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The path to wealth
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THE AUTHOR.
MAY 14 1948
mtmtk to mmimiLJs!^
OR,
LIQHT KROM MY KORQE.
A DISCUSSION OF GOD'S MONEY LAWS.
THE RELATION BETWEEN GIVING AND GETTING.
CASH AND CHRISTIANITY.
BY
A BLACKSMITH.
ADDITIONAL PAPERS ON SYSTEMATIC BENEFICENCE, WRITTEN
ESPECIALLY FOR THIS WORK,
Rev. E. C. B. HALLAM.
Rev. F. R. BE A TTIE, Ph. D., D. D.
Rev. R. W. WOODSWORTH.
Rev. yOHN POLLARD, D. D.
Rev. WM. TAYLOR, Bishop of Africa.
WITH AN INTRODUCTION BY
Rev. J. H. VINCENT, D.D., LL.D., Bishop of M. E. Church,
Chancellor of ChatUauqua College of Liberal Arts, etc,
B. F. JOHNSON & CO.,
RICHMOND, VA.
Copyrighted by
B. F. Johnson & Co.
CONTENTS.
AUTHOR'S PREFACE.
God's Money IvAW — Revealed in the Bible and nature — Neg-
lected by average Christian — Give and get, keep and lose —
Sad ignorance of the people — Clearness of the Scriptures —
God guarantees a man's financial success — Solomon's plan for
getting rich — Piety cultivated — Will convert the world — Book
for busy men — Characters real — Experiences true — Black-
smith shop — Baptist Church — "Talks " rather than chapters —
Stenographically reported 7-10
INTRODUCTION
By Dr. Vincent — Whirlpools in the great sea of society
— Everything centres in self — Social cyclones — Selfishness the
root of all personal and social evil — "Perilous times" of
" the last days " — Gardens of modern civilization— Fountains
imparting new life and strength — Evil combinations : politi-
cal, commercial and ecclesiastical — The fountain-life of grace
— One-sided view^s of religious life — Self-sacrifice — Awakening
needed on the subject of systematic, conscientious, spiritual
and worshipful giving— Old time giving— Modern giving —
Business aspects of the subject — The Church ought to be a
model for society— Value of the gift depends upon the motive
of the giver 13-24
TALK No. I.
The B1.ACKSMITH Shop— Village philosophers— Too many
collections — God's books, the Bible and nature— Nature shows
the need of benevolence — The Bible law— God's mininmm
demand— " There is money in it"— Tithe always means tenth
(v)
vi Contents.
— No necessary connection between poverty and piety — Ma-
terial promises of the Bible — Health and wealth rewards of
tithing — Origin of tithe-giving — Abraham and Melchizedec —
Jacob at Bethel — Jacob's bargain with God — Jacob's marvel-
lous success — Laban changes Jacob's wages ten times — Jacob
became rich and made I^aban rich — A result of Jacob's vow —
God takes care of the finances of His children — God com-
mands all men to pay ten per cent. — When the Jews obeyed
they prospered — Disobedience brought disaster — To rob God
of money brings punishment in kind — Vitality of the Jews —
Great money makers — This tithing command binding on
Christians — God's laws are eternal — Needs of the Church
greater than ever — She goes a-begging — Bazaars, concerts, lot-
teries, etc. — Spasmodic and hap-hazard benevolence — New
Testament sanction of the Tithe 25-71
TALK No. 2.
Who Shoui<d Tithe ? — Increased attendance at the meeting —
All men should tithe — Objections— Fourteen per cent, of time,
ten per cent, of income— Experience proves it pays to obey —
"There is that scattereth and yet increaseth " — God's tithe
the seed-money of wealth — " He that soweth sparingly shall
reap sparingly " — Christians trust a Bank with their money,
but doubt God — Poor men should pay tithes— A man in debt
should pay tithes— Debt a curse— The children of a king gen-
erally well off — Bad economy to sell seed- wheat to pay debts
— Rich men should tithe their incomes— The cry, "wicked
rich men," good poor men — Paying tithes makes God a
partner— Insurance against bankruptcy — Experience of a
physician — God's cause suffering for lack of money — Ten per
cent, of income would supply the need — The salvation of the
world reduced to a question of money — Great spiritual impulse
— Obedience and spiritual enjoyment — Sentimental consecra-
tion—Start it at ten per cent, in cash— Tithers generally
spiritually minded — Companionship with Jesus . . 73-1 ^ 5
TAIvK No. 3.
History of Tithing — Practised by heathens — Tradition from
Contents. vii
Eden — Abraham found the practice in existence — Presuinption
that Cain and Abel paid a tenth — Why Jesus said no more
about it — Paul's rule — Writings of the Fathers— Primitive
Church Councils — Tithing introduced into England— Parish
Church Tithes — Variety of Tithes— Tithes made obnoxious by
the State Church — Why other Churches have neglected the
system — The Pilgrim Fathers — Christianity of America and
Canada — The historic Church a unit in saying the tenth is the
Lord's — Advantage of tithing — Tithing compared to sowing —
— Investing in the bank of Heaven— Systematizes one's
benevolence — Gives a man strength in his business — Compels
one to keep accounts - Draws a man near to God . 1 17-144
TALK No. 4-
Objections and Questions— Great interest manifested— The
motive of reward should not be appealed to — God does it —
Self-interest a powerful motive to virtue— Children— Solomon,
Jesus and Paul urge the motive to give for the sake of gain —
Love is a higher motive — Should one take out his living ex-
penses before tithing? — How can a farmer tell his income? —
Bad debts— How to keep the tithe account— vShould a minister
pay tithes ? — Paupers — Indoor servants— Property that has not
been tithed— Pew rents— Horse sheds— Life assurance — Earn-
ings of children— A physician's gratuitous services to the poor
— Should inherited property that has been tithed be tithed
again?— Should income from capital be tithed?— Money paid
for books— Ministerial education and the tithe account— Was
the Jewish Tithe equivalent to our municipal taxes ?— Is not
the law done away with and our givings left to the free will
of love ?— Important suggestions— Experience meeting — Pub-
lish a book . . . ... . . 145-187
TALK No. 5.
Testimonies and Experiences— Given to God not less than
ten per cent, for five years — Have had more left for myself
than before— Given systematically nine years— Am a general
merchant— Always have funds on hand— If the law says ten
per cent., love ought to do more — A minister's experience —
viii Contents,
Given a tenth since September, 1883 — Commenced when
financially oppressed— Brought great joy— Easy finances —
Adopted tithing system seven years ago — My income has
quadrupled since — The rich ought to give more than a tenth —
All followers of Jesus should support His cause — Convinced
some years ago that a tenth was the minimum — Did not then
adopt it — Financial loss — Have paid a tenth for two years —
Financial affairs in better condition than ever before — A farm-
er's experience — A warning — Gave a tenth and had prosperit}'
— People said I was crazy — Gave it up — A long list of failures
followed — Adopted it again — Will never more give it up —
Commenced to pay God his financial claim some years ago —
Have had success ever since — For four years I have paid a
tenth — Would not abandon it — Giving is a luxury — A voice
from Novia Scotia — I am a general merchant — Have paid
tithes two 3^ears — M}^ business has doubled since — Have tithed
for a few months— When I withheld a tenth, God took it from
me — A stock broker's experience — Have carried out the rule
for years — Sometimes have doubled the amount — Love and
gratitude to Jesus — Experiences of two Methodist ministers —
A Baptist minister's experience — Twenty-five years' testimony
— Bible finance in India — A young lady's experience — Salary
raised in two months — Experience from Calcutta, India — In-
crease of salary — A farmer who tithed, saved from a plague-
Financial victory for years — An experience from the Congre-
gational Church^oy in giving — Plenty to give with — Ex-
perience of a young lady stenographer — The same old story —
Pleasure and profit— A clergyman's experience — Saves from
worry — The nine-tenths is more than the whole — Another
farmer heard from — Experience from the head-master of a
school — A shoemaker's experience — Ten years' experience of
a lady — Another lady testifies — An extraordinary testimony —
Big giving— Wonderful spiritual and financial reward — Closing
remarks 189-233
PAY YOUR DEBTS.
BY REV. E. C. B. HAI,I,AM.
No Giving untii. Debts are Paid— A tenth is the Lord's—
Contents. ix
Many Christians withhold it— Paying not giving— Three kinds
of tithes— Two annual tithes, one triannual— Two tithes abol-
ished— The tithe " for the service of the sanctuary " still bind-
ing—Tithing prior to Judaism— God's alphabet of self-denial-
Christian honesty demands its payment— New Testament en-
dorsation— Jesus— Paul— Moses and Paul on tithing— A tenth
stored once a week— System just and equitable— Tenth mini-
mum for rich and poor— The rich should "give " after having
"paid "—Bible finance—" That the Lord may bless thee"—
lyittle love for giving means little likeness to God . 235-251
BIBLE GIVING: ITS NATURE AND RULE-
Introductory— Giving to rehgious objects important— Religion
and luxury— Money needed for religion at home and abroad-
Liberal soul made fat— Delicacy of the subject— Stewards-
Early experience— First tea-meeting— Reform needed— Di-
vision of the subject — Nature and rule of giving . 253-259
Chapter I.— Bibi.e Giving : its Nature.
BIBI.E for teaching— Good foundation laid— Right building
on it — Rock v. sand — Principles and their application 261,262
Section I. — Bible foundation.
B1BI.E OPENED— Cain and Abel— Noah —Abraham— Mosaic code
—Three classes of offerings— Those for permanent religious
service— Those for direct support of priests— Those for altar
offerings— Five principles involved in these offerings— Owner-
ship— Consecratiou—Firstfruits— Freewill— Representation :—
Tabernacle— Temple— Talmud— Kurtz— Spencer — Cases quo-
ted—Same principles in New Testament— Ananias— Still
binding on men— Hence foundation in Old and New Testa-
ments 262-301
Section II. — Applications.
Average Christian community — Support of religious teach-
ers — Building churches— Ancient, mediaeval, and modern
times— Church debts bad continually— Unscriptural — Hurtful
— Pew rents condemned — History of system — Unscriptural —
X Contents.
Not voluntary — Distinctions between rich and poor— Unequal
— Indirect modes of raising money— Commercial : Bazaar —
Soiree — Social : Concert and lecture — Lottery — Not direct
giving — Unscriptural — Often wrong — End does not justify
the means — Checks liberality — Not cheap, but dear — Costs
far more than direct giving — Social Church life . 301-345
Chapter II. — Bible Giving: its RuIvE-
Rule needed.— in the dark — God's word — Three questions :
How much ? — Where ? — When ? .... 347-348
Section I. — How much ?
System required — Hap-hazard giving — All should give a
share— The tithe — Ancient rule — Older than Moses — Natural
religion — Heathen nations — In New Testament — Not a State
tax — Rule of voluntary giving— Advantages— Secures system
— Giving intelligently — More money given— Brings temporal
blessing — Brings spiritual blessing . . . 349-358
Section II. — Where?
Giving a religious duty — An act of worship— Mosaic law
proves — Temple customs— New Testament — Like Christian
Sabbath — All offerings made at church — Pastor's salary —
Mission funds— Make giving divine . . . 358-363
Section III— When ?
At religious services in olden time— New Testament first
day of week — Hence at God's house — Weekly offering system
— No pew rent — All voluntary — More money raised — Burden
less felt — Worthy of adoption for all givings — Conclusion —
Summary— Need of God's Spirit to give life and liber-
ality 363-371
THE PROPERTY TRUST.
Chapter I.
Infinite obligation to Christ— Love the constrainer— Holy
Contents.
XI
Scriptures full aud clear on the subject— The extent of our
givings — The Jewish tithe— Of ancient origin — Adopted by
Moses— Perpetual obligation— The Sabbath law— One-seventh
of time, one-tenth of income— Violation entails loss— A great
demand for consecrated property— Magnificent chance for
saving a lost world — Privilege, another word for duty— Pente-
costal consecration — Sold out all for God — The same act now
would make a stir— Pentecostal baptism— Covetousness the
plague of the Church— Selfishness restrains the grace of God
— Meagre givings of Christians— The honest Jew gave at least
one-third — Giving, a moral duty — One-tenth the minimum —
Scene at the erection of the Tabernacle— Three thousand mil-
lions of dollars for the Temple— Should a man in debt pay
tithes ? — Obedience pays — God's laws made in our interest —
Secular and spiritual advantages— It pays for poor men to
keep God's property law — Disaster follows disobedience — An
example — Wonderful prosperity— One-tenth of all things the
Ivord's 373-398
Chapter II.
God's ci.aim on the pocket-book — Doing business for God-
Jehovah's charge to His people— All wealth from God — Ability
to plan from God — " Will a man rob God ? " — Church finance
requires revision — No success without sacrifice — Men bear
great trouble for worldly success — The motive of the Cross —
" I gave my life for thee " — Infinite love vs. human selfishness
— Love transforms duty into luxury — Conquest of the world
for God — Mammon and Christ — Investigate this property
question — Blessedness of giving .... 399-409
Chapter III.
Divine pledges of blessing — Penalties of disobedience-
Distress and scarcity — Jehovah's charge of robbery — God's
challenge to prove Him — Great material prosperity promised
to tithers — Trust first, blessing afterwards —Tithes demanded
when the people were poor — Covetousness punished— God's
house first— Much sowing, little reaping — "A bag with holes "
xii Contents.
— Drought and scarcity — For refusing two, God takes twenty
— Giving always the condition for getting . . 41 1-4 17
GIVING AND E.ECEIVING.
More bi^ksskd to give than to receive — Who believes
that? — All acts of receiving must precede all giving in the
highest sense — The fountain is pure, and sparkling, and at-
tractive — The sewer dark, filthy, and repulsive — The fountain
gives, and the sewer receives — God has promised much to
giving, nothing to receiving — Give and it shall be given unto
you — Receiving has no recompense in the next world, and
giving has 419-431
THE TITHE.
Human right to six days per week— God's right to the
seventh — God reserves the tenth of all net proceeds for pur-
poses of mercy — Uses man as disbursing agent — Mental ap-
petence for property — Right to accumulate and hold property —
Varieties of value — "Will a man rob God?" — What is the
penalty? — "The devourer "—Pharisee and Publican — The
tithes should be promptly " laid by in store " . . 433-440
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS.
PAGE
Frontispiece ....••• 2
Bishop J. H. Vincent 12
How THE Talks Began 26
The Shoemaker 27
The Blacksmith 29
The Scene of Jacob's Tithe Vow ... 39
Jacob and Laban 41
Moses and the Law 44
Sir Moses Montefiore, the Jewish Philan-
thropist 55
The Publican 65
Hon. John McDonald 72
The Sower 81
General Gordon 102
The Missionary 104
Rich Pharisee going with his Tithes to the
Priest . 121
Laying Aside the Lord's Portion . . .125
English Tithes, Twelfth Century . . 127
Farmer Posting his Books . . . . 15^
(xiii)
XIV
List of Illustrations,
George Peabody
The Protested Note
God's Treasury
The Hindoo who gave Tithes
''There is a Lad here which has Five Barley
Loaves and Two Small Fishes
Charles Spurgeon
Priest Offering Sacrifice
Peter Cooper
Old-Fashioned Tea-Drinking
Matthew Vassar
Hebrew Bringing First-Fruits
Epaphroditus Bringing Gifts to Paul
The Log Church ....
Renting Pews
Cake Voting
Rejecting Meat Offered to Idols
St. Paul Writing ....
The Envelope System
Miss Angela Georgina Burdett Coutts
Burning the Note ....
Gold Digger
PAGE
179
208
238
249
260
277
332
337
361
366
369
396
404
AUTHOR'S PREFACE.
This book is written in the interests of
God's money law. This law is cleariy re-
vealed in the Bible and is plainl}^ manifest in
nature. At the same time, it is either entirely
neglected or manifestly misunderstood by the
average Christian. It is evident, so much so
*' that he who runs ma}^ read," that God has
constituted nature and grace according to the
principle that the wa}^ to get is to give, and the
way to lose is to keep. Most men, however,
shut their eyes and will not see this great
truth.
The lack of a knowledge of God's monetary
demands upon the people on the one hand, and
the bearing of these demands upon our finan-
cial success on the other hand, is simply amaz-
ing, in view of the clearness of the teachings
of Holy Scripture, and in view of the impor-
tance of the subject. I trust the pulpit will not
(7J
8 Author's Preface.
come in for the largest share of the blame for
this ignorance.
It is a matter of certainty to me that a prime
condition for the financial success of the indi-
vidual is in giving to God the amount He de-
mands ; or, to put it stronger, God pledges
Himself for the financial success of that indi-
vidual who renders obedience to the Divine
money claim ; and hence the title of this book
is given in no figurative or secondary sense,
for an infallible answer to the question, *' How
to acquire wealth?" is, "Bring all the tithes
into the storehouse." To tell the simple truth
ought never to be considered beyond the
bounds of modesty, and I believe it to be the
truth when I say, that this book now sent out
to the public proves beyond doubt the wisdom
of the command and the truth of the promise,
" Honor the Lord with thy substance and with
the first-fruits of all thine increase, so shall
thy barns be filled with plenty and thy presses
shall burst out with new wine." But for fear
Solomon's words should be so construed by
the doubting as not to mean hard cash, then I
Author's Preface, g
will state plainly, that this book proves from
the Bible and experience that poverty is always
driven away and piety generally cultivated by
paying to God ten per cent, of our income.
Incidentally it is shown that obedience to God's
money claim upon Christians would convert
the world to Christ in a very short time.
An effort has been made to state each point
briefly, so that the time of busy men may not
be occupied longer than is necessary to make
each argument clear and convincing. A book
twice the size could be easily written were the
same arguments elaborated to their fullest ex-
tent. The characters introduced to the reader
are real, and the objections interspersed, for
the most part, written in the language in which
they were stated by actual and not imaginary
men. The experiences are not only true in
their statement, but each experience is given
by a different individual with the trade or pro-
fession as stated, while the name of each person
could be given were it deemed prudent.
The idea of the blacksmith, his son and the
blacksmith shop has a foundation in fact, but
lo Author's Preface,
the school house and the Baptist church are
introduced for the sake of variety, and to give
added interest to the subject under discussion.
The book is divided into " Talks " rather than
chapters ; first, for the sake of something new,
and second, in order to be true, as it is really
made up of talks stenographically reported by
a lady who has been converted to the doctrine
and practice of tithing through the instrumen-
tality of the Author, and out of love for the
cause she did the work.
It is the earnest wish and devout prayer of
the writer that this book may be productive of
good, and lead many a man to '^ Bring all the
tithes into the storehouse'' in response to the
demand of God.
The Author.
BISHOP J. H. YINCFJS^T.
(12)
INTRODUCTION.
There are whirlpools in the great sea.
There are whirlpools in the great sea of soci-
ety. In a whirlpool the circling waters tend
toward the central vortex, and everything that
comes within their swirl and sweep is caught,
and finally swallowed down to that deepest
deep which makes neither return nor report of
its victims. Whatever counter-currents and
temporary eddies may play on the other lines
of this great gyration, deceiving at first both
observer and victim, the controlling current
soon proves itself master, and ere long the
power of the whirlpool is asserted and con-
firmed. Everything centres in a central self
which greedily engulfs leaf, feather, fish, reck-
less fowl, flotsam and bark, feasting but never
satisfying the measureless maw of the insatiate
sea. The ver}^ air is whirled into a cyclone
over this consuming maelstrom — terrible sym-
bol of an all-dominating selfishness.
14 In troduction .
In the great sea which God made there are
but few such fatal vortexes. The sea of society
is full of those who have perverted a normal
selfhood, and that true self-love which is the
bond of man's individuality, into a selfishness
which is the only centre of life, and which
lives neither for God's glory nor for the good
of men. Such souls are the maelstroms of
society. They live for self They measure
everything by the personal Jvdvantage which
they hope to secure. The far-reaching sweep
of their own ambition lays hold of whatsoever
they account good and desirable, and steadily,
by forces of cunning plot and unrelenting pur-
pose, they appropriate to themselves the things
they account of greatest good in their personal
life. They live for gold, for place, for power,
for prominence, for ease and luxury. The
Ego is the centre of their universe. They not
only ask, ^' What shall we eat, and what shall
we drink, and wherewithal shall we be
clothed?" but they ask nothing else, and ac-
count as the best things of God's creation and
providence, and the best things of human so-
ciety, that which feeds and adorns their own
dying and unprofitable bodies. They sacrifice
the interests of others at the shrine of their
Inh'oductioii.
15
own advancement. They get all they can and
keep all they can. They are willing that the
poor shall continue poor, if they themselves
may grow more rich. They are content to
build their princely fortunes on a pitiable mass
of society bound down and ground down by
oppression.
These social whirlpools maybe developed in
individual life, and in a larger way in associ-
ated commercial, political and ecclesiastical
life. What the one unsanctified selfist seeks
daily to do on a small scale, these combinations
of society seek to. accomplish on a colossal
scale. Thus are formed the great maelstroms
of trade, of politics, of nobility and royalty, and
of priestly tyranny, which, in the so-called
^' church " of the ages, has sucked down into
ignorance and superstition — the blackness of
darkness — so many millions of deluded souls.
Thus the root of all personal and social evil
is selfishness. This is the deadly whirlpool.
The apostle to the Gentiles, in his prophecy
concerning the "perilous times" of the "last
days," strikes at the very secret of all deterio-
ration and crime in a single sentence : — " For
men shall be lovers of their own selves." No
wonder, therefore, that he adds — " covetous,
1 6 Introduction.
boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to
parents, unthankful, unholy, without natural
affection, truce-breakers, false accusers, incon-
tinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good,
traitors, heady, high-minded, lovers of pleasures
more than lovers of God, having the form of
godliness but denying the power thereof."
There are fountains in the sweet gardens of
our civilization. There are up-springing jets
of water from lofty, out-of-sight sources, which
play in the sunlight, filling the surrounding
air with freshness, imparting new life and
strength to grass, plants, trees, washing the
leaves of overhanging branches and the petals
of fragrant blossoms in the neighborhood, caus-
ing them to shine with a new beauty, and to
render a lovelier ministry of color and fra-
grance to the passer-by. These up-springing
fountains describe curves of beauty, and give
one constantly a sense of strength and of gen-
erous intention. The fountain puts gladness
into the hearts of men ; causes childhood to
leap in very excess of joy; giving back to the
benevolent sun light for his light, life for his
force, and beauty for his glory.
In the gardens of our modern society there
are some, alas ! too few, such fountains. They
In troduction . 1 7
are the men and women supplied from divine
reservoirs with the water of life. They give
freely, having freely received. The sources
of their life are in the heavens. They beautify
the neighborhood in which they live. Flov/ers
bloom more brightly, birds sing more sweetly,
the air is more bracing, the foliage fresher, the
sunshine brighter, the earth and heavens more
glorious because of the divine love which leaps
up in looks and words and deeds from these
fountain-hearts.
These live for others. They are not whirl-
pools, but fountains. They do not ask, " What
can this do for me?" but "What can I do for
others ? ' The spirit of help is the spirit of
their lives. The cry of their souls is not, " Lift
me up," but "Whom shall I lift up ? " They
do not take souls away from the light, but they
bring souls into the light. To them giving is
better than receiving, serving better than being
served.
As the selfist combining with his fellow-self-
ist constitutes the great selfish social organiza-
tions and forces which ruin society, so does the
unselfish child of the all-loving God, combin-
ing with other fountain-lives, create great spir-
itual social organizations, and generate mighty
1 8 httroduction,
spiritual energies which tend toward millen-
niums of blessing. What on the one hand the
evil combinations — political, commercial and
ecclesiastical — do for the degradation of hu-
manit}^, the spiritual, loving combinations in
the true Church of Christ do for the regenera-
tion and uplifting of humanity.
The great need of the age is the fountain-life
of grace which shall neutralize and destroy the
whirlpool life of self. And this radical change
in society must be effected through the indi-
vidual members of the church, who, loving
their kind, denying themselves, and giving
their substance, create in every community
personal and social centres from which flow
fountains of living waters for the refreshing
and for the healing of the nations.
It is mortifying to the intelligent Christian,
and sorely embarrassing to the promoters of
true reform, to find in the church merely one-
sided views of religious life. There are people
who ignore the essentials. They hold with
tenacity to the doctrinal formulas, forgetting
that no finite being in the universe holds
larger measures of truth than Satan himself.
There are people who exalt forms and ceremo-
nies in religious worship, forgetting that par-
Introduction. 19
rots can talk, ^olian harps emit sweet sounds,
and sparrows chatter in the leafy wood, and all
without thought, love or motive. There are
people who put stress on sentiment and emotion
in religion. If they "feel good," they have no
doubt as to their personal security and their
acceptance with God, although acceptance with
God is valuable to them chiefly as it gives them
a guarantee of security, all of which is only
another form of selfishness, and lacks the very
first element of religious character. These
people covet moods and states of feeling.
They revel in songs and prayers and hallelu-
iahs. The thrill of sentiment and the warm
currents of emotion are "the all and be-all " of
religion. Such saints forget that mere mental
exhilaration and good feeling may co-exist with
carnal hearts, selfish aims, and utter worldli-
ness of temper. There are people who have
everything in the religion of Jesus Christ —
which is a religion of sacrifice — but the spirit
and act of sacrifice. They have ideas and
ideals, reverent postures, ritualistic recitations,
spontaneity in prayer and glow of hope, but
they never make sacrifice of self in the service
of their Saviour. They give little or nothing ;
they believe in a "free gospel;" the law of
20 Introduction.
one-tenth has never put its iron into their con-
sciences ; the demand of the heathen has never
sounded from beyond the sea into their inner
life ; they give at random under pressure ; they
give when funny stories are told, when rivalries
between men and classes and sexes and socie-
ties are started, when suppers and shows and
feasts — the fruit of cunning devices — are given ;
there is no conscience in their giving ; there is
no prayer before it, nor is the offering of money
mingled with the incense of worship ; they re-
gard all finance as a secular part, and solely a
secular part, of the church life; they ridicule the
law of the tithe as the crotchet of a crank ;
the grace they profess never touches the
" pocket-nen^e." No wonder that the church
is limited in her resources ; no wonder that sal-
aries are deficient, and the treasuries of the
benevolent departments empty.
The church needs to-day an awakening and
a revival on the subject of systematic, consci-
entious, spiritual and worshipful giving. It
must understand that giving is the law of the
fountain-life. What is grace but giving?
God's grace — God's gift ! God's grace in us —
the giving of ourselves, the giving of our
powers, the giving of our all to humanity.
/;/ trodiiction . 2 1
This is full surrender; this is symmetrical
piety ; this is a true religious harmony in
which the whole of life becomes one with the
divine law of life.
There is, moreover, a business aspect which
this subject assumes, worthy of our most care-
ful attention. The church ought to be a
model of society, a picture of the millennium,
when love and wisdom shall abound in the
hearts and lives of men. On this theory, busi-
ness men ought to be able to turn to the
church and watch her methods of transacting
business as models for them in the affairs of
everyday life. Money should be collected, ac-
counts kept, expenditure made in a manner so
honest, systematic and becoming that the hard
sense of an unsanctified world would be com-
pelled to pay tribute to the integrity, thorough-
ness and charm of our church-management.
Children brought up in the church should
acquire commercial and ethical ideas and be-
come familiar with business modes, all so com-
mendable as to make them better business
men in the after years because of their training
in the Church of Christ.
We have a beautiful picture of systematic,
spontaneous and universal giving in the days
22 Introduction.
of Moses and Israel, when the call of the Lord
was heard, and the ''offering" of the people
given " willingly." " Speak unto the children
of Israel, that they bring me an offering ; of
every man that giveth it willingly with his
heart, I shall take my offering." It is said
that '' all the congregation of the children of
Israel came very near whose heart stirred him
lip, and every one whom his spirit made willing,
and they brought the Lord's offering to the
work of the Tabernacle of the congregation,
and for all his service, and for the holy gar-
ments." " Every man," " every one," " all
the men that were wise-hearted," '' all the
women whose hearts stirred them up," and the
" rulers " and all the " children of Israel
brought a willing offering unto the Lord."
Great ideas exalted them, divine commands
impelled them, and divine work full of beauty
and of incalculable use inspired them. And
with marvellous unanimity and heartiness
and promptness the nation poured forth its
gifts to the Lord, gifts of every sort and ac-
cording to individual ability. This sponta-
neous movement, so brilliant, so wise and
worthy, was so turned into the steady and legit-
imate service of the people, that a tenth of all
Introduction . 2 3
that tliey had was to be placed on the altar
of their God. Such inspirations, incentives
and systematic methods are this day needed in
the Church of the Most High. Home should
teach the doctrines underlying systematic be-
nevolence. The pulpit should proclaim them.
The Sabbath school should reiterate them. The
administration of the church should illus-
trate them. Then will the coffers of Zion
be filled to overflowing, and the work of the
Lord shall be carried on in the earth, and the
heart of the people, made glad by giving, shall
be made twice glad by the vision of the result,
as the blessing of the Lord shall consecrate
and crown their work.
In all giving of our resources to the cause
of God, we must remember that the value of
the gift depends upon the motive of the giver.
Great ideas must incorporate themselves in
noble character, and the gift must be the fruit
of character. The Sabbath collection may
thus be made a more splendid expression of
true religion than any anthem that choir ever
rendered, or any song that ever sounded forth
from the congregation. When the gifts that
drop into the passing baskets come from great
hearts, sustained by great ideas, and contem-
24 Introduction.
plating great aims, and are in themselves
prayers whicli take the form of deeds — then
is the " collection " worship, and the ringing
of silver and copper and gold sweet music in
the heavens.
John H. Vincent.
Chautauqua, N. Y.,
August 28, 1888.
SYSTEMATIC GIVING.
The following talks were commenced in our
blacksmith shop to a number of customers and
their friends, who came to hear what I had to say
on " Systematic Giving," as they call it, but
what I prefer to call " Systematic Paying " of
what we owe to God.
I am a blacksmith, the son of a blacksmith,
and the grandson of a blacksmith. The old
shop in which these talks commenced had
been occupied by three successive generations,
my grandfather, my father, and myself Each
of us in turn shod all the horses of the little
village, repaired all the ploughs and wagons,
and, in short, did all the blacksmithing that
was to be done for miles around. At nights,
the men and boys of our little communit}^ used
to assemble in our shop, and while father and
myself would transform old horse shoes into
new ones, there would be a general discussion
3 (25)
HOW
THK TALKS BEGAN.
(26)
The Path to Wealth,
27
of things, both light and grave, the conversa-
tions being enlivened by the blaze of the forge,
and made merry by the cling-clang of hammer
and sledge, as they rattled on an anvil which
gave '' no uncertain sound."
THE SHOEMAKER.
We had some profound philosophers in our
village, and some equally noted for their knowl-
edge of the Bible. The shoemaker, the doctor
and the man that kept the only shop in the
village, where we bought our dry-goods, gro-
28 The Path to Wealth;
ceries, hardware and stationery, were tlie best
talkers, and seemed to know the most; although
after I was converted, it did seem remarkable how
much God revealed to me of the Bible, myself,
and everybody else ; and how He let loose my
tongue none know better than our nightly com-
pany at the blacksmith shop. On the day pre-
ceding this particular night when these talks
commenced, there were several farmers in with
work to be done, and while waiting they had a
general conversation on the great demand for
money from the churches, and the general
subject of Christian giving, some complaining
that there was nothing but collections and
subscriptions, while others explained the reason
why, and justified the demands, but objected
to the general system by which the people
gave their contributions. They struck a sub-
ject upon w^hich I had very decided views, for
I had given it considerable attention, and
thought I knew the Bible plan, and I said some
things which seemed new and startling to
them, although my ideas were as old as Abra-
ham at least.
or^ Light from my Forge.
29
By some kind of general consent, an nn-
usually large number came to the shop that
night to hear what I had to say on that sub-
ject. An influential business man from the
city was visiting the doctor, and he brought
THE BLACKSMITH.
him along, while our company was also graced
with the presence of our own minister, who
found out what was going on, and came to
listen. It was a representative gathering and
I tried my best to be equal to the occasion,
30 The Path to Wealth;
and '' give saint and sinner their portion in
due season." All work was laid aside for that
night, and as the company sat around upon
the benches, the forge, and upon boxes, I sat
upon the anvil, with my leathern apron for a
cushion, and began my discourse on
'' SYSTEMATIC PAYING."
Talk No. i.
" There are some duties which can be found
out without the aid of the Bible, and there are
a great many things which are necessary to
know that the Bible was never intended to
teach, and yet there are a great many other
things which we could never discover if the
Bible had not been given us. God has given
us two great books — the Bible and Nature —
and in one or other of these books each duty
of man to man, and of man to God, is clearly
revealed to us. Nature is God's first book,
and the Bible is His supplement : what is not
revealed in one is communicated in the other.
From nature we learn there is great need of
benevolence, but she reveals to us no law for
(?r, Light from my Forge. 31
its exercise^ or adequate motive to prompt its
action. The Bible steps in and confirms nature
as to the need of benevolence, but, in addition,
it supplies powerful motives for its exercise, and
gives exact rules for its guidance. There are
attached to all the laws of God, whether as
seen in nature or revealed in the Bible, rewards
and penalties. No man can keep a law with-
out being blessed, and no man can break a law
without being cursed. So far as what is gen-
erally called natural law is concerned, this is
evident to all, and no time need be taken to
prove it. If I put my hand in the fire it is
burned, no matter how pious I may be ; and if
I do not eat I shall starve. Both of these
disasters would be the result of the natural
operation of well-known laws. Experience
proves that the laws of the Bible are equally
unyielding, for, be it remembered, the Bible
does not make any of its laws : it simply reveals
what already exists in the very nature of
things, but which could not be found out by
unaided reason.
" I shall attempt to make it very clear, in
32 The Path to Wealth;
my talk, that God has communicated to us the
exact minimum sum which we are to contribute
of our means to the support of His cause ; that
His will has been communicated to us in the
Bible in such a way that it has all the force of
a law, or a direct command, and what I have
just said concerning the keeping or the break-
ing of other laws is appropriate to this subject.
I trust also to be able to prove that there are
very great blessings, both temporal and spirit-
ual, promised to the man who gives the pro-
portionate amount of his income as demanded
by the Bible. Probably I shall put the stress
on the temporal blessings ; and, from a business
standpoint, attempt to prove that there is
money in it. The careful reader of the Bible,
particularly of the Old Testament, must see
how often God promises material blessings to
His people if they keep His commandments,
and how often God promises to bless His
people with earthly good if they regularly and
faithfully tithe their income.
*' Over and over again, by different writers
and under different circumstances, it is in
or^ Light from my Forge. 33
effect most distinctly asserted that ' The tenth
is holy nnto the Lord,' and the prophet Mal-
achi, who is the last prophet under the old
dispensation, and who may be said, in some
sense, to be the prophet who ushered in the
New Testament dispensation, uses this signifi-
cant language concerning tithing (Mai. iii.
10, II, 12) : ' 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 win-
dows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing,
that there shall not be room enough to receive
it. And I will rebuke the devourer for your
sakes, and he shall not destroy the fruits of
your ground ; neither shall your vine cast her
fruit before the time in the field, saith the
Lord of hosts. And all nations shall call you
blessed : for ye shall be a delightsome land,
saith the Lord of hosts.'
" It is not necessary for me to state that the
word tithe^ when used in the Bible, always
means tenths and is never used in any other
sense. Putting this expression into modern
34 The Path to Wealth;
language, it means, that ten per cent, of our
net earnings are to be devoted to God and to
His cause ; that is, to religious and benevolent
purposes. God distinctly promises that, if we
will be faithful and pay Him ten per cent,
regularly, or, as the Bible puts it, ^ Bring all
the tithes into the storehouse,' He will give
us both material and spiritual blessings. I
fear there is a tendency in modern religious
teaching to postpone all blessings until we get
to heaven, and perhaps unduly associate
* poverty and piety,' forgetting that Jesus
said, ' The meek shall inherit the earth,' and
Paul taught that godliness is equally good to
make money with or to take a man to heaven.
This modern teaching states that if God
blesses us here in the performance of our duty,
the blessings will be of a spiritual character ;
but I afi&rm that there are more promises in
the Bible of a material character, promising
those who keep the commandments material
blessings, than there are promises of a spirit-
ual character. I do not state that material
prosperity in itself is to be compared, in im-
<?r, Light from my Forge, 35
portance, to spiritual prosperity ; for, compar-
atively, one is dross and tbe other is gold,
one is the bubble on the ocean and the other
is the ocean, one relates to time and the other
to eternity, and there is no comparison. But,
for some reason or other, the Bible gives
greater prominence to the earthly advantages
of obedience to God than modern religious
teaching; and the reason is likely found in
the fact, that our material condition very greatly
affects our spiritual advancement, and that of
the world.
"It is easier for a man with health and
wealth to be good, than it is for a man stricken
with disease and oppressed by poverty. The
grace of God can, and does, equal any
difficulty that may be in the way of any
man's piety ; but granting that two men are
equally good and that they represent the con-
ditions to which I have referred, there can be
no comparison between the possible influence
of the one upon the spiritual condition of the
world, and the influence of the other ; so that,
in a relative sense, the blessings of health and
36 The Path to Wealth;
wealth are of overwhelming importance, and
are to be coveted. I affirm that God promises
to give us health and wealth if we will pay
Him our tithes. He promises to fill our barns,
to give us houses and lands, to make our busi-
ness successful, to protect our families, and, in
every way, blessings of a temporal character
are promised to those who will keep this com-
mandment of paying ten per cent, to His
cause.
