THE TIME AND MEASURE OF
ALMSGIVING.
SERMON
PREACHED IN ST. JOHN'S CHDRCH, JOHN'S ISLAND,
ON THE
FOURTH SUNDAY AFTER EPIPHANY,
BEING THE
JAKIBflARV, a«4Hk-
©
BY THOMAS JOHN YOUNG,
Rector of St. John's Church, John's Island.
CHARLESTON:
BRUITED BT MILLER & BROWNE,
No. 4, Broad-street.
1844.
41 The Jews consecrated a tenth, but
44 the Christians gave all that thet had
44 to God's service, and would not give
44 less than the jews, because they had a
44 better hope."
Irenaus adv. Hares, lib. iv. c. 34.
to the
CONGREGATION OF ST. JOHN'S CHURCH,
JOHN'S ISLAND.
Dear Brethren,
The following Discourse, prepared by your Minister under a
deep sense of the responsibility which rests upon him as the appoint¬
ed Watchman for your souls, is now committed to the Press, with
the prayer that He, Who often effects His gracious purposes by the
feeblest instrumentality, will bless it to your souls and cause you
" to grow exceedingly" in the " grace" of liberality.
IN THIS HOPE,
THE
FOLLOWING PAGES
are
Urtrttatefc to sou,
by
Your Friend and Servant,
THOMAS JOHN YOUNG.
Parsonage, March. 1st, 1844.
41 Separate, therefore, something. Lay
"aside some FIXED portion of tour an¬
nual fruits and daily gains set
"apart SOME PORTION of your income.
"Do you determine to give a tenth? SeT
44 apart a TENTH, although this is but a
"SMALL PROPORTION."
St. August. Com. in Pt. clxvi.
SYSTEMATIC CHARITY.
ERRATA.
Page 5, line 5, note, for be no, read be then no
6,
10,
10,
11,
11,
11,
13,
: 14,
' 14,
1 14,
' 14,
' 15,
' 15,
' 17,
' 18,
1 18,
« 20,
10, dele one
10, for principles, read privileges.
34, for prosecuted, read persecuted.
17, for one, read on one.
5, for our, read an.
11, for name, read names.
1, for more than wealthy, read more wealthy.
24, note, for as we, read as when we.
33, note, for wouldst thy, read wouldst leave thy•
25, for " we are told every man, read we are told " every man.
4, for " only begun to love" the, read only begun to love " the/
5, for could, read could."
20, for liberally, read liberally."
24, dele hath.
3, for require, read enquire.
26, for few, read Jew.
2, note, for we bidden, read we are bidden
3, for ever, read even.
29, for and thus taught, read and we are thus taught*
15, for might, read weight.
iSndr'yeCT strange as it may appear, there are tew subjects, irom tne
■ u-. y •'*- '"K"
consideration of which men are so much disposed to shrink as of this.
Even the ministering servants of the Lord, unwilling to pain or offend
those entrusted to their care, too often forget the inspired command,
" Charge them that are rich in this world * * * * that they do good,
* Hammond translates 6r\<favpl^uv o <n av SvoSuroLi, "treasuring up whatsoever he
gains."
Macknight, whose rendering I prefer, translates the whole verse " on the first day of every
week, let each of you lay somewhat by itself, according as he may have prospered, putting
it into the treasury, that when I come there may b^no. collections." As success in every
undertaking depends on God alone, it is immaterial whether the rendering be "as he may
have prospered," or, "as God hath prospered him."
t Malachi ii. 2.
J 2 Corinthians viii. 7.
SYSTEMATIC CHARITY.
I. CORINTHIANS XVI. 2.
" Upon the first day of the week let every one of you lay by him in store, as God hath
prospered him,* that there be no gatherings when I come."
There is no duty more frequently inculcated in the "Word of God
than that of almsgiving. Every where, both in the Old and New Tes¬
tament Scriptures, we find the people of God, those who have been
instructed in the hope of the Heavenly Kingdom, urged, by the most
powerful motives, to abound in works of mercy. And however specious
may seem the plea of ignorance for the neglect of other duties, there
is no room for it here. It is written, as with a sun-beam, on the pages
of the inspired volume, and he " may run that readeth it,"f and know
what God commands. We may as soon doubt of our being required to
" abound in faith, and utterance, and knowledge, and in all diligence,"
as hope to adorn our Christian character without also abounding in the
" grace"! liberality.
And yet, strange as it may appear, there are few subjects, from the
consideration of which men are so much disposed to shrink as of this.
Even the ministering servants of the Lord, unwilling to pain or offend
those entrusted to their care, too often forget the inspired command,
" Charge them that are rich in this world * * * * that they do good,
* Hammond translates 6r\(favpi%uv o n av suofitoVai, " treasuring up whatsoever he
gains."
Macknight, whose rendering I prefer, translates the whole verse " on the first day of every
week, let each of you lay somewhat by itself, according as he may have prospered, putting
it into the treasury, that when I come there may be^ no collections." As success in every
undertaking depends on God alone, it is immaterial whether the rendering be "as he may
have prospered," or, "as God hath prospered him."
t Malachi ii. 2.
12 Corinthians viii. 7.
6
" that they be rich in good works, ready to distribute, willing to commu-
" cate; laying up in store for themselves a good foundation against the
" time to come."§ They mourn over the " short-comings" of their
people, but ashamed of appearing in the attitude of " beggars," or
despairing of success, they neglect to enforce this important duty—this
high privilege, and the Christians of their charge, year after year, with¬
hold from God His portion of their wealth, and feel no pang of
conscience.
