The central Presbyterian. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1856-1908, 1879-01-01

| 1855 are ctr loI uelP. So'ao oA Jul
objects are il bril- We are threatened
sith sl enf0 Ietreat in directions in
which we hay advancing fOF years
Unless more pmes than We now have
the pro-, ct ofSsecurihg, We shall be com
PEELED ,ehdfaw some Of our missionaries
frcu sse ts.sign field and close up or seri-
ouaIy diminish soms.o of the Mission schools ;
ge sball have to "a, ,,up part of our Do
mestic field and ttra out many churches to
fd ata.fstion; anatnash hall have
to stop the studies of portion oTour candi-
dates for the ministry. We might 60 fur
ther, and show dangers nearer home in the
way of pastoral nonsupport. We have no
desire to get up sensation and certainly no
ambition to be alarmists. The present state
of things has not come upon Us suddenly, and
while We have seen the shadow lengthening
and dsrkening, We have persisted in hoping
for an early reaction and have cherished
cheerful views of the prospect. But we have
been disappointed. Matters still grow worse
instead of better.
1t is useless for any to say that the Church
has tried to advance too fast, and has been
unwiSe in forming plans larger than her re-
sources Who said, eco ye into all the
'OOrld and preach the gospel to every crea-
ture?" Who called to the ministry the
scores of young brethren who come forward
and say, Here, Lord, are We; send US ?"
Who charged US to " bear one another's bur-
den's and so fulfil the law of Christ" and
thus laid on us the duty of helping the weak
churches 3? The plans of the Church are
narrOw compared with the great work the
Master has intrusted to her And we will
add, narrow, compared with her means. the
Church'S agents may have erred in some
points, but they have moved cautiously and
have honestly tried to keep out Of debt and
to avoid burdening the people.
Well, reverses have come-fnancial en-
barrassment, failures, poor crops, low prices,
the death of many liberal givers-and here
we are in strait. What shall We do
This is practical and very solemn CUES.
tion, and the Church is bound to meet it,
before God. There are two courses open be.
fore US. One of these is TO abridge ell our
Church enterprises attempt less for Christ
and dying world; and give up to darkness
and death multitudes whom We are now try
ing to save. The very suggestion is appall-
ing. 1t startes every Christian heart And
if We we're to attempt it, every step in the
sad work would send fresh pang through
every nerve of our spiritual sensibility, and
it would be like writing our own condemna-
tion. Still this would be better than going
deeper into debt; for that would be dishon-
est, as we'll as only postponement Of the
catastrophe.
But how can We 60 on? Have we the act
ual ability? If the question were, Can We
sustain all our present plana and spend as
much as we have been spending on ourselves,
We would probably have to say, No. Then
the alternative is Christ or ourselves; his
work or our qualification; the death of souls
or a life of self-denal. We have often
thought that the meaning of true Christian
self.denial is less understood in the Church
than the most knotty points in our theology.
When We have seen how many professors of
Christianity live, in what luxury, gratifying
all the desires of the flesh and the mind
what sums they appropriate to pleasure, to
show, to even their lower appetites; and
have seen the amounts given by them to
spread the gospel, to win back an apoState
world to their King and Saviour, and to res
cue immortal beings from an eternity Of woe;
when we have compared tie readiness with
which they pay these large sums to their mer-
chants and butchers and upholSterers and all
the other ministers to their enjoyment, and
the slowness and reluctance With which they
dole out the little pittance which they give
to Christ's cause; and when We hear their
miserable apologies for these small contribu-
tions and their wretched excuses for not con-
trbuting at all, how can we think that they
have learned the simplest elements of this
plain Christian duty?
But We remember that such cares are not
10 point. 1t is not they who have sustained
the benevolent enterprises of the Church
they have never been relied on for this pur-
pose.
There is large class of men, moderate
livers," who have practised what might be
considered an allowable and rghtful indul
gence of personal qualifications, in food
dress, furniture, dwellings, equipage, and the
like, and who have contributed perhaps the
great bulk of means by which the Church
has prosecuted her work. They have o higher
view of duty and more willing mind They
feel the force of those touching appeals which
have come from the Master and His needy
cause, anG they are open to the new an(
strong appeals which the present ezigencieI
of that cause now present. To them we sug
gest the inquiry, Has not the time now come
for real self.denisl ?
Much can be given withoutany self denial
We venture to say that only small portion
of the means of the Church, thus far, ha'
caused any real inconvenience to the giVers
They have, as general thing, kept up theil