^' It may be profitable for me, in the first
place, to talk a little on
(((
THE ORIGIlsr OI? TITHE-GIVING.'
" If you will turn to Genesis xiv. 20, you
will there learn that Abraham paid tithes to
Melchizedek, the priest of the most high God.
It appears that Abraham had been engaged
in a warfare with Chedorlaomer, a heathen
prince, and was successful. God had given
Abraham the victory, and enabled him to
rout the enemy. In returning from the war
he brought much spoils with him, and meeting
6>r, Light from my Forge, 37
Melchizedek, the priest of the most high God,
he gave him a tenth of the prize he had cap-
tured. Whether this was a spontaneous thank-
offering to God for the signal victory which
he had achieved, or whether he was carrying
out a commandment he had received, we are
left to conjecture.
'' I am inclined to think, by some means
or other, God had communicated to Abraham
His will, that He demanded of His people
ten per cent, of their income for the carrying
on of His cause. There is strong presump-
tive evidence of this, of which I will not
now. speak, but I may do so hereafter.
Whatever the truth may be concerning this,
it is certain that God afterwards adopted the
tenth as His share of the increase of the peo-
ple. We find that it became incorporated in
the Jewish statute books ; we find it coming
from the lips of the prophets, from the kings,
and from all those who were in authority over
God's ancient people.
'' The next reference to tithe-giving is in the
memorable case of Jacob, when he was fleeing
38 The Path to Wealth,
from Esau, and on the road to his uncle Laban
at Padan-aram. The story says that on the
road he laid him down to sleep, and he dreamed
a dream ; in his dream, he saw a ladder
reaching from earth to heaven, with angels
ascending and descending, while God was on
the top of the ladder, and had a conversation
with Jacob. At the conclusion of the conver-
sation, Jacob made a bargain with God (Gen,
xxviii. 20, 21, 22} : ^And Jacob vowed a vow,
saying. If God will be with me, and will keep
me in this way that I go and will give me
bread to eat, and raiment to put on, so that I
come again to my father's house in peace ; then
shall the Lord be my God : and this stone,
which I have set for a pillar, shall be God's
house : and of all that thou shalt give me, I
will surely give the tenth unto thee,' It is
not irreverent to say, that this was a business
bargain of a man with his Maker; and it
seems that God was pleased with it, and gra-
ciously accepted its conditions, and He fully
carried out His share of the bargain.
"Jacob reached the house of Laban in safety^
THE SCENE OF JACOl'/S TITHE VOW.
(39)
40 The Path to Wealth;
and hired with him as a keeper of sheep.
While he was there he fell in love with Rachel,
one of the daughters of Laban, and served
seven years for her; but at the end of the
term he was cheated by his old heathen uncle,
and received Leah instead ; at the end of an-
other seven years, he was rewarded with
Rachel. It seems, during the fourteen years
which Jacob had been in the employ of Laban,
that the latter's flocks had wonderfully pros-
pered; and Laban, with an eye to business,
valued Jacob's labor, and manifested great
anxiety to retain his services.. Jacob had now
quite a large family around him, and wanted
to leave Laban, so that he could provide for
his household, but Laban prevailed upon him
to stay, saying (Gen. xxx. 27, 28) : *And
Laban said unto him, I pray thee, if I have
found favor in thine eyes, tarry : for I have
learned by experience that the Lord hath
blessed me for thy sake. And he said. Ap-
point me thy wages, and I will give it.'
"A bargain was made between them, that
Jacob was to have all the spotted and speckled
oi\ Light from my Forge.
41
sheep and goats for his share. Jacob reminded
Laban that before he came to him he had but
little, but now he had a multitude of sheep and
goats, and that the Lord had blessed him for
his sake. The bargain, as just mentioned,
JACOB AND LABAN.
was made between them ; and it seems won-
derful, that from this time on, most of the
sheep and goats came spotted and speckled,
the strong lambs of the flock were nearly all
42 The Path to Wealth;
marked that way. Laban, stirred with j ealousy^
changed Jacob's wages, and paid him on an-
other plan ; but it would seem from the narra-
tive that Jacob's share of the sheep was always
larger than Laban's, and that Laban, filled
with envy, changed the nature of his wages
ten times ; but it made no difference what kind
of sheep were to be Jacob's share, his would
always be the largest. Jacob increased won-
derfully, and the story says (Gen. xxx. 43) :
'And the man increased exceedingly, and had
much cattle, and maid-servants, and man-ser-
vants, and camels, and asses.' God, in a con-
versation with Jacob, states, in substance, that
the reason of all this increase was because he
had taken Him into partnership, and given
Him a tenth of his earnings ; for in the con-
versation referred to, God cited Jacob back to
the years gone by, when he was a refugee, and
had nothing but his staff, to the time and
place where Jacob made the bargain with God,
and said (Gen. xxxi. 13), 'I am the God of
Bethel, where thou anointedst the pillar, and
where thou vowedst a vow unto me : now
or^ Light fro7n viy Forge. 43
arise, get thee out from this land, and return
unto the land of thy kindred.'
"It is reasonable to suppose that God would
take special care of the business of that man
in which He had a one-tenth interest, even if
the Bible were silent upon the subject ; but the
Bible is by no means silent, as it expressly de-
clares, over and over again, that the reason
why His people were so blessed in their
worldly goods, was because they regularly
paid Him the tenth ; and at other times it
expressly declares, that the reason why diverse
circumstances overtook them was because
they robbed Him of the tenth which He de-
manded.
" So far as I can see, the next reference to
tithing in the Bible is a direct command from
God. If you turn to Leviticus xxvii. 30, 31,
32, you will find the following: '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 if a man will
at all redeem ought of his tithes, he shall add
thereto the fifth part thereof. And concerning
44 The Path to Wealth;
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 then please turn to Deut. xiv. 22, 28,
MOSES AND THE LAW.
29, and you will find the following: ^Thou
shalt truly tithe all the increase of thy seed,
that the field bringeth forth year by year. At
the end of three years thou shalt bring forth
or, Light from my Forge. 4 c
all the tithe of thine increase the same year,
and shall lay it up within thy gates. And the
Levite (because he hath no part nor inherit-
ance with thee) and the stranger, and the
fatherless, and the widow, which are within
thy gates, shall come, and shali eat and be
satisfied ; that the Lord thy God may bless
thee in all the work of thine hand which thou
doest.' Numerous other texts might be cited
reaffirming the same commandment, but those
already quoted make it very clear that God
demanded a tenth of His people's income as
His share; and this commandment was just
as binding upon the conscience of His people
as any commandment imposed upon them.
'' I wish to notice, in the next place, that
obedience to this commandment was essential
to the prosperity of God's ancient people. The
Old Testament is full of directions concerning
the method of giving the tenth, and it states
and re-states the advantages and blessings
which will follow the observance of this com-
mandment, and the dire calamities which will
come upon them if they rob God, or fail in the
46 The Path to Wealth;
performance of this duty, to pay Him the por-
tion of their income which He demands. It is
very clear that, when the people of God obeyed
this commandment, they prospered wonder-
fully, they were blessed with material increase,
their crops were plentiful, the health of the
people was remarkable, and, in fact, in every
way they enjoyed material and spiritual pros-
perity. It is also very clear that, when they
disobeyed this commandment and gave God
a less sum than ten per cent., the curse of
God came down upon them ; their crops were
blighted and mildewed, they fled from the
presence of their enemies, they were scattered
and driven from one place to another ; and I
shall show you, in a moment, that God dis-
tinctly states that these calamities came upon
them because they robbed Him of His dues,
and kept for themselves what He demanded
for His cause.
'' In the reign of good king Hezekiah, the
people gladly paid their tithes, and as a result,
they were very prosperous. Please turn to II.
Chronicles xxxi. 5-10 : * And as soon as the
or^ Light from my Forge, 47
•commandment came abroad, the children of
Israel brought in abundance the first fruits of
corn, wine, and oil, and honey, and of all the
increase of the field ; and the tithe of all things
brought they in abundantly. And Azariah
the chief priest of the house of Zadok answered
him, and said. Since the people began to bring
the offerings into the house of the I^ord, we
have had enough to eat, and have plenty left ;
for the Lord hath blessed His people, and that
which is left is this great store.' Here 3^ou
see, my statements are fully borne out. It is
distinctly stated that the children of Israel
brought in their tithe of all things with glad-
ness, and as a result, God blessed His people ;
they had enough and to spare for themselves,
and the house of the Lord was abundantly
provided for; it not only was provided with
enough for the necessities of the priests, Le-
vites, and the poor, but there was abundance
to spare. To summarize this Biblical quota-
tion, we get the following :
" (i) Tithing was a commandment. It
48 The Path to Wealth;
was for all the people, for it was published
* abroad.'
" (2) The children of Israel gladly kept this
commandment, and tithed all they possessed,
not excepting anything.
" (3) Azariah, the chief priest, told the king
that the people were bringing in their offer-
ings according to the directions of God, and
that from the very day they commenced the
observance of this commandment, the follow-
ing were the results : {a) The house of God
was abundantly provided for; His servants,
the priests and Levites, and all who worked
about the Temple, received their pay ; there
was no lack of means to carry on the expen-
sive machinery of conducting worship for the
people, (b) God had blessed His people with
great material prosperity because they kept
this commandment. [c) So great was the
prosperity of the people that their tithes had
formed a surplus in the house of God, for after
all the demands had been met, there was a
* great store ' left.
<9r, Light fro77t my Forge. 49
'' In this instance we see demonstrated that
by paying God ten per cent, the ninety per
cent, which the people retained for themselves
was a larger sum than the whole would have
been if it had all been retained. Such a state-
ment may be contrary to a narrow material-
istic philosophy, but it is not contrary to the
experience of the Church of God in all ages,
and it is in full harmony with the experience
of the devout and the enlightened Christian
in any country, and under all sorts of circum-
stances. ^ There is that giveth and yet in-
creaseth.'
'' From this historical event, it is fair to argue
that the same results would follow in any age
where the same conditions exist. Hence, what
we need to make all the people prosperous and
to give the Church of God abundance, is for all
the people to pay tithes ; and, as the less is in-
cluded in the greater, what is needed for each
individual to bring down the blessing of God
upon his enterprises, and give him prosperity,
is, for him to tithe his income.
"These are propositions which cannot be
50 The Path to Wealth;
successfully controverted, unless it can be
sliown that this law has been repealed in the
Bible, or that Christian men are not under its
obligations ; but no such repeal is found either
in the Old or New Testament, nor can any
good reasons be adduced to show that the law is
not binding on Christians. Certain it is, that a
great many people to-day observe this law ; and,
so far as can be learned, they each claim that
God deals with them as He did with His ancient
people the Jews, and they are greatly blessed.
" Now, I wish to show you that, when the
people of God failed to pay Him ten per cent.,
the curse of God came down upon them.
Turn to Malachi iii. 7, 8, 9 : * Even from the
days of your fathers ye have gone away from
mine ordinances, and have not kept them.
Return unto me and I will return unto you,
saith the Lord of hosts ; but ye said. Wherein
shall we return ? 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.'
or, Light from my Forge. 51
" In the tenth verse, which has already been
quoted, He promises that if they will bring in
their tithes He will bless them abundantly
with material and spiritual blessings, and
states, in the next verse, that He will rebuke
the devourer for their sakes, and promises that
their fruits shall not be destroyed in the
ground, nor shall their vine cast her fruit be-
fore the time in the field, and declares that all
nations shall call them blessed, and that they
shall become a delightsome land, I want you
to observe that these are blessings of a mate-
rial character — ^blessings of wealth, and honor,
and power, and prosperity; all the blessings
that an individual or a nation can expect or
desire ; and these blessings are promised if
they will bring the tithes into the storehouse,
or, in other words, pay to God one-tenth of their
income.
'' In summing up the statements of this
quotation, we get the following :
" (i) That God claims the tithe of all things
as His.
52 The Path to Wealth;
'' (2) That to withhold the tithe from God
is robbery.
'^ (3) That God punishes such robberies in
kind, that is, they rob Him of His share of
their earthly substance, and He punishes them
by devouring worms, which destroy their crops,
b}^ blight, which causes the vine to cast her
grapes before they are ripe ; in short, He brings
a material curse upon them for a material sin,
and in all their borders their enterprises are
unsuccessful.
" These calamities came upon the Jews be-
cause they did not pay tithes.
*' (4) God invites them to return to Him,
and to bring in their tithes as aforetime.
" (5) That if they do so, He will return to
them, and give them great material prosperity,
as He did in other days.
" It is very clear to the Bible student that
the prosperity of the Jews ran parallel with
their observance of this commandment, and
that their adversities and many sad national
<?r, Light from my Foige. 53
calamities ran parallel with their disobedience
to this commandment. It is worthy of note
that Jacob is the first man to formally make a
business bargain with God, for he distinctly
stated that, if God would be with him, give
him bread to eat, and bring him again to his
father's house in safety, he would give Him
one-tenth of all he earned. Jacob faithfully
kept his part of the bargain, and as a result,
God did bless him in his business, gave him
wonderful material prosperity, and returned
him to his own land a great and a rich man.
" Now, it is natural to suppose that, as
this was such a success in the case of
Jacob, he would impress it upon his children,
and endeavor to get them to follow in his
footsteps. His example and influence upon
his posterity was so great, that this law of
the tithe seems to be interwoven in their
natures ; and the giving of the tithe, after a
time, seemed to be so essential to their pros-
perity, that they kept this commandment when
they had backslidden in all other matters.
'^It is an historic fact that no nation has
54 The Path to Wealth,
Had the vitality and rebound of tHe Jewish
people. They have been scattered among all
nations ; they have been banished from nearly
every land under the heavens ; they have been
a hissing and a by-word. This nation has
resembled the bush Moses saw, /which was
burning and yet not consumed.' History tells
us that the Jewish people have always been a
money-making people. No sooner are they
expelled by one nation, with all their goods
confiscated, than we find them in another
country, and they speedily become the mer-
chant princes, the great money loaners, and
the bankers.
*' I believe this quality of success, or pro-
pensity to make money, in the Jews is at-
tributable to the fact that no matter what laws
they neglected, they were careful to pay God
His tenth, and God was in honor bound to
bless them with material prosperity, because
He had promised it in the Bible, and He com-
pels nature to yield her fruits freely to the
man or nation who gives back to nature's God
one-tenth of her produce. Such is the char-
SIR MOSES MONTEFIORE, The Jewish Philanthropist.
Born in London, 1784, and died in 1884, just after his one-
hundredth birthday. A man of great piety and extraordinary
benevolence. He spent his time and vast fortune in aiding
the down-trodden of his own race. In their interest he visited
Russia, Poland, Morocco, Syria and other parts of the world.
In 1867 he built and endowed a large Hospital at Ramsgate,.
England, for the benefit of all classes.
(55)
56 The Path to Wealth;
acteristic of money-making in the Jews, that
it has become a proverb to say 'As rich as a
Jew.' Jacob, the father of the Jews, learned
the secret of making money, and every man
who has imitated him has had similar success.
I think it is clearly seen from what I have
said, that to give a tenth of their income was
a command of God for His ancient people, and
that they greatly prospered in its observance,
and were equally hindered when they failed to
observe it. These are statements which, I
think, no Bible student will deny.
'' Now, I wish to show you, in the next
place, that this tithing command is binding
UPON Christians. God's laws are eternal;
they are like Himself, and ' He is the same
yesterday, to-day and forever.' All the laws
of the Old Testament that are applicable now,
are equally binding now, even though there
may be no re-affirmation of them in the
New Testament. We often hear people speak
about being ' free from the law,' but to many
minds I fear that expression contains as much
error as it does truth. If it means that we
<9r, Light from my Forge. 57
are free from the moral law, or that Christians
have a right to break any of the command-
ments, it is tnily a very great error, for each
and all of the ten commandments are as bind-
ing now upon Christians as they were upon
God's ancient people, when those command-
ments were first given ; and this remark ap-
plies with equal force to all the moral laws or
commandments of the Old Testament.
^' There are certain ceremonial laws that
typified the coming of the Lord Jesus, which
are now done away with, because Christ
has come and fulfilled that of which these
were the types. There were also certain laws
which had only a local application, which are
no longer applicable, and therefore no longer
binding. Then, again, all that are in Christ Jesus
are free from the curse of a broken law, because
Jesus ' bore our sins in His own body on the
tree,' and thus became the curse for them.
Thus the punishment of a broken law cannot
be inflicted upon the Christian, and only in this
sense is it true that any man is ' free from the
law.' This I believe to be Paul's meaning in
58 The Path to Wealth;
the text, ' for ye are not under the law but
under grace.'
" All the great moral and fundamental
laws of the Bible, which are applicable now,
are just as binding now as when they were
first given ; and it is a remarkable fact, that
their adaptability to all ages and conditions
of society is recognized by all civilized govern-
ments. No person can say that ten per cent,
of the income of God's people was more needed
in olden days than now. The Church then
had a very narrow sphere ; it was confined,
for the most part, to the Jews, for they knew
nothing of missionary enterprise. When the
Church had this narrow sphere, and was so
circumscribed, God demanded the tenth of His
people's earnings to carry it on ; but now, with
the ever widening field for Christian activity,
if there is any need for change, it would be
that the sum to be contributed be larger rather
than smaller.
'' The world is now open for the mis-
sionaries of the Cross, and the teeming
millions of the earth's population are crying,
or^ Light from Tny Forge. 59
^ Come over and help us,' and their hearts are
saying, ' Men and brethren, what must we do
to be saved ? ' There are, in our own large
cities and centres of civilization, tens of thou-
sands who are practically as heathen as the
heathens of Africa, and the Gospel must be
taken to these home heathens. The demand
for tracts. Bibles and missionaries was never
so great as now; and, although the liberality
of Christian people is on the increase, yet the
Church of God cannot respond to the demands
of the hour, and tens of thousands are living
and dying without Christ, and the Church
goes a-begging, and the people continue to
perish. There are very few churches carrying
on even their present home enterprises with
the voluntary givings of the people, and none
of them can enter all the doors which are
continually opening to them. The missionary
field is restricted, the field for labor is limited,
all because the means are not forthcoming
to carry on the work of God. Not only is
there a great lack of funds for missionary enter-
prises, but how many local churches are
6o The Path to Wealth;
there that can pay their own local and legiti-
mate expenses from the voluntary givings of
the people ?
" We find the Church of God descending
to business methods in order to raise money
enough to pay its expenses ; hence, we have
tea-meetings, bazaars, concerts, and, what is
still more abhorrent, kissing parties, voting,
lotteries, dumb socials, necktie parties, and all
sorts of schemes to raise money ; while the vast
majority rob God of His tithes, and hypocrit-
ically sing :
* Were the whole realm of nature mine,
That were a present far too small ;
Ivove so amazing, so divine,
Demands my soul, my life, my all.'
If Christian people would live up to the Bible
demand, and pay God one-tenth of their in-
come, there would be no need for such methods
of raising money — there would be enough and
to spare ; and I believe the millennium would
soon be upon us ; for the conversion of the
world is, in my opinion, now reduced to a
<?r, Light from my Forge. 6i
question of money. We liave the men and
women whose hearts God has touched, and
whose souls are aflame with missionary zeal ;
we have a Gospel that meets the requirements
of all sorts and conditions of men ; full pro-
vision has been made for the salvation of the
world, ' For whosoever shall call on the name
of the Lord shall be saved. ^ How then shall
they call on Him in whom they have not be-
lieved ? And how shall they believe in Him
of whom they have not heard ? And how shall
they hear without a preacher ? And how shall
they preach except they be sent ? And how
can they be sent without money ? And how
can they get the rhoney except it be given
them in God's appointed way, by the tithes
of the people 'who have heard the joyful
sound ? ' As a matter of fact, it is doubtful if
the givings of Christian people amount to three
per cent., whereas the demand of the Bible is
ten per cent.
'' Now, I ask, if God demanded a tenth of
the earnings of His people under the Old Tes-
tament dispensation, surely He cannot demand
62 The Path to Wealth;
a less sum now. If there were no New Testa-
ment endorsation of giving ten per cent., would
not the law, given in the Old Testament for
the maintenance of God's Church, be binding
upon Christian men under this dispensation ?
Who would dare say that such a reasonable
demand, a demand which had worked so well
in the past, both as to those who paid tithes
and the cause which received them, is now
done away with ?
" God has so arranged in nature, that all
the needs of nature are met by adequate sup-
plies ; shall God be inconsistent with Himself,
and make provision for His Church less than
her needs ? But under the present spasmodic
and hap-hazard way of supporting His cause,
the needs of the Gospel, of humanity, and of
benevolence, are not met ; and, as near as can
be figured, if all the people adopted the Bible
plan, the revenue of the Church would be in-
creased nearly, if not quite, fourfold ; and if
this were to happen, the supply would equal
the demand, and the purposes of God would
then be accomplished. But fortunately, under
or^ Light from my Forge. 63
the new dispensation, ' God has not left Him-
self without witnesses ; ' and, as a matter of
fact, this commandment is not without New
Testament sanction — very much stronger sanc-
tion than we have for keeping holy one day in
seven. Please read Matthew xxiii. 23 : " Woe
unto you scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, for
ye pay tithe of mint, and anise, and cummin,
and have omitted the weightier matters of the
law, judgment, mercy, and faith: these ought
ye to have done^ and not to leave the other un-
done.'
" The scribes and Pharisees were so particular
about tithing their earnings, that they brought
it down to the most insignificant matters, and
tithed the very herbs. We learn from this
quotation, that even when they neglected the
weightier matters of the law, such as judg-
ment, mercy, and faith, they did not neglect
to tithe their incomes, undoubtedly keeping to
this tithing habit since they learned that there
was money in it; just as men will continue to
sow their crops, and expect God to bless the
seed sown, whether they have religion or not ;
64 The Path to Wealth;
just as worldly men in these days subscribe
to the building fund of a church, for the rea-
son that the church will increase the value of
their property. ' For the children of this
world are wiser in their generation than the
children of light ; ' so these scribes and Phari-
sees had learned, that it was a law of God to
pay a tenth of their income, and that this tenth
bore the same relation to money as seed does
to a crop. In other words, they believed that
earthly prosperity had been promised to the
man who would tithe his income, regardless of
his moral character, in the same way as ' God
maketh His sun to rise on the evil and on the
good.' Now, you will notice in this quotation
that Jesus states, that they ought to tithe their
incomes, as they did, but that they ought not
to neglect the weightier matters of the law,
judgment, mercy and faith. If you strictly
analyze this quotation, you will see that it is a
direct endorsation of the law of the tithe.
'' The story of the Pharisee and the Publican
I take as at least an indirect endorsation of
paving: ten pei cent, of our income to God.
or^ Light from my Forge, 65
The Pharisee boasted of the fact that he fasted
twice in the week, and gave tithes of all he
possessed, and thanked God that he was not
THE PUBLICAN.
an extortioner, nor an adulterer; while the
Publican, standing afar off, smote upon his
breast, saying, ' God be merciful to me, a
sinner.
66 The Path to Wealth;
*'Now, you will please notice that each of
the things which the Pharisee thanked God
for was good : he thanked God that he was
not addicted to the vices mentioned, that he
fasted twice in the week, and gave tithes of
all he possessed, that is, gloried in his self-
righteousness. Notice, that the language put
into the Pharisee's mouth by the Saviour
makes him ^ abhor that which is evil, and cleave
to that which is good,' and one of the good
things which he glories in is the fact that he
pays tithes. It was not what this man did
that Jesus condemned, but the fact that he ex-
pected to be saved by his good works ; whereas
the Publican understood the plan of salvation,
and leaned wholly upon the mercy of God. I
take it that this story is an endorsation of the
Old Testament commandment. As I look
into this story, it affords much stronger evi-
dence of the position I take concerning the
New Testament endorsation of the tithe than
I first thought.
" The force of this illustration is increased
tenfold when we clearly see what Christ wishes
<?r, Light from my Forge. 67
to illustrate. The Pharisees were a self-right-
eous sect ; they were sticklers for keeping the
letter of the law, and held that salvation came
only that way. Theirs was pre-eminently a
salvation by works ; they were the advocates
of the letter of ' the law given by Moses/ and
when ' grace and truth ' came by Jesus Christ,
the new doctrine was bitterly opposed by them.
The teaching of Jesus, as explained by Paul,
was : ^ Therefore by the deeds of the law there
shall no flesh be justified in His sight, for by
the law is the knowledge of sin.'
" To enforce this idea, and to emphasize the
truth that salvation is wholly of the mercy of
God, He told this story of the Pharisee and the
Publican. He represents the most perfect
man He can find from the law's standpoint ;
He invests him with the best qualities possible,
and makes him the faithful observer of the
laws that are at the very root of human wel-
fare ; he was a man of prayer ; he was honest
with his fellows; he was just to all; he was
chaste and virtuous ; he was so devout that he
fasted twice in the week, and he gave tithes
68 The Path to Wealth;
of all he possessed. Thus, when Jesus would
picture a man who was as good as he could be
without the grace of God, He makes him a
man who pays tithes, and tithing is associated
in the same rank of merit as prayer and devo-
tion, as justice and honesty, as virtue and
chastity. Thus Jesus appro\ es of tithing as
He does the other good things, which are not
disputed.
"Again, we learn from Hebrews that Jesus
is made an high priest forever after the order
of Melchizedek, and not a priest after the order
of Aaron. Jesus, then, is in the line of Mel-
chizedek, and Abraham paid tithes to him.
Now, if Jesus stands in the same relation to
the world as Melchizedek did, it is clearly our
duty to give a tenth of our income to Jesus,
just as Abraham did to Melchizedek. I refer
you particularly to the seventh chapter of
Hebrews for a clear discussion of the priest-
hood of Jesus, showing that it is in the Mel-
chizedekan line, and of a much higher order
than the Levitical priesthood. The latter
seems to have been limited to the Jews merely,
or^ Light from my Forge, 69
and each priest held the office for life only ; but
this wonderful and mysterious Melchizedek
seems to have had a universal priesthood. He
was the king of the notorious Canaanites at
Salem, as well as priest of the most high God.
His priestly office extended over Jews as well
as Gentiles, for he officially blessed Abraham,
the father of the faithful ; and the fact of Abra-
ham humbly and gladly accepting his blessing,
and paying him tithes of all, shows that he was
greater than ' he that had the promises,' and
Abraham acknowledged Melchizedek as stand-
ing in the place of God.
'' Then his priestly office had no end, but
made like untc the Son of God, abideth a priest
continually. Now, consider how great this
man was, unto whom even the patriarch Abra-
ham gave the tenth of the spoils ; and here men
that die receive tithes, but there he receiveth
them, of whom it is witnessed that he liveth.
And it is yet far more evident, for that after
the similitude of Melchizedek there ariseth
another priest who is made not after the law
of a carnal commandment, but after the power
70 The Path to Wealth;
of an endless life ; for he testifieth, ' Thou art a
priest forever after the order of Melchizedek.'
" Several things are very clear from this
chapter : Melchizedek was a king, Jesus is a
king ; Melchizedek was a priest with universal
jurisdiction, whose office and functions should
last forever ; Jesus is a priest forever after the
same order. One of the requirements of this
priestly office was, that the people should pay
tithes — a requirement which was met with
gladness and profit by ' the father of the faith-
ful,' and since then by all who have been * like
minded.' And inasmuch as the office and its
functions overlap and extend beyond every
other dispensation, and survive all other priestly
authority, its heavenly authority and demands
not being affected by time, then it is as clear
as the noonday sun that Jesus demands tithes
of all the people as a right ; and when the tithe
is paid, then giving or benevolence can start.
" I dare to affirm that the Christian man is
under the same obligation to keep this com«
mand of God, to give a tenth of his income, as
he is to keep any other law, as he is to tell the
<?r, Light from my Forge. yr
truth, or to keep holy the Sabbath day. Each
law of God is equally binding on the heart and
conscience of every good man. If it be proven
that God demands a tenth of our income, as I
think I have proven, then it should bind the
conscience of all among us.''
I here concluded my first talk amid cries of
*' Go on, go on ; we are not tired." But, if they
were not, I was ; so I promised to give another
talk on the same question the next evening.
Hon. JOHN MACDONALD.
Mr. Macdonald was born in Perthshire, Scotland, in 1824. He
started in Canada, a poor clerk. From the beginning he gave a
tenth to God, and hence, we believe, his marvellous success. He
is an earnest Christian worker, and a great giver. No person
knows the full extent of his givings. As this note is written a
gift of $40,000 from him is announced towards the erection of a
Hospital at Toronto, Canada.
(72)
TALK No. 2.
Who Should Tithe?
Our company in the blacksmith's shop had
returned to hear what further remarks I had
to make concerning '^ systematic giving." I
had no idea in commencing the talk on this
subject, that it would extend to another even-
ing, but there were so many things pressed
upon my mind — so many Biblical and other
considerations as I warmed to the subject —
that I found it was impossible to get through
on the first evening, and so by the unanimous
request of all present, I agreed to resume the
conversation on the following evening.
The prominent business man from our
neighboring city drove all the way out from
his place of business on purpose to be present
at the next conversation, and all who were
there previously were on hand again. They
also brought others including two more
preachers, so that all the boxes, boards and
6 (73)
74 The Path to Wealth;
barrels we could find around the place were
brought into requisition for seats, and then a
number had to stand. I had made up my mind
during the day to talk this evening on the
question :
WHO ARE UNDER OBLIGATION TO TITHE
THEIR INCOMES ?
I made my first proposition, namely, that all
intelligent men are obligated to keep this com-
mand as laid down in the Bible. On stating
this proposition I thought I saw looks of dis-
sent in the Doctor's face, so I asked him to
give us the benefit of his thoughts on that
subject, whereupon he said, that '' if all are
under obligation to give ten per cent, of their
incomes, the law would be unjust, for while
some could give a tenth very readily, it would
be simply oppression in the case of others.
Ten per cent, to some is really less than five
per cent, to others, and God surely cannot
make such an unjust and unequal demand
upon his people." He also stated that ^' the
or, Light from my Forge. 75
New Testament gives people perfect freedom
as to wliat they shall give, and each is ex-
pected to give according as he has been pros-
pered."
These objections were argued at some length.
I listened very attentively to the Doctor's
remarks, and then, without being the least
flurried, for I felt perfectly sure of the position
I had taken, I proceeded as follows :
" So far as I can understand the Bible, the
command to give a tenth is addressed to all
sorts and conditions of men, and it is a uni-
versal obligation. I find that the priests
and Levites were required to tithe their tithes,
or to pay a tenth of their income. Their
income was derived from the tithes of the
people, yet these same priests and Levites were
required to pay to God ten per cent, of their
income.
" The Bible makes no exception whatever ;
the command is as universal as ' Thou shalt not
steal,' or 'Thou shalt have no other gods before
me.' Each man is commanded to bring in his
tithes, no matter what his condition may be,,
^6 The Path to Wealth;
whether he be rich or poor, in debt or free
from debt ; nor can I find that any profession
whatsoever is exempt. Poor men are under the
same obligation to pay their tithes to God as
rich men.
'' Our good friend, the Doctor, has argued
that it would be a small matter for the man in
receipt of a large salary to give the tenth, while
it would be an infliction upon the man who
earned just enough to live upon. He states
that a man in receipt of four thousand dollars
per annum could give four hundred of it to
the Lord with much less sacrifice than a man
in receipt of four hundred dollars per annum
could give forty of it to the Lord.
" I admit that the Doctor's argument looks
logical, but I assure you that it is a fallacy if
you get below the surface. This you will
readily see from the following considerations
upon a parallel case : God commands us to give
Him one day in each seven days, which is
over fourteen per cent, of our time. Time
is essentially money to ninety-nine per cent,
of us ; and, from the standpoint of the objec-
or^ Light from my Forge, 77
tion, it is a very sore affliction for mechanics
and laboring men to lose one day's wages in
seven days, by being compelled not to work on
that day by a law of God.
" Take a man earning one dollar a day, and
by God's direct command he is required to
give one day in seven to Him, and forfeit
one-seventh of his income, or over fourteen
per cent., amounting in one year to the large
sum of fifty-two dollars. This is a larger sum
than many wealthy men give in money ; and
yet this poor man, who can hardly give his
family sufficient food and clothing, is required
by Divine law to give the same proportion of
his time to God as a rich man. Without taking
the great God into consideration, and reasoning
apart from experience, nearly everybody would
say that such a law is monstrously unjust;
but reasoning as we do from the historic
standpoint, with the centuries behind us, hav-
ing at our command the experience of the
nations of the earth, with the testimony of the
great and the good ; in fact, with the universal
testimony of the ages in favor of the Sabbath
78 The Path to Wealth;
day for man and beast, we all say that this
law is wise and good, and good in proportion
as a man may be weak in ' mind, body or
estate ; ' a blessed provision for the rich and
strong, and an indispensable boon for the poor
and needy.
" Now then, in view of this, would you ad-
vise the man with four thousand dollars per
annum to give one-seventh of his time to God
and advise the other, with four hundred dol-
lars per annum, to work that day simply
because he was poor ? Certainly not ; and the
reason lies in this, that in some way or other,
by actual experiment on the part of individuals
and nations, a man can accomplish more in his
lifetime by giving fourteen per cent, of his
time to God, or by working six days a week
and giving God the seventh, than he can by
working seven days a week.
" The only way to account for it is because
it is a law of God; and the same reason-
ing applies to the tithe. If God demands forty
dollars per annum from the man who receives
only four hundred dollars, then certainly the
or, Light from my Forge. 79
remaining three hundred and sixty dollars will
go a great deal further than the four hundred
would if all were kept.
" The whole subject hinges upon the ques-
tion, ^ Does God require it ? ' The Bible is our
authority, and it is accepted as such by each
one of you, and I think that there is no duty
mentioned in the Bible more distinctly than
the duty of giving the tenth unto the Lord.
We have seen it commanded and practised un-
der each dispensation ; the good in all ages have
practised it, and it comes to us with all the
authority of a 'thus saith the Lord.' Patri-
archs, prophets, priests and kings have taught
it by precept and example.
"It is always safe to do what God bids us
without asking questions, but more particularly
is this the case when experience bears such
unequivocal testimony to the profit of keeping
this command. Verily ' godliness is profitable
unto all things having promise of the life that
now is ; ' and the Bible distinctly says, ' There
is that scattereth, and yet increaseth ; and there
is that withholdeth more than is meet, but it
8o The Path to Wealth,
tendeth to poverty.' Again, ^ He that giveth
to the poor lendeth to the Lord ; ' and, as Dean
Swift once said, in preaching a charity sermon
from this text, * If you accept the security,
down with the dust.'
'' Let us put it another way. Which farmer
is under the greater obligation to put in a
plentiful crop, the poor man or the 'rich man ?
The Bible distinctly compares giving to sow-
ing, and says, * He that soweth sparingly shall
also reap sparingly, and he that soweth boun-
tifully shall reap also bountifully.' The Apos-
tle uses this in strict reference to money ; Paul
uses it in connection with directions concerning
taking a collection, and it was one of his argu-
ments when he wanted a liberal contribution
for the saints. He tells the Corinthians that
God will bless them with money in proportion
as they give money to His cause ; he urges
them to give liberally and cheerfully, and backs
up his exhortations by saying, ' And God is
able to make all grace abound toward you, that
ye always, having all sufficiency in all things >
may abound to every good work.'
- — ■ '.^^ 7^^x^'--«^^>^5r^^^
THE SOWER.
(8i)
82 The Path to Wealth ; .
''It is most astonishing how blind hosts of
Christians are when they read the Bible!
These rich promises of material prosperity are
either not noticed, or when they are, they are
very rarely taken in their plain and obvious
sense, as God states them ; some forced, and
generally figurative or spiritual interpretation
is put upon them; and poor Christian men
who will loan their money to a bank and sleep
in perfect assurance of getting it when they
need it, worry themselves beyond measure for
fear they may give too much to God's cause,
and may ultimately come to want, in spite of
the many strong and explicit declarations of
the Bible, that the way to get is to give. Solo-
mon said, ' He that hath pity upon the poor
lendeth unto the Lord, and that which he hath
given will He pay him again.' A greater than
Solomon said, ' Give and it shall be given unto
you, good measure, pressed down and shaken
together, and running over, shall men give
into your bosom.'
'' The same amount of faith exercised in the
Bible, as business men use with one another
or^ Light from my Forge, 83
day by day, would soon convince ^he poorest
Cliristian man that his financial success is
guaranteed by the great God on the condition
that he ' lays up his treasure in lieaven, where
neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where
thieves do not break through nor steal.' If
these promises and statements mean anything,
and if the Bible can be trusted even a little,
then it is certain that the only way for a poor
man to get better off — the only way for a man
in receipt of four hundred dollars a year to get
that amount increased — is to tithe that which
he does get ; for the express condition of a
plentiful blessing, both temporal and spiritual,
is to ' bring all the tithes into the storehouse,'
or to put in a plentiful crop.
" Reasoning without experience, it seems a
very foolish thing for a farmer to take the little
grain which he may have left and during seed
time deliberately throw that grain away, hand-
ful after handful. Particularly would this be
so if he had not enough grain to provide bread
for his family during the year. If a stranger,
who had no experience in the laws of vegeta-
84 Th£ Path to Wealth;
tion and growth, were to come to this earth, he
would surely say that the man was very foolish
to thus throw away deliberately the bread
which he needed for his family ; and yet, if he
would stay until the harvest, he would learn
that the grain thus sown had increased, ' some
thirty, some sixty, and some a hundredfold,^
and that it was the highest wisdom that
prompted that farmer to throw away the little
grain he had, for by giving he got ; while if he
had kept it, he would have lost the little which
he had.