In once again bringing this subject before you, beloved brethren, your
Minister would adopt the language of one Map who, more than fourteen
hundred years ago, thus addressed an assembly of believers in Christ.
" I am aware," he says, " that many in this congregation will again find
" fault with me when I treat of these subjects ; and will say, ' Be not,
" ' I beseech you, be not harsh and disagreeable to your audience.
" ' Make some allowance for their disposition ; give some way to the
"'mind of your hearers. For in this case you really do put us to
" ' shame; you make us blush.' But I may not endure such words :
" since neither was Paul ashamed to be continually troublesome on
" such points as these, and to speak words such as mendicants use.
<c # # # * * Wherefore also I am bold to speak out. For what shame
" is it to say, give unto thy Lord in his hunger : Put raiment on Him
" going about naked : Receive Him being a stranger 1 Thy Lord is
" not ashamed, before the whole world, to speak thus : 'I was an hun-
" ' gered, and ye gave me no meat,'! He who is void of all want and
" requires nothing. And am I to be ashamed and hesitate 1 " Away
" with this. The shame is of the snare of the devil. I will not then
" be ashamed, but will say, and that boldly, ' Give to the needy.' I will
" say it with a louder voice than the needy themselves."!
Such was the language of Chrysostom to the Christians of Antioch :
and may God, of His infinite mercy, give to him who addresses you the
same fearlessness of spirit, yet mingled with love and tenderness, that
he may not be ashamed " to declare unto you all the counsel of God
and may He bestow upon you grace to " take heed unto yourselves,"
and to receive the word, so far as it is in accordance with inspired truth.
It is not my purpose, this morning, to set before you any of the very
many passages of Scripture*T?y which the Holy Spirit provokes, as it
* 1 Timothy vi. 17,18, 19.
t Matthew xxv. 42.
t Chrysostom Horn, xliii. I Corinthians, p. 607, Oxford translation.
7
were, the people of God to works of mercy.* This has been but lately
done.f I will take it for granted that you are convinced of its being
your duty to give, and to give liberally unto the Lord; for how can it
be otherwise, if you read the word of God attentively and with prayer.
My object is to urge upon you, if you would be numbered among the
" cheerful givers" of the Church of Christ, the necessity of adopting
some system of giving, both as to the time and measure of contribution.
All that we know of the works of God, or of His dealings with the
sons of men, teach us that He is a God of system and of order. The
heavens above us, in whiclWUi&^Uafiets roll on in their fixed limits and
at their appointed seasons—the earth on which we stand, with its vast
variety of animals and plants and minerals—the sea with its swelling
and ebbing tide—the air, which now fans the cheek with its gentle
breeze, and now in the whirlwind and the storm carries desolation on
its wings—all proclaim that the Infinitely Wise and Mighty God gov¬
erns His creation by system and by rule. In His dispensations, too,
whether of Providence or of Grace, we are enabled, even with our
limited capacity, to trace the movements of a gracious plan.
The same may be asserted of the works of man. Nothing great or
good ever has been, or can be effected without the adoption of some
system. The monarch in the government of his empire, and the slave
in the performance of his task alike feel its importance ; and without it,
success is impossible. Take, for instance, the occupation of life with
which we are the most conversant. What would the planter be without
a system of management 1 Unsuccessful as some are from the adoption
of an unwise plan, what but inevitable ruin would be the result of a
total want of system l
As in temporal, so also in spiritual things. In all our efforts after
high attainments in the Christian life, the influencing power is the Holy
Spirit, the constraining motive is the " love of Christ." Yet as that
*Deut. xv. 7,8, 10,11.—xvi. 17. Job xxxi. 16-22. Ps. xli. 1. Prov. iii. 9, 10
xi. 24, 25.—xiv. 21, 31.—xix. 17.—xxn 13.—xxii. 9. xxviii. 8, 27. Ecc. xi. 1, 2, 6
Isaiah xxxii. 8—briii. 7-11. Dan. iv. 27. Hag. -ii. 16-19. Matt. v. 7,42.—vi-
1-4, 19,20.—xix. 21.—xxv. 34-46. Luke iii. 11.—vi.-35-38.—xi. 41.—xii. 33.—xiv, 12-
14.—xvi. 9, 10, 12.—xviii. 22, 23 —xix. 8, 9. Acts ii. 44-46.—iv. 32-37.—xi. 29, 30.—
xx. 35. Rom. xii. 8, 13. 2d Cor. viii. 1-9, 12, 14, 15—ix. 6-15. Gal. vi. 9, 10. Eph.
iv. 28. Phil, iv, 18, 19. 1st Timothy vi. 17,18,19. Heb. vi. 10.—xiii. 16. James ii. 14,
15,16. 1st Peter iv. 9, 10. 1st John iii. 16,17,18.
t In a Sermon from Proverbs xi. 24, " There is that scattereth and yet increaseth; and there
is that withholdeth more than is meet, but it tendeth to poverty."
8
Spirit i3 imparted, and that love is cherished and enlivened in the use
of God's appointed means, the former will be withdrawn, and the latter
will dwindle and die, unless there be system in their cultivation. He,
for instance, who has no fixed times for prayer—no appointed seasons
for reading God's word, will soon entirely neglect them : or, should he
persevere, his irregularity will forbid their being to him seasons of
sweet and happy communion with his God. Assuredly, he has not
learned to pray or read aright, who has not, like David* and Daniel,t
consecrated certain portions of each day to God, with which he will,
ordinarily, allow no other duties or interfere.
