The daily banner. (Cambridge, Md.) 1897-2008, 1916-08-12
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS.
Pleasant Fields ]
of Holy Writ ;

+ OF Holy Writ +
+
CoPYRIGHr. DAVID w. CLARK.
Save for my daily range
Among the pleasant fields of holy writ,
| might deSI air. -IennySon.
Motto for this week: Most wondrouS book
bright candle of the Lord, Star of Eternity!
Ehe only star by which the bark OF man
could navigate the sea of life and gain the
coast of bliss Serenely.
Robert Pollok i79S-lS27.
Third Quarter: Lesson VII: Corinthians TX
August I3. 1916.
The Grace OF Giving.
This startling paradox is always
presenting itself. God is an indie
pendent Being Any other concep-
ton of Him is unworthy and deroga-
tory. He asserts his independence
when he declares the cattle on
thousand hills to be his own. In one
short, swift word he says he does not
hang upon man, when he cries, IF
| were hungry l would not tell thee"
He would not need to. 1t takes a
whole universe to serve as His store
closet and it is always full. How as
tonishing then to find this supreme,
Independent Being donning the garb
and using the language OF a suppl
ant. He wants a house and he must
needs ask His people to build it for
Him. He even is glad to get two
mites from a poor widow. The de-
pendence of Independence. What an
impossible proposition. 1t is the su-
Th> no
such a clashing of terms which seem
SO contradictory and mutually eXclu-
sive. 1t can only be that the depen-
dence of God is relative, not absolute,
assumed and not inherent. If this be
so it is not far to find the reason of
this assumption. God has nothing
to gainb it. He takes on His de-
pendence not for His advantage, but
for that of His creatures. The pro-
prietor of all things asks an offering
from His people. He approaches as
a suppliant. He makes Himself poor.
But it is not for His own sake. 1t is
for the sake of his people. 1t is
Gods way of killing vice and
creating a virtue. The vice is cove
tousness, the ugliest of them all,
trunk-root of every evil in the soul.
1t is covetousness which converts the
would-be worshipper of God into the
idolator God is in dead earnest to
root this evil vice out Of the human
heart. His way is to use the expul-
sive power of the opposite virtue. For
this reason the Independent becomes
dependnt. The Creator asks aims OF
the creature. But though this de-
pendence is assumed it is none the
less real. All the enterprises of the
Kingdom wait upon the voluntary
gifts of the people. There are no
Miracles in Missions" or in any 9TH
er phase of the Lords work. All is
the logical result of intelligent devo-
ton of human means and persons to
the Lords work.
The Teachers Lantern.
When ST. Paul follows the words
your zeal hath provoked" with I'VE
may be ready" he is combining with
consummate skill, as he often has,
sharp exhortation with tacit praise.
God loves a cheerful giver." The
word "cheerful'' in the original is
"hilarion.'' 1t might have been trans
! ferred from the Greek text without
translation, God loves an hilarious
giver." The discharge of other Chris
tian duties may bring one near to
| Christ, but Christian benevolence
puts the one who exercises it along
side of Christ, as an imitator of his
divine beneficence. 1t is in the pow
er of the humblest disciple to hasten
the millennium by intelligent and
!, Yhole-hearted conservation. The
! Srfsand years is just that period
Edefnite put for an indefinitely long
Ispace) in which there is supstantial
in
aaco,1nJants, peace and joy. If any
: Isne imagines the church collection
modern expedient let him turn to
this appeal of ST. Paul. 1t has been
said that from her cradle the church
has faced the contribution box. st.
Paul uses consummate skill in his
appeal. He employs variety of mo-
tives, all worthy; but some of high
degree, and others of lower; so that
Christians of various degrees of de-
velopment may each be touched by
an appeal suited to them. Thus in
this instance a worthy pride and
spirit of emulation are appealed to.
Also the hope of reward. But the
highest motive is used in addition.
Benevolence is pictured as an act per-
formed toward God. Consequently
the spirit in which it is done is the
important part of it. 1t must be
cheerful. 1t must not be matter OF
impulse, but one pondered in the
heart Faith in God can be shown
by it's bountifulness. Niggardliness
lis ruled out. Aside from philanthro-
ply ST. Paul evidently hoped this con-
tribution would help heal the breach
between Jewish and Gentle Chris
tians. 1t was deed of generosity on
the part of the latter toward the for
mer. st. Paul followed his own adj
vice: Provide things honest in the
sight of all men," He associated
with himself certain irreproachable
men to audit his accounts, and to
help him carry the offering to Jeru-
salem and make the final disburse-
ment. In this particular instance the
gift requested was for the relief of
the poverty-stricken Christians in
Jerusalem. Times were very evil
there Values were deprecated,
work scarce. Social conditions were
unstable, revolution in the air. The
city was within twelve years of it's
awful siege and ruin. All suffered,
but the Christians most, on account
of what was esteemed their un,patri-
otto perversion from the faith. They
: had no means at command with
/ which to quit the city. They must
, be helped in their dire extremity.
, The case was imperative. The gener-
Gus hart of st. Paul prompted him to
add this to his already numerous
cares He stands forth as the ideal
collector; his methods, his appeals,
the motives employed are exemplary,
even for our day. The universal
principles of Christian benevolence
are here irradicated in an instructive
and fascinating manner. In the Ro-
man Forum stands a fragment Of a
temple so ideally perfect in proper