''Now God distinctly states that giving
money to His cause bears the same relation
to wealth as giving seed to the ground does
to a plentiful harvest. ' He that soweth
bountifully shall reap bountifully, and he
that soweth sparingly shall also reap spar-
ingly.' This is said in reference to money.
God promises dollars for dollars, and if a
man has faith enough in God's promises
to sow the proper amount of wealth seed,
God will surely honor him with a crop just
as he honors the farmer, who sows the
or^ Light from my Forge. 85
proper amount of grain per acre with good
crops.
*' I shall perhaps surprise you by making
even a stronger proposition, namely :
A MAN IN DEBT IS UNDER OBLIGATION TO
PAY A TENTH OF HIS INCOME TO GOD,
and to yield to God the first fruits of that
income, or pay God his tenth before touching
any part of the remaining nine-tenths." This
seemed too much for the shoemaker, and with
much warmth he stated, " You cannot make
me believe that ; charity begins at home, and a
man must be just before he is generous ; a man
who does not pay his debts is a dishonest man,
and the money a man gets who is in debt does
not belong to him but belongs to his creditors,
and for him to give away this money to the
Church or to the poor is dishonest, and God
cannot accept of any such offerings."
I smiled at this earnest remark of my good
friend, the shoemaker, and proceeded. " If the
overhanging black cloud of debt, the cloud
S6 The Path to Wealth;
which has cursed many an eloquent minister's
usefulness, and blighted the happiness and
ruined the hopes of many a Christian man,,
could be represented, say by a weight of ten
thousand pounds, I firmly believe that seven
thousand five hundred pounds of it is caused
by robbing God of his dues, and it may be that
the remaining two thousand five hundred
pounds is the result of improvidence.
" Sometimes povert}^ is a misfortune over
which the pious poor have no control ; at other
times it is a blessing from God ; but both of
these conditions are, in the very nature of
things, exceptional, inasmuch as the rule must
of necessity be that the children of the king
are well provided for, and the normal and
ordinary condition of God's obedient children
is that of comfort. Confirmed poverty or
financial disaster, for the most part, is blame-
worthy ; and, taking the Bible for our guide,
it is clear that these things are sent upon us
more often to punish us for our sins than to
bless us, excepting as punishment may cause
us to forsake the sins that brought upon us
or, Light from my Forge, 87
our disasters. In such cases punishment itself
is a blessing.
" A man in debt is weak at some point or
other, and probably disobedient to God as well
as weak. Now, if he would free himself from
this intolerable burden, he had better take a
partner into his business, who, upon the receipt
of one-tenth of the profits, pledges himself for
the prosperity of that business. God certainly
agrees to do this, and any man who professes
to have faith in His precious promises must
take Him at His word. A man in debt, a
farmer, for instance, would exercise false
economy, and would be really dishonest with
his creditors, if he should sell his seed wheat
and seed potatoes, and pay the proceeds to
the liquidation of his debt ; for by so doing he
would be cutting off the very means he had of
paying his obligations.
" I think the analogy holds good in the case
of a man who takes his seed money — that
which belongs to God — and pays his debts with
it. He also is practically dishonest although
he may not seem to be ; for, by paying his
88 The Path to Wealth;
tithes, lie has God's promise that he shall be
^ blessed in his basket and in his store.' God
has distinctly promised that if we bring in all
the tithes into the store-house, He will ' pour
us out a blessing that there shall not be room
enough to receive it.^
" Again, when a man is in debt, it is right
for him to pay that debt first which seems to
have the greatest claim upon him. There are
certain obligations which appeal to a debtor's
honor more than others, and a sensitive man
always gives these obligations the preference.
Surely, if God demands the tithe of His
people, then it is a legitimate debt, and a
debtor is under at least equal obligation to
pay this debt as he is to pay other debts ;
and, under all the circumstances, I think all
will admit that this is a debt which appeals
to his generosity and sense of right-dealing
more than any other, and by paying it first
he consults the true interest of the other credi-
tors.
" Again, a man in debt must not pay his
debts at the expense of starving his family ; he
or, Light from my Forge. 89
must feed his children. Nor is he justified in
starving himself. He is surely under obliga-
tion to give his children a certain amount of
education. He is also under obligation to
supply their spiritual and mental requirements
in the same way as he is bound to supply
their physical wants. The same remark ap-
plies to his own spiritual and mental require-
ments.
" Now, God has commanded that one-tenth
of a man's income shall be devoted to the culti-
vation of the spiritual nature of himself, his
family, the community and the world ; for, on
the one hand, the money thus given will help
to evangelize the world, and, on the other, his
own spiritual nature is cultivated by works of
benevolence and charity.
''But it seems to me that the strongest argu-
ment in favor of a man in debt paying tithes
to God is the fact that he has God's promise
that, by paying Him first, he will be in a posi-
tion to pay every other creditor. God certainly
promises to put all men in that position who
will obey Him, and any man who is not sham-
90 The Path to Wealth;
ming faith in God's precious promises must
take Him at His word. We trust God's prom-
ises for the forgiveness of our sins and for
taking us to heaven ; and, since we trust
Him for the greater, why is it that we cannot
trust Him for the lesser ? The man who risks
his all upon the promises of God which are to
be fulfilled during this life, will find that his
faith is mightily increased in the promises
which are not fulfilled until death. If I am to
trust a man for a very large sum, I can do so
with much more assurance, if I have been
doing business with him in a small way, and
have found him true to his word. This is
precisely the experience of men who trust God
in regard to earthly or material promises, ' for
God is not slack concerning His promises.'
'' Ye men in debt, it is time that you learned
the Bible truth that the way to get is to give,
and the way to lose is to keep what you have,
for ' There is that scattereth and yet increas-
eth ; and there is that withholdeth more than
is meet, but it tendeth to poverty.' There is
a story in the Bible which, in some measure,
6>r, Light from my Forge. 91
illustrates this truth : There was a great
famine in a certain land; no rain had fallen
for years ; the cattle were all dying ; vegeta-
tion was all parched ; the streams had all
dried up ; the wells were all empty ; men and
beasts were dying by the thousands. During
these troublous and trying times, a prophet of
God, when on a journey, saw a poor woman
outside of her cottage gathering sticks, and
he addressed her thus : ' Bring, I pray thee, a
morsel of bread in thine hand ; ' and she said,
'As the Lord thy God liveth, I have not a
cake, but an handful of meal in a barrel, and
a little oil in a cruse ; and behold, I am gather-
ing two sticks, that I may go in and dress
it for me and my son, that we may eat it and
die;
"And the man of God said, 'Fear not, go
and do as thou hast said, but make me thereof
a little cake first, and bring it unto me, and
after make for thee and for thy son. For thus
saith the Lord God of Israel, the barrel of meal
shall not waste, neither shall the cruse of oil
fail, until the day that the Lord sendeth rain
92 The Path to Wealth;
upon the earth.' And she went and did ac-
cording to the saying of this man of God, and
the results were just as he predicted. She
came to the barrel day after day, and found the
meal did not waste ; she came to the cruse of
oil day after day, and found that it did not
fail ; and yet she fed the prophet, her son and
herself day by day.
^' Now, if this woman had disobeyed the
voice of God spoken by His servant, she and
her son would have eaten the cake which she
was about to prepare, and then would certainly
have died, as thousands of others did ; but she
believed God, and by some law, known only to
God, He kept the meal from wasting, and the
oil from failing.
'' We have evidence enough to believe that
the same God lives to-day, and acts practically
as He did in the case to which I have referred ;
and hence, if we give what He commands us to
give, and consecrate it to His cause, we shall
be protected. Our fortunes will not fail but
increase, as in the case of the widow who fed
Elijah during the great famine.
or^ Light fro7n my Forge. 93
" But, again,
RICH MEN ARE UNDER OBLIGATION TO TITHE
THEIR INCOMES.
I fear ricli men get too little sympathy from
the majority of us ; but, alas, there is many a
poor rich man, bowed down with care and
worn out with anxiety, who is a fitting subject
for our sincere sympathy. The little experi-
ence I have had of life, and the knowledge I
have gained from the experience of other men,
teach me that a man's happiness and peace of
mind does not always increase in proportion to
his wealth.
" There are many rich men who can look
back to the days of their poverty as their hap-
piest days ; and, although they have now
accomplished what they dreamed of accom-
plishing when they started out in life, and are
in possession of the wealth which they have
striven for, yet they find wealth and power fail
to bring them the peace and contentment which
they expected, while riches entail great respon-
94 The Path to Wealth;
sibilities and anxieties, and involve great risks.
What a consolation it is for a rich man to have
a partner at his back who has unlimited capi-
tal, and never-failing wisdom, with infinite love
and tenderness. Such is the condition of the
rich man who takes God into his concern.
" I have no sympathy with the cry we often
hear of ' wicked rich men,' and ^ good poor
men.' I believe there is as great a proportion
of rich men who are good as there are of poor
men. It is certainly easier for a man in com-
fortable circumstances to be good than for a
poor man ; for, although the temptations which
come to wealth are great, still those which are
a result of poverty are greater. But, while
this is true, the wealth of our rich men is not
consecrated to God as it ought to be; and,
when a man is in possession of any power with
which he can do good, and fails to use the
power and accomplish the good, he brings guilt
upon his soul.
" If our rich men and prosperous business
men would tithe their immense incomes, what
a vast amount of good would be accomplished I
or^ Light from 7ny Forge. 95
How the ignorant would be educated, the poor
be fed, and the heathen brought to the feet of
Jesus ! What a mighty impulse, the conse-
cration of this wealth would give to the cause
of God and humanity ! Is there anything
which could make more glad the heart of
Jesus ?
" And, on the other hand, the paying to God
His share would give wealthy men a perma-
nent hold upon their possessions, for this is
the declaration of God in the Bible, expressed
or implied, repeated scores of times. It is
said, ' Riches take to themselves wings and fly
away,' and nothing is so uncertain as business.
From carefully gathered statistics, we learn
that four out of five business men become
bankrupts at some period of their lives, and,
alas, a great many go to the wall altogether ;
but I believe a case is yet to be found of a man
paying his tenth to God, who did not pay
every other man one hundred per cent., and
who has not been prospered as a result of his
tithing.
"A gentleman who is very earnest in prop-
96 The Path to Wealth;
agating this Bible doctrine states, tHat lie
wrote a circular letter to every clergyman in
the United States of America, asking them
their experience on this point, whether they
had ever known a man to become bankrupt
who had systematically tithed his income;
and he states, that from the thousands of re-
ports received, there was not a single instance
where a man had been a loser by tithing his
income, but there were instances by the hun-
dred where men attributed all their wealth
and prosperity to the fact of their paying God
tithes. Very many of them commenced tith-
ing when their earnings were very small, and
they were now rich, and attributed all their
success to God.
" Personally, I have never known a man to
be a permanent business failure who thus took
God into partnership, and I appeal to your
own experience whether you have ever known
such a man or not. I know very rich men
who attribute their wealth to paying God ten
per cent., and who declare that all their earthly
possessions have been given to them by God
or, Light fro77i my Forge. 97
in reward for their obedience in keeping this
commandment."
At this point I was interrupted by a gen-
tleman who was sitting on a Life Assurance
advertising board, which generally stood out-
side of the shop, but had been brought in to
do duty as a bench. The gentleman was a
stranger, well dressed and intelligent-looking ;
he had a sharp, thin face, and eyes that sparkled
with determination. He spoke with ease and
deliberation, and all eyes were turned upon
him. He said : " You will pardon me, sir, for
interrupting you, but my own experience so
strongly confirms what you say that I cannot
resist the temptation to give it for the benefit
of those who are present, and as a confirmation
of your theory ; although the idea of paying
tithes because it is financially profitable, I con-
fess I do not believe in, and I have but little
faith in the man who tithes his income for that
purpose ; but, notwithstanding my opinion,
as a matter of fact my personal experience
confirms the theory we have had advocated to-
night.
98 The Path to Wealth;
" I am a physician, and I started tithing my
income when I commenced to practise ; my
tithe the first week was fifteen cents, which
represented an income that would not pay my
board. But I recognized the claims of God
with the little I had, and from that day to
this the amount of my tithe has steadily in-
creased, until it is now my great privilege to
pay about four hundred dollars a year to God's
cause. * Bringing the tithes into the store-
house ' has been a great help to me in many
ways, but whether I should have been pros-
pered as I have, if I had commenced tithing
with the motive which has been appealed to
this evening, I cannot say. I am inclined to
doubt it. I think the better motive to which to
appeal is that of love, regardless of financial
benefit."
This honest and intelligent speech caused
quite a ripple of excitement in our little com-
pany. However, I was greatly pleased at the
interruption, for although my opinions were
not endorsed by the Doctor in his theory, still
I got a better endorsation in his own experi-
or^ Light from 7ny Forge, 99
ence, wliicli was so honestly stated. I resumed
my talk by saying : "I am very much
obliged to our friend for tbe earnest words he
has spoken, and I will take occasion, at some
future time, to refer to the opinion expressed.
One fact is worth a hundred opinions, and I
am glad we have heard the statement of a fact
which confirms my theory.
^' I was about to say, when our friend the
Doctor interrupted me, that it is possible there
may be men whose faith has been tried, but
God always comes to the rescue in the right
time. It is not supposed that men who tithe
their incomes will never have business per-
plexities and difficulties ; but I do state, hav-
ing the Bible to back me, and having all the
experience which is available to confirm the
Bible, that a man who tithes his income, be he
rich or poor, takes God into partnership, and
God becomes responsible for that man's finan-
cial success, and pledges His word that he
shall be prospered with earthly or temporal
advancement.
" In my talk, so far, I have referred chiefly
lOO The Path to Wealth;
to the personal and material results following
obedience to this commandment; but there
are results of very much greater importance
than those to which I have hitherto referred,
although these can scarcely be overestimated.
As I take it, the most important result of pay-
ing tithes is, that God's cause will be abun-
dantly provided with money for carrying on
the evangelization of the w^orld.
*' The facts, as they exist to-day, demon-
strate that God's cause is greatly in need of
means. How many churches, for instance, do
you know which are out of debt ? How many
churches are there that can get along with the
voluntary offerings of the people, and without
doing something of a business nature to raise
money ? How many churches are there that
care for their own poor ? How many denom-
inations are there whose missionary societies
are out of debt ? I can answer these ques-
tions for you, if you will tell me how many
churches there are whose members give a
tenth of their income. I fear many churches
much resemble the Jewish Temple when Jesus
<?r, Light from my Forge, loi
made a scourge of small cords and drove out
those who bought and sold oxen, and over-
threw the tables of the money changers.
*' When God made the requirement of the
tithe, He doubtless made it upon a proper basis,
and knew just how much it would require to
carry on His cause and to extend His king-
dom from pole to pole. I, for one, believe,
that if the churches could be converted to this
Bible doctrine ; if they could be brought back
to this primitive commandment — to this clear
duty which God imposes upon them — that it
would not be long until the day when ' They
shall not teach every man his neighbor, and
every man his brother, saying. Know the
Lord: for all shall know me from the least to
the greatest.' That man who personally adopts
the tithing system, and who endeavors to per-
suade others to adopt the same system, is do-
ing more for ushering in the millennial day of
the Lord than by any other work which he
could possibly do.
" The printing of Bibles, tracts, and good
books to disseminate Christian knowledge,
GENERAL GORDON.
Killed at Khartoum, January, 1885.
Few know Chinese Gordon only as a remarkable soldier, but
he equally excelled as a Christian humanitarian. While at home,
his house was school, hospital, and almshouse in turn.
(102)
The Path to Wealth, 103
is resolved into a question of money. The
education of home and foreign missionaries ;
the sending of missionaries into destitute
places in our own cities ; the sending them to
christianize our own Indians ; the sending
them abroad to Africa, China and Japan,
is a question of money. There are plenty
of men and women whose hearts God has
touched, who have the goodness and ability
to be missionaries of the cross of Jesus Christ,
but who are doomed to stay at home and keep
their message, because money is not forth-
coming to send them to the fields where their
talents could be utilized in preaching the
Gospel of the Kingdom of God. * Will a man
rob God ? ' Yet we rob God in our tithes
and oflferings, and as a result. His cause goes
a-begging.
" I think it can be demonstrated, that if the
people would all pay tithes, the millennial day
would soon be upon us. How long it will take
to usher in that day with our present system
of giving — which, indeed, is no system — I
cannot tell. Whether ' the kingdoms of this
I04
The Path to Wealth;
world ' ever shall become ' the kingdoms of
our Lord and of His Christ,' on about three
per cent, of the income of professed Christians,
THE MISSIONARY.
I will leave you to answer. In nature, God
has adjusted the causes to the effects to be
produced ; the supplies of nature are equal to
her demands, and it does seem to me that ^ the
<?r, Light from my Forge. 105
God of all grace ' is equally logical and consist-
ent, and that He has made the conditions of
the world's salvation equal to the necessities
of the case. If the conditions meet, the work
will be accomplished and not otherwise.
"It is doubtful if the people are giving God
as much as one-half of ten per cent. If you
just take time to reckon up your income for
the past year, and take pains to figure up the
exact sum you have given to religious and
benevolent purposes, you will be surprised to
see how small a percentage your givings have
been in comparison with your income ; and, if
this same question could be asked of all Chris-
tian men who do not give systematically, there
would be one and the same answer.
'' Another result of giving tithes would, I
think, be the great spiritual impulse which
the cause of God would receive. Temporal
prosperity, as a reward for tithing, is only the
lesser blessing which God has promised, for
He promises to the individual great spiritual
blessings. The text, which I quoted to you
in my talk last evening, is as suitable as any
8
io6 The Path to Wealth;
text I know of to illustrate this truth. God
promises, in return for bringing all the tithes
into the storehouse, to open the windows of
heaven and pour out blessings that there shall
not be room enough to receive.
" It is a singular fact that all the blessings
we get, temporal and spiritual, come from the
heavens. There are three heavens ; one where
the birds fly, or our atmosphere ; another
where the sun, moon and stars are ; and the
other where God dwells. All our temporal
blessings ; all our national and individual
prosperity ; all material wealth ; in a word, all
our riches come from the earth and the heavens ;
and, inasmuch as the yield of the earth de-
pends wholly upon the air, the dew, the rain
and sunshine of the heavens, we can say
practically, that all our temporal blessings
come from heaven. Now, God pledges Him-
self to open the windows of heaven and pour
us out the divinest blessings — overflowing
blessings, ' heaped up, pressed down, shaken
together, running over,' that * there shall not
be room enough to receive it.'
<9r, Light from my Forge. 107
*' Here is God's direct pledge for temporal.
blessings ; and I am simple enough to believe
it, and intend to comply with tlie conditions
and risk the consequences. It is a very easy
thing for God to withhold or grant temporal
prosperity. Stored up in the heavens is
enough wealth to make every living man rich ;
and my God, whose pledge I have, can at any
time open a little window and let down upon
me a gentle shower of His blessings, which
will provide for me and mine so long as we
need temporal good. ' Trust in the Lord and
do good, so shalt thou dwell in the land, and
verily thou shalt be fed.' ' He that watereth
shall be watered also himself * Honor the
Lord with thy substance, and with the first
fruits of all thine increase, so shall thy bams
be filled with plenty, and thy presses shall
burst out with new wine.' These are rich and
precious promises, and they will be fulfilled
only when we comply with the conditions and
pa}^ our tenth to God.
"A good deal of our preaching, our think-
ing, and even our devotions, either vaporize or
io8 The Path to Wealth;
spiritualize God's promises. Our natural un-
belief tends to put off the fulfilment of them
until we get to heaven, or to some time in the
future. Unbelief hates literal and present
tense promises. But these promises are literal
and material ; they are for here and now ; they
are to be enjoyed on earth ; they challenge us
to a contract or bargain with God. As stated
before, He promises money for money ; you
pay me a tenth, says God, and I will give you
earthly and material blessings. I will give
your fingers skill as mechanics ; I will incline
employers towards you ; you shall get the
highest wages ; strikes shall not affect you ;
I am with you, and will see that you are pro-
vided for.
" I will make you prosperous as business
men ; I will incline you where you can make
good bargains ; I will send the people around
to you to buy ; while the man next door, who
neglects my cause, may become bankrupt, this
curse shall not touch you. I will look out for
your bills when they are coming due ; I will see
that your bank account is sufiiciently large ; in
or^ Light from my Forge. 109
a word, I am your partner and will look out
for the interests of your business.
^^And to you thinkers, who earn your living
by your brains, I will make your thoughts
clear ; I will give you the holy impulse to
originate ' thoughts which breathe, and words
which burn ; ' your productions shall stir men's
hearts ; your work shall be in demand ; I will
make people buy the productions of your heart
and brain ; only pay me your tenth, and you
shall be cared for.
'' Seed time and harvest shall never fail you
farmers ; I will bless your crops ; I will mul-
tiply your stock ; the blight and the mildew
shall be kept from your farms ; remember, I
am the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob ; I
will do to you as I did to them, only remember
me as they did.
" I will give health to all of you ; death shall
not take away your little ones ; they shall
live to a ripe old age ; I will open the windows
of heaven and pour you out a blessing that
there shall not be room enough to receive it.
These are blessings promised by God in the
no The Path to Wealth;
Bible. Who among this company will this
day pledge his tenth to God ?
"As intimated just now, this wonderful
blessing promised in this passage of Scripture,
and in other passages of Scripture, as a reward
of obedience, is more than mere temporal pros-
perity. Not only will God open the windows
of heaven from whence comes material wealth,
but He will open the windows of the upper
heavens where He dwells, the centre of the
universe ; and from His gracious fullness He
will shed down upon those who are obedient,
blessings which are inexpressible and full of
glory.
" There is a remarkable and, it would seem,
a necessary connection between obedience and
great spiritual enjoyment. Not only shall he
who does the will of God know the doctrine
of God, but he shall also understand the ex-
perience and bliss which comes through being
in communion with Him.
" There is a good deal said in these days
about consecration, and a good deal of unreal
sentiment expressed about giving to God our
or^ Light from my Forge, iii
bodies and spirits, our time and our earthly
store ; but it is my experience that when a
man does this practically, and commences by
acknowledging God's claim to a tenth of his
income, that he grows in grace, and God opens
the windows of heaven and pours out upon
him, day by day, rich spiritual blessings, so
that he walks in the light of the Lord, and
knows the mind of the Lord.
" I have stated elsewhere in these talks, that
God promises material prosperity to any man
who pays a tenth, regardless of that man's
character ; and, while I believe this statement
to be true, still, as a rule, unconverted men
have not faith enough in the Bible to take the
risks, and there are few of them who live up
to this Biblical requirement. It has been my
experience, however, that as soon as a man does
begin to tithe his income it develops in him
spirituality, if he had not any previously ; and
it wonderfully intensifies and strengthens his
spirituality if he was a Christian when he first
yielded obedience to this commandment.
" So far as my personal experience goes, and
112 The Path to Wealth;
so far as I can get hold of the history of men
who have kept this law, they are mostly de-
vout and spiritually-minded men, and they
bear universal testimony to this proposition :
that by obeying God in this particular, their
faith in God has been greatly increased; and
the wonderful deliverances which He has
brought about for them of a temporal charac-
ter, have developed in them a spirit of thank-
fulness, as well as a holy trust and a blessed
assurance. A remarkable companionship
springs up between the obedient and the Lord,
to which others are strangers. One thing is
remarkable in the experience of those who
thus systematically tithe their income, and
that is, though they may have commenced to
do so from a sense of duty, they continue the
practice from a sense of pleasure and profit,
and their hearts are influenced by the noblest
feelings of love to God and man.
'' There may be a solitary case here and there
of a man who has abandoned the practice of
tithing; yet, as a rule, those who commence
it persevere to the end, and have wrought into
^r, Light fro jn my Forge. 113
tHeir souls an experience, which is only an
experience of the lips to the average Christian,
namely, ' that it is more blessed to give than
to receive,' ' Godliness is profitable unto all
things, having promise of the life that now
is, and of that which is to come,' ' The good
and obedient shall eat the fat of the land.'
These are promises which provide for great
earthly blessings, but these earthly blessings
are also invariably accompanied with great
spiritual comfort and enlightenment."
At the conclusion of this talk, there was a
unanimous request that I should continue the
conversation the following evening. During
the talk this evening, a great many came in,
so that the shop was crowded with listeners,
and it was proposed that we should meet the
next night at the school-house. One of the
school trustees who was present said there
would be no objection ; and, accordingly, we
agreed to meet the next night at the school-
house as suggested. I was thus suddenly
thrust into greater notoriety than I had
114 ^/^^ Path to Wealth;
dreamed of, and I devoutly prayed God to
keep 'me humble, and to make my usefulness
equal to my humility. I had got very earnest
on the subject in the two talks I had pre-
viously given ; and a great many things oc-
curred to my mind while I was speaking, which
I thought I would like to say to my friends
and acquaintances in the neighborhood before
I gave up the subject.
According to agreement, we met next night
in the school-house. I thought I was getting
there in good time, but before I arrived the
house was full. The news of the meetings we
had in the blacksmith shop seems to have
spread far and wide, and we had a great many
on this evening from other neighborhoods, and
several business men drove out from the city.
A widespread interest seems to have been en-
listed in the subject, and quite a few converts
had been made to the doctrine of the tithe. I
pressed my way to the desk ; and, when every-
thing was ready to commence, some person
proposed that we have a regular and formal
meeting, and, accordingly, the Doctor was
07% Light from my Forge, 115
voted to the chair, and he called upon the
Rev. Mr. Jones to open the meeting with
prayer, after which I was introduced, and com-
menced :
TALK No. 3.
A Short History of the Tithe and
Other Matters.
'' My friends, I will not take up your time
hy preliminary observations, although I feel
wholly inadequate to the task of addressing
and instructing so large and intelligent an
audience upon this most important Biblical
subject. I am glad to see, however, that my
humble efforts to enlighten you upon this
subject, and to teach you what I know con-
cerning the Bible doctrine, is appreciated. I
am also glad that so many of you are begin-
ning to see eye to eye with me, and have
commenced to tithe your incomes. I am per-
fectly willing to stake my reputation upon all
that I have said concerning the effect that
your observance of this commandment will
have upon your material and spiritual pros-
perity. It is clear to me that the Bible most
distinctly promises these blessings to those
[in)
ii8 The Path to Wealth;
wHo keep this commandment, and I dare to
risk all I have upon a ' thus saith the Lord.'
I am also greatly confirmed in this from my
own experience, and from the experience of
all who have tested those promises of God.
"To-night, I thought I would give you a
short history of the tithe during the Christian
dispensation, and make some other remarks
on the subject, which may be suggested by
important things that may be developed in
the conversation of the evening. It is most
remarkable that this practice of tithing has
been discovered in several heathen nations^
and it has been interwoven with their religious
and civil codes. There is no proof concerning
the origin of this practice among them : pos-
sibly these heathen nations learned it from
God's ancient people the Jews ; but, more
probably, the practice is as ancient as Adam,
and the Gentile nations who observed the tithe
laws were keeping up a tradition from the
Garden of Eden.
" We have positive proof that the practice
of tithing is as ancient as Abraham, and strong
<9r, Light from Tuy Forge. 119
presumptive evidence that the latter found it
already in existence, and that when he paid
tithes to Melchizedek he was performing a re-
ligious duty. No person can read the narra-
tive without being struck with its naturalness ;
for, on the one hand, Abraham paid the tenth
without any explanation or argument, such as
would be natural if he were making a simple
present, or was giving a simple token of his
gratitude to Almighty God for his victory ;
and, on the other hand, Melchizedek accepts
the tenth as a matter of course. He took it as
though he expected it, or as if it belonged to
him ; and he there and then blessed Abraham in
the name of the Lord, just as God in later
years said that all the people who paid tithes
should be blessed. There is enough evidence to
satisfy me that the law and practice of the tithe
was in existence prior to Abraham, and that
God's priests were maintained that way. If
this be so, then the Canaanites, of whom
Melchizedek was both king and priest, were in
the habit of paying tithes.
" That some well-defined system of giving
I20 The Path to Wealth.
to God was practised in the days of Adam is
certain, for we find that both Cain and Abel
gave systematically to God, for ' Cain brought
of the fruit of the ground an offering unto the
Lord. And Abel, he also brought of the first-
lings of his flock, and of the fat thereof.' God
in some way had made known His will touch-
ing this matter. As to the proportion He
required, we are not told ; but the presump-
tion is that it was a tenth, for when the pro-
portion is first mentioned in the Bible, that is
the amount specified. From these considera-
tions the strongest inference is, that the idea
and practice of tithing found in heathen na-
tions has been handed down by tradition from
the Garden of Eden.
'' There is not a great deal said about tithing
in the New Testament, as it did not enter par-
ticularly into the work of the Saviour and His
apostles to impress this doctrine and prac-
tice upon the people. It would seem that at
the advent of the Saviour the Jews critically
and technically kept this law, so that Christ
had to say, ' Woe unto you, scribes* and Phari-
RICH PHARISEE GOING WITH HIS TITHES TO THE PRIEST,
9 (121)
122 The Path to Wealth ;
sees, Hypocrites ! for ye pay tithe of mint, and
anise, and cnmmin, and have omitted the
weightier matters of the law, jndgment, mercy
and faith : these ought ye to have done^ and
not to leave the other undone.' Hence, there
was no need for Christ and His apostles to
formally impress this Biblical command upon
the people.
" The same thing is true of the Sabbath day,
as the obligations imposed upon the Jews by
these two commandments seem to have been
fully realized by them, and faithfully dis-
charged. In the present century, it is most
important that Sabbath observance should be
taught, and that the people should be indoc-
trinated into the duty and practice of keeping
holy the Sabbath day, because the tendency
now is to overlook the sanctity of this day
and to consider all days alike. During the
Saviour's time this was not so; and, hence,
but little was said by Him or His immediate
followers about the importance of keeping one
day holy in seven.
^' The attitude of the Jews to the tithe was
or^ Light from my Forge. 123
precisely similar to their position in regard to
the Sabbath ; for the history of their nation
was before them, and they knew by national,
and, doubtless, many of them by individual
experience, that their earthly prosperity de-
pended, in a great measure, upon their obedi-
ence to God's time and money requirements,
and depended upon these two obligations as
inuch as upon all other conditions besides.
" No wise teacher will spend his time in
teaching that which is well known, nor will
he exhort people to do what they are already
noted for doing even to excess. Hence, it is
only by allusion or illustration that Jesus re-
fers to either of these important duties ; but
when He does so, it is always of the nature of
approval, and herein is a strong argument for
my present contention.
'' From the comparative silence of Jesus
upon the question of tithing, a considerable
argument is built by those who do not believe
in it. They say that if it were of so much
importance, surely the Saviour would not have
omitted it from His discourse ; but taking the
124 ^^^ Path to Wealth;
circumstances into consideration, and the state-
ments I have just made, I think the very
thing complained of strengthens the position
taken by me rather than otherwise. We find,
however, in the writings of the apostles, state-
ments and exhortations which clearly teach
the law of the tithe. Paul says : ' Upon the
first day of the week let every one of you lay
by him in store as God hath prospered him.'
Here we have systematic giving ; and I may
take occasion in this or some other Talk to
explain this text more fully.
" Paul states elsewhere that ^ God loveth a
cheerful giver,' and again, ^ If there be first a
willing mind it is accepted according to that
a man hath, and not according to that he hath
not,' that is to say, a man must give according
to his wealth, or give a certain proportion, the
poor giving a portion out of their poverty, and
the rich out of their abundance. Paul in his
charge to Timothy says : ' Charge them that
are rich in this world, that they be not high-
minded, nor trust in uncertain riches, but
in the living God, who giveth us all things
or, Light from my Forge, 125
richly to enjoy ; that they do good, that they
be rich in good works, ready to distribute,
LAYING ASIDE THE LORD'S PORTION.
willing to communicate.^ And yet another
quotation, ' He which soweth sparingly shall
reap also sparingly; and he which soweth
126 The Path to Wealth,
bountifully shall reap also bountifully.' And
Jesus says, ' Inasmuch as ye have done it unto
one of the least of these, my brethren, ye have
done it unto me.' Paul, in his address to the
elders of the Church at Ephesus, uses this
language : ' I have showed you all things, how
that so laboring ye ought to support the weak,
and to remember the words of the Lord Jesus,
how He said, it is more blessed to give than to
receive.'
" The writings of the Fathers of the Church
contain abundant reference to tithing, showing
that it was practised by the early Christians ;
but it would seem that for many years the
practice of tithing was purely a form of volun-
tary offering for the support of the clergy, and
for benevolent purposes generally. The first
Christian emperors acknowledged the duty of
paying tithes to support the clergy, although
they did not formally enact laws making this
compulsory. The council of Tours, 567 A. D.,
the second Council of Macon, 585 A. d., and
that of Rouen, 650 A. D., also of Nantes, of
Metz, and some others, distinctly sanction the
ENGLISH TITHES, TWELFTH CENTURY.
(127)
i2S The Path to Wealth.
law of the tithe, but it remained for Charle-
magne to establish the practice in certain por-
tions of the ancient Roman Empire. From
this law and other sources, it became a duty
for all persons to pay a tenth to the Church,
which extended throughout western Christen-
dom.
" The practice of tithing was first introduced
into England by Offa, king of Mercia, in the
close of the eighth century. Other divisions
of Saxon England took up the same usage,
and it was made general all over England by
Ethelwolf All persons were required to pay
tithes to the Church, but it seems to have
been optional with each man as to the Church
to which he should pay his tithes ; and men
then did as they do now, supporting the Church
to which they belonged, but at that time it
was distinctly required that each man should
pay tithes to his own particular Church. But
a decree was sent by Innocent III. to the Arch-
bishop of Canterbury in the year 1200 A. D.,
to the effect that all were to pay tithes to the
clergy of their respective parish churches, that
^r, Light fro77i my Forge. 129
is, the State Church, and this parochial distri-
bution of tithes has been the law in England
ever since.
^' It does not enter into my purpose to go
into detail as to the various laws in England
concerning tithing. There is a great variety
of tithes, and a great many complicated laws
have been enacted, at one time and another,
in reference to tithing. All I wish to point
out to you in this Talk is the fact, that this
practice has been observed from the day
Abraham paid tithes to Melchizedek, the priest
of the most high God, until this day, and in
all probability dates back to the day of Adam.
It is true that the tithing laws in England
have become obnoxious to the majority of
God-fearing people in that land, and the chief
reason why titning has not been practised by
the Methodist and other non-conforming
Churches is because the State interfered in re-
ligious matters, and made compulsory what
God had placed upon each man's individual
conscience, the individual standing or falling
according as he obeyed or disobeyed God's law.
130 The Path to Wealth;
'' So long as there was only one Cliurcli in
England, there was no inequality, nor so long
as that Church was doing God's work, even
though it were a State Church, and the people
were compelled to pay tithes to her by the
civil law, there would seem to be no real in-
justice or inequality. Certain it is, that God's
blessing came down upon the people, and Eng-
land during these years showed an unparal-
leled degree of prosperity; but, when that
Church became corrupt and ceased to teach
the doctrines of the Cross, and godly men pro-
tested against the impious practices of the
clergy, and joined themselves into organiza-
tions for the purpose of worshipping God and
teaching the pure Gospel, then the injustice
of having to pay tithes to a State Church, and
to support their own Church as well, became
apparent. From that time until now, these
Churches have, to a great extent, rebelled
against tithing, and the majority of them have
not distinguished the false from the true ; and,
in their protestations against compulsory tith-
ing enacted by the civil laws, they have un-
or^ Light from my Forge. 131
wittingly protested against the law of God as
revealed in the Bible.
'^ In England the tithe laws have worked
very nnjustly, and have borne with great
hardship upon those who were the most pious
and godly, and I believe the reason why so
few to-day systematically tithe their income,
and why there are so many in practical igno-
rance of this Bible requirement, is because of
the hatred which was engendered by this
compulsory taxation to the support of the
State Church, while these same men had to
support their own Churches. It may be re-
marked, however, that notwithstanding this
injustice and inequality, England has been
blessed as no other nation ; she has always
been a lender of money and not a borrower.
She has been to the world what the sun is to
the universe, and has sent out her light and
civilization the wide world over. She has
furnished more missionaries than any other
nation. She has done more for the enlighten-
ment and evangelization of the world than
any other nation. She has been the greatest
132 The Path to Wealth;
in peace, and the miglitiest in war of any na-
tion npon the face of the earth, and I dare to
think that her wealth, and power, and influ-
ence have been due, in no small measure, to
the fact that the incomes of her people have
been tithed for the maintenance of God's cause.