Thus also, brethren, must it be with our almsgiving. Our charity
must be systematic, or our contributions to the cause of Christ will be
small and grudgingly bestowed ; and unless some special appeal be
made to our liberality, will dwindle into—nothing. Let the past ex¬
perience of some of us testify how almost extinct may become the
grace of liberality in our hearts.
Our text inculcates a systematic charity—a plan and method in our
almsgiving.
I. A system in regard to the time of giving—" upon the first day of
" the week let every one of you lay by him in store."
II. In regard to the measure of our contributions—" as God hath
prospered him."
May the Spirit of Grace direct and bless us in our consideration of
these subjects.
I. We must, as a general rule, have some fixed time for making our
contributions to the cause of Christ. We are taught by our text and
the verse preceding it, that these were usually made on every." Lord's
day"—" the first day of the week" —when the primitive Christians as¬
sembled for the worship of God and the celebration of the Lord's
Supper, which was then administered every Sunday. That this custom
was continued in the Church, we learn from the Canons called Apostoli¬
cal, in which directions are given concerning the Eucharistial oblations^
and from Justin Martyr, who^wrote his celebrated apology to the Roman
Emperors in behalf of the^pjjsssecuted followers of Christ about thirty
years after the death of St. John. In this apology after giving an ac¬
count of the mode of conducting public worship and of celebrating the
* Psalm cxix. 164.
t Daniel vi. 10, 13.
t Can. Apos. iii. and iv.
9
Lord's Supper, he proceeds " Then after this we always remind one
" another of these things, and those of us who have [the means] assist
" all who are in need."* And again, " Each of those also who are able
" and willing gives, according to a fixed plan, t such a pcn^gn of his
" means as he pleases ; and that which is collected is deposited with
" him who presides, who ***** takes care of all who are in need."$
Their contributing at this time seems to have been founded on the
command of God, so frequently repeated, " None shall appear before
" me empty and hence, our celebration of the Lord's Supper is, or,
according to the Church's rule, ought to be always accompanied by a
collection for§;haritable and religious purposes.
Besides these weekly contributions, there were others which were
made once in each month, or at longer intervals of time ; as we learn
from Tertullian who wrote his apology about sixty years after Justin.
" Even if there be with us" he says, " a sort of treasury, no sum is
" therein collected discreditable to religion as though she were bought.
" Every man placeth there a small gift^orae day in each month, or when-
" soever he will, so he do but will, and so he be but able ; for no man is
" constrained, but contributeth willingly. These are the deposits of
piety."||
The object of these frequent collections, occurring at short intervals,
appears, in addition to the reason already stated, to have been two-fold.
To render the contribution easy to all; for, as says Chrysostom, " the
gathering by little and little, hinders all perception of the burden and
the cost and to prevent those appeals in the day of pressing need,
which are so destructive to wholesome charity, and so painful to both
minister and people—" that there be no gatherings" says the Apostle,
" when I come."
The general principle established is—that every Christian, at some
fixed time best suited to his circumstances and situation, is bound to make
his offerings for the service of God.
In cities, where men are in the daily receipt of their income, no time
can be more appropriate than that mentioned in our text, the " first day
* Justin Martyr, ApoJ. I. p. 97, Thirlby Ed.
f Ka<ra irpoaipstf»v.
t Justin Martyr, Apol. I. p. 98, Thirlby Ed.
§ Exodus xxiii. 15—xxxiv. 20.—Deut. xvi. 16.
|| Tertul. Apol. c. xxxix. p. 81, Oxford Translation.
If Chrysostom Horn, xliii. I Cor. p. 608, Oxford Translation.
2
10
of the week," when we assemble for the worship of God j or that when
we gather around our Master's table to commemorate the dying love of
Him who " became poor that we through His poverty might be rich."*
But for most of us, who receive our incomes but once a year, I have
deemed annual contribution the most suitable. Hence my custom
has been, at that season of the year in which we are generally able to
calculate, with some degree of accuracy, our probable income, to pre¬
pare a book, in which the members of the Church are invited to record
the amount they are willing to give for the advancement of the cause of
Christ. I can scarcely express to you, beloved brethren, the pain it has
occasioned your minister to see, year after year, the namefof so few of
you recorded. Pain arising not only from the remembrance of the suf¬
ferings of the poor, and of the millions who are perishing in the gross
darkness of heathen idolatry; but also from the assurance that He who
" enacted almsgiving, not so much for the sake of the poor, as for the
" sake of the persons themselves who bestow,"t will, in the day when
we are called to give up " our*%1<3wardsbip," exact a strict account of
the talent of wealth, be it great or small, committed to our trust.
Brethren, we may frame now a thousand excuses for not contributing to
the cause of Christ-! We may comfort ourselves noio by the example
* 2 Cor. viii. 9.
tChrysostom Horn. xxi. I Corinthians, p. 291, Oxford Translations.
t Of the many excuses which are offered for not contributing to the cause of Christ, we se¬
lect three for our consideration, as being the most prominent, the most general and the most
specious.
1. The first and most common excuse is put forth somewhat in this form;—" My debts
are numerous and pressing; and I must be just before I can be generous."
