The county record. [volume] (Kingstree, S.C.) 1885-1975, 1903-03-05
POVERTY And PIETY.
The GOSPEL TO THE POOP
The Preaching of 1t is An Eviden, t
of the Progress OF Christianity


of the Progress Of Christianity
, c.. -.'.- Go mon
7 New YORK CrrY.-"Poverty and Piety"
was the subject of this sermon delivered
by the Rev. James Alexander Jenkins,
pastor of Emmanuel Congregational Church.
His text was chosen from Matthew ii: s:
'Srhe poor have the gospel preached to
them"
The words of our text constitute part Of
the reply of Jesus to John when He sent
two Of His disciples with the anxious ques-
ton, "Art Thou He that should come or
do we look for another?" In this reply
the Master assumes that John is familiar
with the character of the work of the ex.
pected One, so He sets before the messen-
gers His own work as meeting the require
ments. The blind see, the lame walk, the
are raised up, "the poor have the gospel
preached to them"
The preaching of the gospel to the poor
may be regarded as only an evidence Of the
far reaching mercy of the great God, but
it may also be regarded as testifying to the
preparation of the poor for receiving and
spreading the good news from God. Ii we
believe in the fitting of means to ends in
the world of nature, If we are upholders
of the great law OF design, may we not
with reason insist that the Father through
the course Of the ages prepared certain of
the sons of men for the reception of the
preaching of the gospel to the poor an ar
rangement OF providence, far reaching
plan of God.
The pages of the gospels reveal Jesus as
the preacher to the poor. The rich He re.
garded as being for some reason less ri!ted
to be chosen as pioneers in the work OF es-
tabhshing His kingdom OF the rich men
of the New Testament, not Dives, not the
rich fool but the young man who came to
Jesus with eager inquiry, may be regarded
as typical in the mind of Jesus or the
hosts of the rich and powerful. Thinking
OF him Jesus said: TT is easier for camel
to go through the eye OF needle than Tor
4 rich man 20 enter into the Kingdom or
God" From this statement we naturally
infer that the absence OF wealth or poycrly
is most favorable to the reception OF saw
ing truth. to the entering OF the kingdom.
Jesus Himself. coming as TIE founder Of
the kingdom OF God, chose the material
upon which that kingdom snail be butt.
He did not preach to the poor because 9th.
ers would not hear Him. The influential
He could have commanded, strength OF
arms He could have enlisted, wealth wou.d
have served Him. But He chose. desired,
determined. to preach the gospel to the
poor. Says DIR. Bushnell. speaking or tie
character OF the ministry OF Jesus: He
adheres to the poor and makes them the
object OF His ministry. And what is more
peculiar, Hc visibly has a kind OF interest
in their society. which is wanting In that
of the higher classes, perceiving. apparent
". that they have certain aptitude for
receiving right impressions which the 9TH
ers have not. They are not the wise and
prudent. filed with the conceit OF learning
and station. but they are the ingenious
babes of poverty, open to conviction, pre-
pared by their humble lot to receive
thoughts and doctrines in advance OF their
age" With equal acumeu does this great
writer recognize the fundamental and dis
tinguishing nature OF the choice OF Jesus,
as contrasted with the teachings of the
statesmen and philosophers who had gone
before Him. They began at the ton. He
began at the bottom, and so His work. be-
cause it was true to nature, was lasting,
abiding, eternal.
The twentieth century finds society d.
vided. rs it has always been divided. into
two classes, the rich and the poor. Civil.
zation has crept onward, changing many
things, but it has not removed the dlstinc-
ton between wealth and poverty. The
distinction may be less brutal. less crude,
but it still exists, and the very refinement
of the classification OF men IS often .he
cause of added bitterness. So to-day the
student of men and events, whether he be
sociologist, economist or preacher. Is :on-
fronted by the difficulty of adjusting one
part of society to another. We arc CON
stantly asking certain questions and clam
oring for reply. Can the poor man sc.
cure a Just share Of the good things Of
earth? Is it possible for him to get an ed.
ucation? Will society receive him? And
now, it seems, another question presses
upon us. What is the relation between
poverty and piety?
1t would seem that the world. III an
swering this question, has Sost sight ct the
teaching and practice of Jesus. for the con-
clusion usually arrived ut is that the poor
man is at disadvantage in his struggle
for the soul culture which every human
being should desire Many. listening to
the reasoning OF the world. have, because
of their poverty, surrendered their religion,
deserted the church and rejected the
Christ. To them the Christian worker las
come to seem the advocate of impossible
ties, but this attitude of mind is not con-
fined to the simple and unthinking, Cor we
are reminded that even thoughtful writers
seem to assume the existence of q natural
hostility between poverty and piety.
Let us keep in mind the attitude OF the
Lord Jesus toward the poor rs He deiiv-
cred His message, and let US, remembering
that. ask ourselves what that piety is, the
relation of which to poverty we are 20 de-
termine Let us ask whether there is IN
piety any element to the producing OF
which poverty is hostile. and let Us find,
on the other hand, whether it may not be
possible that poverty assists the soul III It's
endeavor to become the posscssor OF true
piety.
Piety is not, primarily, something in the
atmosphere: it is the rather something IN