'' When the Pilgrim Fathers left England to
seek a land of liberty in America, where they
could worship God in their own way, they
doubtless came here with a hatred to system-
atic giving, as the yoke had galled them so
badly in the old land. When Christian min-
isters and members of the non-conforming de-
nominations came to this country, they came
with similar feelings, so that the Churches in
this country have been supported by the vol-
untary givings of the people, though these
voluntary givings have been spasmodic, irreg-
ular, and unsystematic. Very few, if any, of
these earlier Christians recommenced the law
of the tithe, although there are some distin-
guished exceptions to this statement, and the
reason of this almost total abandonment of
this Bible law, I believe, I have just given you.
or^ Light from my Forge. 133
" The Christianity of America and Canada
has been of a most vigorous and progressive
type, and the Churches have developed, in
view of all circumstances, a wonderful liber-
ality ; but I believe it can be demonstrated,
that if all the giving had been regulated by
some w^ell-defmed system, and a certain pro-
portion of the income of Christian people had
been devoted to the cause of God, that the
advancement would have been very much
greater than we see to-day. I think it can be
demonstrated, that if the Churches had taught
and practised the doctrine of the tithe, that a
larger proportion of the population of this con-
tinent would have been christianized. I am
glad to see, however, that this old Bible doc-
trine is being revived, and that there is a wide-
spread interest manifested in the subject of
' Systematic Giving ' all over the continent.
People are beginning to distinguish between
the abuse of this doctrine and commandment,
as seen in England, and the uses of it as laid
down in the Bible.
^' We have now reviewed chiefly the history
134 The Path to Wealth;
of the tithe, and have distinctly traced it back
to Abraham, demonstrating that it was prac-
tised by the ' Father of the faithful,' and seeing
strong reasons to believe that at this ancient
day it was a practice of the Canaanites. We
have also proved from sacred history, that in
the days of Adam there was some plan of
' systematic giving,' which clearly recognized
God's claim as the first claim upon a man's
earnings ; and it is a legitimate supposition,
from what follows in the Bible, that this claim
was a tithe.
" We have followed the history of this prac-
tice through the Old and New Testaments,
and have seen that what is most distinctly
given in the former as a commandment is en-
dorsed and reaffirmed in the latter. We have
also historically traced this practice down
from the days of Jesus until now. The his-
toric Church is a unit in declaring that ' the
tenth is holy unto the Lord ; ' and if modern
Christian opinion is shown to have been more
against than for this doctrine, I think I have
given the reason why. Certain it is, this law
or, Light from my Forge. 135
of God has never been rescinded ; and the
overwhelming weight of evidence goes to show
that it is now in force. If there had been any
change it seems equally certain that the change
would have demanded a larger rather than a
less sum than ten per cent. If the Jews gave
a tenth with their obscure light, certainly
Christians are under obligation not to give a
smaller amount.
" I will now talk a while to you on :
^SoME Advantages of Modern Tithing.'
I shall not have time to state all the advan-
tages, for they are legion, but I will give some
which are uppermost in my mind. First, then,
the tithe is the seed money of wealth ; it is
compared to sowing, and the more a man sows
the more he has to sow. It is compared to
lending money to the Lord, which He gives
back with interest. It is a way of ' laying up
treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor
rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not
break through nor steal.' It guarantees the
success of one's business : ' The earth is the
136 The Path to Wealth;
Lord's and the fullness thereof,' and God com-
pels the earth to yield her products to the
man who keeps this law. ^ The silver is mine
and the gold is mine, saith the Lord of Hosts,'
and He promises to yield up these precious
treasures to the man who will tithe his income.
'' I do not think that the Bible means that
every man who tithes shall become rich, but
it does mean that each man who does so shall
be well cared for ; and experience proves that
most of them are in comfortable circumstances,
and not a few of them are rich. It relieves a
man of all anxiety as to his earthly sustenance,
for ' the word of our God is sure,' and He will
honor those who honor Him ; and he who
cares for God's cause, and appropriates to His
service one-tenth of his income, will never
lack a tenth to give.
"Another advantage of tithing is, that it
systematizes one's benevolence. The man who
does anything without system is a weak man,
and is blown about by every wind, and swayed
by every feeling ; but a man who has a system
and then works to it, always knows what he
or, Light from my Forge, 137
is doing, and stands a better chance of success.
Men who give without system, give according
to their feelings ; sometimes they feel poor
and refuse aid to that which is deserving;
at other times, when their feelings are touched,
and when their hearts are made tender by some
appeal, they are inclined to give, though they
are in no better financial condition than they
were when they felt poor. In such cases, a
man gives from feeling rather than from prin-
ciple. Such a man is like a ship without a
rudder ; like a mariner without a compass ; but
he who tithes his income sets apart a certain
portion to spend in works of benevolence and
for the propagation of God's cause, and knows
just what he can do.
"Another advantage of tithing is in the fact
that it gives a man great strength in his busi-
ness. He realizes that God is his partner; that
the God of all the earth, who has the hearts of
all men at His command, is interested in his
business ; and, in times of darkness, God is his
light ; in times of perplexity, God becomes his
wisdom. When the arm of flesh fails him, he
10
138 The Path to Wealth;
leans liard upon God, for the tendency of this,
practice is to promote dependence upon our
Heavenly Father, and no man has ever yet
been disappointed who thus placed confidence
in Him.
'' Another great advantage of tithing is, that
it compels a man to keep a proper record of his.
financial affairs. A great many men fail in
business because they do not keep proper books
of account. One reason why the majority of
men live beyond their income is, because they
do not keep a record of their income and ex-
penditure. I fully believe, the reason why
many farmers are not more successful is be--
cause they carry on the work of their farms
without any record as to the profit of any given
crop, or investment. A man who tithes his
income is under obligation to know his finan-
cial standing. If he pledges a tenth to God,
it is a prime necessity, in order to keep that
pledge, that he should have proper books of
account. This produces system and regular-
ity; a man carries on his business with his
eyes open, and knows what he is doing.
or, Light from my Forge. 139
'' But the great advantage of tithing, as in-
timated in my last talk in the blacksmith
shop, is in obedience to God, and this draws a
man nearer to God than all things beside. It
causes a man to take God as companion and
guide ; it develops confidence in God ; help
after help is accorded to such a man day after
day, all the days of his life, and signal business
victories are given to him. He is enabled to
overcome dif&culties which he thought were
insurmountable ; he sees, in the progress of
his business, God's guiding and delivering
hand, and this adds to his faith, courage and
love. He approximates more and more to
' the mind which is in Christ Jesus,' as his in-
tercourse becomes more and more familiar
with God our Father.
" Obedience to God's laws brings us nearer
the spirit world. Our communion with God,,
and our fellowship with saints and angels is
made more precious than by any other means
whatever. If a Christian is in any measure
disobedient, the heavens seem as brass, he can-
not penetrate them with his prayers ; but when.
140 The Path to Wealth;
all the tithes are brought into the storehouse,
the windows of heaven are opened and rich
spiritual blessings descend upon his soul.
"I strongly advise you, dear friends, to test
this matter for yourselves. God distinctly
challenges every one of you to make the test,
saying, ^ prove me herewith.' I would strongly
advise you to commence here and now the
practice of ' Systematic Giving.' Devote a
tenth of your income to God and benevolence,
and the richest blessings of heaven and earth
shall be yours.
" And now, my friends, I think I have talked
to you long enough for this evening ; but, be-
fore we part, I shall be very glad to answer, so
far as I am able, any questions you may wish
to ask. I do not wish to provoke a discussion
for the sake of seeing which can produce the
stronger argument ; but if any among you have
doubts on the main question, and are earnestly
seeking the truth on this subject, I shall be
glad if you will state them fully and frankly.
Or, if any of you being convinced that it is
your duty to tithe your incomes, and are de-
<?r, Light from my Forge. 141
sirous of information on any point, I shall be
glad if I can be of assistance to you. I would
rather have you ask me the questions publicly
than privately, that others may have the benefit
of the conversation."
I no sooner took my seat than a dozen men
were on their feet, each being anxious to speak
and unwilling to give place to the others.
They all seemed to speak words of commenda-
tion, but, with the confusion they caused, the
meeting was getting rather excited, and our
good village doctor, the chairman of the even-
ing, called them to order. He said : '' With
the consent of the speaker, I suggest that we
now dismiss the meeting, and have another
meeting to-morrow evening in this school-
house, or in the Baptist church up at the
cross roads, if it can be secured. Most of us
have had to stand to-night, and the crowd will
likely be greater to-morrow. I would further
suggest that all questions to be asked of the
speaker, and all objections to be made, be put
in writing and handed in at the blacksmith
shop by noon to-morrow, in order that such
142 The Path to Wealth;
questions or objections maybe answered at the
night meeting."
The pastor of the Baptist church, Rev. H.
S. Waterkins, said that the church was at our
disposal, as he felt the agitation now begun
would doubtless do great good and increase
the liberality of the people, although he took
exception to some ideas advocated, but agreed
with the speaker on the main question. He
confessed that he had not given the subject
much thought, and was astonished at the con-
vincing arguments brought forward in support
of tithing.
I accordingly accepted the suggestions of
the chairman and the kind invitation of the
Baptist minister, and agreed to be on hand the
next night to answer the objections or ques-
tions which might be brought forward.
Rev. F. Perseverance, a Presbyterian minis-
ter present, pronounced the benediction, and
the meeting adjourned.
The next night when I arrived at the cross-
roads, I had to elbow my way through the
crowd to get even to the church door. Such
or^ Light from my Forge, 143
an excitement had never been known in our
neigHborliood ; it seemed that the people did
nothing else but talk " Tithing." Tracts and
books had been sent for; the Bible had been
searched, and many an earnest discussion was
held over the subject. I had made between
twenty and thirty converts, and these were
the most solid and godly men in our county,
so that I had strong influences at work on
the Bible side of this question. The wide-
spread interest taken had filled the Baptist
church, and there were as many people outside
as in.
The pastor of the church presided, and
opened the meeting with prayer and a short
address. He thanked me for the blessing I
had been the means of conferring upon him
personally, in convincing him of the truth of
the Bible doctrine of tithing. He knew that
it was a law for the Jews, but did not think
that it was binding upon Christians ; he was
now convinced of his error. His objection,
suggested the night before, to the theory
set forth in these meetings, was that a man
144 ^^^ Path to Wealth,
who started to tithe his income because it
was financially profitable, would be tempted
to look upon it from that standpoint only,
and thus he would be actuated by the wrong
motive, which would produce spiritual lean-
ness.
I was then introduced, and commenced :
TALK No. 4.
Objections and Questions.
"My friends, I am glad to meet you and
greet you in the name of the Lord, who re-
quires ^ tithes of all.' I consider that a great
honor is conferred upon me in being permitted
to * contend for the faith once delivered to the
saints,' and to do a little toward bringing back
the people to God's fundamental law of success
for individuals, churches and nations.
*'I would that I could excite the whole
world on this question as this neighborhood
seems excited, for I feel that it is the absorb-
ing question of this generation. The speedy
subjugation of this world to the Lord Jesus
Christ depends upon the speedy acceptance of
God's great money law by the people. When
that law is accepted, and the people ' bring in
all their tithes,' then look out for the ^windows
of heaven ' being opened in all parts of the
world, and such blessings descending that the
(145)
146 The Path to Wealth;
world itself will not be large enougH to con-
tain them ; ^ For the earth shall be full of the
knowledge of the Lord, as the waters cover
the sea.'
" But I am to answer questions and objec-
tions to-night, and I will now proceed to do
so. I hold in my hand a number of them ;
and, after referring to the remarks of our ex-
cellent chairman, I will proceed to take them
up one by one as they come. Before doing
so, I may state, however, that some of the
questions and objections handed in to me were
anticipated in former talks ; but, evidently,
my arguments were either not satisfactory or
have not been heard by parties who repeat
them. I shall, however, endeavor to answer
everything as though no previous attempt had
been made.
"The difficulty which our chairman finds
with my theory is the one I most frequently
meet with from devout people. It is undoubt-
edly true that the motive a man has in per-
forming a given action gives it moral quality
more than the outward act itself; and, hence,
6>r, Light from my Forge, 147
the men who are accustomed to look beneath
the surface, and analyze motives in judging of
character rather than forming their judgment
from actions, most naturally bring up this ob-
jection to my theory.
*' I wish, however, to state that there are
times when it is advisable to persuade men who
are indulging in wrong acts, to change the
mode of their lives and to practice virtue, even
though the motive appealed to be simply that
of self-interest. There are experiences, con-
ditions and dispositions where a motive of
self-interest is much more powerful than a
higher one, and if you can induce men who
have been living wrong to give up the wrong
and commence on the right course, even though
the motive appealed to be not the highest, the
effects are salutary, and the motives often be-
come iiltimately of the purest. There is some-
thing in the practice of virtue, unless a man
be a confirmed hypocrite, where the very out-
ward act has a tendency to compel correspond-
ing inward virtue ; hence, in the training of
children, we, of necessity, appeal to lower mo-
148 The Path to Wealth ;
tives than we do in adnlts, as tHey have not
the capacity to appreciate that which is higher.
In such cases, the object is to have children
commence the practice of right acts, and we
consider ourselves happy to train them me-
chanically good, trusting to time and the grace
of God to mould their motives, and develop in
them moral purity and spiritual life.
^' Certain it is that the Bible addresses itself
to the same motive to which I have appealed
in these Talks. Perhaps a full and sufficient
answer to this objection will be given by
quoting a passage or two of Scripture, where
God appeals wholly to self-interest, and exhorts
His children to give to Him with no higher
incentive whatever than the promise of His
giving something to them in return. God,
speaking through Solomon, says, ^ Honor the
Lord with thy substance, and with the first-
fruits of all thine increase, so shall thy barns
be filled with plenty, and thy presses shall
burst out with new wine.' And I suppose no
person will object to the words of the wise man,
or find fault with the motive to which he ap»
or^ Light from my Forge. 149
pealed. Jesus is yet more emphatic, if that
were possible, in saying, ' Give and it shall be
given unto you, good measure, pressed down,
and shaken together, and running over shall
men give into your bosom.' I need not tell
you that these words were spoken by the
Saviour in connection with the giving of alms,
and they directly refer to contributions of
money.
" The words of Paul, although quoted on a
previous evening, are most appropriate to this
objection, * He which soweth sparingly shall
reap also sparingly, and he which soweth
bountifully shall reap also bountifully. Every
man according as he purposeth in his heart
so let him give, not grudgingly or of necessity ;
for God loveth a cheerful giver.' And, to go
back again to Solomon, ' He that hath pity
upon the poor lendeth to the Lord, and that
which he hath given will he pay him again.'
The Holy Scriptures abound in such passages ;
and, if it is safe for God to appeal to such
motives, it is certainly fair for me to follow the
same line of argument.
150 The Path to Wealth;
'' The paper I hold in my hand reads as fol-
lows : — ' Should a man take out his living ex-
penses before tithing what he earns ? ' I
answer, most certainly not, for if he did so the
average man would have nothing to tithe, as
in the majority of cases he spends as much as
he earns. The Bible declares that the in-
crease ' of a man's business must be tithed ; in
other words, the net profit of one's business
or profession, and then God graciously permits
that the other nine-tenths shall be given into
the custody of His steward, to spend upon
himself and his family.
" The next question I am to answer is as
follows : — ' How can a farmer tell his net
income ? ' I suppose a farmer can only tell
what his net earnings are by keeping proper
books of account as other prudent business
men do. If a man in business promiscuously
takes out of his business money for his house-
hold and private needs, and keeps no record
of the amount thus drawn, it is impossible for
him to tell what the net profits of his business
are ; and if a farmer runs his farm in the same
or^ Light frofu my Forge.
151
hap-hazard fashion, keeping no account of his.
income or expenditure, it will be impossible
for him to arrive at his income with any degree
of certainty.
" I have heard of different systems being
adopted by farmers in order to keep out their
M^
FARMER POSTING HIS BOOKS.
tenth for God, but the only correct way is for
a farmer to keep proper accounts, and debit his
farm with all he expends for seed, implements,
labor, or any other necessary expense, and
credit his farm with the produce used by his
family, as well as with all the cash he receives.
152
The Path to Wealth
for tiie produce sold; and the difference be-
tween the debit and credit is the amount of his
income, and, consequently, the amount he must
tithe. For instance, if the total expense of
running the farm amounted to, say five hun-
dred dollars, and if the farmer sold one thou-
sand dollars' worth of produce, and used in his
family five hundred dollars' worth, then the
net income would be one thousand dollars, of
which one hundred dollars, or ten per cent.,
belongs to God.
^' ' How can a business man estimate his in-
come for the purpose of tithing, so as to allow
for bad debts or possible shrinkage of values ? '
is the question upon this paper. This, I have
no doubt, is a very perplexing question to
many business men, and yet, if we would act
toward God and keep our tithe account with
Him upon ordinary business principles, there
would be no need for asking me to solve the
problem. Suppose the business man who
wrote this question had a partner, and the
partnership was so arranged that his partner's
share was ten per cent, of the net profits of
or^ Light front my Forge. 153
the business, would lie have aii}^ difficulty in
settling with him upon a proper business
basis ? I think not. Then why should there
be any greater difficulty in keeping God's
tithe account than in keeping the account
supposed ?
" What I would advise a business man to do
is, to tithe the money he draws out of his
business weekly or monthl}^ as the case may
be, and once a year tithe the net profits of the
business during the year. If it should prove
during the following year that some of the
accounts or other assets which had been tithed
turned out bad, then it would be proper to
charge back ten per cent, of the loss to God's
tithe account ; and the same remark applies to
shrinkage in values of any character whatsoever.
" Some person asks, upon this paper : ' What
system would you advise for keeping the tithe
account ? ' The answer is very simple, and
I give it from my own method and practice.
I call the account, 'The Lord's Tithe Account.'
I have a debit and credit column, and I keep
the account upon the same system as a Cash
154 The Path to Wealth;
Account, debiting it with ten per cent, of my
earnings, as I receive them, and crediting it
with all I pay to the Lord's cause, specifying
each item for future reference. I wish all my
hearers were sufficiently advanced in their
belief in this doctrine to manifest anxiety
upon this question. The chief thing is for a
man to have the disposition and purpose to
tithe his income, and some good system of
keeping the account will suggest itself to him
from his own experience.
" I am glad of an opportunity to answer the.
following question : ' Should a minister of the
Gospel pay tithes ? ' In one of my talks I said
the Bible most distinctly taught that the priests
under the Jewish dispensation were required to
tithe their incomes, and I take it that what
God then required of those who devoted them-
selves to the spiritual welfare of the people, he
now requires. I refer you to Numbers xviii.
26, 27: ' Thus speak unto the Levites, and say
unto them, When ye take of the children of
Israel the tithes which I have given you from
them for your inheritance, then ye shall ofifer
or, Light fi^oin my Forge. 155
lip an heave-offering of it for the Lord, even a
tenth part of the tithe. And this your heave-
offering shall be reckoned unto you, as though
it were the corn of the threshing floor, and as
the fullness of the wine-press.'
"As I read the Bible, God demands ten per
cent, from all men, regardless of their position
or character. This sum is His tax upon the
earnings of mankind the world over, and upon
the produce of the earth ; and, undoubtedly, it
is just as profitable, from a mone}^ standpoint
— to appeal to no higher motive — for a minister
of the Gospel to pay his tithe as for men of any
other profession.
'' Some person has thought the following a
question of sufficient importance to present to
me for answer : — ' If all are under obligation
to pay tithes, how can a man who handles no
money whatever perform this duty ? ' Per-
haps I can answer this question best by asking
another. If God requires all men to labor,
how can a man perform that duty who is not
possessed of arms ? Certain it is, out of noth-
ing nothing comes.
156 The Path to Wealth;
'' It is a fundamental law of God that a man
shall earn his living by the sweat of ' his face,'
3^et if a man is lacking either in brains to labor
intelligently, or is not possessed of arms with
which to perform the labor, it is impossible for
him to be obedient to this general law ; but in
this case, as in all others, the exception proves
the rule. If a man handles no money, but is
a pauper upon the bounties of his fellows, it is
a matter of impossibility for him to give any-
thing to God's cause ; yet if a pauper should
at any time become possessed of even twenty-
five cents, then a tenth of it would belong to God.
^'A man who works for wages and his board,
asks the following question : — ' How shall a
servant, who is paid so much per annum and
his board, estimate his income in order that he
may know how to give ten per cent, of it to
the Lord ? ' I am glad this question has been
asked, as there are a great many persons, both
male and female, who are earning their living
in the capacity of servants, and it is most im-
portant that such persons should know exactly
what God demands of them.
or^ Light fi'om 7ny Forge. 157
" My idea is that a person who derives his
income in the way stated, should estimate what
his services would be worth, providing he
received the whole amount in cash and boarded
himself; or, in other words, estimate what the
board and other conveniences which he re-
ceives as part of his pay would cost him pro-
viding he had to pay cash for them. After
reaching this conclusion, the way to do is to
add his money income to the amount which he
receives in the shape of board, and then ten
per cent, of this total income would be the
amount to pay to God.
" I am now to read to you a most practical
question, and one which, I trust, is agitating
the minds of many in this audience. ' When
a man is convinced that it is his duty to give
a tenth to the Lord, how shall he manage with
the property and money in his possession that
has not been tithed ? ' There is only one
answer to this question ; and I am sure that
answer is supplied by all your minds as soon
as the question is asked. I fear, however^ that
there are but few men who will act in harmony
158 The Path to Wealth;
with the logical answer to this question with-
out a severe struggle, except they are aided by
the grace of God.
'^ There is no difficulty in a man rendering
obedience to the dictates of his conscience in
this particular, if he is possessed of but little
or no property ; but in proportion as he is
in possession of wealth, in that proportion will
it be difficult for him to obey God's law as in-
volved in this answer. The tenth of all you
have, or ever will have, belongs to God, and
whether you have one dollar in your posses-
sion or one hundred thousand dollars, which
has not been tithed, ' The tenth is holy unto
the Lord,' and the only sure way is to give
God His own.
" No wonder Jesus said, ' How hardly shall
they that have riches enter into the kingdom
of heaven.' How difficult it is for a man to
give to God ten per cent, of any considerable
amount of wealth is only known to those who
have passed through this experience ; and I
have reason to believe that, as I now speak to
you, there are many among you wrestling with
or, Light from my Forge. 159
your consciences. Self-interest and blind pre-
judice, backed up by the devil, are arrayed on
tlie one side, while God's plain declaration and
your own conscience, as well as sound argu-
ment, are on the other side, and I most ear-
nestly exhort you to render obedience to these
messengers of God, and ' Bring all the tithes
into the storehouse.' Do not, I beseech you,
be as Ananias and Sapphira, and bring in a
part of the price only.
** If duty and truth did not compel me to
thus speak, I should be inclined to lower God's
obligation in order to get you started in this,
the way of the Lord ; but, as the question has
been asked of me, I must answer it in the only
way it can be answered with fidelity, and I
trust the convictions of your own hearts will
be obeyed, and that you will trust implicitly
in God for the fulfilment of His promises.
Depend upon it, true self-interest is consulted
only when we render willing obedience to the
demands of God.
" I think there is no real need for further
argument to prove the correctness of my ans-
i6o The Path to Wealth;
wer to the question under consideration, but
an illustration may make the truth more mani-
fest. Suppose a man who commences tithing
his income to-day should to-morrow come into
possession of, say one thousand dollars ; taking
it for granted that God demands the tithe, on
all hands we should agree that ten per cent.,
or one hundred dollars of this sum, would be
the Lord's. Now, what is the difference be-
tween a man tithing what he had when he
commenced obedience to this duty, and what
he received one day after he commenced tith-
ing ? I think there is no dif&culty in perceiv-
ing the logic of my answer ; the only dif&culty
will be in getting the consent of your mind to
render obedience to it, and I pray that you may
be successful.
" The question I now hold in my hand is
undoubtedly written by a man from the city,
for he writes as follows : — ' I have to pay rent
for a pew in our church ; I also pay for a shed
in which to stand my horse. Must I reckon
this on my tithe account?' This question to
me is of more importance by what it suggests
or^ Light Jrom my Forge. i6i
to my mind, than by the direct question itself,
although that may not be unimportant to the
person who asks it, as well as to others simi-
larly situated.
" In regard to the question, I give it as my
opinion, that the amounts paid for the pur-
poses stated legitimately belong to the Tithe
Account, notwithstanding my opinion that
pew rents are a curse to Christianity, a great
injury to our Churches, and totally subversive
of the plan and purpose of Jesus Christ, in
propagating His Gospel. It does not enter in
my plan to discuss the question of pew rents,
but inasmuch as this injurious system is an
invention of men to make up in some measure
for their robbing God of His tithes, there may
be some excuse accorded me in expressing my
opinion upon the question.
" Here is a practical question : — ' Should
money paid for life assurance be tithed, or
must that first be taken out of a man's income
before tithing ? ' If the life assurance is of a
business nature, and is taken out for business
purposes, to secure creditors, or for any other
1 62 The Path to Wealth;
business reason, then the premiums so paid
should be reckoned as a business expense and
should not be tithed. But if the life assurance
is carried for personal or family reasons, then
the cost of such assurance should be tithed, as
it becomes one of the items of personal or
family expense.
^' In answering this question, and deciding
similar ones, it is only necessary to distinguish
between what expenses are purely personal or
family expenses, and what expenses can be
legitimately charged as business expenditure.
Sometimes the two interests are so intimately
associated and become so lapped together, that
it is a little difficult to tell where business ex-
penses end and where family expenses com-
mence ; but, if a man is conscientious and does
what he verily believes to be right, and makes
the division with this spirit, there will be very
little probability of his going wrong.
'* I am now about to read and answer a
question which may be a type of many other
similar questions which will arise in the ex-
perience of a great many business men and
oVy Light from my Forge, 163
mechanics. ' My daughter earns small weekly
wages, about enough to clothe her : should her
wages be tithed in view of the fact that I
have otherwise to maintain her ? ' Certainly,
this sum should be tithed, providing you are
under either moral or legal obligation to main-
tain your daughter. Suppose she lived at
home and earned nothing, and you had to sup-
port her out of your own income, then such
expense would be clearly a legitimate family
expense, and all the money used to meet it
would be tithed before so using ; hence, the
money she earns is simply supplementary to
your own income and must be tithed as the
rest of your income, no matter from what
source it may be derived.
'' If your daughter were of age and had
clearly gone beyond your control, and there were
neither natural, moral, nor legal obligations
resting upon you for her maintenance, then,
technically, I should answer the question in a
different way. There will arise in the experi-
ence of a great many similar difficult questions,
but my advice is to give the Lord at all times
164 The Path to Wealth;
the benefit of tlie doubt, as ten per cent, is the
minimum of our givings to God; and as I
shall attempt to show before I get through with
all I have to say upon this subject, there is
abundance of arguments in favor of gifts
and free-will offerings to the cause of God,
over and above ' the absolute tax of ten per
cent, which our Maker imposes upon all
mankind.
" The next is a practical question, still a
little thought on the part of the person asking
it would bring its solution very readily. ^A
widow, who keeps a boarding house, would
like to know whether she must tithe all
the money that comes into her hands for
board ? ' My answer is, Most decidedly not.
Keeping boarders is of the nature of a busi-
ness, and in order that this woman may know
just what the amount of her tithe is, it will
be necessary to find out exactly what her busi-
ness expenses are; that is, what is the actual
outlay for provisions, fuel, rent, and other
necessary expenses involved in running a
boarding house ; then, after deducting these
or^ Light from my Forge. 165
legitimate and necessary expenses from what
is received, you have the net income, and this
net income only is to be tithed. The same
principle precisely governs such a case as
would govern a business man, or a farmer, or
any person similarly situated.
" We have had several doctors attending
these meetings, and I am glad one of them has
handed in a question bearing upon the sub-
ject under discussion, and with reference to
his own profession. ' If a doctor professionally
attends poor people and gives them his services
gratuitously, ought he to charge the value of
such services to his Tithe Account ? ' I con-
fess this position involves more complications
than any question presented this evening, and
I could say a good deal on both possible
answers presented to this question, but after
giving it careful attention I am of the opinion
that it would not be fair for a doctor to charge
the value of such services to his Tithe Account,
for several reasons.
" First, it is income only that is to be tithed,
and although the doctor may give a small
1 66 The Path to Wealth;
portion of his time gratuitously, still, he has
the income from his profession, and this in-
come must be tithed no matter how much
time is spent in Christian work. If the ser-
vices thus rendered from principles of benevo-
lence were paid for, there would be just so
much more to go to God's Tithe Account.
" In the next place, services given to poor
people by a physician would bear the same
relation to his income as bad debts do to the
income of business men. I suppose there is
a good deal of professional service rendered by
medical men charged on their books which is
not realized upon, and although many bad
debts may be reckoned into the sum total of
a physician's practice, still, in order to get at
his income, he first deducts these bad debts
and tithes only what he actually realizes.
" Still another reason, medical services ren-
dered to the poor are often of the nature of
advertisements, and though the physician may
get no pay directly, yet it has often happened
that the indirect results of services given gra-
tuitously have been very profitable. There-
<9r, Light from my Forge 167
fore for the above reasons, and others which
could be mentioned, it is my opinion that such
benevolent services should not be charged to
the Tithe Account of medical men.
''I do not know whether the questions
handed in to me to-day are, in all cases, ques-
tions entering into the experience of each per-
son asking them, or whether they have been
handed in for the purpose of testing my theory
and seeing whether it will apply to all the
possible contingencies of human experience.
Whatever may be the reason actuating the
next questioner, I will now answer this ques-
tion : ' Supposing a father who had tithed all
he possessed should die, and the property pass
into the hands of the son, who also practised
tithing, should this property be tithed again
when it had already been tithed ? '
" In regard to this question, as well as some
others, the perplexity involved is only upon
the surface. To my mind there is no real dif-
ficulty in answering it. I believe that the
Bible does not demand that capital should be
taxed at all whether it is in the shape of land.
1 68 llie Path to Wealth;
or money, or stock, or brains, but that the in-
come from any of these sources must be tithed.
You will notice that what is capital to one,
when it changes hands, becomes income to
another ; and although the father, in the case
supposed, had tithed all his income, and so
long as he lived he was under no further obli-
gation to tithe the capital upon which the real
tax had already been paid ; still, as soon as he
dies, and it passes into the hands of his son,
then it becomes the son's income, and he is
under obligation to pay ten per cent, of it,
whether the amount of property left be great
or small.
" The following question is also easily an-
swered : ^ Should the income from capital that
has been tithed be subject to tithing? ' That
is to say, if a man invests his money in city
property, should he pay tithes upon the rent
derived, or if he invests his money by loaning
it upon real estate, or good security, should he
tithe the interest thus realized? You will
readily see that the profits from either of these
supposed investments would be the income of
or, Light fr 0711 my Forge. 169
the person investing, and hence this income
must be tithed.
'' The next question I am to present to you
is a little more complicated, and it may be you
will get different answers from men of equal
ability and good intent : ' Should money paid
for books be tithed before being so used ? ' I
do not know whether the person means strictly
to ask just what is expressed by his language,
or whether he means to ask, ' If money paid
for books should be taken out of the Lord's
Tithe fund ? ' These are two distinct ideas,
and I will endeavor to answer both of them
to the best of my ability. If the books are
bought for purel}^ business purposes ; if, for
instance, they are to furnish a lawyer with a
library, or necessary legal books for his pro-
fession, or to furnish a physician with the
necessary medical books, then the money in-
vested in such books should not be tithed be-
fore being so used, as such investments are of
the nature of business expense.
" Now, as to the other idea suggested by
this question, whether books bought for family
170 The Path to Wealth;
and personal reading — useful books bought for
the purpose of improving the mind or cultur-
ing the heart, should be bought with tithe
money or not, is a question capable of two
answers. The money a man pays for the sup-
port of his pastor is supposed to be paid for
God's cause, and is legitimately charged to the
Tithe Account. Now, if money were invested
in a book of sermons, and the book were read
with the same motive as a good Christian man
listens to a minister of the Gospel, I do not see
why such an investment should not be charged
to the Tithe Account.
" There are many books bought and read,
even by good Christian people, with no par-
ticular religious motive ; books of travel and
general interest, scientific and historical, and
I think that it would not be legitimate to buy
such books with tithe mone3^ While I grant
that a book purchased wholly and solely for
the cultivation of spiritual life could be techni-
cally charged to the Tithe Account ; still, I
think it is getting rather near the line of de-
marcation, and I would strongly advise you
or^ Light from my Forge, 171
not to use your money in this way, but to buy
all books for personal or family use out of the
nine-tenths of your income which God allows
you to use on your own behalf
''I fear that there would be danger in charg-
ing to the Tithe Account that which we pur-
chase for our own use, or comfort, or self-
interest ; for once adopting such a principle,
there would be a strong temptation to spend
tithe money in that direction, when it could be
used more for the glory of God. I believe the
only safe way for a man to give his tenth is to
be governed by principles of love, for * God
loveth a cheerful giver,' and it does not pay to
be technical in giving to God who is so won-
drously good and kind to us.
'' I hope this next question is not asked with
more of unbelief than faith : ^ If a man who
practises tithing should become poor, how
would it affect your faith in the proposition,
that one is always better off by paying tithes ? '
Well, my friends, let me ask you a question :
Suppose a man was in the habit of working
every day in the year, and he became converted
172 The Path to Wealth;
to God and immediately commenced to rest on
the Sabbath day, thns giving to God a frac-
tion over fourteen per cent, of his time ; and,
after being converted and giving to God one
day in seven, he should become a poor man,
how would this affect your faith in the salu-
tary influence of Christianity? particularly
in the text, ' Godliness is profitable unto all
things,' and also in the Old Testament, ' But
the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord thy
God : in it thou shalt not do any work, thou,
nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy man-ser-
vant, nor thy maid-servant, nor thy cattle, nor
thy stranger that is within thy gates.'
'' Would you advise him to abandon his faith
in God and Christianity, and regard with con-
tempt God's rest day? Or would you think it
any argument against the profitableness and
general salutary influence of Christianity, and
the benefit of keeping holy the Sabbath day,
upon men's earthly prosperity ? I think not,
and, therefore, please apply the same reasoning
to God's money requirements. As a matter of
fact, it will be necessary for you to present
or^ Light froin my Forge. 173
such a case to me, before I could really tell you
what effect it would have upon my mind in
reference to the general propositions I have
laid down. I have never met or heard tell of
a man who has become poor on account of
tithing his income. I have written extensively
and advertised some, and have been in com-
munication with a great many, and on all
hands the testimony is, that it pays in every
way to ' bring all the tithes into the store-
house.'
'^ I do not know but that the question asked
is about as wise as the following one : ' Sup-
posing that the angles of a triangle should not
be equal to two right angles, how would this
affect your faith in the infallibility of geomet-
rical law ? ' Or, ' Supposing a man in a bal-
loon five hundred feet from the earth should
drop a cannon ball of one hundred pounds
weight and it does not fall to the ground, how
would this affect your faith in the unerring
laws of gravitation ? ' If the Bible be true,
the question simply means, ' Supposing that
having trusted the promises of God you find
174 The Path to Wealth:
them to be untrue, how would this affect your
faith in God's honesty ? ' I think the question
is inspired by unbelief, and is born of a heart,
to this extent at least, full of infidelity towards
God.
''A pious man who is so far consecrated to
God as to devote one of his sons to the work
of the ministry asks this question : ' Should a
father who is supporting his son at college for
the purpose of educating him for the ministry,
charge the money thus expended to his Tithe
Account ? I answer emphatically, no. If so,
the father who is supporting his son at college
for the purpose of making him a doctor, or the
father who is graduating his son for the pur-
pose of making him a lawyer, should also
charge the cost to the Tithe Account.
^' If the college education of a young man
preparing for the ministry is to be charged to
the Tithe Account, then there is no reason
why the cost of ordinary school education
should not be so charged, and if his mental
education is to be charged to the Tithe Ac-
count, then why not charge his physical de-
or^ Light from my Foige. 175
velopment or training to the same account, and
thus put to the Lord's account his board, cloth-
ing, etc. I can conceive where there may be
exceptions to this rule, but I certainly think
that the rule for the guidance of such fathers
is along the line of my remarks. A young
man joining the ministry of the Christian
Church in these days stands as good a chance
for a livelihood as he who enters the ranks of
any other profession, and though it is a privi-
lege fathers have of giving their sons to the
holy ministry, still, I think that they have a
perfect right to pay for the privilege out of
the nine-tenths of their income which God
graciously allows them to use for their own
purposes.
" I believe there are a great many men who
soothe their consciences and blind the eyes of
their understanding by belief in the erroneous
opinion intimated by the following question :
' Did not the ten per cent, the Bible demands
of the Jews include that which is equivalent
to our municipal and other taxes ? ' I have
heard this question very often, and sometimes
176 The Path to Wealth.
from men who ought to know better, and who
ought to be ashamed to display such ignorance
in regard to the teaching of the Bible. The
most casual reader cannot help seeing that ten
per cent, was the minimum sum required in
the Bible for God's ancient people, the Jews,
as well as for all the rest of mankind.
" In addition to the annual tithe, there were
a great many feasts held by the Jews to which
they had to contribute of their substance.
There was a special feast once in three years
for the poor ; in fact, these feasts were daily,
weekly, monthly and yearly, and each of these
feasts was supported by the voluntary offer-
ings of the people. Then there were sacrifices
of various kinds ; sacrifices of burnt offerings,
sin offerings, heave offerings, thank offerings,
and peace offerings. Each of these offerings
required the material substance of God's peo-
ple, and God states : ^ These things shall ye do
unto the Lord in your set feasts, besides your
vows and free-will offerings.' I think that if a
careful computation be made of the usual and
ordinary givings of pious Jews, it amounted
GEORGE PEABODY, the Philanthropist.
Mr. Peabody was born in Danvers, Massachusetts, U. S.,
February i8th, 1795, and died in Ivondon, Bng., November 4th.
