El Paso daily herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1881-1901, 1898-11-28
FIRST METHODIST CHURCH.
''WlI1 a Man Rob God?"

church from the text, "Will a man rob
God?" Nal. 3. 8.
He spoke in part as follows:
Robbery in every g OF the world
las cen considered among the very
worst of crimes. 1t is worse than
stealing, because the man VINO steals
takes what does not belong to him.; but
he does it secretly and even the man
from whom he steals may not be con-
scious OF it. Until he is detected in his
work, he may stand condemned before
the bar of his own conscience ana that
of God; but at the. same time In dis
community he may pass Tor q gentie
man.
But the mar who robs not only AXE
that does not belong to him but does
Il with the knowledge and contrary TO
the wishes of his victim. He first des-
trovs his manhood, his liberty, and
then takes his goods. At heart, L pre-
sumo. that the majority OF robbers are
murderers, because usually q ROD
Der would kill his victim rather than
be arrested In his w~ickedness or defect
ed in his purpose. Hence L say that
robbery IL worse han stealing.
1t is worse than drunkenness; because
the man who gets drunk usually in
lures only himself. True indeed We
cannot tell whom the drunkard may in
iuire, or the suffering and sorrow he
may cause to others. here 1s no law
against q man getting drunk II he de-
sires to do SO. Perhaps IL would be bet
ter n there were.
Robbery Ia worse than swearing or
blasphemy. Among the better class
of people swearing Is looked upon as
one of those foolish and ungentleman-
ly habits, into which men Will some
times fall; which shows, rather than
anything else, q weakness OF their
mental or moral natures, or perhaps OF
both. l say foolish, because nothing
can be more absurd or ridiculous than
for a man to stop In the middle OF q
sentence and throw in q word that
adds neither intelligence nor empahsis
to what he says. 1 say u~ngentleman-
ly because whatever else q man may
be, IL he is given to profanity he lacks
Just hat much OF being q down right
gentleman. John Brown used to say,
NIf there Is q God IL Is q desperately
wicked thing to swear, and IL there Is
no God IL is an exceedingly foolish.
But Notwithstanding that robbery Is
worse than all these, my text says,
Twill q man rob God?" and we read in
the same verse yet ye have robbed
me. In tithes and Offering"
In order to understand this passage
wemust ZEAL in mind that speaking In
a broad sense, all things belong to
SOQ. lu u mOE0 nnTEOW Cho shos
which a man has accumulated belongs
to him. But since all Is the gift OF
God, God requires that man should re-
turn unto him q part of his possessions.
We cannot steal from God. Therefore,
of all that we appropriate to ourselves,
or withhold from God that we should
return unto him we rob God. A mans
possession does not always consist in
dollars and cents. It may be in a
strong body, q bright intellect, a spe-
cial ability as that of music or teach
ing. II so, then the man who fails to
csre for his body or to improve his in.
tellect or make the most of his special
gift, and to use q part of these for the
glory OF God, robs God as much as the
man who fails to return unto him .
part of his money.
The part of q mans time that be-
longs to God is clearly stated In the
scriptures: ask days shalt thor labor
and do all thy swork: But the seventh
day Ia the Sabbath of the
Lord thy God; in 1t thou shalt
not do any work." do not know why
rather than some other part as M fifth
or one tenth. But 1 do know that all
history aud all experience shows that q
man must rest about one day in seven
in order that he may accomplish the
most work.
The Egyptians are said to have tried
making q day in ten q rest day,
instead OF n In seven; and they
found IL would not do. The French
tried the same thing with the same
result, and were glad to come back to
Gods law. a man may work seven
days in a week for q while, but he
Is breaking the laws of
nature and the laws of God. And after
while the results of his sin and folly
will come upon him like an armed
force. Nature will assert her rights
and get even with him In some way.
The Sabbath Is the laboring mans day
and IL will be q sad time for him when
1t Is totally disregarded. The man who
does O give to God one-seventh OF his
time robs God and In the end robs him
self.
God requires of US one tenth of our
income. / do not know why 10 should
be one tenth and not some other part,
any more than l know why he should
require just one seventh OF our time.
But IL was h law of God given to the
ancient Hebrews and has never been
repealed. Christ set his seal Of sp-
prevail upon IL when he said to the
Pharisee, who had boosted of keep
ing the law and tithing his goods,
"These things should ye have done and
not left the others undone;'' again
Christ,said that ''not one jot or one
little of the law should pass away"
But why should we give? First be-
cause Gods law plainly requires it.
Second, ecsus It is better for US,
and in the end we will be better off,
In dollars and cents. And third, be-
cause Gods blessings are conditioned
upon 1t. "Honor the lord with thy
substance. So shall thy barns be filled
with plenty" Ps 37.3 "Give and il
shall be given unto you'' Luke 6.28
Also see Nal. 80. The other side of
the case is equally plain. God says If