Without stopping to inquire whether those debts have not been incurred in order to in¬
crease your property, we will answer this excuse by a simple illustration. From among the
poor of our land you have selected one of the most destitute—one who has no claim upon your
bounty, but who, on the contrary, has been numbered among your most bitter enemies. To
establish him in life, as it is termed, you entrust to his care a large amount of property, and
require of him only a small portion of its income, to he paid at stated periods. At the times
appointed you call for payment, and he replies to your demand;—" For the increase of my
property, and in order to enrich my children, and for the comfortable support of my family. I
" have incurred other debts. It is impossible for me, therefore, to pay you the portion which
" you claim, I must be just, before I can be generous." Would this answer satisfy you.
And yet this is the way you treat your God. What have you, that you hold not as a pensioner
of His bounty? "The silver is mine, and the gold is mine, saith the Lord of Hosts." (Hag.
ii. 8.) And when in return for all that He has bestowed, He charges us " to be ready to give
and glad to distribute;" and calls upon us to contribute of our abundance, to remove the tem¬
poral and spiritual wants of His children ; is it not folly and madness to offer in excuse "we
must be just, before we can be generous ?" We claim of you the payment of God's portion
11
of some, more wealthy than ourselves, who do nothing for our
Lord. But "when we depart hence, and hear Christ," "saying 'Ye
of your income as an act of justice. Remember Him first, to Whom your heaviest debt is
due, and His mercy will supply all your wants.
2. But another excuse is offered :—" I have suffered from the embarrassment of the times,
and my income is much smaller than in years past."
That which you offer as an excuse for not giving, is itself a reason why you should contri¬
bute more abundantly; than you have ever done. Why was it that when the inhabitants of
Judah " looked for much, it came to little ?" That when they "brought" that little "home,"
the Lord " did blow upon it ?" Why? saith the Lord of Hosts. " Because of mine house which
" is waste, and ye run every man unto his own house. Therefore, the heaven over you is
" stayed from dew, and the earth is stayed from her fruit." (Hagg. i. 9, 10.) That your in¬
come may be greater, you must give liberally to the Lord. Hear His language by His pro¬
phet Malachi:—" Will a man rob God ? yet ye have robbed me. But ye say, Wherein have
'' we robbed thee ? In tithes and offerings. Ye are cursed with a curse: for ye have robbed
" me, even this whole nation. Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be
" meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the Lord of hosts, if I will not open
" you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough
"to receive it." (Mai. iii. 8, 9, 10.) Man's niggardliness to God will, sooner or later, bring a
curse on all that he possesses. His liberality will call down blessing from on high.
3. The third excuse we shall state and answer in the eloquent language of one, whom the
whole Church proclaims " the Golden mouthed" Bishop of Constantinople.
•' But a circle of little ones is around me, one will say, and I am desirous of leaving them
'' with a good fortune. Why then do we make them paupers ? For if you leave them every
" thing, you are still committing your goods to a trust that may deceive you. But if you
" God their joint-heir and guardian, you have left them countless treasures. For asywe
" avenge ourselves, God assistethus not, but when we leave it to Him, more than we expect
" comes about; so in the case of goods, if we take thought about them ourselves, He will with-
" draw from any providence over them. But if we rather cast our care upon Him, He will
<' place both them and the children in safety. And why art thou amazed that this should be
" so with God ? for even with men one may see this happening. For if you do not when dying
" invite any of your relatives, to the care of your children, it often happens that one, who is
" abundantly willing feels reluctancy, and is too modest to spring to the task of his own accord.
" But if you cast the care upon him, as having had a very g^aUionor shewn him, he will in
" requital make very great returns. If then thou wouldsfV^cMWren much wealth, leave
" them to God's care. For He Who, without thy having done any thing, gave thee a soul, and
"formed thee a body, and granted thee life, when He seeth thee displaying such munificence
" and distributing their goods to Himself along with them, must surely open to them every
" kind of riches. For if Elijah, after having been nourished with a little meal, since he saw
" that that woman honoured him above her children, made threshing-floors and oil-presses
" appear in the little hut of the widow, consider what loving care the Lord of Elijah will dis-
" play ! Let us then not consider now to leave our children rich, but how to leave them vir-
" tuous. For if they are confident of riches, they will not mind aught besides, in that they
" have the means of screening the wickedness of their ways in their abundant riches. But if
" they find themselves devoid of the comfort to be got from that source, they will do all so as
" by virtue to find themselves abundant consolation for their poverty. Leave them then no
" riches, that you may leave them virtue. For it is unreasonable in the extreme, not to make
" them, whilst we are alive, lords of all our goods ; yet after we are dead, to give the easy na-
12
" e saw me hungry and gave me no meat, nal^diwand ye clothed me
" ' not what shall we say 1 What apology shall we make ? Shall
" we point to such and such a person who disobeyed these commands 1
" ' Nay,' He will say, ' what is this to thee ? for I accuse thee of those
" ' things wherein thou hast thyself sinned, and the apology for these
" ' would be, to have washed away thine own offences, not to point to
" ' others, whose errors have been the same as thine.' "t Let us then,
brethren, cast aside our " vain excuses," and begin now, if we have not
* Matthew xxv. 35, 36.
tChrys. Horn. xxi. 1 Cor. p. 292, Oxford Translation.