1869. His body was interred in Westminster Abbey, until it
was carried to bis native home by Her Britannic Majesty's ship
Monarch. His vast fortune was chiefly made in London, and
there he spent ^60,000 in erecting a home for the poor. His
public benefactions amounted to |8, 470,000.
(177)
178 The Path to Wealth;
to at least twenty-five per cent, of their in-
come; so tHat stingy Christian men cannot
get behind their municipal taxes, and ease
their consciences by supposing that these mu-
nicipal taxes stand in the stead of God's tithe
laws.
" I know one wealthy man who keeps his
tithe account with God in the following way.
He loans considerable money and usually at
large interest, and is not as careful in the mat-
ter of security as ordinary bankers, and all the
bad debts he has, he charges to God's Tithe
Account, holding God responsible for all the
bad debts he makes, so that at the end of the
year he has little or nothing to give to God's
cause, having charged up to the Most High all
the results of his own blunders. It requires
a large amount of ingenuity to create a robe
of charity large enough to cover up the incon-
sistencies and defects, not to saj the stinginess
and dishonesty, of a large proportion of pro-
fessing Christians. If we are to measure a
man's love for a cause by what he does for it,
then the real love for God is a very small quan-
01% Light from my Forge.
179
tity in the breasts of a great many professing
Christians.
" The objection npon this last paper which
I intend reading to you this evening, is by no
means new, and is, I believe, often stated by
good honest Christian people, although to tell
THE PROTESTED NOTE.
the truth, it displays a lamentable lack of
knowledge of both the Old and New Testa-
ments.
'' ' The New Testament puts giving to God
upon higher ground than the Old Testament,
and appeals to our love, and in my opinion,
under the dispensation of grace, Christian men
i8o The Path to Wealth;
are left to the promptings of their own hearts
in the matter of their givings. Paul distinctly
states, that we are to give as we have been
prospered ; some can give more than the tenth,
while it would be simple injustice to ask ten
per cent, of others.'
" Here are several propositions in one ; and,
for the sake of clearness in my answer, I will
analyze the statement and set out the objec-
tions it contains in order. It is stated (i)
That the New Testament puts giving upon
higher grounds than the Old Testament, be-
cause the former appeals to our love ; (2)
Und::r the dispensation of grace, Christian
men are left to their own will in the matter of
giving; (3) Paul is quoted to the effect that
we are to give according as we have been pros-
pered ; and (4) Some can give more than a
tenth, while it would be simple injustice to
claim a tenth of others.
" Now, as to the first proposition concerning
the nobler incentive of the New Testament
over the Old, I certainly have no objection ;
for if the incentive be higher or nobler, then
07\ Light fro?) I my Forge, i8i
the results will be in proportion. We have
seen, what I think no intelligent person will
dispute, that the minimum sum demanded of
all persons in the Old Testament is a tenth.
Now, if a tenth was then paid as a tribute or
tax, and a stronger incentive is now appealing
to us, then surely our contributions to God's
cause will be greater now than then. But, as
a matter of fact, God's money law is like the
laws for truth, honesty and chastity, the same
under all dispensations.
*'It, in all probability, started with Adam
and was certainly observed by Abraham, and
ran all through the Jewish dispensation ; it
branched out in separate streams in all direc-
tions prior to the days of Abraham, as traces
of it are seen in Gentile nations. All these
streams meet again under the Christian dis-
pensation and form one mighty river. The
New Testament does indeed appeal to our
love, but there is no room for the exercise
of love in this matter until we have paid
our actual debt of ten per cent., as de-
manded in both Testaments. When this is
i82 The Path to Wealth;
done, then love can prompt us to do generous
things.
''As to the second objection, that Christian
men are left to their own wills, to give as
much or as little as they please, it has no
foundation in the teachings of Jesus or His
Apostles, unless we are to assume that the will
of the Christian is always in harmony with
God's will. Assuming that Christians are al-
ways thus sanctified, there can be no objections
to the statement; but, unless the great ma-
jority of professing Christians are consum-
mate hypocrites, and there be but few real
Christians, this assumption cannot be correct,
for Church statistics prove that the wall of
the majority is clearly opposed to the will of
God in the matter of giving, as the results
demonstrate that God's minimum sum even is
not reached, to say nothing of the display of
benevolence prompted by the nobler incentive
of love. I, therefore, conclude that it is not
safe to put our wills, or the promptings of our
own hearts, as regulators of our duty, but
rather, our wills and impulses must be formed
or, Light from my Forge. 183
and regulated by God's will — ' to the law and
the testimony ' must be our appeal.
"As to the third objection, that we are to
give as we have been prospered, this must be
used without a proper apprehension of the
meaning of the language used by Paul, for it
certainly counts the other way. There can
be no stronger argument for ' Systematic Giv-
ing.' If we give according as we get, it means
giving proportionately. For instance, if last
year you made five hundred dollars, God de-
manded fifty ; if He blessed you this year with
one thousand dollars, He asks at your hands
one hundred dollars ; if you get fifteen hun-
dred dollars next year. His minimum demand
will be one hundred and fifty dollars. If you
commence giving to God according as He
prospers your business, you need not be sur-
prised if your income increases year by year,
for this is just the way He honors those who
honor Him.
" Concerning the last objection, that some
can give more than a tenth, while it would be
wrong to ask that much of others, I have to
1 84 ^l^e P^^tli io Wealth;
say, that some can undoubtedly give more
than a tenth. It would be a great blessing
for them to do so, j ust as some can spend more
than one day a week in God's service if they
choose to do so, and derive great spiritual
blessings in so doing ; still, God's actual de-
mand is a tenth in the one case and a seventh
in the other, and all we give over is a free-will
offering. To say that it is unjust to ask of
any man ten per cent, of his earnings for the
cause of God, is a statement at once narrow
and untrue. Narrow, because it leaves God
out of the account — the God of infinite re-
sources, who has pledged His eternal word
that he who gives a tenth shall never lack a
tenth to give ; and untrue, because God never
demands that which is unequal or unjust, and
He most certainly demands the tithe from all
mankind.
" And now, my friends, I have done my best
to answer the questions and objections handed
in, and I must close my Talk for this evening
as it is getting late. I thank you for your
very kind attention, and I pray that our
or^ Light fi'oin my Forge. 185
Heavenly Father ma}^ lead each one of us into
tiie light, anl give us glad hearts to ' run in
the way of His commandments.' "
When I took my seat there was for a mo-
ment the same marked stillness which char-
acterized this meeting all through, and then
it seemed that every man inside of the church,
and those looking in at the windows, simul-
taneously broke out in the most boisterous
applause. The chairman, after much effort,
restored comparative silence, and then made a
neat and complimentary speech, the sincerity
of which was proved by his statement that all
his objections to the doctrine of the tithe were
forever silenced. Fully a score of men at-
tempted to speak, and many were the sugges-
tions made as to the best method of spreading
this doctrine and stirring up the Churches to
the importance of Systematic Giving. Two
suggestions I made up my mind to adopt : the
one was to have a public testimony meeting,
and the other was to reproduce the conversa-
tions at all the meetings and publish them in
a book.
13
i86 The Path to Wealth;
It occurred to me that the most competent
men to confirm or reject my theory were those
who have tested it ; and I made up my mind
not to have this testimony meeting for a week,
so that ample time could be given to publish
it abroad, and invite men to testify who had
been in the habit of paying tithes. As to
publishing a book containing a full report of
the meetings, it seemed the proper thing to do;
for the simple Bible truth which has caused
such a stir in and around our community, and
which has been productive of such good re-
sults, will equally stir the entire Christian
Church, if the truths can be brought to bear
on the minds of the people ; and nothing in
this age can do that as well as a book when it
is well circulated. I announced for the testi-
mony meeting one week from that evening,
and told them of my determination to publish
the book, and we adjourned at, I confess, a late
hour.
The time for the next meeting had arrived,
and I was on hand at the proper time. The
crowd was much greater than on any previous
or, Light front my Forge. 187
occasion. We had visitors from great dis-
tances, many persons having written me of
their intention to be present. From the let-
ters received, I. knew that we were to have
strong testimonies, fully confirming all I had
stated as to the effects of tithing upon a man's
finances and upon his religious experience.
A Church of England clergyman, who had
preached and practised the Bible plan of tith-
ing for years, was present ; and, without ask-
ing his consent, I called upon him to open the
meeting with prayer. From the fervent prayer
he offered, we learned that he was on good
terms with God, and had been accustomed to
address Him without the Prayer Book. Every-
thing being ready, I announced that we would
proceed with
TALK No. 5.
Testimonies and Experiences.
" Ladies and gentlemen, this meeting is the
last of a series of meetings which we have
been holding in this community in the interest
of God's money demand. The position taken
b}^ myself is known probably to all of you. I
hold that God has distinctly told us the mini-
mum sum He requires of us, so that no man
need stand in doubt. God promises material
and spiritual prosperity to those who are obe-
dient to His demands, and a plank of pros-
perity is invariably underneath those who
walk out upon the promises referred to. This
meeting has been called for the purpose of
testimonies and experiences along this line.
I need not detain you with the relation of my
personal experience. It will be sufficient for
me to state, that everything I have stated in
these informal Talks is confirmed by my ex-
-(189)
190 The Path to Wealth;
perience, and, in a good degree, is born of my
experience.
'' I now tlirow tlie meeting open for any
person to speak who has systematically prac-
tised tithing. Do not be trammeled by any-
thing I have said, or attempt to make yonr
statements conform to my exact theory. Let
us have your experience just as it is, and it
will support the truth if you are walking in
the Divine order. Who 'will be the first to
testify ? "
Fir^st Witness. — '' I desire to get in my word
of testimony while some others may be* get-
ting ready. I am a general agent, and I have
practised giving not less than one-tenth of my
income to charitable, philanthropic and re-
ligious enterprises for nearly five years. I
have enjoyed givmg in this way more than I
did before adopting it ; and, although I have
given away a larger proportion of my income
than formerly, I have always had more left to
spend on myself than I had before. I believe
the practice of ' Systematic Giving ' has been a
blessing to me, both temporally and spiritually,
<9r, Light from my Forge.
191
and it is my intention to follow the practice as
long as I live."
Second Witness. — " ' Systematic Giving ' I
believe to be the duty of every child of God,
and none can do it so well as those who have a
GOD'S TREASURY.
system. I have followed it now for over nine
years ; and, although my contributions have
been possibly a little liberal, yet I have not
missed the money. I began business nine
years ago as a general merchant, and in doing
so I got a small box and labelled it, ' The
192 The Path to Wealth;
Lord's Treasury.' Every night I count the
cash taken in, and enter it in a book kept for
that purpose. On Saturday night I add up the
cash sales for the week, and deduct three per
cent, for ' The Treasury.' This is my fund
for the Church and benevolent purposes. For
the first two or three years I gave three per
cent. ; then I raised it and gave five per cent.,
until the beginning of last 3^ear, when I was
rather hard run for cash, and thought pos-
sibly that I was drawing too heavily on the
business, and since then I have given three
per cent., and always have funds on hand. I
would like to hear from any one else who may
be able to give light and encouragement on the
subject, for I do not know whether it was a
test of m}/ faith or not when my funds were
getting short a year or two ago."
Leader. — '* I think the brother who last
spoke has missed the Scriptural idea of the
tithe ; besides, any given per cent of the gross
cash handled by a business man does not nec-
essarily involve a uniform per cent, of income,
as the profits on different lines of goods vary.
(?r, Light from my Forge, 193
and besides there can be no account taken
of expenses in the system our brother has
adopted. The Bible plan is to ' tithe our in-
crease ' or income. I give it as my opinion
that our brother paid more than ten per cent,
of his income even when he paid only three
per cent."
Third Witness, — *' I am glad that some of
the Lord's people are thinking of their duty in
the matter of giving of their substance, or,
rather, returning of some of their substance to
His treasury. When I saw the notice of this
meeting I thought that I would like to attend,
and say a word to let the leader know that
there was one more, at least, of like faith and
practice with himself. As to the faith, I do
not believe that under the present dispensation
we are definitely commanded to give a tenth ;
but we are supposed to be energized by a far
greater power than that of law, viz., love ; and
if our love does not cause us to give willingly
as much as the law called for, it is not saying
much for its marvellous power of which we
talk so glibly. We are continually comparing
194 The Path to Wealth;
our dispensation with that of the Mosaic, and
thanking the Lord that it is so much better ;
but is there any reality in our thanksgiving if
our estimation of it does not cause us to give
up at least a tenth of our income ?
" On this question no rule can be laid down
that will apply to all parties. While for one
man it would be right to give a tenth, his
neighbor might be doing wrong if he did not
give at least a fifth. The affair should be
settled in every case with Jesus Christ. How-
ever, I could not think much of a man's
honesty towards, and love for, Jesus, if he
came away from communion with Him on the
subject with an idea that he should give less
than a tenth. It can be done, and it will be
bettei for the man, no matter how small the
income. If it be true that both material and
spiritual blessings follow the giving up of sub-
stance to the Lord's work, then, I think, it is
safe to say that ninety cents is better with
God's blessing than one hundred cents with-
out it.
" But, how with those who have an abun-
^r, Light fr 0771 77ty Forge, i^^
dance of this world's goods ? Should they
retire to enjoy themselves while they have
health and strength to make more money ?
I do not think so. They are stewards, and in
that sense own nothing, and will be brought
to account for the way in which they have
used their Lord's substance. Surely it is the
duty of such to make all they can, not that
they may use some of it even in foolish
luxuries, but rather that they may give it all
to the establishment and spread of the Gospel
of Jesus Christ. This much about my faith,
now a word as to practice.
'' Shortly after I was converted, about fif-
teen years ago, and before I was baptized, I
decided to give at least a tenth of every dollar
that the Lord gave me. In my new found
joy I wanted to give more, but in talking with
the Lo-t-d about it I felt that I should not do
it. I have kept the rule of taking the tenth
out of the money as it came in, with the ex-
ception of about four years. During that
time I gave something, but did not set apart
a tenth of all the money that came in, for the
196 The Path to Wealth;
simple reason that I did not think it my own.
On account of my peculiar connection with a
certain enterprise, and its unexpected collapse,
I was suddenly thrown into debt 'head and
ears.'
" I believe in a Christianity that pays one
hundred cents to the dollar, so I made things
point to the clearing off of debts. However,
I got through safely and had about five hun-
dred dollars over, which amount I immediately
tithed. I do not now, however, think I did
right; debt or no debt, I think now that I
should have stuck closer to my rule. In my
selling out to continue my studies at McMaster
Hall, I can see several places where I lost
quite heavily. It may be that these losses
would have been avoided had I been strictly
true to the principle.
'' However, in the meantime, it is my duty
to give a tenth, and I rejoice in the privilege,
and I hope to see the time when it will be my
duty to give more, but that will not be until
my income is greater than that of a student.
Having usually a little of the Lord's money
or^ Light front my Forge. 197
on hand, I give not altogether as I ma}^ be
urged by eloquent emotional speeches, but to
the departments of work that I believe to be
most needy and deserving."
Leader. — '' I regard the testimony of the
young man who has just taken his seat as im-
portant, and all the more so, because he gives
it without knowing anything of my particular
theory, this being the first meeting he has at-
tended. His experience fully confirms the
promises of the Bible as interpreted b}^ myself,
and is a repetition, as an individual, of the
Jewish national experience, for when they
paid tithes they prospered, and when they did
not, disaster and defeat attended them. Our
brother certainly makes a mistake in express-
ing the opinion that the New Testament does
not demand the same minimum sum as the Old
Testament, and I am sure he will be convinced
of his error if he digs a little deeper into the
subject.
''The meeting is now open for more testi-
monies."
Fourth Witness. — " I am a minister of the
198 The Path to Wealth;
Gospel in a distant city, and I gladly give my
experience in the ' giving a tenth.' In Sep-
tember, 1883, after having the subject brought
before me in some pamphlets that were issued
by a ' layman ' in Chicago, and after earnest
prayer, I concluded to set apart henceforth one-
tenth of my income as the Lord's portion. It
required faith to take the step just then, for
my finances were in anything but a flourishing
condition, and my needs were pressing. How-
ever, from that hour, the question of giving
was settled with me, and now I have pretty
strong convictions on the subject of giving to
the Lord's work. I never had any real joy in
giving till I set apart a tenth as the Lord's,
and then giving became an easy, delightful
service. I was at once brought into a new fel-
lowship with Christ, and have been very much
blessed in the Lord's work. The most pros-
perous years of my ministerial career have
been since I sought thus to * honor the Lord '
with my substance.
*' For a time I said nothing about my new
decision, determining to watch carefully the
<9r, Light from my Forge. 199
effect upon myself and give it a fair trial be-
fore saying much about it. In a few months,
however, I felt that I could speak, and, as my
people know, I am now an earnest advocate
of ' proportionate giving,' and think the tenth
the smallest proportion that should be set apart
as the Lord's.
" I may say since I adopted the tithe system
I have had less worry about finances than ever
before, though my salary is below the average
city salary."
Leader. — " That experience is true to the
Bible pattern and is a fulfilment of the prom-
ises of God. I am under great obligation to
this city clergyman for his definite testimony.
Now let us have another."
Fifth Witness. — " I adopted the tithing sys-
tem seven years ago. My income since that
time has been about quadrupled. I may say,
however, that while an earnest believer in syste-
matic beneficence, I am by no means sure that
the tenth should be given by every one, regard-
less of their circumstances. If it is the proper
proportion for the poor and the struggling,
200 The Path to Wealth;
then, assuredly, a larger proportion should be
given by those who are in circumstances of
ease or affluence. Some of the vexed and vex-
ing questions of the day would be speedily
adjusted if men generally would give as God
hath prospered them."
Leader. — " The gentleman who has just
spoken will pardon me if I more fully intro-
duce him to this audience. He is a Methodist
local preacher, of great acceptability ; he is also
a medical doctor, and, I believe, gave up a suc-
cessful practice of medicine for another line of
business in which he is eminently successful,
and has few equals in the same line. To say
the least, it is a strange coincidence that his
financial success dates from the time he com-
menced tithing his income. Now for another
witness."
Sixth Witness. — '' My experience of the
practice of tithing my income has been so
limited that I cannot speak positively of its
benefit to me, or other\vise. I have long be-
lieved that every one who professed to be a fol-
lower of Jesus Christ was bound, as a matter
or, Light from my Forge, 201
of duty as well as love to Him to contribute of
his substance towards the support and exten-
sion of His cause. But while giving, as I
thought, liberally, it was spasmodically and
generally unsatisfactory to myself Some
years ago I thought this matter over to see if
there was no definite rule of Christian giving,
and came to the conclusion that every one
ought to devote at least one-tenth of his in-
come to the Lord.
"At that time I did not adopt the principle,
and whether through that neglect or not I am
not prepared to say, but of this I am confident,
had I given a certain sum which I felt I ought
to have given, and which I then had by me, I
would have escaped a great (for me) financial
loss. Had I given that money I would not
have been in a position to have gone into the
venture, which promised very great returns,
but which proved a great disaster, absorbing
not onl}'- the first sum put in, but many sub-
sequent ones, which I was under obligation to
pay. For the past two years I have adopted
the principle of ' systematic giving ' of at least
14
202 The Palh to Wealth;
one-ten til of my income, and so far have found
no reason to regret the decision. During the
latter period my financial affairs have been in
the most satisfactory condition I have ever had
them."
Leader. — "As many of you know, the last
witness is a leading man in financial circles
in our neighboring city, as well as the man-
ager of one of the largest loan societies.
Now the gentleman who was on his feet can
speak.'^
Seventh Witness. — ^' I am a farmer, without
any education, and not used to speaking in
public, but I came to this meeting to give my
experience as a warning to others, if for noth-
ing else. When I was giving the tenth of all
my income to God I prospered much tempo-
rally, and in spiritual experience as well. I
am sorry that I did not keep it up; one said"
that I was crazy, and another, it was not neces-
sary, as I am a poor man, and I did not know
myself for certain, so I gave it up.
'' Since then I could tell you of a long list of
failures. I commenced to give the tenth again
or, Light from my Forge. 203
on the yth of April, and I intend to do so as
long as I live. I cannot tell how much it will
be, neither do I intend to let any one else
know. I will look for the promise in Malachi,
and believe what Christ says in the fifth chap-
ter of Matthew. My desire is to be satisfied
with my portion, as my life will soon be a
thing of the past. God help me to be faithful
to the end."
Leader, — '' You see, my friends, it is the
same old story of defeat and disaster while
living in disobedience, and blessed prosperity
when all the tithes are brought in. Now for
another witness to the truth of God."
Eighth Witness. — ^' I desire to make a state-
ment of my experience. Our family com-
menced, some years ago, to give, or rather to
pay, to the Lord the amount which His law has
set down as the minimum sum due to Him.
Before we were honest towards the Lord in this
way we were constantly meeting v/ith losses,
which undoubtedly we deserved for robbing
Him of His dues. First, we lost by fire a
house on which there was a very small insur-
204 The Path to Wealth;
ance ; tHen we were burned out of a rented
house and shop, and lost most of our furniture
and part of our stock, both of which were unin-
sured ; shortly after that we lost one hundred
dollars in cash, and one of the family took sick
and the doctoring was a heavy cost, so that, in
one way and another, we had much more taken
out of us than we had withheld from the Lord.
After these losses our eyes were opened to see
our duty in this respect, and we never pros-
pered so well financially as since we set up our
tithe purse. Then, it is so pleasant when a
call is made asking aid for the Church or ben-
evolent purposes to always have money on
hand for the purpose.'^
A man who stood waiting for his turn to
speak said : — '' I have for four years past
adopted the plan of setting aside one-tenth of
my earnings, and I would not abandon it. In-
stead of being worried every time I am. asked
for a subscription, I can always say at once
what I can do, and have realized what I never
did before, the ' luxury of giving.' I might
say more, but will give way for others."
or^ Light from my Forge. 205
Another said : — '' I am from Nova Scotia. I
have been giving one-tenth of my income to
the Lord for a number of years, and have been
enabled to give from sixty to one hundred dol-
lars per year."
Another stood up and testified : — '' I am a
general merchant. I beg leave to say that I
adopted the plan of tithing about two years
ago. I have given on system for some years,
that is, I gave a certain sum, but being in
debt, as business men generally are, I did not
feel like giving a tenth until I read a tract on
Christian giving. I then adopted the plan,
and have no cause to regret it. My business
has nearly doubled since I started. I can say
with the Psalmist, as in the twenty-third
Psalm. I have distributed a number of tracts,
and others are about trying the plan."
A young man stood and testified as follows :
" For the past few months I have been tithing
my income, although I am in debt and strug-
gling to pay up. Formerl}^ I believed that so
long as I was in debt I had no business to give
to the Lord, but now I regard the debt to the
2o6 The Path to Wealth;
Lord as the first and most important. I believe
that had I always adopted this plan, I would
to-day be in a better position financially.
When I have withheld the tenth from God,
He has taken it from me through sickness or
loss of some kind. I believe that a tenth is
the least that any Christian should give to the
Lord, and that every one should go as far be-
yond that as his income and circumstances will
allow."
Leader. — " The gentleman, to whose experi-
ence you have just listened, is the Secretary
of a Y. M. C. A. in one of our cities. If he
will pardon me, I will say, that if the Bible is
not true, and if human experience cannot be
relied upon, he is acting the part of a fool to
give away ten per cent, of his income while he
is in debt and expect to get out of debt thereby ;
but if the Bible is true, and the testimonies
of those who have tested its promises count
for anything, then his decision to tithe his
income is the outcome of the highest wisdom,
and his acts must be approved even by men
who look no higher than a safe financial in-
or^ Light from my Forge. 207
vestmeut. Now we are ready for another wit-
ness."
Thirteenth WitJiess. — *' I hastened to enroll
myself amongst those who, for many years,
have carried out, and in some cases doubled
the tithe mentioned. My heart goes out to all
those who are carrying out this rule, not as a
matter of duty simply, but out of love and
gratitude to Jesus Christ."
Leader, — " For a leading stock broker in one
of our largest cities, this experience is good,
though it be short and given with characteristic
modesty. Now the next."
Fourteenth Witness. — '^ I am a Methodist
minister in charge of a city church. I have
made it a rule of my life to give one-tenth of
my income to benevolent enterprises. I set
aside one-tenth and then use it for the Lord to
the best advantage possible. I would not
abandon this practice."
Fifteenth Witness. — '' I, too, am a Methodist
minister, and I beg to say that since the be-
ginning of the year I have been keeping an
account so as to prove to myself that I am
2o8
The Path to Wealth ;
giving not less than one-tenth. I thinK one-
tenth a low proportion, but I have only this
year begun ' systematic giving.' I am spe-
cially interested in the subject, and am doing
all I can to extend the doctrine.'^
THE HINDOO WHO GAVE TITHES.
Sixteenth Witness. — " I am a Baptist min-
ister, and a returned missionary. If I take up
a little more time in this meeting than the
average speaker, I trust my long experience
and great love for the cause will be a sufficient
or^ Light from 7ny Forge. 209
excuse. Some twenty-five years ago it was
my privilege to introduce the Bible system of
finance — a proportionate part of the income
regularly and systematically devoted to God —
into a feeble mission in India. Not a few of
my native brethren received the teaching
eagerly and obeyed it promptly. Among these
was one of my native preachers — Bhelsari
Naih. This man, prior to tithing his income,
was always in difficulty, even complaining of
the smallness of his income (he received $4.80
a month for a family of five adults). He
began at once to tithe himself After about
three months he and I met in connection with
our work among the heathen, and the follow-
ing conversation occurred : ' Well, Bhelsari,
how does the tithing system work ? ' ' Capitally,
sir.' ^ Ah, how is that ? you were always com-
plaining of being hard up, and even in debt,
when you used your whole income for self;
now, you give one-tenth to God, you have no
complaints.' ' Ah, sir, the nine-tenths, with
God's blessing, is better far than the ten-tenths
used to be without it.' This brother continued
2IO The Path to Wealth;
to pay into my hands the snm of forty-eight
cents every month as long as he was associated
with me in that part of the field. What he
afterwards did, of course, I cannot say.
'' In 1865, in the town of Brunswick, Maine,
a young lady heard a sermon on this subject.
She was not then a Christian. Some three
months later, the minister who preached that
sermon heard a lady's voice calling to him in
subdued tones on the street. He paused and
entered into conversation with the lady. The
substance of the conversation is given below :
" ' You have the advantage of me. Miss, you
seem to know me ! ' ' Yes, sir, I heard you
preach at McLellan's Hall about three months
ago, on the subject of giving a tenth to God.
I am a telegraph operator. I have a widowed
mother and a younger sister to support. Your
arguments struck me as being Scriptural and
conclusive, and though not then a Christian,
I determined to obey, out of regard for the
authority of God. I paid my tenth from that
time, and I have been wishing to see you for
some weeks past to tell you that what yoxi
<?r, Light from my Forge. 211
told us was proved true in my own experi-
ence. I had not tithed myself two months
before my salary was raised without any hint
or solicitation from me, to an amount suffi-
ciently large to more than cover the tithe paid
up to that time to God.' " This young lady had
been converted in the meantime.
^'A young man in Calcutta, India, heard
the same sermon from the same preacher in
1873, and he became convinced of his duty
with reference to paying his tenth to God.
He was in the Government Treasury Depart-
ment on a salary of about eighty-five dollars
a month. His tithe was promptly and honestly
paid, hoping for nothing again. Now, mark
the result ; he told the preacher that within
two months his salary was raised to ninety-
six dollars a month without any solicitation on
his part.
"In 1863, in Oxford County, a farmer who
tithed himself was singularly saved from loss
by the weevil. That insect came into that
neighborhood in that year and ate up all be-
fore it. The crops of others all around were
212 The Path to Wealth;
scarcely worth cutting. Several of his neigh-
bors wondered at the good crops scarcely
touched by the weevil which they saw on
neighbor H.^s fields. They offered him four
and even five acres of theirs for one of his.
Here is a literal fulfilment of Malachi iii. ii.
That farmer still lives, an old man of nearly
eighty-seven, and can ratify the statement here
made.
^' In my own experience, during a period of
over twenty-five years, I have clear and in-
dubitable proof that the Lord God means what
he says in the passage quoted. For several
years the blessing came in the form of occa-
sional trifling increases in regular income, and
frequently in the shape of extraneous financial
aid over and above income, as need required.
In 1873, the income was doubled. In 1881,
we began to pay one-tenth and give one-
fortieth, equal in all to one-eighth of our in-
come, and the blessing has come in increased
measure, both spiritual and temporal. In 1879,
we had given, above our tithe, under pressure
of circumstances, nearly one-twentieth, or
07% Light from fuy Forge. 213
about one-seventh of all, and just at that
juncture were ordered out of India, our then
present fieM of labor. We had to pay our
own expenses, and were short of means, lacked
nearly five hundred dollars, as we supposed.
We continued giving and asked the Lord to
supply our well. Just the last two weeks we
were in the country, He sent us from extra-
neous sources, without our asking any man for
help, the sum of four hundred and eight dol-
lars, which was enough, with what we had,
to pay our way home and have a little left. I
could greatly multiply instances of this kind
but I refrain.
" I will venture to give a recent demonstra-
tion of His faithfulness. The one-eighth is
still placed in the Lord's treasury, hoping for
nothing again, giving because we love to give,
would not be deprived of the privilege of
giving. During the first three months of this
year (1887), we were permitted to place, out
of comparatively small means, twenty-three
dollars in the Lord's treasury, that is, out of
our regular income. Now, mark, during that
214 The Path to Wealth;
same period the Lord gave us from extraneous
sources entirely, outside our regular stipend,
the sum of seventy-three dollars, two hundred
per cent, interest. The Lord will alloiv no
man to be His creditor ! Instead of putting
our funds into so called insurance societies
or superannuated ministers' funds, we place it
in the Bank of Heaven, the Lord pays the
interest while we live, and should the husband
be removed, the wife will get the principal,
that is, if she personally trusts in Him. Jer.
xlix. II."
A young man rose and said : '' I belong to
the Congregational Church, and I desire to
say that I have practised the tenth plan of
giving, for religious and charitable purposes,
for two years, and the result has been to re-
move any doubt which may have existed in
adopting it. Previous to adopting this system,
I was frequently troubled as to what I should
give to this or that object, but now I know
at once what I can do by consulting my tenth
account. At the outset, intimate friends were
almost impatient with me because I was, in
or, Light from my Fo7'ge, 215
tlieir opinion, giving more than I was able ; I
did not feel so, and the result has been very
satisfactory. It led me to look closely after
my expenditures, and I have saved sufficient
in that way to more than pay the increased
amount given. Then the Lord has blessed me
in greater measure during these two years in
temporal matters than before ; I have received,
from unexpected sources, outside of my em-
ployment, larger sums than I have given. I
shall adhere to the plan whether my revenues
increase or decrease, because I believe it to be
the right one, and because I can, in the ma-
jority of cases, give promptly and cheerfully to
objects which commend themselves to my
judgment."
A young lady said, with much modesty : "I
am a stenographer, and I should like to add
my testimony to what others have said. It
is now nearly two years since I first gave the
matter any serious consideration, and after
reading up the subject, and thinking it over
carefully, I came to the conclusion that it was
m}^ duty to give a tenth, and that God re-
2i6 The Path to Wealth;
quired it of me, and once being fully convinced
that that was the proper way to give, I have
followed it ever since. I can truly say that I
have derived more pleasure from giving in this
way than ever before. Formerly, when asked
to give to charitable purposes, the question
would arise in my mind as to whether or not
I could afford to do so, but now, knowing that
I have just so much to give, I can proportion
it, and thus give to many objects I would have
had to refuse, were it not for this system of
giving one-tenth.
'' I consider the Lord's account as sacred as
any account between man and man, and regu-
larly each month, as I draw my salary, the
Lord's share is laid aside. I certainly do not
regret having adopted the system, and can
truthful! 3^ say that I never miss what I give in
this way."
A clergyman testified as follows : — " I am
a Minister of the Gospel, and I came here on
purpose to testify in behalf of this faith. I
have practised along this line for about a year
and have scrupulously devoted a tenth of my
or, Light from my Forge. 217
income to the service of God, and by reflection
have learned to recognize several things.
" (i.) That by dividing the profits with God
I realize that He is a living partner with me
in my work : that He is the God of dollars
and cents, as well as the God of spiritual
blessings. It has enabled me to live nearer
to the requirement of Scripture, which says,
' Take no thought for the morrow,' because, if
in trouble, I can talk with God, the wiser
partner, and He sets the matter right in a
little time ; in brief, it takes a load of worry off
my shoulders.
" (2) This last year has been the year of my
life so far, for * outgo ; ' that is, never since I
entered the ministry have I had so many
obligations to meet in one year, so that this
year has not been a favorable one by which to
test this question from a financial point of
view. Yet, during the year, I have held rig-
orously to the principle. You may ask the
question, ' did it interfere or cripple you in
your finances ? ' I have only one answer to
give and that is, the nine-tenths of my income
2i8 The Path to Wealth;
met all my expenditure, and all my household
expenses, and did it easier than ever the whole
income did it before. This may seem strange
to some, yet it is true, though I cannot explain
it. It is like some other things that God does.
I cannot explain them, I only know them to
be facts. My experience teaches me, that if
a man pays his tenth to God, that $9 will sup-
ply his needs better than $10 will if he robs
God.
"(3.) Before adopting God's plan I often
suffered in my conscience, as any sincere per-
son must who does likewise, about doing my
duty in giving. Sometimes I thought I gave
too much, and sometimes I thought I gave too
little, but when my attention was called to
God's plan of giving, after a careful examina-
tion to see whether it was God's plan, I ac-
cepted it, and now I know when I have done
my duty, which knowledge greatly helps me
in the Divine life. Now I am at rest, for I
give as the Lord prospers me."
Another brother said : — '' I live on a farm
and have practised systematic giving about
or. Light from my Forge. 219
three months, and find no difficulty in work-
ing it on a farm. As to the financial aspect
of the question, I have not had time to test
that."
The head master of a public school said : —
^"^ I adopted this system about a year ago, and
find I have more to give to God and more for
myself than ever before. It helps both ways,
more for God and more for myself"
Another testified : — " I am a shoemaker.
Since I adopted this system my business is
better, and I am satisfied that it is the only
way of obeying God on the line of giving. I
am a warm advocate of the system for the
reason that it is a blessing to me, and I want
others to share in it."
A lady gave her experience next : — " I have
practised tithing for more than ten years ; dur-
ing that time I lived on a farm, and I find it as
easily worked on a farm as anywhere else. I
have prospered under the system, and always
have money on hand for the Lord's cause. I
do not stand in fear of being asked for money,
for it is a pleasure to give, as we look upon it
220 The Path to Wealth;
as not our own and have no right to withhold
it."
Another lady testified as follows : — " It is
now over two years since I was convinced that
the tenth belonged to God, and I began to pay
Him this debt. Previous to this I had never
given in any kind of a systematic way, and
never derived any particular pleasure from
giving ; but since I started to tithe my income
and give systematically, I have taken real en-
joyment out of the little I have been able to
give. I keep an exact account of what comes
in, and tithe it and place it to the Lord's credit,
and I know at all times just what I can give
to this or that object, and have no fears, after
it is given, that I have been too hasty and have
given more than I ought or could afford. I
have never missed what I have given, and, in
fact, I have earned more money in the past two
years than ever before in my life."
A godly minister "gave the following ex-
traordinary testimony : — " I want to bear my
testimony to the privilege and luxury of giv-
ing away money for God. I am a Methodist
or^ Light from my Forge. 221
minister, have a wife and three daughters to
support, and have never been in receipt of a
large income. However, with prudence and
economy, and, above all, with the blessing of
God upon our limited store, we live in comfort
and manage to lay aside, for benevolent and
religious purposes, a proportion of our income
that far exceeds one-tenth or even one-fifth of
the entire amount. For the encouragement
of others, and more especially for the Divine
glory, I will furnish you with a few of the
financial facts of my history.
'' Somewhat over ten years ago, when my
savings amounted to $600, I was deeply im-
pressed that I should contribute one-half of
that sum towards the cause of Christ ; and,
although it had been m}^ intention to devote
my small capital for an entirely different pur-
pose, I resolved to obey what I firmly believed
to be a Divine intimation, and accordingly the
sum of $300 was presented as a thank-offering
to God. The joy and rapture that filled my
soul in connection with this act of consecration
were more than a compensation for the bestow-
222 The Path to Wealth.
ment of half my earthly substance for the
Master's use, teaching me these lessons: (i.)
That God does not remain long in His chil-
dren's debt. (2.) That what we get from God
is vastly more than what we give to God, and
(3.) That it is always safe to obey the voice of
the Spirit without question or debate.
" Within three days after subscribing the
sum named, it was all returned to me again.
This was a matter of great surprise to me, as
I had expected to pay the amount in full.
