The Caucasian. (Clinton, N.C.) 188?-1913, 1890-04-17
"x arsaw Items"

an article in THE CAUCASIAN Of last
week signed by "Spritz," which,
however well intentioned, puts the
Warsaw Baptist church in false
light and thereby tends to injury.
1t is an old maxim that half truths
amount TO positive error. Now il
is true as ''Spritz'' states that the
New Testament system OF beuevo-
lence l. ii voluntary one aud achurciI
has no rightful authority to compel
any one 10 pay fixed levy or tax
against his viii, but on the other
hand ii as equally true that when an
Individual joins church Of Jesus
Christ he thereby voluntarily as
sumes certain covenant obligations
to contribute according to his
ability" for the support of the
gospel, and this duty will be cheer
fully perform if he loves the Saviour
and his cause. If Spritz will read
on in The New Testament little
further he will find that "Covetous-
ness" is laid down as a mortal sin
which not only excludes a member
from church but ever from the
kingdom of heaven. In / Cor. 5:11,
Paul expressly enjoins the church to
hold no fellowship with one guilty
Of this sin. If a member makes lit
tie or no effort to contribute to the
cause; if he will contribute only one
dollar year when in all reason he
could as readily give five or ten, he
is presumably affected by this deadly
sin that is eating out his religious
life; and when members falling to
come up to reasonable obligation
| thereby the whole burden of support
falls upon few, the church not
only has right to complain, but it
is its duty to inquire into the christ
ian standing Of such members.
Furthermore when church engages
a pastor at fixed salary it voluntarily
assumes business obligation which
to meet is not an act of benevolence
but duty to pay as much as any
other debt, nay more SO, for it is
for Gods cause, and he above all is
OFF preferred creditor
We further call the attention of
Spritz to the fact that the titheing
system of the Old Testament was
not at all enacted by man but by
Jehovah himself. 1t was his own
requirement, the minimum sum
which he expected of his people as
an expression of their loyalty to
him and to the support of his cause
as well as their own spiritual good
1t is by no means clear that the
Lord does not expect the same 1.-THE
or one tenth as the minimum which
one should give unde" the new dis.
pensation, but it is certainly clear
that systematic giving is duty anC
grace which should be cheerfulIy
rendered and not "grudgingly.'
Now it was in perfect accord will
the foregoing n. T. principles tina
| the Warsaw Baptist chursh took thu
action in its late conference ATTENDED
to by Spritz. In that action tn,
church sought not in the least de
gree to Cypress any one, much les
did it exact any sum of any on
known to be too poor to pay. Il
arranging for the pastors salary TIL
church did voluntarily and unani
mousIy adopt what is known as TIL
appOrtionment system, wherein b.
a large and wise committee takin
into most careful and prayerful cor
sideration the circumstances of eac
member minimum amount wa
, allotted to each one as the yer
t lowest amount which he himsel
: would confess he was able to NEE
i This is no new system, but has bee
: adopted long since by many Of 0;
:. very best churches, and found
work well, far better than the oil
i slack way that has been an endle
/ source of trouble to the churches
- meeting the PASTORS salary.
It seeking in a perfectly kind an
d christian manner. and according I
/ New Testament order, to bril-
some Of its members to account Fl
violation Of their covenant obiig
lions, the Warsaw church has a
raigned no one for refusing to pe
any certain tax Or apportionmen
but it has saught solely to deal Wi
Up those who by continuous refusal
accede to any settlement whateve
have exhausted all reasOnab
# christian fOrbearance. We belle,
that if all our churches would TIL
be more faithful to their disciplil
$ there would be far less difficulty
/ the support of the gospel, and t
e cause would take on new power al
II influence.
L 70. Z. MEEKs,
Il L. r. CARROLL,
u O. 2. MIDDLETON