Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1893-10-21

thcr tdnud tbe book % rs well 10iinh
and could be furnished at ono nenny
each, provided few advertisements Of
= patent ntsiicine were permit;ed 10 be
inserted. The chtfnsh officers thought no
valid objection could b. urged against
ihis. The hynn-books were accordingly
ordered and arrived on Dec. "A and taken
% the ehurch The next day was Christ
l mas and the new books were distributed.
lie minister announced hymn suitable
for the day and requested the choir to
sing without reading. The choir started
wan great eclat and sang-
''Harki the herald angels sing;
:, Beecham's Pllls are Just the thing,
Peace on earth and mercy mild
Two for Den, rnd one for chlld:'
BeeCbanI's plls must have cnectuaIly
cufed that church Of any further desire
Tor cheap hyiunn,s and desire for cheap
preaching.
The salaries Of our ministers should be
increased, aud thus the profession ele.
waited TO the position Of dignity in which
we mud it Ia Gods word. The influence
anu usefulness of the ministry would
then be enlarged, for they could then
equip themselves more perfectly for their
woFk II freed FROM the financial restraints
" which now too many of
them arr hampered. But how
= this u be Accomplishment The
elders and deacons must inauguraio
this movement, they must lead, and
the church will follow. We must
Dy courageous and persistent effort
PVT the ministry, not Oh 4 parity
WIN the other professions, but put Il
Where God has put 1t from the begin.
hihg-upon the basis Of an honorable
ana adequate financial support. ! am
discussing the relation, etc. We should
see TO il that every church has a parson-
age, During the hrst hundred years of the
history Of the Christian church In Amer
iea, inanse was almost invariably pro-
vlded by each congregation, so that in
lSuO the churches and munses were near
~ equal; now, however, the churches out
number the manses twelve times in the
Presbyterian church Of the United States.
HOW MUCH SHALL WE GIVE?
Perhaps one Of the most important and
practical questions IN the whole range of
church finances is "How much shall we
giveT We are very fortunate, however
IN having this matter settled for Us by
the highest authOrity-the authority of
Gods word The 1.-THE is the Lords"
In the Patriarchal age Of the Old Tesla
ment this definite percentage was de-
clared. 1t was instituted soon after the
creation of man, and was continued for
&OOO years. Ii was recognized from the
beginning; il was not given for any speci.
he'd time; il was limited to no particular
people, its binding force sweeps on 10 the
end Of time
Under the Leyidcgl dispensation we
md that One-teuth Of all the increase OF
the people was to be given to the Lord.
This law was recognized by Christ, aud
the Christian church was built around 1t.
and this law Of the 1.-THE continued until
about three centuries before the Reforna.
ton, when the ROmish church assailel the
doctrine of the divine right of the
4the." and every Student of history
u NsaH . D. d. 4
Us the doctrine was delusive. There
u perfect harmony between the teaching
Of tue Old Testament aud the New on
the doctrine Of the tithe-they are an
exposition not Of two but Of one religion
the Christian religion. They are not
two churches, but two states OF the same
church, and this Christian church Is the
same from the first promise in Genesis
to the end Of the world. The important
fact should always be remembered that
the civil AMI ceremonial laws were given
10 q particular people for particular time
but became rull and void when that time
was accomplished; but the law of the
1.-THE existed from the hrst as the law
of the Sabbath existed from the first,
aud was neither civil nor ceremonial, but
moral, and consequently 10 just ~ bind
ing today ~ aus other Interchangeable
moral law.
TTrHING SANCTIONED BY CHRIST.
Some one may ask il the law of the
1.-THE IS still In foFce why was il not re-
affirmed by CHRISTI | answer, for the
same reason that the law OF the Sab
bath was not reatiirmed, or the law OF
hliul obedience, and other moral laws
These laws were understood, recognized
aud taken for granted. The Savior, how
ever, did commend and sanction the law
Of the 1.-THE. He said to the Pharisees
who boosted that they "tithed mint,
anise, and cummiu,' "These things
ye ought to have done Can you ind
In his teachings any stronger language
than this regarding the Sabbathl Can
you fluid any 50 strongf The Savior re-
proved them for regarding the form too
much, and the spirit too little.
REASONS FOR OBSERVING THE
TIpIIE.
The two great reasons for paying one
tenth of our income to Christian and be-
ueyolent objects are: first. it is Gods |
law, which we have yndcayorcd to |
show; and second, because thereby We
promote our spiritual and temporal inter
estsiu other words, ''it pays, and this |
reason We can all appreciate; 1t phys Ia
spiritual blessings, and II pays IN tenn
poral blessings This temporal side IL
the practical side to you and me, We are |
laymen, lawyers, merchants, bankers,
real estate agents and farmers. We are |
struggling to make both ends meet. Yet |
we owe something To others and we owe |
20 God. but We cannot pay it |
directly 10 God, We must pay il to the |
church, to the poor, to the heather, aud |
fellow officers, let US teach the people. |
over whom God has made US oyerseors, |
that beucyoence begins after the one
tcnth Is raid. A man cannot claim to
be benevolent for paying the one-tenth |
any more than for paying his rent, or his |
grocery TIL Bencvolcnce begins after |
The one-tenth Is paid, and consists In /
gifts and freewill offerings. The minimum
10 be paid Is the one-tenth, and after that |
and beyond that all that u consecruted /
heart filed with Gods love will prompt |
Surely the minimum of giving named in |
the Old Testament cannot be objected TO
as too high starting point for New
Testament saint,
BLESSINGS FOLLOW
We have the most conclusive evidence
that God will bless Us temporarily II we
devote on--tenth of our
income 10 the spread of Christs kingdom,
and to charitable and benevolent objects,
The nine-tenths viii 20 farther than If
We kept the whole for ourselves. About
twenty years ago a iayman in Chicago adj
dressed a circular letter TO at least three
r.,rtb, - tha minister's In the United |