Shortly after this I contributed the sum of
$50 towards the erection of a church on my
charge, and a few months later, when the same
church was dedicated, I was led to promise the
sum of $1500 more, which, at that time, was
$900 more than all I possessed. Under ordi-
nary circumstances, I admit that such an act
would have been one of great imprudence and
even fanaticism ; but when God calls, the
measure of our ability is never the measure of
our duty. The Israelites had no ability to
open up a channel through the Red Sea, yet
they were commanded to go forward, and the
f^i-
THFRE IS A LAD HERE WHICH HATH FIVE BARLEY LOAVES
THERE 'SJ^LA^D^H ^^^^^^ ^^^^^^ „ ^^ ^^^^ ^, ^^^^^
224 ^^^ -Az//^ to Wealth;
disciples had but a beggarly supply of food in
the five loaves and two fishes ; nevertheless
they were instructed to feed the hungry multi-
tude. Verily, ' where wit and reason end,
there faith begins.' God, by His miraculous
power, cut a passage through the Red Sea for
the advancing hosts of His people, and the Di-
vine Christ multiplied the scanty provision in
hand till it satisfied the craving hunger of more
than five thousand people. Trust in God al-
ways comes out on the winning side. Having
pledged the sum of $1500, my soul was filled
with unutterable sweetness and joy. I felt
richer than ever, and also that I was a thou-
sand leagues beyond all necessity for human
sympathy and commiseration. Some sympa-
thizing friends, however, regarding my case as
a pitiable one, subscribed the sum of $600 to-
wards assisting to meet my heavy obligation.
This donation the Lord would not permit me
to accept, and I have never appropriated one
dollar of it to this day for my own benefit ; all
that was paid on it has long since been handed
over to the building fund of the said church.
<?r, Light from my Forge. 225
It was the Lord's will that I should pay the
entire amount of my subscription unaided by
the kindness of my friends. By a succession
of providences I was enabled to pay every dol-
lar and part in advance, finding myself con-
siderably better off in earthly substance, to say
nothing of spiritual enrichment, than when the
subscription was made. Within six weeks
after the church to which I had given so
largely was dedicated sixty souls were con-
verted to God, making me feel, I can assure
you, that my investment for Christ was al-
ready bearing an enormous interest.
'' In the last ten years I have given away
not less than $3,500, and I cannot describe to
you the satisfaction, and joy, and blessing
that have come to me and my family as the
result.
'' This is my testimony, that the promises
of God, in reference to temporal blessings, are
just as reliable as those pertaining to spiritual
blessings, providing the conditions of consecra-
tion are observed.
" In regard to the tenth principle, I recog-
226 TJie Path to Wealth;
nize it as an appointment of God for the reg-
ulation of the property trust, and believe it to
be of perpetual obligation. But if our hearts are
imbued with the self-sacrificing love of Christ,
our contributions will spontaneously overleap
this minimum regulation of the Divine law,
and constrain us to place our all in willing
disposal at the Master's feet ; and we may rest
assured that our Father in Heaven, whose
generosity knows no bounds, who clothes the
lily with beauty, and feeds the young ravens
when they cry, will leave us amply sufficient
for all our temporal needs. ' Praise God from
whom all blessings flow.' ' The earth is the
Lord's and the fullness thereof.' "
Closing Remarks.
I think we have had enough evidence pre-
sented here to-night to establish the Bible
case, and I deem it unnecessary to call any
more witnesses. The amount and kind of
evidence we have heard, if presented in any
or. Light fi^oin my Forge. 227
court of law, would establish, to the satisfac-
tion of any judge or jury, the most improbable
kind of facts ; but when it is considered that
the evidence given is in support of what, with-
out it, is highly probable, the proof is simply
overwhelming, and if the human mind can
rest with absolute certainty in anything it
seems to me to be in the three general prop-
ositions which have been interwoven in all
our talks and in all the evidence submitted.
{a) That God demands of all mankind at least
one-tenth of income, {b) That in rendering
obedience to that command a man is invariably
better off financially, and (c) That if a man is
a Christian it draws him nearer to God and
makes his spiritual experience more real than
ever before.
I need not comment upon the testimonies
which have been given, as they are all clear
and unmistakable. I will simply point out
to any who may yet be doubters, that all the
witnesses, and all the evidence, will bear the
strictest tests with which legal minds weigh
evidence. There has been no collusion of
2 28 The Path to Wealth;
witnesses, they are all strangers one to the
other, and one did not know what was to be
the evidence of the other. There has not
been a single contradiction, for while a slight
variation of opinion has been expressed, yet
as to the matter of fact there has been perfect
unanimity. The credibility of these witnesses
is beyond question, as they are the best men
in the various communities in which they live.
You will further notice that the evidence pre-
sented is not of the nature of an opinion, it is
not simply telling us what they believe, for in
this a man may be mistaken ; the testimony is
to the fact that they are better off financially
since they began to tithe their incomes.
The thought occurs to me as I speak, that
it is perfectly marvellous that no man can be
found who has become poorer since he began to
tithe his income, and yet such is the fact.
This meeting was fully advertised, and no pre-
arrangement made as to w^ho should testify,
and the result you have all heard. Perfectly
marvellous to a man of doubt, I should have
said, for if one could be found who had become
^r, Light from my Forge. 22g
poorer on account of tithing his income, or
since he began to do so, then God would have
been found a liar, which never can be. Why
should it seem a marvel that God's material
promises are found to be true ? What is
clearer in the Bible than the fact that God
promises material blessings to those who obey
Him ? What is more reasonable than the
universal testimony that those who honor God
with their substance are honored by Him in
return, and in the same kind ?
I have some propositions I desire to make
before we close, to further strengthen the
evidence for systematic giving.
I St. It is perfectly reasonable that God
should demand a share of our earnings to carry
on His cause in the world.
We are subjects of His government, He has
put us under the fostering care of His church,
and as nothing can be done in this world with-
out money, it takes money to carry on the
cause of God among men. Now who is there
to pay this money but those who are benefited
by it ? And who are they ? Surely the an-
230 The Path to Wealth.
swer is, all who have heard the glad tidings of
the Gospel ; all who live in Christian lands,
for what man is there who does not derive
benefit from Christianity? Every man is
under all reasonable obligation to pay his
share to God's cause, in the same way as every
man is under obligation to pay his share of
the taxes of the land in which he lives. I
have no hesitancy in saying that the man who
cheats the municipality in which he resides, or
the government under which he lives out of
legal taxes, is just as honest a man as he who
cheats God out of his royal tax.
2d. The demand for money from each in-
dividual is necessary. As just intimated,
nothing can be done without money. It takes
money to build churches ; money to print and
bind Bibles ; money to support ministers and
missionaries ; money to feed the hungry and
clothe the naked, and give shelter to the home-
less. The care of churches, lighting and heat-
ing them, and all other incidental expenses of
Christian work mean an expenditure of money.
This seems almost too simple a proposition to
The philanthropist is often lost sight of in this great preacher.
He never gave away less than one-fifth of his income, it is said ;
but when we think of Stockwell Orphanage and the Pastor's Col-
lege, both of which are mainly supported by him, his giving
must largely exceed this proportion,
(231)
232 The Path to Wealth;
make, but for the fact that many men seem
ignorant of it.
3d. This monetary demand made upon us
by God must certainly be proportionate.
He cannot expect as much from the poor as
from the rich, nor can He have left it to our
own whims or fancies. In all other things He
is a God of law, order and system ; and it is
not reasonable to suppose that in this im-
portant matter there is an exception to the
rule.
Then it would seem that God would make
the proportion adequate to the needs of the
case. . In nature all causes are adequate to the
effects to be produced, and I am of the opinion
that God has established the same rule in the
kingdom of grace.
From the last three propositions, which cer-
tainly appeal to reason, it would have been
very strange if God, in His revealed word, had
neglected to make adequate provision for funds
to carry on His cause in the earth.
But the clear provision has been made in the
Bible, and the demand of God is resting upon
or^ Light from my Forge. 233
the people, and undoubtedly when the people
render obedience the cause of God will make
wonderful advances, and the kingdoms of this
world will soon become the kingdoms of our
God and of his Christ.
I will now close the meeting with this ex-
hortation, which you will please take in place
of a benediction :
" 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."
16
|ag |0ttr §thU,
REV, E. C. B HALL AM,
(335)
PAY YOUR DEBTS.
Wk talk of giving to the cause of Christ, and
most Christians think they are doing some-
thing in the way of giving of their means to
the Lord. But before making much preten-
sion as to liberality in giving, it might be well
to pause and ask ourselves whether or not our
just debts are paid.
The Lord Jesus does condescend to accept
gifts from us — gifts prompted by love — but not
until we have laid on His altar that which He
claims as His own.
This claim many Christians absolutely re-
fuse to recognize, and, therefore, never pay;
and yet they have much to say about giving to
the Lord.
It is written, in Leviticus xxvii. 30, that
the one-tenth of all we have " * * ' is the
Lord's ; it is holy unto the Lord." That is to
say, the Lord claims that proportion of our
(237)
238
The Path to Wealth,
means as His portion, and requires that it be
honestly set apart for His work and worship.
Now, what belongs to God certainly cannot
belong to another, and no man has a shadow
of right to appropriate it, or any portion
PRIEST OFFERING SACRIFICE.
thereof, to his own use. In paying to God
one-tenth of the all He has given me, I am
not giving^ but paying honest debt ; giving
does not begin until the last fraction of the
debt is paid. Suppose one man owes another
Pay your Debts. 239
ten dollars, which he refuses to pa}^, but in-
stead offers him a few cents occasionally as a
gift. Will he not refuse to recognize or re-
ceive the gift until the debt is acknowledged
and paid ? He most certainly will.
It may be said that such a rule would re-
duce the number of givers to a very small
minority. So much the worse for the so-called
givers. Is it not God's rule? Does He not
say to His people, ^' Pay me the tenth of all
that I have given you, and then bring your
free-will offerings, and I will accept them and
bless you." The whole tenor of the Word, in
its teachings on liberality, may be summed up
in that one sentence. Not a few excuse them-
selves and shirk the paying of a tithe be-
cause, as they say, " Tithing was a purely
Jewish institution, and it has passed away with
the system of which it formed a part."
This is only true in part. There were three
tithes required of the Jews, viz. : —
I. One every year for the service of the
sanctuary. Num. xviii. 21: "And, behold, I
have given the children of Levi all the tenth
240 The Path to Wealth.
in Israel for an inheritance, for their service
which they serve ^ even the service of the taber-
nacle of the congregation!'^
2. Another tithe was demanded every year
for religious festivals. Deut. xiv. 22, 23 :
*' Thou shalt truly tithe all the increase of thy
seed, that the field bringeth forth year by
year. And thou shalt eat before the Lord thy
God in the place which He shall choose to
place His name there, the tithe of thy corn, of
th}^ wine, and of thine oil, '' etc., etc. This
second tithe was to be eaten by the people
themselves, " • • • that thou may est learn to
fear thy God always."
3. Still another tithe was demanded, once in
three years, for the poor. Deut. xiv. 28, 29 :
" At the end of three years thou shalt bring
forth all the tithe of thine increase the same
year, and shalt lay it up within thy gates : and
the Levite (because he hath no part nor in-
heritance with thee) , and the stranger, and the
fatherless, and the widow, which are within thy
gates, shall come, and shall eat and be satisfied."
This law concerning the tithe for the poor
Pay your Debts. 241
was peculiar to the Jewish polity, and passed
away with that polity.
The second tithe, for religious feasts, is not
now required, inasmuch as the feasts them-
selves have disappeared.
But the first tithe, for the service of the
sanctuary^ i. e., for the work and worship of
God, has never been abolished ; or, if it has,
the scriptural evidence of such abolition is
wanting. True, the sanctuary as then served
has passed away, but the work and worship of
God still remain. It was for this the tithe was
required, and not for the building in which
the service was rendered.
Tithing was prior to Judaism, i. e., prior
to " the sanctuary," because the work and
worship of God were prior to it. Why, then,
should not tithing survive Judaism, seeing
that the work for which it has been paid still
exists? Until the " service of the sanctuary"
in every form shall cease, the necessity for its
tithe exists. Until God surrenders His claim
upon us for the service of His sanctuary, the
"tenth IS the Lord's."
2^2 The Path to Wealth,
This is God's minimum demand — God^s
alphabet of self-denial for His people. He
asks, at least, one-tenth of the all which He
has given to us, for Himself.
Surely every child of God ought to admit
this claim, and feel bound by the law of love
to pay God His tenth before he talks about
giving to God. Bound, not by a legal enact-
ment, as was the Jew, but by the law of love,
as were the patriarchs. They felt the moral
obligation to do this before any law was pro-
mulgated, and cheerfully did it. God recog-
nized the propriety and equity of the practice
by inserting a clause in His law requiring it
from His people. It was, however, a law
without a penalty, being left to the prompt-
ings of piety to decide as to its payment.
Hebrew piety cheerfully paid it, and shall
Christian piety withhold it ? Every Christian
knows that our obligations to God under the
Gospel are commensurate with our increased
privileges, and these are far superior to those
of the Hebrew under his restricted economy.
May it not be justly claimed, then, that
Pay your Debts, 243
Christian honesty demands the cheerful,
prompt, regular and systematic payment of
at least one-tenth into God's treasury, because
" it is the Lord's." Others object to this prac-
tice because they " do not find any recognition
of it in the New Testament." Can they show,
by clear New Testament evidence, that it has
been abolished ? We think not.
Besides, were such evidence forthcoming,
with reference to positive statute^ it would by
no means prove that the duty is no longer
binding. Do not fathers often give positive
commands to their children, the moral reasons
for which the children utterly fail to compre-
hend ? Take, for instance, the law of the
consecration of the Sabbath. Christian fathers
insist upon Sabbath observance in their fami-
lies long before the child can understand the
moral reasons for such a law. But when the
child has grown up, and is no longer under
the positive law of his father, he feels the
duty of Sabbath consecration without the law,
and the Sabbath is kept, not because of the
father's law, now no longer binding, but for
244 ^^^ Path to Wealth,
moral reasons, now thoroughly understood.
May not the same have been the case with re-
gard to the law of tithing ? Positive laws given
until the obligation should be well understood,
and then God's people left to the law of love.
Again, if the New Testament were utterly
silent on this subject, it might be argued that
it was silent because the principle was so
thoroughly understood, in New Testament
times, and the practice so general that men-
tion was not necessary. Is it not a very sig-
nificant fact that New Testament writers
make no mention of the abolition of this law,
if it be abolished ? How easy it would have
been for them to mention this, in connection
with other matters of whose " fulfilment "
(abolition) they did write! This omission
can only be accounted for on the supposition
that there has been no repeal of this law.
But is the New Testament silent on the
subject? Decidedly not. Read Matt, xxiii.
23 : " Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees,
hypocrites ! for ye pay tithe of mint and anise
and cummin, and have omitted the weightier
Pay yo7ir Debts. 245
matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and
faith : these ought ye to have done^ and NOT TO
LEAVE THE OTHER UNDONE." The Lord
Jesus Christ, in these words, teaches distinctly
that " the weightier matters of the law " should
receive our first attention ; but He does not
hint, even remotely, that the '' tithe of mint
and anise and cummin " were of no importance
at all, but rather that it was a matter not to be
left undone. Had He come to abrogate this
law, as He did to abolish (by fulfilment) some
other things in the law, this was an excellent
opportunity for Him to give us an intimation
of it. No such intimation is given, but,
instead. He rather enforces its authority, and
the law stands unrepealed.
It seems clear, then, that the obligation to
tithe himself, in love for Christ, rests upon
the Christian. The duty is here asserted, in-
cidentally it is true, but none the less emphati-
cally, by the very highest authority, that of
our beloved Master Himself.
Again, it is thought that the Apostles recog-
nized the principle in their epistles. In I Cor.
246 The Path to Wealth,
xvi. 2, Paul says : " Upon the first day of the
week let every one of you lay by him in store
as God has prospered him, that there be no
gatherings when I come." What does this
phrase, '' as God has prospered him," teach ?
If it teaches anything — has any force at all —
it teaches that a definite proportion of our
income should be regularly and systematically
stored for God. The proportion is not here
mentioned, because it was well understood.
The Corinthian church, established by Paul
himself, was seven years old at the time of this
writing ; and surely Paul had not neglected to
instruct them in the precious privilege of
Christian liberality! Nay, rather, but his
epistles are burdened with such instruction!
(See chapters viii. and ix. of II Corinthians.)
Next to the great subject of Justification by
Faith, there is no one thing upon which Paul
has so much to say, as upon liberality.
Moses taught, " Pay a tithe of all to God for
the sendee of the sanctuary." Paul teaches,
'' Store it for God every week." Paul and
Moses do not disagree ; nor does Paul attempt
Pay your Debts. 247
to modify or improve upon Moses' teaching ;
he merely ventures upon an enlargement of
the precept. Moses says, " Pay proportion-
all}^;" and Paul adds, '' Pay regularly and sys-
tematically." Moses' teaching was well un-
derstood, and Paul needed not to reiterate it.
He only found it necessary to enforce a regular
and systematic observance of it.
Paul's suggestion in regard to the weekly
observance of the rule is a wise one.
A person may be utterly unable to pay $26
a year in a lump, as his tithe, whereas he could,
with the utmost ease, pay 50c. a week, and
store it for God.
We have seen that the patriarchs practised
this principle, and that just as soon as God had
a separate people. He set His seal upon it by
incorporating it in His law for their gover-
nance.
The reasons for this are obvious. The sys-
tem is eminently just and equitable.
All must do something for God and His cause,
and God places the minimum in His law, at
not less than a tenth. Rich and poor alike must
248 The Path to Wealth,^
begin at this ; and no rich man, paying his
thousands, could upbraid his poor neighbor,
whose payments were away down in the units.
They gave in the same ratio.
Again, this system makes it easy for all,
especially for the poor man. He gives in small
sums regularly, and does not find it oppressive.
Then, the larger ability of the rich man was
not shut out. All must pay a tenth^ to begin
with ; but any man may give as much more as
his means will allow, and his love may prompt.
If all Christians would only adopt God's
method — Bible finance — they would be amazed
to find themselves paying into God's treasury
many times their present meagre payments on
the hap-hazard, give-as-you-please method.
It would be difficult to find a person who has
once honestly tithed his means for the cause of
Christ, and has wearied of it, and gone back
again to the no-system way of contributing.
Would that the Church generally could be
induced to adopt this principle and follow this
practice ! Beginning with a tenth, no man
need stop at that. As his means increase, he
PETER COOPER.
He commenced life in the City of New York in 1791, and died
in the same city in 1883 By his own efforts he made an immense
fortune, and spent a laroje part of it in public and private chari-
ties. He is the founder of the famous "Cooper Institute,"
which cost him $650,000; to which also he bequeathed $150,000
additional, at his death.
17 (249)
250 The Path to Wealth.
can, after paying God the tenth He claims as
His own, begin to know something of the
luxury of giving.
No man is so poor that he cannot afford to
do this. Every man can afford to be honest
with God !
Will God permit any man to suffer in doing
what He requires to be done? Read Dent,
xiv. 28, 29, and note especially the last clause,
" . . . that the Lord thy God may bless thee
in all the work of thine hand, which thou
doest." A still stronger statement is made in
Prov. iii. 9, 10 : " Honor the Lord with thy
substance, and with the first-fruits of all thy
increase, so shall thy barns be filled with
plenty, and thy presses burst out with new
wine."
To the obedient a very precious promise is
given in Mai. iii. 10, 11 : ^' Bring ye all the
tithes into the storehouse, that there may be
meat in my 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
Pay your Debts. 251
to receive it. And I will rebuke the devourer
for your sakes, and he shall not destroy the
fruit of your ground, neither shall your vine
cast her fruit before the time in the field, saith
the Lord of Hosts." Oh, that professed be-
lievers would take the Lord at His word, honor
Him with their substance, and trust Him.
As a matter of fact, Christians cannot afford
to pay less than a tenth, for they will invari-
ably find that the remaining nine-tenths with
God's blessing would be of far greater value to
them than the ten-tenths without it. If God's
children would pay up as God requires, and
then begin to give, as God has prospered them,
they would realize the preciousness of that say-
ing of Jesus, which Paul has rescued from
oblivion, "It is more blessed to give than it is
to receive." They would soon learn to give,
not as a mere matter of duty, but because they
love to give. God is always giving. God loves
to give — always gives His best gifts ; and those
who give, and give their best gifts, because
they love to give, are, so far, like God. Where
THERE IS LITTLE LOVE FOR GIVING, THERE IS
VERY LITTLE LIKENESS TO GOD.
§ible iiiuiiig:
ITS NATURE AND RULE.
BY
REV. F. R. BEATTIE, D.D., Ph.D.
(253)
BIBLE GIVING:
ITS NATURE AND RULE.
In this paper I wish to say a few things
about giving to religious and benevolent ob-
jects. What I have to say will be drawn
largely from my own observation, reflection
and experience, which, though by no means
varied or remarkable, may yet enable me to
say something useful on the subject. I shall
also try to express my ideas in as plain and
practical a manner as possible.
I may say that I have, of late, read a good
deal on this important topic ; I have recently
looked more carefully than ever before into
what the Bible says about giving to the sup-
port of religion ; I have tried to preach
several times during the past year on differ-
ent aspects of this subject ; and I have looked
into the actual practice of the average Chris-
tian in regard to his giving to the cause of
(255)
256 The Path to Wealth.
Christ. The result has been that I am more
deeply impressed than ever with the impor-
tance of this subject, and at the same time I
have been humbled beyond measure to find
that the average Christian is sometimes con-
tent to spend more on a single luxury than he
gives to the support of religion.
I have observed that the matter of Chris-
tian liberality is pressed upon us not only by
the claims of the institutions of religion at
home, but also in connection with the duty of
the Christian Church to send the Gospel to
the heathen. The people in pagan lands are
not, as a rule, at first anxious to have the
Gospel preached among them. This entails
expense in sending missionaries, and this ex-
pense must be met by those in Christian
lands who send the missionaries. The energy
with which mission work is pushed on is one
of the hopeful signs of this age, for I have
observed that when Christian people are most
deeply concerned about others, they are most
likely to be prospered themselves. I am con-
vinced that the Bible is profoundly true when
Bible Giving, 257
it says that " the liberal soul shall be made
fat."
This being the case, it has occurred to me
that no more important matter, of a practical
kind, can be brought before the minds of
Christian people than that of Christian liber-
ality. I confess that I have got over a kind
of delicacy which I once had in speaking
about money in connection with the preaching
of the Gospel, and the exposition of the Scrip-
tures. I am convinced that our giving to the
Lord's cause is a distinctly religious act, and
our duty in regard to that act ought to be
clearly understood. Christian people should
never forget that they are not absolute pos-
sessors of the money or other things which
they call theirs. They are only stewards of
the manifold gifts of God ; and, for my part,
I am exceedingly anxious to learn how I can
best attend to the duties of my stewardship.
Ever since I was a lad, I have been familiar
with several curious methods by means of
which money is raised for religious purposes.
I can remember my first tea-meeting, and how
258
The Path to Wealth,
I thought what a strange thing it was to eat
and drink in God's house. I have been at
scores of such meetings since my childhood,
and I have seen almost every kind of device
brought into play, from the bazaar to the
OLD-FASHIONED TEA DRINKING.
cake or cane competition, for the purpose of
raising money for Church objects. Since I
have grown older I have looked with some
care at these things, and have become more
and more convinced that for the purpose of
Bible Giving. 259
raising money for religious objects tHey
are all wrong in principle and injurious in
practice.
It Has, indeed, occurred to me that a general
reform is needed in this important matter. I
trust that paper may be helpful in doing
something in this direction. I shall group
my remarks on this subject under two main
heads. Under the first I shall treat of the
essential nature of Christian giving; and
under the second I shall seek to discover the
rule by which that giving should be deter-
mined. Hence we must, in the first place,
seek to get a clear and definite idea of what
Christian liberality involves ; then, in the
second place, we must try to find a well-
defined standard by means of which we may
be able to know when we do our duty in re-
gard to this important matter. Each of these
topics will be considered in a separate chap-
ter, and in as simple and conversational a
mariner as possible, so that ordinary readers
may be the more fully informed by what is set
forth.
.<^:^^^
MATTHEW VASSAR.
The founder of Vassar College, Poughkeepsie, N. Y., at a
cost of $400,000. Mr. Vassar was born in England, but was
taken to America when four years old. He began business as an
errand boy, and ended a very wealthy man An active member
of the Baptist Church, and rich in good works.
(260)
CHAPTER I.
Bible Giving: Its Nature.
In seeking to understand the nature of
Christian Hberality, I wish to take the reader
to the Bible at once for instruction thereon,
for I am sure that every Christian will agree
that the Bible is the best place to get teach-
ing on this topic. In this, as in all other
vital matters, we should be guided, not by ex-
pediency or mere human opinion, but by what
God himself says in His Word. I shall,
therefore, seek to find out from the Scriptures
what they teach in regard to the real nature
of our giving to religious objects.
I desire to get a good foundation laid for
my practice, so that I shall not blunder in the
exercise of the grace of Christian liberality.
I shall only be satisfied, when I have laid the
foundation, not on the shifting sands of mere
human reasoning, but on the solid rock of the
Word of God. Having secured a good foun-
(26l)
262 The Path to Wealth,
dation in this way, I vshall then proceed to
erect a suitable and durable building thereon.
In other words, having laid down the Scrip-
tural basis or principle of our giving to God's
cause, I shall proceed to make some applica-
tions of this principle to several concrete cases
to be found in actual practice.
SECTION I.
The Bible Foundation,
I ask you now to open the Bible, and trace
out with me, in a very general way, what it
says about giving to the Lord. Let me ask
you to turn to the beginning of the Book, for
it will be of great moment to find something
about gifts and offerings all through its dif-
ferent parts.
Turning to the fourth chapter of Genesis,
I find the first brothers of the human race
bringing offerings to God. " And in process
of time it came to pass, that Cain brought of
the fruit of the ground an offering unto the
Lord. And Abel, he also brought of the first-
Bible Giving. 263
lings of his flock, and of the fat thereof"
There is no need to decide, so far as our pres-
ent purpose is concerned, why Abel's gift was
accepted and Cain's rejected, for what we re-
quire is only to observe that these two men,
of their own choice and under a sense of duty
or obligation to God, brought their respective
offerings to Him. I have no doubt that Abel's
spirit was better than Cain's, but both alike
brought an offering.
In regard to Noah, in the eighth chapter of
Genesis, we read, that after the waters of the
flood were dried up, " Noah builded an altar
unto the Lord ; and took of every clean beast,
and of every clean fowl, and offered burnt-
offerings on the altar." In the life of Abra-
ham, amongst the offerings which, from time
to time, he made, we read that he was required
on one occasion to make a remarkable offering.
In the twenty-second chapter of Genesis, we
find God speaking to Abraham in the follow-
ing way : " Take now thy son, thine only son
Isaac, whom thou lovest, and get thee into the
land of Moriali ; and offer him there for a
264 The Path to Wealth.
burnt-offering upon one of the mountains
which I will tell thee of." Here God required
a very peculiar and precious offering from
Abraham ; and even though a substitute for
his son was found in the ram caught in the
thicket, the idea of an offering to God re-
mains. This is what we carry with us from
this event.
Now, as you read through the rest of Gen-
esis with me, you will find that the patriarchs,
from time to time and in various ways, made,
either by God's command or by an inward
spiritual impulse, offerings to the Lord. They
all illustrate the same thought of giving some-
thing which we call ours to the service of God.
When we come to the age of Moses, and
read on through Leviticus and Deuteronomy
in particular, we find ourselves among almost
endless offerings and givings required of the
Jews in connection with their religious duty
and service. I would like to help you to
study this vast system of offerings, for the
purpose of discovering, as far as possible, what
is the real nature of an offering which is ac-
Bible Giving, 265
ceptable to God, and what should be the spirit
of the person making the offering, so that it
may be pleasing in His sight. I cannot go
into minute details, yet I trust that some gen-
eral outlines may help us to a proper knowl-
edge of Bible teaching on the subject of giving
for religious purposes.
As we read carefully through the writings
of Moses, we find that all the offerings he
speaks of may be divided into three general
classes. In the first place, I find those offer-
ings which were set apart for the permanent
service of God and of the sanctuary. In the
seventh chapter of Numbers we find these
offerings described in connection with the set-
ting up of the Tabernacle service. '' And they
brought their offering before the Lord, six
covered wagons, and twelve oxen ; a wagon
for two of the princes, and for each one an ox ;
and they brought them before the Tabernacle.
And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, Take
it of them, that they may be to do the service
of the Tabernacle of the congregation ; and
thou shalt give them unto the Levites, to every
18
266 The Path to Wealth.
man according to his service." In the thirty-
first chapter of Numbers, 50th to 5 2d verses,
we find allusion to other offerings of a some-
what different kind, but for the same purpose.
" We have therefore brought an oblation for
the Lord, what every man hath gotten, of
jewels of gold, chains and bracelets, rings, ear-
rings and tablets, to make an atonement for
our souls before the Lord. And Moses and
Eleazar the priest took the gold of them, even
all wrought jewels. And all the gold of the
offering that they offered up to the Lord, of the
captains of thousands, and of the captains of
hundreds, was sixteen thousand seven hundred
and fifty shekels."
In the class of offerings represented by such
cases as those just referred to, we have the
contributions which provided for the construc-
tion and furnishing of the sanctuary and the
maintenance of religious services therein, as
well as provision for the support of the per-
sons whose duty it was to attend to those ser-
vices. In this class, also, we have the type of
the provision to be made in all ages for the
Bible Giving. 267
support of religious ordinances among men.
This is an abiding call for oiferings to be made
to God, for the duty of worship is a permanent
one.
In the second place, we find a large class of
offerings which were brought to God as a kind
of state tax in support of the priests and Le-
vites. The Jewish nation was a theocracy.
Jehovah was their king, and they held their
land in fee from Him. Hence certain offer-
ings were required, as a species of tax or rent
from the land. These offerings were of various
kinds, and are frequently spoken of in the writ-
ings of Moses.
In Exodus, the thirteenth chapter, we read :
"And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying,
Sanctify unto me all the first-born, whatsoever
openeth the womb among the children of Israel,
both of man and beast ; it is mine." Hence,
as the first-born of every Jewish family, and of
their flocks and herds, were spared in Egypt,
so ever after God claimed these as His.
Again, in the eighteenth chapter of Num-
bers, we read : '' All the best of the oil, and all
268 The Path to Wealth.
the best of the wine, and of the wheat, the first-
fruits of them which they shall offer unto the
Lord, them have I given thee. And whatso-
ever is first ripe in the land, which they shall
bring unto the Lord, shall be thine." Here
we have offerings from the produce of the land
dedicated to God. In the eighteenth chapter
of Deuteronomy we have a similar passage:
^' The first-fruits of thy corn, of thy wine, and
of thine oil, and the first of the fleece of thy
sheep, shalt thou give him (the priest). For
the Lord thy God hath chosen him to minister
in the name of the Lord, him and his sons for-
ever." This passage indicates the special way
in which the priests were to be supported. It
is very interesting to notice that the laws re-
garding these offerings were renewed after the
captivity. Thus, in the tenth chapter of Ne-
hemiah, we read : '' And to bring the first-fruits
of our ground ; and the first-fruits of all the
fruit of all trees year by year unto the house
of the Lord : Also the first-born of our sons,
and of our cattle, as it is written in the Law,
and the firstlings of our herds and of our
Bible Giving, 269
flocks, to bring to the house of our God, unto
the priests that minister in the house of our
God."
In the eighteenth of Numbers we find an-
other curious fact in connection with the giv-
ing of what the people possessed to the service
of the Lord: "And the firstlings of unclean
beasts shalt thou redeem. And those that are
to be redeemed, from a month old shalt thou
redeem, according to thy estimation, for the
money of five shekels, after the shekel of the
sanctuary, which is twenty gerahs. But the
firstling of a cow, or the firstling of a goat,
thou shalt not redeem; they are holy; thou
shalt sprinkle their blood upon the altar."
This passage emphasizes the distinction be-
tween things clean and unclean. Yet at the
same time God makes a claim upon both —
upon the clean directly, and upon the unclean
by redemption.
In the third general class of offerings are
includes all those which were laid upon the
altar, and consumed there, wholly or in part,
by fire. These were usually regarded as offer-
270 The Path to Wealth,
ings of a higher and more sacred order than
those already mentioned. To enter into detail
here would lead us to discuss the whole s^^stem
of Jewish sacrifice, but it is not necessary for
our present purpose that we should do so. In
the first chapter of Leviticus we find the key-
note to the peculiarity of these offerings :
*' And the priest shall burn all on the altar, to
be a burnt-sacrifice, an offering made by fire,
of a sweet savour unto the Lord.'''' Again,
*^ It is a burnt-sacrifice, an offering made by
fire, of a sweet savour unto the Lord^ The
two things which mark this class of offerings
are, first, that they were to be burned on the
altar ; and, secondly, that they formed a sweet
savour unto Jehovah. They were to be offered
to Jehovah personally, in the place where He
promised to meet with his people to bless them.
If we look carefully at these various offer-
ings, and seek to discover the spirit which
should prompt men to make them, we shall
find several important principles involved. If
we can seize these and apply them a great deal
will be gained.
Bible Giving. 271
In the first place, you will observe that in
every case the offermg made must be the pr^op-
erty of the person snaking it. Many passages
of Scripture confirm this statement. In the
last chapter of II Samuel we read : " And
Araunah said unto David, Let my lord the
king take and offer what seemeth good unto
him ; behold here is oxen for burnt-sacrifice,
and threshing instruments and other instru-
ments of the oxen for wood. All these things
did Araunah, as a king, give unto the king.
And Araunah said unto the king. The Lord
thy God accept thee. And the king said unto
Araunah, Nay ; but I will surely bu}^ it of
thee at a price : neither will I offer burnt-offer-
ings unto the Lord my God of that which
doth cost me nothing. So David bought the
threshing-floor and the oxen for fifty shekels
of silver."
This statement is further confirmed by what
we find Ezra and Nehemiah doing in their
days. In the seventh chapter of Ezra we read,
in connection with the return from the Cap-
tivity : "And all the silver and gold that thou
272
The Path to Wealth.
canst find in all the province of Babylon, with
the freewill offering of the people, and of the
priests, offering willingly for the house of their
God, which is in Jerusalem : that thou mayest
buy speedily with this money, bullocks, rams,
lambs, with 'their meat-offerings and their
drink-offerings, and offer them upon the altar
of the house of your God which is in Jeru-
salem." Nehemiah's words, in the tenth chap-
ter of his book, are equally significant : " Also
we made ordinances for us, to charge ourselves
yearly with the third part of a shekel for the
service of the house of our God ; for the shew-
bread, and for the continual meat-offering, and
for the continual burnt-offering, of the Sab-
baths, of the new moons, for the set feasts, and
for the holy things, and for the sin-offerings
to make an atonement for Israel, and for all
the work of the house of our God."
These quotations of God's Word, which we
have made at length, bring out the important
fact that everything brought to God as an
offering must be our own property, or ac-
cj^uired by u§ in a proper and honest way.
Bible Giving. 273
The Jews were distinctly taught this, and in
our own day we need to observe that not only
must we be able to call what we give to God
our own, but we must be sure also that we
have come into possession of it in a perfectly
honest way. God will not honor the ways of
injustice, nor will He accept the fruits of dis-
honesty. We shall keep this in mind, for we
may have occasion to refer to it again in the
course of this paper.
In the second place, you will observe that
these offerings were all dedicated to God.
They were holy gifts, and, as such, were set
apart for God and appropriated to His service.
It mattered not if parts of some of the offerings
went to support the priests while attending to
their duties, they were nevertheless all re-
garded as given to God. They were made as
an acknowledgment of God's greatness and
goodness, and of the desire of the people to
enjoy the favor and fellowship of God. In
this connection it is interesting to read the
thirty-eighth verse of the twenty-eighth chapter
of Exodus. Of the plate of pure gold, which
274 ^^^^ Path to Wealth.
was to be put on the mitre of the high priest,
it is said: ^^ And it shall be upon Aaron's fore-
head, that Aaron may bear the iniquity of the
holy things, which the children of Israel shall
hallow in all their holy gifts ; and it shall be
always upon his forehead, that they may be
accepted before the Lord." Here it is evident
that the gifts, and the people with their offer-
ings, were to be dedicated to God, before the
right to claim acceptance and favor at God's
hand was the portion of the people. The peo-
ple were not to give that they might get similar
gifts in return ; they were to give that they
might render a service or make an offering
freely and fully unto the Lord.
It is clear, therefore, that these offerings had
value, not so much in themselves as in the
spirit and feelings cherished by the person
making the offering. The gift indeed may be
of great value. or of little worth in itself, yet its
value in God's sight will depend on the spirit
which moved the offerer in presenting his gift.
It is not the gift, but the giver in his gift,
which has meaning before God. It is the d^-
Bible Giving, 275
vout spiritual feelings which the gift expresses
that make the real offering which God regards
and delights in. For their own sake or value
God can care but little for mere material gifts,
but the devotion of an earnest, humble, grate-
ful heart is ever a sacrifice pleasing in His
sight.
There is a passage in Kurtz's '' Sacrificial
Worship," page 55, which expresses the truth
here so well that I cannot forbear quoting it
at length, as better than any words of mine
could be here : "In these gifts, which were
justly his acquired property, gained by the
sweat of his face and the exercise of his earthly
calling, he offered, in a certain sense, an ob-
jective portion of himself, since the sweat
of his own labor adhered to it, and he had ex-
pended his own vital energy upon it, and
thereby, as it were, really gave it life. In this
way he gave expression to his consciousness
of the absolute dependence of his whole life
and activity upon the grace and blessing of
God, and to his obligation to devote it entirely
to God and to divine purposes in praise, thanks-
276 The Path to Wealth.
giving and prayer. He gave partially back to
God what he received entirely from God, and had
wrought out and acquired through the bless-
ing of God. And in the part he sanctified and
consecrated the whole, or all that he retained
and applied to the maintenance of his own life
and strength, and with this his own life also,
to the maintenance of which he had devoted
if'
In the third place, the offermgs were to be
of the first-fruits of the possessions of the
offerer. The first produce of field and flock
was held sacred, and this, not the last or poor-
est, was to be dedicated to the Lord. The
first-born, both of man and beast, were claimed
by God, and these had either to be redeemed,
that their price might be set apart for religious
purposes, or they had actually to be given to
the Lord and His service.