" ture of youth full exemption from fear. And yet while we are alive we shall have power to
" call them to account, and to sober and bridle those that make an ill use of their goods; but
" if after we are dead we afford them, at the time of the loss of ourselves, and their own youth-
" fulness, that power which wealth gives, endless are the precipices into which we shall thrust
" those unfortunate and miserable creatures, so heaping fuel upon flame, and letting oil drop
" into a fierce furnace. And so, if you would leave them rich and safe withal, leave God a
" debtor to them, and deliver the bequest to them into Hishands. For if they receive money
" themselves, they will not even know who to give to, but will meet with many designing and
unfeeling people. But if thou beforehand puttest it out to interest with God, the treasure
" henceforth remains unassailable. And great is the facility wherewith that re-payment will
" be made; for God is well pleased at repaying us what He oweth, and both looks with a
" more favorable eye upon those who have lent to Him, than on those who have not; and
j^oveth those the most to whom He oweth the most. And if so thou wouldest have Him for
'Jirfhy Friend continually, make Him thy Debtor to a large amount. For there is no lender
"so pleased at having those that owe to him, as Christ is rejoiced at having those that lend to
" Him. And such as He oweth nothing to, Hefleeth from ; but such as He oweth to, He even
" runneth unto. Let us then use all means to get Him for our Debtor; for this is the season
" for loans, and He is now in want He desireth, yea desireth exceedingly our
•' salvation: let us think scorn of money, that we may not be thought scorn of by Christ." a
An extract from Cyprian's Treatise on " Works and Alms" will strengthen Chrysostom's
answer to this " vain excuse."
" If therefore, you truly love your children, if you manifest to them a plenteous and parental
" sweetness of affectiOi^^B^TOght to be increasingly bountiful, that by such righteous bounty
"you may commend your childi^n to God To Him assign that wealth of yours,
" which you save for your heirs ; let Him be guardian, Him be executor to your children:
" let Him be in Divine Majesty their Protector against all the injuries of this world. Property
" put in trust with God, the State seizes not, the exchequer taxes not, nor does the law prac-
" tice on. A heritage is safely settled which is reserved under the guardianship of God.
" This is indeed to provide in time to come, for the children of your love; this is to consult
with parental pity for future heirs, according to the faith of the Divine Scripture, which
" says—'/ have been young, and now am old. yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken>
" 1 nor his seed wanting bread. All the day long he is merciful and lendeth; and his seed
" ' is blessed.'' b And again—1 He who walketh without reproach in his integrity, shall
" ' leave blessed children after him.''''' c.
a Clirysostom Horn. vii. Romans, p. 108-10. Oxf. trans.
b Psalm xxxvii. 25, 26.
c Proverbs xx. 7. Cyprian's Treatises x. p. 244. Oxf. trans.
13
begun before, to cpntribute abundantly of those means which we hold,
only in trust from a gracious God, to be employed for His honor and His
glory.
The best time for " laying bj us m store" is when we receive. Our
Jirst and greatest debt is to God, then let our first payment be to Him.
It will not do for us to wait until a portion of our income is expended
for other purposes : for the temptation to niggardliness may then be¬
come too strong for resistance. At each receipt of our income, let us
set apart a certain portion of it for His service, saying, " This is not
mine. " It is the Lord's, and I dare not apply it to other uses." In this
way we shall soon find the duty of giving no longer a burden and a
yoke, but a privilege and a joy. O that we may all obtain the mind of
Christ; and then the question will not be how little, but how much can I
give to God.
II. And this brings us to the next division of our subject—the mea¬
sure of our giving, the proportion which our contributions should bear
to our income.
This is answered in our text—" As God hath prospered him." It is
as if the Apostle had said, " Let every one of you—not merely this or
" that individual, but every one of you, whether poor or rich ; woman
" or man ; bond or free;—give, and that in proportion to your means :
" and as all you possess comes from the free gift of God through Christ,
" give, even as God hath prospered you."* But what proportion 1 How
much 1 There are no limits, brethren, but our Uf$?t of inclination and
ability. " The disciples," we are told^ every man, according to his
" ability, determined to send relief unto the brethren which dwelt in
" Judea."t God leaves to each man to determine for himself what the
proportion shall be. He looks to the heart, and by what He there sees,
will He judge us in the great and final day. And if the heart be filled
with a sense of God's unbounded mercy to us guilty worms of the dust;
if but a spark of that mighty love, which brought the Son of God to
earth, be kindled in our hearts, what but our want of ability can limit
our contributions to the cause of Christ % " For to their power (I bear
* This truth, that all our prosperity is from God, scarcely needs any proof. A few of the
texts expressly asserting it, are however, subjoined.
Genesis xxvi. 12—xxx. 27, 30—xxxii. 10—xxxiii. 11—xxxix. 2. Deut. viii. 18—xv. 14—
xxviii. 8—1 Chron. xxix. 12, 14, &c. 2 Chron. xxxi. 10. Ps. cxxvii. 1, 2. Prov. x. 22.
Hosea ii. 8.
t Acts xi. 29.
14
record") says St. Paul of the Churches of Macedonia, " yea and beyond
" their power, they were willing of themselves; praying us with much
" intreaty that we would receive the gift."* " Behold, Lord," said one
who had only begun to love, " the haj£ of my goods I give to the
poor."t " She hath done what she could,\ was the commendation of her
who poured the ointment on His head. The widow's mite was more
precious in His eyes than the " abundance" of the rich ; for " she of her
" want did cast in all that she had."§ " For if there be first a willing
mind," says the Apostle," " it is accepted according to that a man hath,
" and not according to that he hath not."||
" Let not then the rich," says Chrysostom, " be high-minded if they
" give much, or the poor be dejected at giving so little ; for the latter
" often gives more than the former. We must not make ourselves
" miserable because we are poor, since it makes almsgiving easier to
" us. For he that has got much together, is seized with haughtiness as
" well as a greater affection to that he has. But he that hath but little,
" is freed from these domineering passions : hence he finds more occa-
<c sions of doing well."fl The rich man from the abundance of his
wealth gives, as it were, a glass of water from the sea, and forgets that
" not the giving, but the giving liberally, is what God requires. The
widow's magnanimity is far—far beyond his emulation, and her mite is
more than his thousands of gold and silver.
