The Cecil Whig., 1886-01-23
Qhtptoplts (olumn
THE Laborer is Worthy of His Hire.

This text is applicable to all business
transactions, but more especially to those
who are appointed to preach the Gospel,
and yet how many there are, who do not
receive the lire which they were prom
ised and ought to receive. Most of the
churches now are entirely dependent to
carry on this work to voluntary contri-
butors or to the offering made by the
congregations, and yet let any one eX-
anime the collections made from Lime to
time and he will be surprised to learn
that three -fourths of them are composed
of one cent pieces, and would suppose
that every drawer, purse or pocket had
been searched to find the cent piece to
offer to the Lord. One gentleman, who
has to take up the collections in one of
the churches of Elkton informed me, that
frequently out of six pews containing at
least thirty persons, he only got %
cents. They who SOW little must ex-
pect to reap but little A man will not
hesitate to spend daily from ten to
twenty five cents for cigars or lady the
same for ice cream, &C., yet will hunt
over drawers, purse, or pocket, for tie
cent, for their poorly paid minister. We
forget that an all-seeing eye sees and
knows our ecer Altering to bis cause, and
will repay us just in proportion as we
give. Those who do not attend church
one Sunday forget that they did not give
on that Sunday. 'Yet, these ministers
had to preach, all the same. j. H.
1t is quite evident that 81. H." does
not read The WING very closely, Or he
would have seen the above question very
thoroughly discussed in these columns
several weeks ago. The article to which
we refer was entitled Freedom of Wor-
ship" and was written by staff writer
of this paper who had thoroughly in-
vestigated the matter before he put his
ideas in type. 1t is very wrong idea to
depend upon the collection for the sup
port of minister. The minister needs
his salary, and q good big one, too, just
as much as the tailor or the carpenter
needs his, but if to every Church WAS
attached an able executive society with
power to assess the members of the con-
gregation and sustain the church's finan-
ces, there would be cessation of these
continual appeals to congregations for
more liberality when the collection plate
is passed. 1t is oftentimes a very en-
barrassing thing to take out the purse in
church and search for coin to throw i'll
the contribution basket, and il is time
such system was abolished. Every
member of the congregation knows how
much he or she can afford to give to the
support of the church each year, there
fore let them promptly pay that sum at
the end or beginning of the year, or in
quarterly installments, and thereby spare
the community the pain of reading the
truths contained in the above epstle. AS
far as the matter of ''giving to the Lord"
goes, that appears little sacrilegious,
as no member of the congregation who
has good sense can refrain from feeling
that what sum goes towards feeding and
clothing the pastor and his family is not
adding much to the wealth of God. Be.
sides, God don't need money, and He
doesn't mean that any should so idolize
Him as to hoard up large sums for Him.
All He wants is the heart and soul de-
votion of His followers, and they may
worship Him in handsome churches or
in the open fields; it is all the same, so
the worship is honest and sincere, and
the faith and devotion eternal -EDs.
WHIG.