There are so many passages of Scripture
which bring this out, that we need only quote
a few, as samples of the strong Bible basis
there is for giving the first and the best of our
possessions to God's service, In the twenty-
Bible Giving.
277
second chapter of Exodus we read : ^' Thou
shalt not delay to offer the first of thy ripe
fruits, and of thy liquors ; the first-born of thy
sons shalt thou give unto me. Likewise shalt
thou do with thy oxen, and with thy sheep."
HEBREW BRINGING FIRST-FRUITS.
In the twenty-third chapter of Exodus we read:
'' The first of the first-fruits of thy land thou
shalt bring into the house of the Lord thy God."
In the twenty-third chapter of Leviticus we
read : ^'And the Lord spake unto Moses, say-
278 The Path to Wealth.
ing, Speak unto the children of Israel, and say
unto them, When ye be come into the land
which I give unto you, and shall reap the har-
vest thereof, then ye shall bring a sheaf of the
first-fruits of your harvest unto the priest."
Similar passages might be quoted in great
numbers from Numbers and Deuteronomy.
In later times we find the principle of the
first-fruits enjoined. In the days of Solomon
we find in the Book of Proverbs the following:
" Honor the Lord with thy substance, and with
the first-fruits of thine increase." In the tenth
chapter of Nehemiah, and at the time of the
exile, we read : "And to bring the first-fruits
of our ground, and the first-fruits of all fruit
of all trees year by year unto the house of the
Lord; also the first-born of our sons and of
our cattle, . . . and the firstlings of our herds
and of our flocks, to bring to the house of our
God."
From these and scores of similar passages,
we learn the very important truth that the
first-born of man and beast, the first-fruits of
forest and field, were claimed by God, and that
Bible Giving, 279
neglect to render to Him His dues was really
sinful. Not only were the first-fruits to be
rendered in a collective way by the congrega-
tion as a whole, but they were to be rendered
by each of the families of the people out of the
yearly produce which God might give them.
No fixed quantity was required as the proper
discharge of the duty. Each person was left
to the promptings of his own religious feelings
in this respect, as no doubt God regarded the
spirit in which the first-fruits were brought as
of more value than the amount of the gifts in
themselves. In the Talmud there are many
curious rules given regarding the presentation
of the first-fruits. It states that the sixtieth
was the least part that could be given ; while a
fortieth or a thirtieth was to be regarded as the
proof of a willing mind. In later times the
first-fruits were often turned into money by the
more distant Jews, and the money sent in in-
stead of the first-fruits themselves.
It is interesting to note in this connection
that the offerings of first-fruits was by no means
peculiar to the Jews. It prevailed in many of
28o The Path to Wealth.
the leading pagan nations of ancient times.
Spencer presents many interesting facts in
regard to this practice among other nations
than the Jews. His quotations from ancient
writers go to show that there seems to have
been at the basis of this practice, a conviction
that the portions of the fruits which were first
ripe were the best, and that these belonged
specially to the gods, as a token of gratitude,
and as a ground of security for future years.
It was man's nature gift to nature's God.
From these facts in and out of the Bible, it is
evident that the feeling which prompted the
giving of the first and best of all kinds of pro-
duce was a deeply rooted conviction in the
minds of men.
The Talmud gives extended directions in
regard to the way in which the first-fruits
should be presented. When the offerer came
near to the sanctuary, we have the following
description : " When they were come thither,
they took every man his basket on his shoulder,
and said, ' Hallelujah, praise God in His sanc-
tuary ! ' and they went thus and sang till they
Bible Giving. 281
came to the court-yard. When they were
come thither, the Levites sang, ' I will exalt
thee, O Lord, for thou hast lifted me up.' The
owner of the basket, while it was still upon his
shoulder, made the declaration, ' I profess this
day unto Jehovah, thy God, that I am come
into the land which Jehovah sware unto our
fathers to give it unto us.' Then he let down
the basket from his shoulder, and the priest
put his hand under it, and waved it, and he
said, 'A Syrian ready to perish was my father.'
And he left it at the altar's side, at the south-
west horn, on the south side of the horn, and
bowed himself down, and went out." Accord-
ing to this account the presentation of the first-
fruits was a distinctly religious act.
The fourth principle involved in these
various offerings is, that they were presented
as voluntary or freewill gifts. We have here
to note that certain offerings were called
" freewill offerings," and were in some respects
peculiar in their nature. In the twelfth chap-
ter of Deuteronomy we read : ''And thither
ye shall bring your burnt-offerings, and
282 The Path to Wealth,
your sacrifices, and your tithes, and your
heave-offerings of your hand, and your vows,
and your freewill offerings^ and the firstlings
of your herds and of your flocks." In the
twenty-second chapter of Leviticus we read :
^'And whosoever offereth a sacrifice of peace-
offerings unto the Lord to accomplish his vow,
or a freewill offering in beeves or sheep, it
shall be perfect to be accepted ; there shall be
no blemish therein." In these and like
passages we have a special kind of offerings
alluded to, and directions given concerning
them.
It is not so much to these passages, or to
the particular offerings called freewill offer-
ings, that our attention is turned by the vol-
untary or freewill principle. This principle
applies alike to all kinds of gifts and offerings
to the Lord. It requires that these shall be
rendered cheerfully and willingly to God.
This principle is found in such passages as
the following : — In the twenty-fifth of Exodus
we read : " Speak unto the children of Israel,
that they may bring me an offering : of every
Bible Giving, 283
man that giveth it willingly with his heart ye
shall take my offering." Here we learn that
only those gifts were to be accepted which
were given willingly with the heart. In con-
nection with the preparations made by David
for the building of the Temple, we have a
striking example of this principle. In the
last chapter of I Chronicles we read : " Then
the people rejoiced, for that they offered will-
ingly^ because with perfect heart they offered
willingly to the Lord: and David the king
also rejoiced with great joy." The rulers and
the people alike made their gifts with great
alacrity and willingness. In this fact lies the
chief value of the offering made. In itself
it may be much or little, but in the spirit in
which it is offered there must be a willing
surrender of the gift to the Lord. We shall
see the import of this a little further on.
In the fifth place, the principle of represen-
tation comes into view in connection with all
the offerings before us. The offering repre-
sents the offerer, or his possessions, before God.
This principle is of deep and profound import
284 The Path to Wealth.
in understanding tlie real purport of these
offerings the people were required to make.
A few passages will suffice here. In the
twenty-ninth of Exodus we read : " This shall
be a continual burnt-offering throughout your
generations, at the door of the tabernacle of
the congregation before the Lord : where I
will meet you, to speak there unto thee. And
there will / meet with the children of Israel^
and the tabernacle shall be sanctified by my
glory. And I will dwell among the children
of Israel, and will be their God." In the
thirtieth of Exodus we read : ''And thou shalt
take the atonement mojtey of the children of
Israel, and shalt appoint it for the service of
the tabernacle of the congregation ; that it
may be a memorial unto the children of Israel
before the Lord, to make atonement for your
souls. ^^ In the first of Leviticus we also read,
concerning the sacrifices the people were to
bring : ''If his offering be a burnt sacrifice of
the herd ... he shall offer it of his own
voluntary will at the door of the tabernacle
of the Lord. And he shall put his hand upon
Bible Giving. 285
the head of the burnt-offering : and // shall be
accepted for him^ to make an atonement for
himP In these passages we observe that the
offering represents the offerer. This is clearly
evident when the life of the victim is offered
in place of the life of him who offers it. In
many other offerings we have the feelings of
reverence and gratitude on the part of the
offerer represented. These offerings were part
of his own property, and, in a sense, they are
part of himself. When he makes the offering,
his spiritual feelings are really represented by
the gift made.
Then it may be added, that the principle of
the first-fruits and first-born really involves the
principle of representation. The first-fruits
represented the whole harvest, and the first-
born represents the whole family or flock. In
the giving of a part to the Lord, the whole was
dedicated to His service. The part represents
the whole, and at the same time sanctifies it.
From the Old Testament we have obtained
five very important principles regarding giving
to the Lord. First, what a man gives must be
286 The Path to Wealth,
his own property, honestly acquired. Dis-
honest gain, or wealth gotten in wicked ways,
cannot be acceptable to God. Secondly, the
offering must be distinctly dedicated to God.
It is not to be given to a good cause in order to
make a good name, or get gain. Thirdly, the
giving must be of the nature of a freewill offer-
ing. It is not to be regarded as a tax imposed;
it is rather a privilege to be enjoyed. The
spirit must be entirely voluntary. Fourthly,
the offering must consist of the first-born and
first-fruits. The first and best, not the last
and worst, are the Lord's. Fifthly, the offer-
ing represents the offerer, and should express
his spiritual feelings. The gift may be of lit-
tle value or much ; the main import of the
offering is in the spirit which prompts the
giver to make his offering.
In order to make the Bible basis of our
views of giving to the Lord broad and stable,
we require to look at the teaching of the
New Testament on this subject. If we find
that its teaching agrees with that of the
Old Testament, then the Bible basis for
Bible Giving. 287
right views of giving to Christ's cause is un-
derstood.
At the outset here we must keep in mind,
that while many things in the Law of Moses
were for Jews only, and were fulfilled when
Christ came, there are many things also en-
joined in the Mosaic Code which, on the grounds
of natural religion as well as revealed, are
always binding on men. Among those things
permanently binding on men in all ages, is the
duty of supporting the institutions of religion
in their midst. It by no means follows that
because men under the Gospel dispensation are
not required to bring animals of various kinds
for sacrifice, therefore they are not now under
obligation to give of their means to support
Christian ordinances, and to send the Gospel to
others in heathen lands. " The laborer is
worthy of his hire." " They that preach the
Gospel shall live by the Gospel."
Again, it must not be forgotten that, in un-
derstanding the connection between the Old
Testament and the New, we have to observe
that what is not fulfilled in nor repealed by the
288 The Path to Wealth.
New Testament, is still binding on Christians.
Thus the ten commandments, and the Sabbath
law in particular, are still obligatory. They
are enjoined in the Old Testament, and were
binding on the Jews. They stand unrepealed,
and are, indeed, emphasized and expanded in
meaning in the New Testament, and Christians
are under obligation to observe such laws.
The sacrifices, on the other hand, were fulfilled
in Christ, and circumcision was no longer en-
joined, and so Christians are not required to
submit to the latter nor bring the former.
Now, if we look at the permanent offerings
of which we have already spoken, and which
were for the continuous support of the institu-
tions and ordinances of religion, and of those
who had charge of these institutions and ordi-
nances, we find that they were not abrogated,
or done away with.
We feel justified in concluding, therefore,
that the obligation to support the ordinances of
religion is still resting on men under the Chris-
tian dispensation. The relation between God
and man, as Creator and creature, is an abiding
Bible Givmg. 289
one. It exists in the very nature of things.
Ont of this relation springs the dnty and privi-
lege of worship. This worship must be main-
tained and properly supported. To do this,
requires men to bring in their gifts and offer-
ings. The Old Testament gives injunctions
and directions in regard to these things. These
have not been repealed, nor fulfilled, in what
the New Testament teaches ; nor have the cir-
cumstances of worship so changed, as to ren-
der gifts and offerings of no use. Hence we
assume that the obligation rests on the Chris-
tian Church to maintain and support her
ordinances.
Now let us look at the New Testament, with
the view of finding out whether the five prin-
ciples discovered in the Old are implied or set
forth in the New.
In regard to the first, that the gift presented
to the Lord's cause must be our own property
honestly acquired, it is self-evident that this
principle must apply to the New Testament
and to the givings of Christian people to the
support of religious ordinances. But we find
290 The Path to Wealth.
distinct recognition of this principle in several
passages^of the New Testament. In the fourth
chapter of the Acts we read : ''And with great
power gave the apostles witness of the resur-
rection of the Lord Jesus ; and great grace was
upon them all. Neither was there any among
them that lacked ; for as many as were posses-
sors of houses or lands sold them, and brought
the prices of the things that were sold and laid
them at the apostles' feet." Here we see that
the gifts offered were the possessions of those
making them. The property was turned into
money, and the money was given.
The case of Ananias and Sapphira, recorded
in the fifth chapter of Acts, involves the same
principle. Concerning it we read: " Whilst it
remained was it not their own ? and after it
was sold was it not in their own power ? Why
hast thou conceived this thing in thine heart ?
Thou hast not lied unto men but unto God."
Here we find ownership emphasized, and the
mistake Ananias made was in professing to
sell and give all the proceeds of his property
to the apostles, and at the same time he was
Bible Giving. 291
keeping back part of it secretly. But the
property was his own, and from this he was
making a partial offering when he should have
given the whole.
In II Corinthians, the eighth chapter, we
find the Christian liberality of one place help-
ing the need of the Christians in another place.
" For to their power, I bear record, yea and be-
yond their power, they were willing of them-
selves ; praying us with much entreaty that
we would receive the gift, and take upon us the
fellowship of the ministering to the saints."
The gift here spoken of was no doubt from the
property of those making it, so that from the
abundance of some the need of others might
be supplied.
We have thus shown with some little care
that the principle of ownership which seems
so simple and self-evident, is clearly implied in
the New Testament. The reason why we have
emphasized this point is, that it condemns
many modern methods of raising money for
religious purposes. The aim of many of these
methods seems to be to get as much money as
292 The Path to Wealth.
possible from outsiders, and thus save the
purses of the church members. These methods
are rather schemes by which others may be led
to give, and thus what is given is not our prop-
erty, and has not the stamp of ownership upon
it. This point will come before us again, and
we leave it with this mere hint now.
In regard to the second principle, that all
offerings are to be dedicated directl}^ or indi-
rectly to God, we need only say, that it is as
clearly involved in the New Testament as in
the Old. It, too, may be taken to be self-
evident, yet it will do no harm to recite a few
passages which enjoin this truth. The New
Testament basis of this principle will then be
unquestioned. We have Christ's remarkable
words in the twelfth chapter of Mark: "And
Jesus answered and said unto them. Render
unto Csesar the things that are Caesar's, and
unto God the things that are God's." Here
we have the principle involved, that religious
offerings are not a mere transaction between
man and man, but an act of consecrating the
gift and service to God. In II Corinthians,
Bible Giving, 593
ninth chapter, we read in the same line : " Being
enriched in everything to all bountifulness,
which causes through us thanksgiving to God.
For the administration of this service not only
supplieth the want of the saints, but is abun-
dant also by many thanksgivings unto God ;
while, by the experiment of this ministration,
they glorify God for your professed subjection
unto the gospel of Christ, and for your liberal
distribution unto them, and unto all men."
Here the givings of Christians to relieve the
need of their suffering brethren is regarded as
an offering to God, producing thanksgiving
and bringing glory to Him. Our eating and
drinking, our serving and giving, should all be
done unto God and for His glory.
In the last chapter of Philippians we see how
Paul regarded certain offerings which one of
his friends and fellow-laborers brought him,
when he says : "But I have all, and abound ;
I am full, having received of Epaphroditus the
things which were sent from you, an odor of a
sweet smell, a sacrifice acceptable, well-pleas-
ing to God." Here what the Christian people
294 ^^^^ Path to Wealth,
gave Paul was regarded by him as an ofifering
to God. In like manner, what was given to
support the laborer in the great gospel harvest
field is to be regarded as an offering to the
Lord. '' They that preach the gospel are to
live by the gospel," and that living is a sacred
gift, and not merely a simple financial trans-
action. The Old Testament and New, we be-
lieve, are at one on this point. The institutions
and ordinances of religion must be supported
by the Christian community, and that support
is to be regarded not simply as pay given to
certain men, but as an offering made to God
for the support of gospel ordinances in their
midst.
In reference to the third principle, that
these offerings should be of the first-fruits, we
find New Testament teaching clear and fre-
quent, so that the Christian as well as the Jew
is bound to give the first and best to the Lord.
In the New Testament there was not the same
scope for this principle as in the Old. In the
Old many different kinds of sacrifices and
offerings were required. These were to con-
EPAPHRODITUS BRINGING GIF^IO PAUL, P„,.„P„..s .v.
(295)
296 The Path to Wealth.
sist in the first-fruits and first-bom. They
were to indicate in this way that the best of
man's produce and of his service was to be set
apart to God.
The Christian presents himself and his pos-
sessions to God. Thus, in the eighth chapter
of II Corinthians, we read: "Praying us with
much entreaty that we would receive the gift,
and take upon us the fellowship of the minis-
tering to the saints. And this they did, not
as we hoped, but first gave their own selves to
the Lord, and unto us by the will of God."
Here the Macedonian Christians are said to
have first given themselves to God, and then
to have given their property, and particularly
the collection for the poor brethren at Jeru-
salem. In giving themselves, they gave the
best that was theirs.
This principle, which was very prominent
in the Old Testament, stands unrepealed - in
the New, and hence it is binding also on the
Christian. This principle runs all through
our Lord's teaching, and it reappears in the
writings of the Apostles. It also condemns
Bible Giving. 2gj
the practice of some outwardly respectable
Christians, who give as if the last fruits rather
than t\iQ first fruits are the Lord's. Such peo-
ple, when their income falls below the average,
begin curtailing outlay. The very first place
where they begin to curtail is in regard to that
which is to be given to the Lord and His cause.
The first fruit is the Lord's, and should go to
Him in every case.
The fourth principle, that the spirit in which
the offering is to be made must be voluntary —
freewill — is on the very surface of the New
Testament. In our Lord's words of commen-
dation concerning the two mites which the
poor widow cast into the treasury, we see that
He valued the spirit in which the gift was
made, rather than the real amount of the gift.
The element of freewill and even voluntary
selfsacrifice, is that which enriches the gift in
the sight of God.
In the eighth chapter of II Corinthians, we
read : " For if there be first a willing mind, it
is accepted according to that a man hath, and
not according to that he hath not. " In these
298 The Path to Wealth.
words the apostle brings out our Lord's teacli-
ing into clear and practical effect, in the case
of the givings of Christian people. In the ninth
chapter of the same epistle, we find it written :
'' Every man according as he hath purposed in
his heart so let him give ; not grudgingly, or
of necessity ; for God loveth a cheerful giver."
Many other passages might be quoted from the
New Testament in support of this principle,
hence we conclude without further discussion
that all our gifts to God and all our givings
to His cause, should be distinctly freewill offer-
ings. That which is given with a grudge is
of little value in God's sight, while that which
is freely and cheerfully given, even though it
involve sacrifice, is of very great value in His
eyes.
In regard to the last principle mentioned,
that of representation, little need be said con-
cerning its New Testament basis. Our gifts
should all represent our possessions on the one
hand and our feelings on the other. The offer-
ing, to have any meaning, must be the expres-
sion of the devout and reverent feelings which
Bible Giving. 299
exist in the heart of the offerer. Here, all
those passages which speak of Christians as
stewards of God's mercies, temporal and spirit-
ual, come into view.
Concerning the good servant, in the parable
of the talents, we read : " His lord saith unto
him, Well done, thou good and faithful ser-
vant ; thou hast been faithful over a few
things, I will make thee ruler over many
things ; enter thou into the joy of thy lord."
Here the use made of the talents represented
the real spirit of fidelity on the part of the
faithful servant ; while the man who hid the
talent in the earth, by the use he made of his
gift, displayed the opposite spirit. In the New
Testament, as in the Old, we find that the gift
should represent all our property, which we
hold in stewardship at God's hand ; and it
should also represent our feelings, and express
them in suitable outward form. If you read
carefully the eighth and ninth chapters of II
Corinthians, you will find running all through
them the same twofold application of the prin-
ciple of representation. We need not, however,
300 The Path to Wealth,
dwell longer upon it just now; we will have
something more to say about it further on in
our discussion.
We have thus sought to lay down what
seems to us to be the Bible foundation of our
giving to the Lord and his cause. The five
important principles found in the Old Testa-
ment have also their place in the New, and
thus the true Scriptural nature of Bible Giv-
ing has been unfolded. For the permanent
support of the institutions of religion we get,
in these principles, the key as to the manner
in which these institutions should be provided
for. In further treating of this subject we
shall endeavor to see how far these prin-
ciples now rule in the methods employed by
the Christian Church to raise money to sup-
port ordinances in the community. We, no
doubt, will find ourselves called upon to ex-
amine some of the ways by which religion
now-a-days is supported, and perhaps some of
these will be condemned. In our examination
we shall be careful to apply the test of God's
Word as expressed in the principles of owner-
Bible Giving. 301
ship, of consecration, of first-fruits, of freewill,
and of representation. To this task we now
proceed.
SECTION II.
Practical Application.
In making some practical applications of
the principles which form the basis of Bible
Giving, w^e intend to look at the condition of
affairs in any average Christian community,
and try to discover how near we are keeping
to Bible teaching in our actual practice and
methods of raising money generally for the
Lord's cause. This will include the raising
of money to build churches, and pa}^ the
general running expenses of maintaining
divine service and religious ordinances. It
will also include all contributions to the sup-
port of colleges to educate the ministry of
the Church ; and it will also cover all money
given to the cause of missions to the heathen.
These are the chief items pertaining to the
support of the permanent institutions of reli-
302 The Path to Wealth,
gion, and we now wish to get at the Bible
method by which these are to be kept up.
It is, of course, taken for granted that these
ordinances of religion are of permanent obli-
gation upon men. They are not matters
which men or nations dare neglect save at
their great peril. It is also taken for granted
that the Scriptures make provision for the
support of duly authorized teachers in con-
nection with religion. In the Old Testament
we find that the priests and Levites were to be
supported by the people. In the New Testa-
ment the ministry of the Christian Church is
to be supported by the liberality of the people
to whom they minister. In return for the
spiritual things which this ministry gives the
people, the people are to give their carnal
things. They that devote their lives to
preaching the Gospel are to get that which
they need to support them from the people.
The ox which was used to tread out the corn
in the olden threshing floor was not to be
muzzled, but was to be allowed to eat what it
liked; so in the Gospel harvest-field the la-
Bible Giving, 303
borer therein is to have his hire in the form
of suitable maintenance. Now for some prac-
tical applications.
First, let us look at the matter of chiirxh
building. In early times the Jews had the
Tabernacle and Temple as the places of wor-
ship ; and in the days which followed the
captivity they had their synagogues all over
the land. At the time of Christ, and in the
early days of Christianity, we find that the
Gospel was preached in the synagogue and in
private houses or rooms hired for the purpose.
By degrees, as Christianity gained strength
and separated itself from Judaism, it was
found necessary to have suitable meeting
places provided. This was especially the case
when Christianity extended among the pagan
nations, where there was no synagogue that
might become the home of the Christian
Church.
During the dark middle ages it is very in-
teresting to observe, that when spiritual life
seemed to be at a very low ebb, church build-
ing and architecture appears to have reached
304 The Path to Wealth.
its highest excellence. It was then that those
cathedrals were reared, which today, whether
in ruins or repair, are the admiration of all
who look upon them. The mechanical skill
and architectural genius displayed in many of
these mediaeval piles are still a standing
wonder to the world ; while the amount of
money necessary for such structures must
have been very great, at a time, too, when
money was scarce.
In our own day, we find church edifices of
all sorts and sizes, from the plain little chapel
to the vast modern cathedral. No particular
style prevails, but people build according to
their taste and means, unless they do what we
fear is sometimes done, go beyond their means.
The question before us now is, how should the
money needed to erect the church building be
raised? Along with this question, others
closely related to it arise. Should all the
money be in hand before the building is be-
gun ? Should the present generation pay all,
or is it justified in leaving a debt as a legacy
to future generations ? Can money used to
Bible Giving, 305
pay interest on such debts be regarded as given
to the Lord at all ? Is there no danger of ex-
travagance in some of our modern luxurious
church buildings ?
No exhaustive discussion of these questions
is here possible, yet the principles of Bible
giving already set forth will help us to at
least a partial answer to some of them. It is
admitted that God's service should have our
best, even in regard to the matter of church
building. When people were living in log
houses it was all right to worship in log build-
ings ; but when people became better off, and
live in houses of brick and stone, it is fitting
that they should have edifices at least as good
to worship God in. At the same time there
is danger of needless luxury, and needless ex-
pense in our modern church buildings. In
their furnishings especially, they are so rich
and expensive that plain people do not feel
at home in them, and poor people cannot pay
what is requisite to keep them up.
The consequences are already seen in our
large towns and cities. Many of the laboring
3o6 The Path to Wealth.
and mechanic classes have drifted away from
the regular churches, and are to be numbered
among the non-church goers. To bring the
Gospel to these we find the mission hall erected,
and earnest evangelistic work undertaken.
This is good so far, yet I am persuaded that it
will not turn out best in the end. The result
will be that in the fine church we will find the
rich, and in the mission hall we will find the
poor. This brings class distinction where it
should never be found, for in divine worship
and religious instruction the rich and poor
should meet together, for '' the Lord is the
maker of them all."
In regard to church debts, I have no hesi-
tation in saying that they are bad^ and that
continually. They are a constant drain upon
the resources of Christian people in paying
interest, and they paralyze the liberality of
the people in almost every respect. The ex-
istence of a debt will keep people from joining
any congregation thus burdened, and by the
people of the congregation, the fact of their
having a debt will be made a standing excuse
^^^
'V I r* — ^
THE LOG CHURCH.
(307)
3o8 . The Path to Wealth.
why they should not give to mission and other
deserving schemes. Any one who has had
any experience in this matter will endorse
what I have just said. People naturally feel
that paying interest on church debts is like
putting money into a sink-hole. It is not
even the same in some respects as paying in-
terest on money borrowed to invest in busi-
ness. In the latter case, the profit made may
be sufficient to pay the interest and leave a
margin of profit, but in the case of church
debts, they seem to make constant demands,
but give no return. Of all debts, therefore,
church debts are the worst.
It is always best to have no debt in view
when church building is undertaken. Church
boards and building committees should exer-
cise the utmost care in regard to the financial
burdens they incur for themselves and others,
and Christian people should open a liberal
hand to provide cheerfully and promptly suit-
able church accommodation for themselves and
those who meet with them. It would be a mis-
take, however, to conclude that new- churches
Bible Giving. 309
should not be built where people are selfish
and mean in their giving to the Lord. In
such cases, the great thing is that these illib-
eral people should be stirred up to a sense of
their duty ; and then, according to their ability,
let them rise and build, paying for all as they
go. It is poor policy for a man to build a large
house for himself and family to live in with
borrowed money, so it is exceedingly improper
to have a debt on the house in which we wor-
ship God.
The example of the Jews in preparing to
construct the Tabernacle and in building the
Temple, is full of instruction in this connec-
tion. In the case of the Tabernacle, in the
thirty-fifth chapter of Exodus we read: "And
they came, every one whose heart stirred him
up, and every one whom his spirit made will-
ing, and they brought the Lord's offering to
the work of the Tabernacle of the congrega-
tion, and for all His service, and for the holy
garments." Further on in the same chapter,
we find it written : "And the children of Israel
brought ar willing offering unto the Lord, every
3IO The Path to Wealth.
man and woman whose heart made them will-
ing to bring, for all manner of work which the
Lord had commanded to be made by the hand
of Moses." Here we have the proper spirit and
manner of giving to the Lord for the purpose
of making a place of worship.
In the following chapter of Exodus we find
the result of this spirit and method of giving
brought out in a very striking way : '^ And all
the wise men, that wrought all the work of
the Sanctuary, came every man from his work
which they made ; and they spake unto Moses,
saying, The people bring much more than
enough for the service of the work which the
Lord commanded to make. And Moses gave
commandment, and they caused it to be pro-
claimed throughout the camp, saying. Let nei-
ther man nor woman make any more work for
the offering of the Sanctuary. So the people
were restrained from bringing. For the stuff
they had was sufficient for all the work to
make it, and too much." Would that we might
see something like this spirit among Christian
people at the present day! Alas, that under
Bible Giving. 311
the full ligHt of Gospel truth, we have so often
to be urged and pressed to do what is only sim-
ple duty, in giving for the erection of places
of worship ! When will we reach the ideal the
old Jews have put before us in connection with
this very matter ? Shall we ever have to say,
stop, friends, we have more than enough ? In
order to reach this position we must get nearer
the Bible basis of giving ; and by working out
the principles of Bible giving already set forth
I believe that we may yet see like liberality
among Christians. May the Lord hasten that
happy day !
In connection with the building of the
Temple we find the same spirit exercised in
the last chapter of the book of I Chronicles.
The account runs all through the chapter, but
is summarized in David's own words : ^' As for
me, in the uprightness of mine heart I have
willingly offered all these things : and now
have seen with joy thy people, which are pres-
ent here, to offer willingly to thee." Here all
the money and material were ready before the
work was undertaken, giving us the hint that
312 The Path to Wealth,
we should have the funds ready before we go
on to build our churches, and showing unto
us that if we have the right spirit the money
will be forthcoming. If this be attained, then
debts on church buildings would be unknown,
and the willing liberality of the people would
be amply sufficient to supply every need.
Many questionable methods of raising money
for church building purposes must stand con-
demned by these principles, but of these we
shall speak at length further on.
In the second place, we proceed to apply
these principles of Bible Giving to the Pew
Rent system. Concerning this system there is
little or nothing directly set forth in Scripture.
Neither in Tabernacle nor Temple service had
the custom of paying for a particular place any
existence. Nor do we read of any such method
of raising money in the early histor}^ of the
Church, contained in the Acts and hinted at in
the Epistles. If we desired to be very critical
in regard to the modern pew rent system we
might justly say that it is unscriptural, in the
sense at least that the Bible says nothing
Bible Giving. 313
whatever about it. To take this position, how-
ever, would not serve any useful purpose in
this discussion.
We shall rather seek to find out how far the
pew rent system agrees with the principles of
Bible Giving which have been already set
forth, in order to discover thereby whether it
is expedient for the Christian Church to adopt
it. If, after examination, it is found that the
pew rent system is not consistent with these
principles, then it will be a proper thing to en-
quire what system should be adopted.
It would lead us away from our subject too
far to give any extended history of the custom
of renting pews in churches, though such a
history would be of very great interest. We
find the custom existing as a fact, and that is
really all we need for our present purpose.
We find it existing in various forms. Some-
times it consists in a kind of ownership or en-
dowment. This arises in certain cases when
the church is built as the result of large sub-
scriptions or bequests made for the purpose of
its erection. Thus a person giving such be-
21
314 The Path to Wealth.
quest secures or is granted a right for himself,
and sometimes for his heirs after him, a kind
of vested or property right to a certain pew in
the Lord's house. There are many instances
of this in Britain, some in the United States,
and a few even in Canada.
Again, we find the pew rent system in the
form of a mere rental, with no real proprietor-
ship in it. This plan of working the system
takes different forms, some much more objec-
tionable than others. In some cases it is a
simple fixed rate, where so much is charged
for the sittings, and these singly or as whole
pews are let out to the applicants for them.
Then, under this plan in certain cases the front
or best pews will be held at a higher rental
than the rear ones or than those in the gallery.
The applicant then has the choice of the high-
priced or the low-priced location in the house
of God as he pleases or prefers.
In connection with the renting of the pews
the services of the auctioneer are sometimes
called for. This usually takes place in cjties,
and in connection with the financial manage-
Bible Giving.
315
ment of large and fashionable churclies with
popular pastors. We need not specify names
or places here, but no doubt most of the readers
of these pages have heard about these auction
RENTING PEWS AT AUCTION.
sales of pews. According to this plan of work-
ing the system, the choice pews will some-
times be run up to a high figure under the
pressure of keen competition, and we often
hear of incidents taking place in connection
3i6 The Path to Wealth.
with these pew sales which are not creditable
to religion.
Now, in all these cases we have the same
principles more or less distinctly involved. In
some of the cases cited the system is more ob-
jectionable than in others, but we do not hesi^
tate to affirm that in every form the pew rent
system is inconsistent with, and entirely op-
posed to the principles of Bible Giving which
we have already deduced from Scripture. We
may admit, that as managed in certain cases,
when prudent Christian men have charge of
it, and where the people are all or nearly all
in circumstances of comparative comfort, its
evil results may not be very apparent. But
if it be unscriptural, and hence wrong in prin-
ciple, it must be inexpedient and often injuri-
ous in practice. As nothing is said about it in
the Bible, it cannot be argued that the system
has scriptural authority. What we assert, how-
ever, concerning it is that, though nothing is
forbidden or enjoined concerning it in Scrip-
ture, yet it is opposed to plain inferences from
Scripture, and that its results, in very many
Bible Giving. 317
cases, are very hurtful to the best interests of
religion among all classes of a mixed commu-
nity. To show this we now proceed.
In the first place, the sy stern of renting peivs
is iriconsistent with the fulness and f'eeriess
of the Gospel. The Bible states distinctly that
the Gospel message is to be declared to all
classes of the people, and specially to the poor.
That the poor had the Gospel preached to them,
is adduced by our Lord as one of the proofs of
his Messiahship, in fulfilment of Old Testament
prophecy. If, therefore, the churches, by means
of a fixed pew rent, whether low or high, ren-
der it difficult, if not impossible, for a number
of poor people, to whom the Gospel message
is to be brought as well as to the rich, to attend
regularly the places where that message is de-
clared, then the system that does this in any
measure is not in harmony with the very spirit
of the Gospel.
That such is the effect of pew rents there
can be no doubt. Ten years' experience in the
pastorate has brought many cases of this kind
before my notice. People are poor and do not
3i8 The Path to Wealth.
attend cliurch. Ask them why, and, rightly
or wrongly, in many cases the answer given is
that they are not able to pay the required seat
rent ; and, rather than to go to God's house as
paupers, however welcomed by the people of the
church, they prefer to remain away. In many
cases of this kind, any little regard which such
poor people may have had for religion soon
dies out. The children grow up neglected, and
go too often to swell the ranks of the lapsed
masses, which in large cities present such a
difficult problem alike to the statesman and the
philanthropist. I feel that I cannot emphasize
too strongly this important point in its bearing
on the pew rent system. Woe to the system
which in any way contravenes the spirit of the
Gospel, or narrows the scope of its application !
In the second place, the pew rent system is
not in harmony with the Bible principles of
freewill and representation^ as already set
forth. The payment of a stated sum in a cer-
tain way, and for a certain purpose, renders it
dif&cult for the person making the payment
to look upon what he gives for pew rent as a
Bible Giving. 319
freewill offering. It comes upon him in the
form of pecuniary obligation, rather than from
him as a voluntary offering. It is not denied
but in some cases the pew renter may be able
to look upon his dues as such an offering, but
it does seem natural to conclude that it will
always require more than an ordinary amount
of divine light and grace to look upon such
payment in that way. In the majority of
cases, it is to be feared that the pew rent is
regarded as a kind of debt owed to the Board
of Management, rather than as an offering to
God. Hence, the idea of dedicating the amount
to God is not so present as it ought to be, and
as it is possible to have it. The feeling will
lurk in the mind, that the pew rent simply
means so much money for so much room in
church ; and the conviction that all we give
for the support of the permanent institutions
of religion, is a gift consecrated to God, will
be further removed from the mind than it
should be. The effect of this upon the spirit-
ual life of the person making the payment will
be far from helpful.
320 The Path to Wealth.
It follows from what has just been said, that
the principle of representation cannot have,
under the pew rent system, such a large place
as the Bible gives it. If a man pays his pew
rent as a mere financial transaction, the money
paid cannot represent so fully as is desirable
the devout and earnest feelings of the very
soul of the giver. As we have already seen,
the gifts we make to the Lord have value in
proportion as those feelings are imported into
the gifts, and expressed by them. A man
may pay a large sum as pew rent, but if he
pays it with a kind of grudge, there is then
no proper and acceptable feelings represented
by the payment. It is these suitable feelings,
rather than the mere material wealth as such,
that God is pleased with ; and our gifts, to
have value in the treasury of heaven, must
represent such feelings. This again will have
an effect on our spiritual life. In proportion as
a man feels that his very heart is represented
in his gifts, will he grow in grace.
In the third place, the pew rent system in-
troduces an unscriptural distinction between
Bible Giving. 321
the rich and poor. The rich man can pay for
the best pew, and the poor man must be con-
tent with the inferior location in church. The
consequence is that all the wealthier people
are gathered together in one place, and those
not so well off are grouped together in another.
The result is sure to be that the richer people
will tend to despise the poorer, and the poorer
people will incline to envy the richer in the
house of God. This separation between the
two classes — found more or less in every con-
gregation — will be carried out into everything
connected with church work and Christian
fellowship, and many churches to-day lament
what they say that the}^ cannot help, and
what we believe to be due in some measure
to the pew rent system. If these evil effects
follow the working of that system, and if
the mone}' needed for church purposes can
be raised in other ways, as we believe it can,
then there is good reason for abolishing the
system.