Many a sincere follower of Christ, however, willing and anxious to
give " as God hathprospered him," may yet be unable to determine
how far, other just claims upon him being considered, his ability may
extend ; and may still ask, " what proportion of my earthly goods ought
I to give V' We turn to the word of God for an answer to the question.
" The multitude of them that lived" in Jerusalem " were of one heart
" and of one soul: neither said any of them that aught of the things
" which he possessed was his own ; but they had all things common."**
But other portions of the Scriptures teach us that this state of things
prevailed not generally in the Church of Christ, and was but temporary
* 2 Cor. viii. 3, 4.
t Lukexix. 8.
% Mark xiv. 8.
§ Mark xii. 44.
H 2 Cor. viii. 12.
H Chrysostom, Horn. xix. Romans, p. 359, Oxf. trans,
'** Acts iv. 32.
15
even among the Christians of Jerusalem. We must, therefore, look
farther forborne general rule to guide us.
Letus^pquire first of the Patriarchs what proportion they gave to
God. Abraham, the father of the faithful, " gave" we are told, " a
tenth part of all"* to Melchisedec. " Jacob vowed a vow, saying, if
" God will be with me, and keep me in this way that I go, and will give
" me bread to eat and raiment to put on, of all that Thou
" shalt give me, I will surely give the tenth unto Thee."t We are con¬
firmed in our opinion, that this was the proportion which was offered
to God in times preceding the giving of the law, by the fact that not
only the polished nations of Greece and Rome, but even the most bar¬
barous people! were wont to dedicate tithes to their Deities. A practice
so universal, that, like that of sacrifices, it can only be ascribed to a
common source—a Divine command first given to Adam or Noah, and
handed down from generation to generation.
We turn to the law by Moses, and we find the Almighty by positive
enactment requiring of His people a tenth\ as His portion of their pos¬
sessions. " And all the tithe of the land, whether of the seed of the
" land, or of the fruit of the tree, is the Lord's: it is holy unto the
" Lord. And concerning the tithe of the herd, or of the flock, even of
" whatsoever passeth under the rod, the tenth shall be holy unto the
Lord."|| And throughout the whole of the Old Testament, this was the
portion which God required; and when it was withheld, He charged
them with robbing Him of his due, and visited them in the severity of
His judgments.fi
If, brethren, of the^w dwelling in the faint and glimmering light of
the law a tenth was required, what ought we to give, left as we are to
* Hebrews vii. 12. Genesis xiv. 20.
t Genesis xxviii. 20, 22.
t Pliny, Hist. Nat. lib. xii. c. 14. Arabians.
Do. do lib. xii. c. 19. Ethiopians.
Plutarch. Camil. vita. Romans and Liparians.
Xenophon. De Exped. Cyr. lib. v. Greeks.
Laertes, lib. i. Athenians.
Diodorus Siculus. Hist. lib. v. Carthaginians.
Porphyry. De abstin. lib. ii. § 8. Thoes.
Pausanias. Hist. Grseo. Siphnians.
Dionys. Halicar. lib. i. Pelasgi.
§ Besides the tenth of all,- the Israelites^lso presented " first-fruits" and made "free-will
offerings" to GodJ .flh.*
|| Levit. xxvii. 30, 32.
II Malachi iii. 8.
16
determine for ourselves the portion to be dedicated to God—what ought
we to give when the full splendor of the Sun of Righteousnesses around
us and within us :—when the gushing stream of the watefl^of life is
ready to be poured into every heart 1
We have already seen what portion was given whilst our Lord was
upon earth, and at the first preaching of the Gospel. What Zaccheus,
and the widow, and she who poured the ointment on His head, and the
earliest converts in Jerusalem gave. We have learned from the subse¬
quent history of the Church, as recorded in the Scriptures, that the
redeemed of the Lord knew no limit but their want of ability,* and that
at times they gave even beyond their power.t In succeeding ages we
find the ancient fathers recommending that at least a tenth of our
income be dedicated to the service of God ; and declaring even this
to be too small a proportion. Justin Martyr J and Irenasus§ in the
second century, Origen|| and Cyprianft in the third, Chrysostom**
* Acts xi. 29.
12 Cor. viii. 3, 4.
t Just. Mar. Apol. i. p. 20. Thirlby's Ed.—" Those of us who delighted above all things
*' in acquiring wealth and possessions, now bring all we have into a common [treasury,] and
" communicate it to every one that is in need."
§ Irencem adv. Hceres. lib. iv. c. 34. " We ought to offer to God the first-fruits of His
creatures, as Moses said, You shall not appear empty before the Lord." That by " first,
fruits" he here means " tenthsappears from the comparison which he had just been making
between the offerings of the Jews and those of the Christians:—" The Jews consecrated a
'* tenth, but the Christians gave all that they had to God's service, and would not give less
" than the Jews, because they had a better hope."
