat them; for the paying success Of
church depends upon more contingencies than
the success Of railroad, aud its bonds really
ought not to sell for moro than City cents on
a dollar "hat."
If we seem to make light Of this subject,
it is only for the purpose of showing how
absurd position the churches have assumed
in relation to it. II is not light subject !;
it is very grave one, aud one which de-
mands the immediate and persistent atten-
ton Of all the churches until it shall be
properly disposed Of. In the first place, it
is not exactly Christian act for a body Of
men to contract debt which they are not
able to pay. 1t is hardly more Christian to
refuse to pay debt which they know they
are able to discharge. 1t can hardly be re-
garded as generous deed to bequeath debt
to succeeding generations. The very fouuda.
tioDs Of the ordinary church debt are rotten.
They are rotten with poor morality, poor
financial policy, and personal and sectarian
vanity. Does any one suppose that these
expensive aud debt.laden churches were
erected simply for the honor of the Master,
and given to HIN, subject to mortgage
The results Of building churches upon
such an uusound basis are bad enough. The
first result, perhaps, is the extinguishment
of all church bene6cence. The church debt
is the apology for denying all appeals ior
aid, from all the greater and smaller chart.
ties. A church sitting 10 the shadow Of q
great debt, is "not at home" to callers They
do not pay the debt, but they owe the money,
aud they are afraid they shall be obliged to
pay it. The heather must take care Of
themselves, the starving must go without
bread, the widow and the fatherless must
look to the God Of the widow and the father.
less the sick must pine, and the poor child
rem grow up in vagaboudage, because Of this
awful church debt. All the meanness in .
church skulls behind the debt, Of which I,
intends to pay very little. while all tn,
nObleness feels really poor, because it is con-
sciOus that the debt is to be paid, if paid ut
all, by itself.
Again, a church debt is q scare-crow Il
all newcomers. A stranger, taking up biz
residence in any town, looks naturally for
the church without debt. He has 4 hor
ror of debt Of any sort, perhaps, and, as HI
had no responsibility for the church debts he
finds, he does not propose voluntarily to as
sumo any. So he stays away from the debt
ridden church, and the very means that we're
adopted to make the edi6ce attractive, be
come, naturally and inevitably, the agents Of
repulsion. Debt.ridden churches, with good
preachers, do not need to look beyond their
debts for the reason which prevents more
frequent aud remunerative accessions to their
number.
Still again, church debts are iutolerablt
burdens to their ministers. They mus
"draw," in order that the debt may be paid
IL they do not "draw," they must leave t.
make place for q man who will. The yearly
deficit is an awful thing for a sensitive min
lister to contemplate, and puts him under l
constant and cruel spur, which, sometimes
swiftly and sometimes slowly, wears out hi:
life Tue feverish desire. on the part o
churches, for brilliant or sensational preach
ing. is moro frequently generated by tn,
debt than by any other cause. In many in
stances the minister is forced into being
politician, a manager an intriguer, society
hunter, rather than a soul-seeker. Thi
latter point is painful one, and we do no
propose to dwell upon it; but the deferenc,
to the man of money, shown in some churches
is certainly very pitiful, when its cause j
, fully understood.
Now, isn't it about time to make new
departure Isn't it about time for th,
debtor churches to take up their debts like
men, and discharge them 2 Isn't it Abou
time to stop defeating church edi6ces t
Jehovah, subject TO a mortgage of one hun
bred aud fifty thousand dollars Isn't i
about time that churches become sound il
their moralities, as they relate to the con
traction Of debts which they either will not
or cannot, pay We say Eyes" to all thes'
, questions, and we know that the good sens
and Christian feeling Of the country will re
spond Amen Let that "Amen" DO pu
into practical shape at once, 80 that thou
sand churches, now grooming under debt
may 20 into the next year with shoulder
light aud hearts not only lighter, but ready
for all the good work that is going on around