Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1889-05-26
THE LORDS MONEY.
Not a Part but the Whole of Our
Possessions Belong to God,
TO BE USED AS he DIRECTED.
How the Evils that Follow Wealth Nay
Be Changed 10 Blessings
BY OBSERVING CHRISPS TEACHINGS
WRITTEN FOR THE DISPATCH. /,

The subject is money. We go straight to
the heart of this matter when we affirm that
money belongs to God. All that we have
belongs to God.
Christianity and socialism differ, it has
been said, just here: That Christianity
teaches "What is mine is thine;" while So
cialism turns that quite about, declaring
"What is thine is mine" But they are
wise who tell us that the Christian religion
rather speaks thus: "What seems thine is
not thine, and what seems mine is not
mine" This is neither mine nor thine; it
is all Gods; to Him only it belongs, not to
either of us. ''The silver is mine, and the
gold is mine," saith the Lord. This is an
eternal principle.
Now, Christianity is religion of eternal
principles. 1t has to do with politics; it
has to do with the problem of labor; it is
concerned in every question which concerns
men. But only in one way-not as med
dler; not as an interested partisan; not as
committed upon this side or that against
the other; but from above, as an authori-
tative pronouncer Of eternal principles.
This comes out with great clearness in the
attitude of Christ toward the public ques-
tions of His day. There was that question
of Roman taxation: Shall he pay tribute to
Cesar or not? You remember how He set
tied that problem-not by reciting history;
! not by quoting law; not by taking sides; not
by limiting the authority of the Latin
power and working distinct boundary be-
tween the State and the Church. No. He
appealed to an eternal principle, leaving the
questioner to work the application out
There was that other question of dlssen-
sion and injustice between brothers-pre-
cisely the problem which confronts US at this
hour. A man came asking for the Lords
arbitration. Ny brother and I, he said,
'have property to divide between u.s."
The property was an inheritance, but If it
had been the profits of years business,
there would have been no difference in the
principle. "We have this property to di-
vide, and my brother has taken the bigger
share. Make him divide over again, and
give me what is mine"
LABOR AND CAPITAL.
It was the labor question. The older
brother is capital, the younger is labor. The
capitalist gets a larger share of the profits
than the laborer thinks he ought to have.
make him divide over again." cries labor;
make him behave justly; make him give
me my share"
To this demand, to this unfortunate uues-
ton, what answer did the man get from the
Master? What did the Lord do? Did He
look into the matter, read the will, examine
the books, appralse the property, study up
the law of inheritance, consult political
economy, and then say: "You, elder brother,
you, capitalist, have taken so much more
per cent than your share; you must give
that back?" Did He do that?
He had come, had He not, to get Just that
sort OF thing accomplished; to aid the
wronged, to help the poor, the oppressed,
the defrauded, the down-trodden? It Is
right that His picture should hang to-day
upon the walls OF socialist meeting places,
with the inscription written under. "Jesus
of Nazareth, the Friend OF the Working
man."
But what did He answer? 'Man, He
said, "who made me judge or a divider
between you?" And He said unto them
unto one as much as unto the other, ''Take
heed and beware of covetOusness. tor a mans
life consjs.eth not in the abundance of the
things which he possesseth." Into the de-
tsiE of the matter He refused to
enter. Between the wrangling brothers,
= between the oppressed and the op-
pressor, between capital and labor-if we
may translate the incident into the Ian
guage of our modern life-He simply de-
clined to decide He stood between the
brothers, as His church should stand to-day,
the friend of both. He stood between them,
desiring that they should decide their own
dispute. He will not arbitrate. He wants
nothing arbitrary in the matter. Above He
looks, to an eternal principle. and states
that. Take this" He says, ''and work it
out for your own selves" Only thus can
differences be determined permanently.
Now, the most pressing and the most i'm
portanE of the problems of this day center
about that subject which we have
set ourselves just now to study.
They are in line with the differ
ences between the brothers. They are
QUESTIONS ABOUT MONEY.
And believe that the province of the re-
ligious teacher, touching this and all other
questions like it, is TO do just what Christ
did-to declare eternal principles. Now
here is an eternal principle about money.
''The silver is Mine, and the gold is Mine,
saith the Lord" That IS Gods truths about
money. LIE: us see just what this means?
Is it this: Tha. whoever pays pew rent, and
sets fair figure opposite his name in sub
scription books, and does good turn now
and then for destitute neighbor, is doing
his whole duty about money-is that it? Or
is it this: That whoever sets apart one
tenth of his income regularly, and
devotes that to religious and charitable
uses, is keeping the whole commandment
about money, is that it? A tenth of the
silver is mine and a tenth of the gold is
mine, is that what the Lord says? No,
here is a principle which goes great deal
deeper than such rules as these. Aims
basins and church treasurers' accounts and
soliciting lists and charities aud tithes, rep
resent but small part of the requirements
OF this universal law. We are still afar of
from the true doctrine which ought to gov
ern the relation of a Christian man to his
possessions.
This is what the truth about it is: Every
dollar that you have belongs to God. You
have no right to use one dime
for any other than a religious pur-
pose. "The silver is mine and the gold is
mine, saith the Lord" every penny Of it.
Is there anything unfair about that?
What have we which we can honestly call
our own? Poor and unclothed came we
into this world, bringing nothing with us,
and it is certain we can carry nothing out.
While we stay here, God let's us use His
treasures, as His servants, stewards, mana
gers. But we do not own anything. The
earth belongs to us no more than the sky.
The earth is the Lords, and all that therein
is. People talk about setting aside the
Lords share of their possessions. There is
no such thing. The Lords share is the
whole. We have no right to spend penny
for any other than a religious purpose.
A religious purpose-what sthat? Why,
the building or the beautitying of church,
or the endowment of hospital, or the erec-
tion of monastery-the monks said. But
we know better than that now. We have