And in c. 27, after saying that instead of tythes, Christ commanded to sell all and give to
the poor, he adds :—'' This is not a dissolving, but an enlarging^" the law."
|| Origen Horn. xi. in Num. 18. " How 'does our righteousness exceed the righteousness
" of the Scribes and Pharisees,' if they dare not taste of the fruits of the earth before they offer
" the first-fruits to the Priests, and separate the tithes for the Levites, whilst I do nothing of
" this, but only so abuse the fruits of the earth, that neither the Priest nor the Levite, nor the
" altar of God, shall see any of them ?" •
IT Cyprian Treat, v. c. 20, p. 149, Oxf. trans. " Then they gave houses and lands for sale,
" and laying up for themselves treasures in heaven, offered the price to the Apostles to be dis-
" tributed for the uses of the needy. But now we give not even the tithes from our property^
" and while the Lord bids us to sell, we rather buy and heap up. It is thus that the vigour
"of our faith has waxed faint, and the strength of the believers has languished; and
" hence the Lord, looking to our times, says in His Gospel, ' When the Son of Man cometh,
" shall he find faith on the earth V a We see come to pass that which He foretold. In the
"fear of God, in the law of righteousness, in love, in good works, our faith is nought."
a Luke xviii. 8.
** Horn, xliii. 1 Cor. p. 613, 615, Oj£ trans. j^Iom. iv. Ephesians. p. 145, Oxf. trans.
■L^^qu^in thQPIlj^pf tl^^^couMjpPfclqjtfBK^B
" Wdetohim, it is said, wttejjftgjlnot a]^; at^gj^^PJpr the old covenant, much more
" is it under the New. If, wkere getting of wealth was allowed, and the enjoyment of it,
17
Jerome and Augnstinef in the fourth, and almost all writers after them
speak the same language. Our time will only allow brief extracts from
two of these. " Separate, therefore, something says Augustine. "Lay
aside some fixed portion of your annual " fruits and daily gains
Set apart some portion of your income. Do you determine to give a
tenth I Set apart a tenth, although this is but a small proportion.
" For it was said by the Pharisees, who were accustomed to give tithes,
" ' T fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess/ But
" what says the Lord % 'Except your righteousness shall exceed the
righteousness of the Scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter
® into the Kingdom of Heaven.' He whose righteousness you are
" required to exceed gives a tenth, but you give not a thousandth part."|
The language of Chrysostom is equally strong. " Will you have
" mention also," he asks, "of the resources out of which you should
" make your deposits, so as in this respect also to make this kind of
" contribution easy 1 The handicraft man, for instance, when
" he sells any article of his trade, let him give the first-fruits of its price
" unto God; let him cast in a small portion here, and assign something
" to God out of his portion, though it be rather scanty. For neither do
" I ask any great thing; but so much as the childish ones among the
" Jews, full as they are of innumerable evils, just so much let us cast
" in, we who look forward to heaven. And this I say, not as laying
" down a law, neither as forbidding more, but as recommending a deposit
" of not less than a tenth part. And this also do thou practise not in
" gelling only, but also in buying. Let those also who possess land,
" observe this law in regard to their rents : yea let it be a law for all
" who gather in their rents in an honest way........ \ ea and if we
u gjjcJ the care of it, there was such provision ,made for the succouring the poor, how much
" more in that dispensation, where wfTiddcn to give up all? For what did they not of old
" do ? They gave tithes, and tithes again upon tithes. They supported orphans, widows, and
" strangers. ...... If there was danger then in omitting tithes, think how great it must
" he ■now.'"
* Hieron. Com. in Mai. iii. "What wehave said concerning tithes and first-fruits, which
"were formerly given by the people to the Priests and Levites, understand to be also binding
" on the people of the Church, to. whom it has been commanded, not only to give tithes and
" first-fruits, but also to sell all that they have and give to the poor, and to follow the Lord
" their Saviour. If we- cere unwilling to do this, let us at least imitate the practice of the
« Jews, and give part of the whole to the poor, and render due honor unto the Priests and
" Levites. Which he that does not, defrauds and supplants God, and is cursed by the wan4
" of all things." ^ .
t Augustine, Com. in Psalm, plxvi. Quoted m the-body of the Discourse. .
£ August. Com. in Psalm clxvi.
s
18
" establish ourselves in this kind of habit, we are ever after stung by
*' our conscience, if ever after we omit this rule ; and after a while, we
" shall not evet§ think it a hard thing: and by degrees toe shall arrive at
" the greater things* and by practising how to despise wealth, and by
" pulling up the roots of evils, we shall first pass the present life in
" peace, and then obtain possession of the life to come."t
From all that has been said, the conclusion seems inevitable to him
who addresses you that a tenth is the very least portion of our income,
which, as Christians, whether poor or rich, we ought to dedicate to the
service of God. And with this conviction on his mind, he would fail in
his duty to your souls, and prove a traitor to your best interests, did he
not urge you to make this the least limit of your contribution.
