Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1902-10-29
GIVING BETTER THAN RECEIVING
by Rev. ,. o Rust. D. D.

4
Our Lord spoke these words, through
the lips of Paul What do we think Of
them! Are they true? Does the average
man to-day even halfway believe this
teaching? Let us get clearly in mind pre-
cisely what Jesus said.
He does not say that receiving is not
blessed: ON the contrary, in making the
comparison. he implies that it is. God
gives to all of us, all the time, too much
to teach that it is not well for US to get
good things.
Nor does he say that giving is all hap
py. for it is not. Men prefer ministry
of indulgence to a salutary service; they
praise those who pander to their wants,
and cruelty those who minister to their
needs. 1t often takes heroism as well as
wisdom TO give real helpfulness TO men.
Thus cody giving may involve pain: It
put Christ ON the cross, and makes mar
tyrs out of those who practice it.
Jesus teaches this simple truth; That
of the two, giving affords greater bless
ing than receiving; that although 1t may
be hard to give and easy to receive the
giver has the better of the receiver in the
transaction. Jesus is not comparing the
dull ease and fatted selhshness of the
non-giver with the chaste. athletic JOY of
the giver; no, he is comparing the giver
to the receiver, and he says that the for
mer has the better of it. Do you believe
this? Is Jesus right? l answer, yes,
for the following reasons, viz:
1. To give shows you have something.
You must have something before you can
give. / had rather be the man who gives
the bread than to be the beggar who gets
it, | am more blest in having than he IS
in receiving. Giving shows having. There
is no greater JOY than to have the re-
sources to execute your salutary loves.
A brand-new way to have fun is to go to
giving-not new as 4 method, for 1t has
been successfully practieeG by hundreds
of thousands. but new to many. Would
it not be fine for crusty old covetousness
to enjoy a little of this hilarity?
.. Giving shows you are something. 1t
does not take much of a man to receive;
any cor.mon tramp can do that. What
virtue or talent is exercised when you
receive things? Again, it does not take
| much of man to withhold. Any COM
mon vagabond can do that. What virtue
or talent is advertised when you refuse
to give? But to give shows that you have
| love, sympathy, liberality; it proclaims
your superiority. If man has the i'm
| pulse of giving in him, it shows his good
ness. Good giving is proof of good char
acter. The very fact that you give bread
| to the beggar shows that you, the Giyer.
are better than he, the receiver. All
real monarchs are givers. If you want
| to rule your community, condition things
so that that community will need your
opinion and services all the time.
! 3. All the facts of life proclaim the
! giver superior to the receiver. Who is
praised, the benefactor or the recipient
| To whom do we erect monuments, for
| those who get or those who give? Go ask
! your art galleries and libraries. and they
| will tell you that the high and holy are
| those who gave themselves for the world.
| Fame is the constant tribute the world
pays to giyers; it is the effort of histori-
| cal force to combat the mean and sordid
/ logic of this base worlds seltishness and
| to vindicate the golden rule by placing
! impersh able renown on the tombs of
those who have been great in giving.
4. All the facts of experience proclaim
| giving superior to receiving. The JOY
of seeing another made happy by our
act; the satisfaction of relieving distress,
of bringing comfort, of substituting
smiles for tears, hope for encouragement,
gratitude for bitterness, is attested by
hosts of unselfish natures who have rest
ed their faith and established their course
upon this eternal and benehcent prnei-
pie of our Lord.
Jesus is right. Every instinct of sounl
reason commends his doctrine. The gold.
en- rule, properly understood, is practical;
and it will bless the man who practices il
more than the one who is benefited by it,
And vet we shake our heads i'll doubt and
think it would be very hazardous to at
tempt to apply this doctrine to real life.
Some one was asked: rs Christianity
| a failure? He answered: II don't know
It never has been tried" You say that
this law of giving won't work; did you
ever try it? That is the way to find out
about it; try it. We think it would break
our hearts and ruin us to give something
away and so we cling on to all we have
until Il gets too heavy to carry, and her
we sit down and watch it all day lol g
frightened to death for fear some q lt
will come along and get it away froll
us.
Just put "y" on TO the end of 'miser'
and you have misery; that is where
Indebtedness comes from; it comes from
keeping instead or giving
4 man died with thousands of dollar.
ir his pocket that he had boarded nj
the years. What did he get for it? Ii,
got buried, that is all. He got wors,
than that, a last hour of anguish. IF tht
horrible torture that he had lived in III,
world and had done nothing for it. enc
that he was now dying and could not talk
his holdings with him. 1t is a disgrace I,
die with full pocket. Had that MAJ
spent himself and his money wisely. theI
his last days would have been full o
tremulous glories. the chimes of swea
ST. Charity would have sounded grateful
melodies for these sad hours. and fam
would have rescued his name from con
tempt and oblivion.
dGod, the unceasing giver is the perfect
ly blessed aud holy one, and "he loves
cheerful giver." for in that man he see
the image of himself All the powers o
heaven and earth conspire to make tn
giver happy. The reason so many of {
get the worst of it in this world is he
cause we think we have more sense thai
the Master and will not yield ourselve
to his law of love.
The final word in the matter is, try il
and draw your check on heaven for 8
the pay yau can contain.
HARMONY WITH GODS WILL
, BY Rev v. 2. Jennings. D.
Harmony with Gods viii is a positiE
: thing. 1t is not a reluctant acqul2'
: cence, hut a glad admission, joyful oo'
dience When we get down to this eol