St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1876-01-28


in this land are to-day virtually bank
rupt. If they were secular corpora
tions, instead of sacred ones. and wcr,
wound up Immediately, their asset,
would pay "A very moderate perceutop,
ON the dolI,r others tb,t ,ro r..,jI ,
solvent ale pushed TO sore cxtremities
At This time a prominent Evangelical
church is i'm dancer of uoiuu .:uudcr tb.
hammer i'm order to meet tb. claims
of mort"ape-hoIders Auoth.r nrnmi-
ment church is so overloaded that IFS
eloquent and admirable, pos.or tells hi.
flock that the debt must he lifted off,
..or it will Kill him H., is ou, of tbnse
true hearted pastors whose persou,I life
is bound up in the life. of his church
Several churches have, been disl,u,IrJ
on account of debt; Others have been
obliged to consolidate. 4 director in
two or three savings banks told us. to-
day, that the facts which came before
those banks i'm regard 10 the tiunuci,l
condition of MANY churches are perf.ct
" ghastlv.
How so many churches have became
So embarrassed we need not stop to in
duire. The secret of the Indebtedness
Oh nl'h'-ltlllllS Ol them Hes III the Slmple
fact that they determined to erect fine,
and costlirr buildings than they were
either willin" or able. to DAY for. I'm
doing this they committed a sin. and
in these hard times their ..siu finds Them
out
1t is Il very shallow view of this great
subject which simply regards heavy
church debt us an Inconvenience or an
unpleasant eucumbrancc upou its new
rental. Vital interests are vitallv af
fccted by it. In the first place. no
church that is embarrassed bv debt can
honestly give what it ought To outside
objects of Christian bcuevolencc. BE.
just and pay Your dues before vou are
generous. is Il maxim that applics ia
Christians collectively. as well as to
Christians individually. Nochurch that
is overloaded with debt can make pro
per provision for seating its worthy
poor and unfortunate members The
treasurer must have his pcw-rcuts. in
order to pay salaries and To meet the
omnivor"u> demands of the mortgage
holders. He must pay the interest ON
the debt. or the property is forfeited
The result is that no mercy can he
church-memhcr. His seats are wanted
foI those who WW pav up. and 50 he. i,
either nuStcd or else made to feel keen
Nv uncomfortable. As 10 making any
considerable number of il, seats free to
all cnmrrS. il Is Il downright imlpo,>i-
hility. Brother MuodN's sharp ewes SAW
very clearly that an indebted church
could never hc an abiding home ful
Gods poor.
Another Stuprudous evil that urnv
ont of hlg chmch- h-,l,ht> is that the pul-
pit which should ONLY he estimated l.,
its spiritual power comes to h, rated
hV Il low and SordId commercial valua-
tuu. The question in chasing or re
tanning Il pastor i not : ..ls he a rood
man and full of the HOLY Ghost ," hut
.Will he dra,r Will hr bring ON
empty prWS into market Will n,
make the church a pawn concern p
And 50 the ahuminahle iiu"Ic of tb,
money changers is heard in Gods tenn
plr. even as if WA, when tL, INDIGNANT
Lord Jesus entered the. S;cIcd ,ditic,
/ with his Srour.r,. of small cords to rxur
filthy lucIc from the doors. We say
nothing here of the weary anxirtirS tln
"pprr>s the hearts of many of th, hes
pastors when they feel that all their eff
forts I" sustain their church arc burden.
eel "r. ~ the jockeys say. are 'handi
capped" 10y Il crushing debt
We have left the most serious argu.
mcmt against churrh-dcbl> to the last
They arr immoral. Nay. more: 10y IL,
much ~ they impair and nruIralizr tn,
spiritual force of Chri>t'S rrpIr>cutariV,
ON c:uth they are "diou> and wicked
Cmi>t commands his followers To h,
Witness hearers fnr every thing that i,
truc and pure and honest and of zoo,
report. They are to stand for tiugaltN
against self indulgence and rNtraNa
glncc: for integrity in paving "hli.a
tiorI>: against laNitN. SWim,lin.. an,
dishonesty. \ church is >impl, Il col
lection of hands and hearts and if tn,
Whole collection of .hauds' are NO
..clcam'' from diShonnrahI- dealings
then they have NO Ii"hi to stand in hi
h"l, place"
The foremost moral conflicts of thi
ness ''"'i '"'''l.'e''i'i "'>f"H'>'N: III