In the Gospel God has not, as we have said, declared what portion of
our income He requires at our hands, but having, in general terms,
commanded us to give liberally, has left it to each of. us to deter¬
mine for himself the pioportion whieh his contributions shall bear to his
income. Our gifts to God must be the free offerings of hearts, which,
having tasted the loving kindness of God through Christ, have also
learned to love the Bountiful Giver of all good. And were we left thus
free, beloved brethren, that we might give less than the debased idolater,
or the unenlightened Israelite 1 My appeal is to reasonable men. Who
can think this] Our offerings are the fruits of gratitude and love; and
had they such calls to gratitude as we have ] Could they love as we
love? Oh no ! We look to Him who, in the outgoings of infinite
love, left His throne in heaven, and, assuming our nature, died to re¬
deem us from death and hell. We feel, under the influences of His
Gracious Spirit, that we have been brought from darkness to light; from
the bondage of sin and Satan into the glorious liberty of the children of
God ; from death to life : and^thus taqght to love Him who first loved
us. And if a fire from heaven be kindled in our hearts, it must send
forth warmth : we must love all that Jesus loves : and our offerings fot
* There is a beautiful illustration of this truth in the life of the good Bishop Wilson. " His
" char fy was always most abundant. When he possessed early in life, only 30f. per annum,
" he devoted one tenth of this income to the poor. As his income gradually increased, a gTeat-
" er share was distributed in alms. He always laidaside the proportion destined for the poor
41 in a certain place. In this treasury, which he named ' the poor's drawer,' was deposited at
"first a tenth, then a fflh, afterwards a third, and at last half his income. Every deposit
" there was convened into an act both of charity and devotion ; prayers and alms were inces-
" santly united. At his house every kind of distress found relief." Palmer's Church History
c. xxiii. p. 192.
t Chrys. Horn, xliii. 1 Cor. p. 613,614, Oxf. trans.
19
the temporal and spiritual necessities of our fellow-men will know no
lmit utour want of means. If we give a tenth, or a fifth, or a third,
or a alf, or all that we have, it will seem too small a return for love so
immense as that of Christ to us. If we are not required to contribute a
tenth to God, it is that we may give more—not less.
Let your offerings be accompanied, as they ought always to be, with
prayer and praise, and what a solemn mockery will seem, even to our¬
selves, some of our gifts to God ! Let us suppose one of the redeemed
of the Lord drawing nigh to God with such language as this: " My
Father, the poor benighted Heathen gave to his idol Gods a tenth of
all he had. The Patriarchs and the sons of Israel offered to Thee
their tithes. But they no such love have known as I, to awake a spirit
" of love to Thee and thine ; and therefore, Lord, L offer unto Thee"—
What % My all ? The half my goods ? A tenth, a twentieth of what
thou givest me 1 Oh no, brethren; not even this with some of us.
Though'perhaps, may be found, who give a "hundredth part,"
yet others would be constrained to say, " I offer unto Thee—nothing .
not ev.en a sigh for the sufferings of thy poor—not even a prayer for the
advancement of Thy kingdom and Thy glory." What think you of
such a prayer as this ? and how then must our offerings appear in the
eyes of the all-seeing God ?
The income of this congregation for the present year cannot be less
than one hundred and thirty thousand dollars. One tenth of this amount
would be more than thirteen thousand dollars; a sum which would
comfort and cheer many a bereaved widow and destitute orphan : which
would send thirteen Missionaries to the lost ones of China, or Africa, or
to the oppressed and ignorant Christians of the East: which would
make glad the hearts of thirty of our Missionaries in our own Western
Country, some of whom, with their wives and little ones, can tell how
heavily weighs the burden of a pinching poverty. Brethren, beloved in
the Lord, give but a tenth of this tenth ; and whilst your Minister hum¬
bles himself before God that you give so little, he will praise His holy
name that you give so much.
I have set before you views, drawn, as I believe, from the word of
God. I have done so seriously and prayerfully. Weigh them, I be¬
seech you, in the balance of the sanctuary—Try them by this Book,
which we profess to receive as from God, and by which we expect to be
justified or condemned in that great day when we shall assemble around
the throne of Christ, and give an account of our stewardship.
I have prepared, as usual, a book in which you are now affectionately
urged to record your pledges for the present year. And may God so
richly endow you with the " grace" of liberality, that, as in times past
20
only a few names have been found written therein, and ouf contributions
have been small indeed ; so, for the time to come, every name in the
congregation may be recorded, and each one give "as God hath pros¬
pered him." "If thou hast much, give plenteously. If thou hast little,
" do thy diligence gladly to give of that little."
Are there any present who are still determined not to contribute to
the work of the Lord ? Then consider, brethren, how far may be applied
to you the language of one who, about sixteen hundred years ago, died
a martyr for Christ. " The shades of barrenness" he says, " have beset
" your spirit, the light of truth has departed from it, and deep and pro-
" found darkness of avarice has blinded your carnal breast. You are
" captive and slave of your money; you are fast in the chains and bands
" of covetousness; whom Christ has once loosened, again you are be-
" come bound. You save up wealth which, saved though it.be. renders
" back to you no safety : You heap up a futune, whose wlyfconly bur-
" dens you with a heavier load ; forgetting what God answered to the
" rich man who boasted with foolish exultation in the abundance of his
" overflowing gatherings—' Thou fool' He saith,' this night thy soul is
" ' required of thee, then whose shall those things be which thou hast
" provided V—why do you brood alone over your wealth? Why, to
" your penalty, heap up the load of your estate, so that as you are richer
" to the world, you become poorer to God ? Divide your profits with
" the Lord your God : share your gains with Christ: make Christ par-
" taker of your earthly possessions, that He also may make you co-heir
" with Him in the realms of heaven."*
Gracious Father, make us instruments in thy hand and vessels of Thy
grace, both to receive Thy gifts, and to employ thern again to Thy hon¬
or, and the benefit of our neighbor, for Jesus Christ's sake*
And now &c.
* Cyprian's Treatises, x. p. 240, Oxf. trans.
END.