The Pascagoula democrat-star. (Pascagoula, Miss.) 1878-1920, 1888-09-07
For the Dom0orat-Star.
CHRISTIAN GIVING.
by REV. c. N. A. YoNcE, A B.

THIS subject, ana vital rs II Is T.
the progress Of the church, am
intimately as it is connected will
I our piety, we know of no suhjec
/, upon which there is more indeli
niteness. We know Of no subjec
upon which the church needs light
and a proper Interpretation o.
Scripture more than this. Many
theorize on this part Of Christian
duty upon the false presumption
that the Script"res require MS tC
give just so much, and that must
be in dollars and cents, and this
must be given into an orthodox
bag or box. All modes Of getting
money for church purposes, excep;
by direct giving, are condemned In
a wholesale manner, as worldly
and carnal.
Now, there Is in 4 man a consci-
business, an intuItive sense, that
this Is not the mind Of the spirit
on this subject, and hence, in spite
Of all the newspapers, pamphlets
books on the subject, the practice
of the church has differed from its
theory. The tendency Of the prac-
tice of the church is more in keep
ing with the lesson of the parable
Of the talents and that Of the
pounds than the teachings Of theo-
ry are.
The Scripture nowhere attaches
Importance to silver and gold and
bank bills, in themselves consider
ed. 1t everywhere does attach value
to gifts. If silvero or gold is given, it
becomes valuable as IA Gift 4; and so
does brass or copper. Whatever is
| given that can be made serYiceable
either by use or exchange is a Gift /;
and if the COnsecrated gilt can be
increased in any lawful way, it is
valuable and acceptable to the
church and to God in proportion to
its increase. Putting the gift to
the eXchangerS for the purpose OF
increase is obeying the spirit of
the Gospel. Investing the peoples
gifts IN banks, in stocks, in land,
by the church is not at all wrong,
if the object is to increase the
Lords treasury.
If a Christian woman has fifty
cents for the Lord, she can do one
Of two things. She can put it di.
rectly into The basket on the Lords
day, in the most arthodoX style.
She has made a gift. She did it in
the proper spirit. She consecrated
it with faith and prayer. Ill IS an
acceptable gift. Or, she can take
that fifty cents and purchase ma
terial and make a garment that
will sell for one dollar, and she can
thus give the church one dollar in
stead Of fifty cents. Or she can
give the garment to the church
and it can make the sale for one
dollar. In either case, is moi the
Gift larger, and is it not as acCepta-
bic to God! Making and selling
the garment was worldly, but was
1t any more worldly than building
the house in which The congrega-
tons worship? Is not the second
fifty cents made as legitImately as
the first !
Now, instead Of the garment,
suppose she invests her fifty cents
in materials for ice-cream and sells
the cream, and puts the dollar into
the treasury, or the church sells the
cream and puts the dollar into the
fund for repairs or for missions.
Wherein does h etransactiOn differ
from the former one? Is one worse
than the other? Is it any more
harm to make lce-cream and sell if
than to make garments and sell
them? Would It have been any
more religious or c~Onsecrated Civ
ing to have put the fifty cents into
the basket than to give the dollar?
Is 1t any more religious to slarve
a missionary on a few dollars di-
rectly given, than by proper usury
10 make 4 better salary and feed
him? Or, is it any more religious
to let money make seven per cent.
in a bank than TO make the same
per cent. in i%ce-cre3m?
1t seems clear to me that the
only thing to settle is how far shall
the church go in devising means
for increasing the funds necessary
for carrying on her work. May
she have divine readings, tea par
lies, oyster suppers, fairs, excur
sions, etc? Certainly the Bible
here as elsewhere is our guide. The
rule is, give no ofense in anything.
Destroy not with thy meat him for
whom Christ died. Be not con
formed to this world. But there Is
another side, Be not righteous
overmuch, G.. prudiStly So. All
things are yours. The world shall
not have all the good, because il
takes innocent thing and innocent
usages and brings them into disre-
pute by prOstituting them to base
purposes. | will not relinquish
prayerbecause bad men pray /; nor
will | refrain the Lords Supper
because drunkards drink wine.
If the Bible does not condemn
my mode | will not not desist from
it because the world has adopted
it. The church has the first mort
gage on all good things and the
good ways in this world, and the