Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1875-09-23
&eadiug fur the Sabbath.
CONDUCTED BY
REV. ROBERT LATHAM.
SUPPORT OF THE GOSPEL.


SUPPORT OF THE GOSPEL.
The church, as we'll as the world, needs to
be enlightened on the subject of supporting
the gospel Evidently, considerable num-
Der of persons who, it may be said have been
members of the church all their lives, have
no just conception of what is meant by sup
porting the gospel. What their notions re.
specting this subject are, we will not under
take to say, further than that they are un-
scriptural.
Every individual who has read the Bible,
must know that God commands us to honor
Him with our substance. A free salvation
does not mean that we are required to do
nothing, and to sacrifice nothing, in order to
be saved. Jesus Christ, by his death and
suffering, made an atonement for sin, so that,
with all propriety, it is said that pardon and
forgiveness are granted to us without money
and without price. 1t costs us nothing to be
redeemed; but it cost God the blood Of His
own son. In the application of redemption,
we are laborers together with God. We may,
with due regard to truth, assert that unless we
work together with God, we cannot be saved.
There is nothing paradoxical in this. The
providence of God furnishes countless illus
trations of the same general principle. God
gives the human family the earth. He soft
ems it with showers and warns it with the &C.
nial rays of the sun, and causes it to bring
forth bread to the eater and seed to the sower +;
but in this, man is a co-laborer with God. We
must 90 into the vineyard of the Lord and
work. Such is the ordinance of God.
1t is useless to say that God being omnipo-
tent, does not need mans assistance He
can do all the work Himself 1t matters not
to US what God, in His omni potence, can do
The question of Importance to US is what He,
in His wisdom, has determined to do, and
what not to do. Now, God has plainly de-
clared that, by the preaching of the gospel,
He will save those who believe. The gospel
cannot be preached without human support.
In supporting the gospel, we are living in
obedience to the will of our heavenly father.
This support must be rendered willingly, and
to the amount of our ability. AS the Lord
blesses US, so are we to support His gospel.
We are not asked to do impossibilities, but we
are regarded as stewards, and expected wisely
to expend whatever is placed in our hands,
for the advancement of our masters kingdom.
In another important respect, men have
mistaken notions concerning the support of
the gospel Too many, we fear, are prone to
look upon whatever material aid they may
render for the propagation of Christ's king
dom, as tax imposed by the officers of the
church militant This mistake of no ordi
nary magnitude. Supporting the gospel with
our substance, is as much an act Of religious
worship, as is the preaching Of the gospel,
singing praise to God, or Offering up supplica-
ton to him. There may be a difference in the
solernnity connected with these several acts of
religious worship, but all, nevertheless, are
devotional acts and all are commanded by
God.
Again, others seem to think that whatever
material aid they may contribute to the sup
port of the gospel, is so much contributed to
support the ministers of the gospel in leading
lives of luxury and ease. This is thrust
aimed at the ministers of the gospel; but
the blow falls upon the head of the Lamb Of
God which takes away the sin of the world.
1t is indirectly abusing the master by abus-
ing the servant directly. Ministers of the
gospel are but men-frail, fallible men-men,
constantly making great blunders and COM
mitting heinous sins; but, as class, ministers
of the gospel are not rch-neither do they
live in luxury and ease. Often, their meat is
locusts and wild honey. Some men, no doubt,
preach Christ for gain but not many. No
sensible man ever chose the office of the min
istry that he might accumulate a fortune.
In one word, we may conclude that the sup
port of the gospel is an act of religious wor-
ship-an appointment of God part of the
plan which God has chosen for the evangel-
zing and Outstanding the world.
Our SORROW SHALL HAVE AN END.-"The
Lord turned the captivity of job" So then,
our longest sorrows have close, and there is
bottom to the profoundest depths of our
misery. Our winters shall not frown forever {;
summer shall soon SMILE The tide shall not
eternally ebb out; the floods must retrace
their march, The night shall not hang its
darkness forever over our souls; the sun shall
yet arise with healings beneath his wings.
'The Lord turned the captivity of job"
Thus, too, our sorrows shall have an end when
God has gotten his end in them. The ends in
the case of Job wero these, that Satan might
be defeated, foiled with his own weapons,
blasted in his hopes when he had everything
his own way. God, at Satan's challenge, had
stretched forth his hand and touched Job in
his bone and in his flesh and yet the tempter
could not prevail against him, but received
his rebuff in those conquering words, Though
he slay me, yet will l trust in him." When
Satan is defeated, then shall the battle cease.
SUNDAY AND HEALrH-"The first gener-
al law ofnature by which God prevents man
from destroying himself is the alternating of
day and night, that repose may succeed action.
But even this will not sufficiently restore its