The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1899-01-23
SERMON ON GIVING.
Five Cents "a Day breaches the Gospel
ana supports IA Family in India.

Five Cen is a Day breaches the Gospel
ana supports IA Family in India.
A large audience assembled at the Sew
enth Presbyterian Church last night tc
listen to D. B. Eddy, regarded by the other
members of the Yale Missionary Band as
their leader In discussing Christs desire
for His followers to spread His gospel Mr..
Eddy said: There is something in the
word go that implies victory. There car
be no doubt of the result there can be
no defeat. At every step in our Christian
experience there has been necessary one
decisive victory When we became Chris
tians there was the first difficulty of sur
render of self. What joy was ours when we
surrendered! After we became Christians
it was hard to become active workers, to
speak to others; we had another victory to
win. The Christian Church is standing
again on a great battlefield and it is for you
and me to win a great victory. If we are
to cooperate with Christ on the great
field we must surrender everything. 1t is
hard for Christians to surrender their
money, which they have felt was some
thing apart from their Christian life. A
close study of the gospel will bring us to a
different conception of wealth. 1t IS just as
truly the Lord Jesus Christs and just as
truly TO be surrendered to Him as our lives.
You remember the parable OF the rich
young man who turned away SofrOWlnS
when st, in response to his question as
to what he should do to be saved, replied
Sell all that thou hast and give it to the
poor. The only thing for which the young
man was condemned was holding on to his
great wealth That the whole stewardship
must be used entirely for the advancement
of Gods kingdom is taught by the gospel.
We must give it all. / would not dare ex-
press that as my opinion were it not founded
on the teachings of the word.
Men are judged by what they have got
ten and kept. Men judge churches by what
they have gotten and kept. The Lord
Jesus Christ judges the church by what
she has given, and in the same He judges us
by what we have given. L would that there
were no such churches as that in which |
attended worship for a year, where 5000
was paid for the services of a choir, and
the yearly collections were $S6 for the cause
of Christ in other countries than our own.
If we examine our yearly accounts, ex-
penses for food, house, clothing, pleasure,
even car fare we will find that every item
of expense will overbalance that which
went into the Lords work. We have given
how much? We have kept-hOW much?
Let US judge ourselves not by what We have
given, but by how much we have kept"
VAST SUMS ARE WASTED.
Mr.. Eddy then proceeded to give prac-
teal illustration of the vast amounts that
are spent for useless-nay harmful things,
as compared with contributions to the work
of Christ, using ribbons of different lengths
to impress the idea. First there was very
long one that hung over his extended arms
and dangled on the floor which represented
$1,4C9,000000 spent last year for liquor; a
shorter one represented 100000 spent for
tobacco; still a shorter one $l0JQ00OO9 for
jewels and still shorter one $4GJC00,UOO Tor
amusements-gate receipts solely. Next he
produced piece of ribbon as long as lead
pencil.
Il suppose you will imagine that this rep
resents what went into foreign mission
work. but it does not, it represents the home
work $1G0 000 coo for pastors salaries, lands,
church buildings and the like. Here L nave
a bit of ribbon one-ffth of an inch long, so
small scarcely any of you can see 1t. 1t rep
resents what the Christian Church gave last
year. This yellow ribbon is a sufficient ar
gument for me to refrain from smoking.
More money was puffed away last year than
has been given in all historic times for the
cause of Christ.
Il know of dozen churches that are
supporting their own missionaries. 1t takes
500 a year for Il missionary, or $40 for a
native worker. Five cents Il day breaches
the gospel in India and supports family.
There is no reason why many families mere
should not support a native worker. Many
times when inclined to spend cents for
street-car fare / am halted by the thought
that that money would keep five persons
working for the cause of Christ