While we advocate this position, we do not
shut our eyes to the fact that in the nature of
322
The Path to Wealth.
things there are distinctions in society, and
various classes among men ; but we do main-
tain that the place, of all others, where these
worldly distinctions should least obtain, is the
place of divine worship and religious ordi-
nance. The rich and poor are to meet together
here, and on common ground ; and as needy
men and women before God are they to as-
semble themselves together for worship and
instruction. The rich man is not to pride
himself in his worldly goods, and despise the
poor man ; nor should the poor man be envi-
ous or jealous of the rich man. Stripped of
all earthly distinctions they should both seek
to appear before God as men, and as sinful,
needy men sensible of common wants.
It is to be feared that churches sometimes
unconsciously foster this spirit which we are
condemning, by paying a little more attention
to, and making a little more of, a rich man
and his family than of a poor man and his
family. If any are to have special attention
shown and interest taken in them, it should
surely be the poor rather than the rich ; and,
Bible Giving, 323
if ministers and chUrclies forget this or act in
the opposite way, the lines of distinction al-
ready naturally existing will be made all the
more painfully manifest. No church should
" have men's persons in admiration because of
advantage," and special care should be taken
to avoid treating lightly " the poor of this
world who are rich in faith and heirs of the
kingdom which He hath promised to them
that love Him."
The Apostle James in the second chapter of
his Epistle clearly has this in view when he
says: " My brethren, have not the faith of our
Lord Jesus Christ with respect of persons. For
if there come into your assembly a man with
a gold ring, in goodly apparel, and there come
in also a poor man in vile raiment ; and ye
have respect unto him that weareth the gay
clothing, and say unto him, Sit thou here in a
good place ; and say to the poor, Stand thou
there, or sit here under my footstool." It is
to be feared that too often this striking de-
scription is fulfilled to the letter almost in
some of our modern churches, and that the
324
The Path to Wealth.
evil here spoken of is due in some measure at
least to the system of renting pews. To avoid
any danger in this respect, it is far better to
have the pews all free, with no fixed rental
and no permanent ownership. If class dis-
tinctions do arise, then the churches by their
mode of raising money will not be to blame for
it. No one will complain of unfair treatment,
and no excuse will be left to any man for not
attending religious services.
In the last place, the pew rent system is
unequal or unfair in its operation. Accord-
ing to this system a certain sum of money is
expected for a certain amount of room in the
sanctuary. Now, suppose there are two men
possessed of the same means, and able to pay
the same sum for the support of religious or-
dinances ; and suppose further, that the one
has no family, and the other has a large fam-
ily. The one may need only two sittings, and
the other six, or a whole pew, perhaps. In the
working out of the pew rent S3^stem, the one
is required to pay only one-third the amount
of the other, while they are of equal financial
Bible Giving. 325
ability. If they should seek to harmonize
matters by each taking and paying for four
sittings, then the man with no family would
be appropriating room which he did not re-
quire, and the man with the large family
would not have sufficient room for all his
household. In my experience I have often
found the latter to be the case. Good sensi-
tive people, who shrink from occupying any
more room in church than they can pay for,
where the pew rent is in vogue, are compelled
to leave certain members of the family at
home every day, and the result is irregular
attendance, and all the evils arising therefrom.
If the seats on the other hand are free, in
the sense that whether a man is able to pay a
large or small sum, he shall have enough room
for himself and all his family, all difficulty on
this score is avoided. And the rich man, too,
whether he need one sitting only or a whole
pew, is then free to give according to his abil-
ity ; and, in doing so, it may be that he will
give what would be equal to the rental of two
whole pews. In this way equality and fair-
326 The Path to Wealth.
ness would be secured to a far greater extent
than is possible under the ordinary pew rent
plan.
The effort which some churches make to
overcome these difficulties by having, in the
gallery or in some corner, certain seats marked
'' free," cannot be called a success. Nor does
it deserve to be a success. No person with
any independent spirit, no matter how poor
he may be, cares to have his poverty declared
openly, by being put away in the pews " free
for the poor." It is surely better far to make
the room all really free in God's house, and
have all the money needed raised by volun-
tary offerings. This is now generally done in
the case of missionary money, and why not
adopt the same method for the ordinary reve-
nue to support religious ordinances ? By doing
so there is little doubt that more money would
be forthcoming, and that people would feel
their giving to be less burdensome because
properly equalized ; and above all the people
would feel that whether they gave much or
little they were giving not to a Church Board,
Bible Giving. 327
or for so much sitting room, but for the sup-
port of religious ordinances, and as an offering
to God.
We cannot in the limits of this paper pur-
sue this very important topic further, though
many other points might be profitably consid-
ered. We conclude that the pew rent system
should be abolished as a means of raising
money for the maintenance of Gospel ordi-
nances in the congregation. The reasons we
have adduced are amply sufficient, we believe,
to show that the system is not in harmony
with the spirit of the Gospel, nor consistent
with the principles of Bible Giving as already
set forth. There is, we believe, " a more ex-
cellent way " of raising the money needed.
In the third place, we proceed to consider
the various indi7'ect methods^ by means of
which money is raised for religious purposes.
In the later ages of Christianity there has
grown up a great system, which may be called
the commercial^ or quid pro quo system of
getting money for Church purposes. We find
this system ready to adapt itself to almost
328 The Path to Wealth.
any circumstances, and prepared to invent
any and every expedient by which money may
be obtained from saint and sinner alike. The
devices of this system are ingenious, and some-
times quite sensational. It is to be feared
also, that the methods by which it works will
sometimes not bear careful scrutiny, nor stand
the test of even honest business transactions.
It is time the Christian Church was thoroughly
aroused on this subject, and brought back to
the Bible method of giving for the cause of
religion. There are signs of awakening in
some quarters already, and we trust that the
movement against this system of indirect giv-
ing may go on until it is banished from the
Christian Church entirely.
To make plain what we mean, it may be
necessary to describe some of the main forms
this system assumes, and then we shall exam-
ine these in the light of the principles of Bible
Giving already unfolded.
In describing some of these indirect methods
in order, we may first mention the bazaar^
which is usually regarded as a somewhat
Bible Giving, 329
respectable institution, and even capable of
being used in a very proper way to raise money
for religious objects. The bazaar appears in
many forms ; some very simple and unadorned,
others elaborate and imposing in their nature.
The idea of the bazaar in general is, that
there will be made a great variety of articles,
useful and ornamental, and these will be ex-
posed for sale at a certain time and place.
These articles are usually in charge of some
energetic ladies, who seek to make the best pos-
sible sale of them, and thus realize as much
money as possible for the good object in view.
To enumerate all the species of the bazaar
race, would be out of the question. We have
the bazaar in general, and the special bazaar.
The special bazaar may be an apron bazaar, a
necktie bazaar, or a doll bazaar. Along with
the bazaar, as a kind of adopted child, we
sometimes find the autograph quilt, with so
much charged for having one's name put in
it, and then the whole sold for a handsome
price. In this way a sort of double price is
obtained from it.
330 The Path to Wealth.
Then we may next mention the Soiree^ or
Tea-meeting. In connection with it the peo-
ple come together to eat and drink, and to be
entertained with music and addresses. Some-
times the provisions are all bought for the
meal provided ; in other cases the people pro-
vide all or nearly all the supplies. For days
before, there will be baking and cooking,
boiling and roasting to no end. On the occa-
sion of the tea-meeting, the crowd will gather
from all quarters, and Jew and Gentile will
mingle together, and for a time the sanctuary
of the Lord is turned into a place of feasting
and merriment. I need not describe this in-
stitution at length, for every reader has had
opportunity, no doubt, of beholding it in full
force in his community. The idea of the tea-
meeting is to raise money, and to get a social
hour together; but the financial element is
usually so prominent, that the social is largely
overlooked.
Then we have, next, the Church Social^ or
Sociable. This is a kind of minor, or half-
grown tea-meeting. It is sometimes held in
Bible Giving. 331
the house as a parlor social, and it sometimes
goes to the church and invades the sacred
place of worship. Every conceivable kind of
refreshment and amusement, and many methods
of raising money are pressed into service.
Money is too often obtained in very strange
ways, which need not be here enumerated.
Then the Concert and Lecture^ though in
many respects much better than the institu-
tions already named, must after all be men-
tioned in the same category, if used to raise
money. Thus, if a church wishes to raise
money, it will get some celebrated lecturer, or
musical troupe, and pay for their service a
large fee perhaps, relying on the good fortune
which may give them a balance, after paying
all expenses, to go into the treasury of the
Lord's cause.
Then, worst of all, we have the Church Lot-
tery. This worldly and wicked affair some-
times puts on the garb of religion, and endea-
vors to pass itself off as a proper method of
raising money for the Lord's cause. Along
with the lottery we couple the cake and cane
332
The Path to Wealth.
competitions. A fine cake is made ; two young
ladies are set up, and votes at a fixed price
for each are called for and taken, as long as
people are found who are willing to buy the
\ \ wf
CAKE VOTING.
votes. The cake then goes to the lady who
has the most votes, and the money is dedicated
to some religious object. In the other case a
handsome cane is procured, and two public
men, usually on opposite sides of politics, are
Bible Giving. 333
named, and votes are taken at a certain price
for each as long as one is found willing to take
and pay for a vote. The successful politician
gets the cane, and the church treasury is
swelled by the money thus gotten.
This very brief sketch will bring before
the reader the general outline of the indir-ect
methods of raising money for the purposes of
religion. We must now enquire whether these
methods are consistent with the principles of
Bible Giving. We are satisfied that a little
careful consideration will show that all these
methods are unscriptural ways of raising
money to support the ordinances of religion,
and to carry on the Lord's work. A few brief
remarks may suffice to show this.
In the first place, they are all ifidirect^ not
direct ways of giving. From the side of the
giver, he may often never give one thought of
the object towards which his money is to go.
One buys his bazaar article perhaps at double
its real value, and that ends the matter so far
as he is concerned. Another gets his supper,
hears the music, or pays for his vote, and goes
334 The Path to Wealth.
his way with not another thought of a religious
nature ever in his mind. We maintain that
the principles of Bible Giving require us to
give directly to the Lord. All our givings, to
have religious meaning so far as the giver is
concerned, must be given or dedicated to the
Lord. They must be gifts made intention-
ally to Him, and we maintain that all indirect
methods of giving render this almost im-
possible.
On the part of the church receiving money
made in this way, it may be admitted that such
money will do some good. If the financial
transaction was an honest business one, and if
the money obtained is dedicated in a proper
way by the church getting it, that money may
do good. But at the same time, the church
adopting these indirect methods, even the very
best of them, is educating her own people and
outsiders in a wrong way of supporting the in-
terests of religion. Such being the case, it is
far better for the church to abolish all such
methods, and seek to have all giving direct in
its nature. Then the teaching effect on the
Bible Giving. 335
people will be good, and the offering can be
made more readily as an offering unto the
Lord, to come up as a sweet smelling savour
before Him.
In the second place, all these methods are
inconsistent with the p^eewill pinnciple^ which
should mark all offerings made for religious
purposes. On the part of the person who
gives money at a bazaar, soiree, social or con-
cert, it is a 'mere business transaction. He
gives so much, and gets so much in return.
It is a transaction between man and man, and
nothing more. Then, on the part of the church
obtaining such money, the freewill element
cannot be present in the same way as if the
people gave freely and spontaneously. It may
even be doubted whether the church is justi-
fied in going outside of her own people to get
money for religious purposes. Some excellent
people are inclined to favor this view. But
leaving this aside, we are convinced that the
freewill element in our offerings is destroyed
by these methods, and therefore they are un-
scriptural in their character. It is said, of
336 The Path to Wealth.
course, that money is obtained in this way
which would not be secured in any other ; but
if the money is drawn from the people in any
indirect way, the Bible ideal is not reached,
and the offering can in no sense be termed a
freewill offering. This is a very important
point, and it condemns all these modes of
getting money.
In the third place, some of these methods are
in themselves wrongs and should never be men-
tioned in connection with religion or the sanc-
tuary. In this category we must place all
kinds of church lottery, no matter how refined
and seemingly pious the method may be. All
sorts of raffle sales, where fancy prices are often
extorted by schemes nothing less than im-
moral, are likewise to be classed here. Every
species of cake and cane competition, where
money is taken without scruple, and no proper
value given in return, comes under condemna-
tion here.
In regard to these and all kindred methods
we need only say, that, if they are wrong in
themselves, then their use to raise money for
REJECTING MEAT OFFERED TO IDOLS. I COR. VIII.
337)
338 The Path to Wealth.
church purposes must be wrong. To use them
under the garb of religion can never sanctify
those things which, in their very nature, are
inherently wrong, or essentially unholy. It is
one of the everlasting disgraces of the Chris-
tian Church that she will tolerate schemes of
raising money which the ordinary business
morality of the world will utterly condemn.
Surely this should be remedied without delay,
for there can be no doubt that great harm has
been done to the interests of religion by the
very methods we are now denouncing. Let
every lover of Christ's cause seek to keep un-
sullied the pure morality which He inculcates ;
and specially in all plans for raising money in
support of His cause, let every church by her
plans, and every Christian by his actions,
keep up the standard of the morality of the
Gospel, and of Christian conduct.
In the fourth place, these methods of indi-
rect giving are in danger of leading people
to think that the end justifies the means. These
various plans, having in view raising money
for a good object, tend to lead people to over-
Bible Giving. 339
look, or to try to jiistif}^, the means taken to
get the money. Aloney is needed, sometimes
very much needed, and the people are nig-
gardly in giving, so that some scheme, more
or less doubtful in its morality and as novel
as possible, is set on foot to secure the money.
If the money comes, by fair means or foul,
people will shut their e^^es to the real nature
of the means, and rest satisfied that, as they
think, the end has been secured.
We need not spend many words in exposing
this vicious principle, which, alike in ethics
and theology, has had too often a place and an
influence in the councils of Christian people.
If a thing is wrong or unholy in itself, no pur-
pose — good or bad — for which it is used, can
make it right or hol}^ If the opposite were
true, then all sorts of crimes might be justified
in the name of religion, and even murder
might be considered a divine service. In the
case of these indirect methods of getting money
for religious purposes at church fairs and in
other ways, there is great danger that this
false view of the relation between means and
340 The Path to Wealth,
end, which we now condemn, is put W^ore the
minds of the people. This danger constitutes a
strong objection to them all.
In the fifth place, these methods tend to check
the free and spontaneous liberality of the people.
If money is needed for any religious object,
instead of giving the sum directly, the people
say, Come now, let us get up a church fair, a
bazaar, or a tea-meeting, or something else !
Let us get all the money we can, even from
people outside the church ! Let us do some-
thing that will draw the crowds, and enable us
to draw their money ! Let us also take good
care that our own purses do not suffer ! If we
can get all we need from other sources, we
may just as well save our own money for some
other purpose ! Who has not heard talk like
this ?
It is easy to see that the result of this is to
dry up the springs of liberality in the people
themselves ; and the longer this is allowed to
go on, the less liberal people will become, until
we find the meanest people in the world in the
Church, which surely is the last place on earth
Bible Giving, 341
to look for the meanest man. Many a church
is suffering to-day on account of this very
thing, and it often takes many years, and
much earnest teaching, to again develop the
spirit of spontaneous Christian liberality, and
turn its streams into the proper channels. If
we would guard against these evil conse-
quences, let us away with all these indirect
ways of raising money, and let us seek to cul-
tivate, in ourselves and others, the spirit of
hearty and cheerful giving directly unto the
Lord, and to the support of religious ordi-
nances and mission work.
In the last place, it may be seriously doubted
whether, after all, these methods are really the
cheapest in the end. Take a church fair or a
bazaar, and count carefully the material used,
the work put on that material, and the time
occupied in connection with the making and
sale of the various articles prepared for sale, and
I doubt very much if the amount would not be
more than is actually realized from their actual
sale. In like manner, let the cost of the pro-
visions prepared for a tea-meeting, together with
342 The Path to Wealth,
all the various items of time and expense, be
reckoned up, and I venture to think that in most
cases it would have been cheaper to have given
the money directly to the good cause at first. It
does seem a curious thing to do, for people first
to give the provisions, and then go some dis-
tance to God's house and there pay to eat it.
Better, surely, to eat the provisions at home,
and give the money without further trouble to
the Lord's cause.
If people wish to give the result of their
work, or anything else, to the Lord for re-
ligious purposes, it is far best to convert that
result into money, and give that money for
the good object in view, whatever it may be.
Let people make the articles they prepare for
the church fair or bazaar, and sell them at the
market price in a purely business way. The
money thus obtained would then be the prop-
erty of those who sold the articles, and could
be given as their property freely, directly and
unreservedly to the support of any good cause.
This would also secure the very desirable re-
sult that buying and selling, eating and drink-
Bible Giving, 343
ing, would not be carried on in or about the
sanctuary, and all danger of our deserving the
treatment which Christ meted out to the money
changers and dove sellers in the Temple will
then be averted.
Every one who has a tender regard towards
the place of worship, where God has put His
name and has promised to meet with His
people, will surely lend a helping hand to bring
about this condition of affairs ; and all who
cherish a spirit of sincere reverence towards
the place where their minds are occupied with
holy thoughts, and their hearts stirred with
devout emotions, will do all in their power to
remove everything which is not in keeping
with the proper sanctity of that place.
It only remains to be added, that in all I
have said, I do not wish to be understood as
saying a single word against the careful de-
velopment of the social element in connection
with our church life and work. It must be
confessed that there is often a lack of this in
many congregations. Strangers are not made
to feel at home, no great interest is taken in
344 The Path to Wealth.
those who are in trouble, and the stream of
warm Christian sympathy is not allowed to
flow freely in its rightful channels. Religion
has perhaps suffered not a little from the cold-
ness and indifference of its professors.
To secure this social and friendly inter-
course, and to give the members of a congre-
gation an opportunity of getting acquainted
with each other — and particularly with new
comers — a pleasant gathering at the church,
and in the lecture room there, held from time
to time, is of the utmost importance and value.
At such meetings a little light refreshment
might be served, and the meeting given almost
entirely to making acquaintanceships, and in-
terchange of friendly Christian feeling. This
can be secured far best when not a word is
said about money, and when it is no part of
the object of the meeting to raise money. The
effort to combine the two things — social inter-
course and money raising — is usually a failure,
so far at least as the members of the congre-
gation are concerned. Let the money required
for church purposes be given in accordance
Bible Giving. ' 34 r
with the principles of Bible Giving already
obtained from Scripture, and let care be taken
to develop the warm sympathetic social life of
the congregation, and we venture to say that
a far healthier state of matters will soon exist
in regard to everything pertaining to religion
and philanthropy.
23
CHAPTER II.
Bible Giving: Its Rule.
I NOW come to the second part of the dis-
cussion, in which, at no great length, I shall
make an attempt to unfold the Rule^ according
to which our giving to religious and other kin-
dred objects should be regulated. This is a
very necessary thing to have settled ; for a per-
son may have a very clear knowledge of the
Nature of Christian Giving, and be possessed
with an earnest desire to do what was right
in regard thereto ; and yet, if ignorant of the
Rule by which his giving should be regulated,
he will be at a loss to know when he has
really discharged his duty properly in this
matter. In a few brief pages we now endeavor
to give some directions on this point.
And here, as in the former case, I shall take
the reader to the Bible, and try to gather its
general teaching on the subject of the Rule of
Bible Giving. Much of our giving is in the
(347)
348 The Path to Wealth,
dark, and often good people give without any
kind of rule or system to guide them. They
are often moved by circumstances rather than
by intelligence, and sometimes they are af-
fected by personal considerations rather than
by the teaching of God's Word. The result
is, that the real giving power of God's people
is never brought out, and the burden too often
falls on the few, instead of being distributed
over the many.
Many questions arise in connection with
this subject, but we can only take up the
three main ones. These are : First, how much
should be given — what proportion of our in-
come ? Secondly, where should we give — at
any particular place ? Thirdly, when should
we give — at any definite time ? To these three
questions we now turn the attention of the
reader, and we will consider each in a separate
section.
Bible Giving, 349
SECTION I.
The Rule of Giving : Hoiu Much ?
From a practical point of view, this is one
of the most important questions which come
before us in this paper. The giving power of
the Christian Church has never yet been at
all fully developed, and much of the giving is
very unintelligent and desultory. At the same
time there are some good men who are giving
largely to the Lord's cause, and yet the total
result is very meagre indeed, when we reckon
what it is per head, even of professing Chris-
tians. Sometimes only a dollar or two is given
for the support of religion at home, and merely
a few cents to send the Gospel to the heathen.
For one dollar spent on religion, we often find
even Christian people spending ten on selfish
indulgence.
We are satisfied that if the rule and system
could be fully introduced into the mode of
our Christian giving, much more money would
be raised, and no one would feel that he was
350 The Path to Wealth,
more burdened, than under the existing con-
dition of things. One great need of the Church
is greater system in the method of her liber-
ality. The general spirit of the Christian
community may be in a measure alive to the
importance of the grace of liberality ; yet,
either through imperfect information as to
the need, or through defective plan in regard
to the way of opening up the channel for this
liberality to flow freely, this spirit does not
manifest itself as it otherwise might. What is
needed, therefore, is the diffusion of informa-
tion regarding the spiritual need of the world,
and a good system or definite rule for getting
the money required for religious purposes.
In setting forth a few things on the rule of
Christian Giving, there are two points which
call for special attention. The first relates to
the propriety of all giving proportionately
according as the Lord sends worldly pros-
perity. The second refers to the precise pro-
portion of income which should be given, and
raises the important topic of tithing^ or giving
at least one-tenth of our income.
Bible Giving. 351
In regard to the first of these points, only
a few brief remarks may be made. One of
the great weaknesses in our Christian liber-
ality meets us here. In almost every congre-
gation we find that a comparatively small
number give the larger part of the money
which is contributed for religious purposes.
This is specially true of what is given to the
support of missions at home and abroad.
Take almost any subscription list to missions,
and you will find that perhaps one-tenth of
the contributors give over one-half of the
amount given, while perhaps one-half of the
contributors give so little that it is not worth
while taking it into account, when their means
and ability are considered.
And it is not always the richest that give
the most. Sometimes, in some places often,
we find those who are in the medium circum-
stances of life giving the highest average,
while in not a few cases the working man
gives far more than his wealthy employer, in
proportion to their respective abilities. The
introduction of some good system, by means
352
The Path to Wealth,
of whicli the stream of voluntary liberality
might have opportunity to flow in from every
source, large and small, in the Christian com-
munity, would be a great boon.
The second, and main point of which we
wish to speak here, when dealing with this
phase of the rule of Christian Giving, is the
Tithing System. The adoption of this system
would do a great deal, we believe, to remedy
the evils just alluded to, and it is surely
worthy of serious consideration by Christians
who sincerel}^ desire to do what is right in the
matter of liberality.
This system is often alluded to in the Bible;
and, in so far as any definite rule is laid down
in Scripture, in regard to the proportion to be
given to religious objects, is concerned, we have
this in the tithe. It has, therefore, general
scriptural authority ; and, if not absolutely
binding as a positive law, it is of great use in
giving to each individual Christian conscience
the proper rule to follow. The fact that it is
enjoined in the Old Testament and not re-
pealed in the New, is also of significance, and
Bible Giving. 353
the titliing system, which consists in giving
the tenth of onr income to the Lord, should
not be lightly set aside, as in no way related to
the duty of a man, in regard to giving under
the Christian dispensation.
It is worthy of special remark, for we can-
not speak at length of this subject, that the
giving of a tenth in connection with the insti-
tutions of religion is a custom much older
than the Mosaic Law. It comes before us in
the days of Abraham, when Melchizedek of-
fered him tithes of all the spoil. From the
way in which this is spoken of, it seems to
have been a custom well understood at that
time. When the Law was given by Moses,
this tithing system was incorporated with the
Mosaic Code, and given a larger scope therein.
Then, during the history of the Jews, down
even to the days of Malachi, when they de-
clined in their religious life, one of the things
which they were condemned for neglecting
was the giving of tithes to the Lord. In the
New Testament, when the Apostle is enjoin-
ing systematic giving, it seems reasonable to
354 T^^^ Path to Wealth.
suppose that the people were so familiar with
this rule, that there was no need of such spe-
cial reference to it as we would naturally ex-
pect there would be, if it were an entirely new
thing in the Christian Church.
We also find hints of the same rule of giving
in the religious customs of heathen nations.
Amongst the Arabians and early Phoenicians
this custom prevailed. The rule amongst the
Egyptians was one-fifth, or a double tithe.
How are we to regard these customs ? It
seems at least reasonable to suppose that these
heathen customs have come down from early
times, when, perhaps as the result of a very
early revelation, God made this rule known to
men. They are thus the shadows of a great
reality, or the echoes, as the sacrifices are, of
a very early voice, which spoke from heaven
a great fact, and found in man's need a ready
response thereto.
These two considerations, one from Scrip-
ture and the other from the pagan religions,
justify us, we believe, in putting the tithing
requirement on the grounds of natural, a3
Bible Giving, 355
distinct from positive religion. By this is
meant, that the giving of the tenth of one's
income is a duty which springs out of the
very relation which exists, in the nature of
the case, between God as Creator, and man as
creature. If this be so, the tithe is really in-
dependent of, and antecedent to, the Mosaic
Law, and is binding universally upon men,
and thus the Christian is living under this
rule. It must be his duty, therefore, to con-
form his voluntary giving to this rule, and in
all his freewill offerings he should never for-
get that the tenth is the minimum which it is
to be expected that he should give.
Of course we do not advocate the tithe as
a tax, which the State may levy as a rate
upon the people for religious purposes, in the
same way as our municipal and other direct
taxes are levied upon us. This would be in-
consistent with the principles of Bible Giving
as already laid down, and would be sure to
lead to confusion and difficulty. We simply
present it as the rule by which the liberality
of the Christian may be intelligently directed.
356 The Path to Wealth,
It means that a man with an income of one
thousand dollars shall pay one hundred for
the support of religion. It means that a con-
gregation of one hundred and fifty families,
with an average income of five hundred dol-
lars each, and having thus an aggregate in-
come of seventy-five thousand dollars, would
give seven thousand five hundred dollars to
the Lord's cause. How many come up to this
proportion, I wonder ? and yet this is only the
minimum of what I believe we should give.
The benefits arising from the adoption of
the tithing system are very many, but we
have not time to set them forth at length.
We may merely mention some which, I trust,
will commend this rule of giving to the earnest
and prayerful consideration of the reader.
In the first place, it would secure system in
our giving. The poor man, with his limited
income, would give his tenth ; and the rich
man, with his large income, will give his also.
In the second place, the giver will be able to
act intelligently in snaking his offerings. He
will know what he ought to give, and will not
Bible Giving. 357
be troubled debating the subject of the amount
he should give every time he makes a contri-
bution.
In the third place, it will put at our dis-
posal such an increased sum of money ^ that the
treasury of the Lord^s cause will be much better
filled than it now is. I am sure I am quite
within the mark when I say that the amount
would be more than doubled. Our religious
institutions would be much better supported
at home, and we could do far more in mission
work. The tithe would revolutionize matters
in this connection.
In the fourth place, the experience of those
who have tried it is that it is a blessing. To
scores of testimonies that might be quoted here,
I can add my own, to the effect that ever since
I adopted this rule of giving, my income has
increased. Surely it is true in this connection,
that " there is which scattereth and yet in-
creaseth.'^ Never has one confessed that his
temporal affairs were injured by adopting the
tithing system as the Christian rule.
In the last place, the experience of those
358 The Path to Wealth.
who give the tenth is that they are benefited
spiritually^ a^id enjoy giving as they never did
before. This is one of the best tests of its ex-
cellence. Anything which advances our spir-
itual interests is surely, by that very fact,
stamped as having divine approval and sanc-
tion. We do, therefore, put in a strong plea
for the tithing system, and will rejoice to see
many of God's people adopting it.
SECTION II.
1 he Rule of Giving : Where?
This question need not detain us very long,
yet it is worthy of serious consideration. The
answer to this question will in a measure de-
termine what the nature of the act of giving
really is, while a proper understanding of the
nature of giving for religious purposes will
help us to understand the proper place to make
our offering. Is giving for such purposes a
religious act ? Is it an act of worship ? If it
be, then the proper place to perform that act is
in connection with the services of God's house,
Bible Giving, 359
and we should regard it as an act of worship.
The paying of pew rent as a kind of business
transaction during the week, or even the giving
of missionary money to collectors, effective as
this latter plan may be, does not lift up our
giving to its proper place as an act of worship.
It is evident, also, that all the various methods
of indirect giving, such as church fairs and
similar institutions involve, can scarcely, in the
nature of the case, be made acts of worship,
and hence these stand condemned on this
ground, as well as on the other grounds al-
ready mentioned.
Brief reference to the Mosaic Law confirms
the opinion that our giving for religious pur-
poses is an act of worship. This is involved
in the general fact, that all gifts made by the
Jews were to be laid down by the altar and
consecrated to God. The altar was the way
to God for sinful man to present himself and
his gifts unto God, and it was thus the cen-
tral point for worship. All offerings made
there were sacred, and the act involved in
presenting the gifts was an act of worship.
360 The Path to Wealth,
In later times among the Jews, we find the
Temple the great centre round which the
worship of the people was gathered, and all
the gifts for religious and benevolent pur-
poses were to be brought to the Temple, and
dedicated to the Lord there. What was given
for the support of the priests was brought
there, and consecrated to the Lord first of all.
This gives the hint that what is given for the
support of the Gospel ministry should be re-
garded as a gift to God, for the maintenance
of the permanent institutions of religion. Even
what was given for the relief of the poor and
needy was also brought to the temple, and
given to the Lord, as it were, for the purposes
of benevolence. This gives us the hint that
charity is also a religious act, and should be
so regarded in relation to the Lord's deserving
poor.
In the New Testament, we find collections
of various kinds spoken of, and you will ob-
serve that they all have close connection with
religion and the place of worship. In the
opening verses of the sixteenth chapter of I
Bible Giving.
361
Corinthians, we read : " Now concerning the
collection for the saints, as I have given order
to the churches of Galatia, even so do ye.
Upon the first day of the week let every one
of you lay by him in store, as God has pros-
ST. PAUL WRITING.
pered him, that there be no gathering when
I come. And when I am come, whomsoever
ye shall approve by your letters, them will I
send to bring your liberality to Jerusalem."
In this passage it is clear that the offerings
24
362 The Path to Wealth.
were to be made on the Christian Sabbath,
here called the first day of the week. It is
altogether likely that, as the early Christians
met for worship and religious edification that
day, the offerings would be made in connec-
tion with these services. It is also hinted
that the matter of giving should be attended
to with careful forethought, and not left to
mere chance, nor to the hurried subscription
list.
From these considerations it follows that
the proper place to make all offerings for the
purposes of religion is the sanctuary, and at a
religious service. Here, not at some man's
of&ce or house, should all that is needed to pay
the minister's salary and to provide for the
running expenses oY the church and Sabbath
school be given. Here, rather than by mis-
sionary collectors, should all money given for
missions be contributed. In this way, we are
satisfied our giving would be looked upon, not
simply as a mere business transaction, but
would be regarded as an act of worship. The
exercise of the grace of liberality in this way
Bible Giving. 363
would be a far nobler and more spiritual act
than it is often considered to be, and in pro-
portion as it is regarded as an act of worship
will our suitable feelings be expressed by that
act, and in turn we will find benefit and derive
pleasure from our giving to every religious ob-
ject. It is important that congregations, by
the methods they adopt for raising their money
for various purposes, should keep in view the
great truth we are now setting forth. In no
case should they do anything to encourage the
merely commercial spirit in the method in
which the contributions are made. But we
cannot dwell longer on this practical topic, and
would close by commending it to the careful
and prayerful consideration of the Christian
community.
SECTION III.
The Rule of Giving : When f
The only question which now remains is as
to the time at which, and frequency with which,
the offerings should be made. From the gen-
364 The Path to Wealth.
eral references to the offering of gifts in the
Old Testament, it would appear that no re-
ligious service was unaccompanied with offer-
ings of some kind. The Jewish ritual clearly
involved this. In the Book of Psalms we find
it written more than once : ^' Bring an offering,
and come into His courts." Such passages
clearly imply that, when the people came on
the Sabbath, at the annual feasts and at
other sacred times, they Avere to come with de-
votion in their hearts and an offering in their
hands.
In like manner, in the New Testament, the
passage already quoted in the preceding sec-
tion exhorts Christian people to make their
offerings on the first day of the week, which is
the Lord's day or the Christian Sabbath. The
inference, further, is that this should be done
every Lord's day, and at all religious services,
and that everything so given should be dedi-
cated to the Lord in this way. Whether it be
money to build a church, pay the pastor, or
support colleges and missionaries, I am con-
vinced that it should all be made as a volun-
Bible Giving. 365
tary offering at the sanctuary, and consecrated
to the Lord thereby.
What emerges in this connection, as the
reader may already perceive, is the system of
Weekly Offerings. By this system we believe
the spirit of Christian liberality can be best
fostered, and the Bible Rule of giving will be
best followed. Equality and system will be
secured in the givings of the people, and they
in turn will feel the amount to be less and
more easily given than under any system yet
adopted. I am fully convinced that all our
giving for the support of Christ's cause at
home and abroad should be given in weekly
instalments, and at the public services of the
sanctuary.
I need not enter into a discussion as to the
details of working out this system. It abolishes
pew rents and makes all offerings purely free-
will in their nature. If one man can give
twenty cents a week, and needs five sittings in
church, let this be his portion ; if another can
give a dollar a week, and needs but three sit-
tingSj let that be the arrangement for him.
366 The Path to Wealth.
And in regard to missions, let each one reckon
carefully what he can give per week, and let
this be laid aside and given every week, and
the result at the end of the year will be an
astonishment to everybody.
THE ENVELOPE SYSTEM.
The use of envelopes, one set for ordinary
purposes and another for missionary money,
makes the system simple and easily worked,
and the uniform experience of those who have
tried this plan is that it is far the best from
every point of view. Even if there were no
Bible Giving, 367
such Scripture as there is in its favor, we are
sure that expediency would indicate that this
is the best method of raising money. I am
aware that there are prejudices against it in
certain quarters, yet I am sure that, when it is
universally adopted by the churches, a great
advance will be made in the matter of Chris-
tian liberality. My space only permits me to
commend the envelope or weekly offering sys-
tem to the earnest consideration of Christian
people. If rightly managed, I am satisfied
from experience that it will commend itself
wherever adopted.
Conclusion.
We need only add a line or two in conclu-
sion. We have tried to set forth the teaching
of Scripture in regard to the important duty and
privilege of giving of our means to the Lord
for the support of His cause. We have en-
titled this paper " Bible Giving," and have
dealt with its essential nature^ and have un-
folded its proper rule.
In regard to its nature, we have found in
368 The Path to Wealth.
Old Testament and "New five important prin-
ciples. These are the following: ownership of
our gifts, dedication to God in the act of giv-
ing, freewill in the spirit in which we give,
first-fruits in regard to that which is given,
and representation in regard to the real mean-
ing of the gift. In the application of these
principles to several modem customs in regard
to giving to the Lord's cause, we dealt with
church debts, the pew rent system, and the
various methods of indirect giving. It was
seen that church debts are a very bad thing,
that pew rents should be abolished, and that
all indirect methods of raising money should
be given up. All giving should be a freewill
offering, made of our best gifts to the Lord, as
an expression of our devout feelings towards
Him and His cause.
In the second part of the paper we treated of
the Rule of Bible giving, and took up three
points in regard to it. First, the amount to be
given ; secondly, the place where the gift should
be made ; and, thirdly, the tiyne when the oflfer-
ings should be presented. In reply to the first
MISS ANC.KLA GKOKGINA BURDETT CUUTTS.
A Christiau lady, who inherited a fortune of between two and
three million pounds sterling. She has spent this enormous sum
in works of charity, and for the extension of Christ's kingdom,
and is the founder and supporter of several diocesan missions.
She was born in Kngland in 1814, and is still living.
(369)
370 The Path to Wealth,
question, we set forth the tithing system as the
rule for the amount ; in answer to the second,
we unfolded the idea that giving should be an
act of worship performed at God's house ; and
in response to the third, we advocated the
weekly offering system as the best and most
scriptural rule in this regard.
In closing the paper, we would remind our-
selves that all power and blessing in Christian
work and liberality is from the Lord. We
may have our plans and machinery perfect,
and yet if God's Spirit does not rest on these
in answer to our earnest prayers, little will be
done. As in the storming of a fortress, the
assailants may have the munitions of war all
ready. The cannon may be there, the powder
may be in its place, and the shot and shell
also ; but, unless the match be touched, there
will be no damage done to the fortress. But
let the match be set to the powder, then there
is the flash, the crash, the dismantled fortress,
and the victorious army. So in the conflict
with the evil which abounds in the world. We
may have all our church machinery in excel-
Bible Giving, yji.
lent order and well arranged, but unless God's
power rests on these there will be no real bless-
ing. We may even have all our plans and
arrangements about giving in the best possible
order, and yet, unless God's Spirit — as with a
live coal from the altar above — touches the
whole, there will be no real headway made
against evil in the world. We must never for-
get, that it is not by might nor by power, but
by the Spirit of the Lord, that we can do His
work and gain the victory in the end.
BY
REV. R. W. WOODSWORTH.
(373)
THE PROPERTY TRUST.
CHAPTER I.
Out of the free and abundant gifts of God
to us arise obligations on our part of the most
sacred and imperative character. Christ has
redeemed us with His own blood, therefore we
are under infinite obligations to serve Him
with heart, and head, and life, and means.
Freely we have received, therefore, if we
would avoid being guilty of the basest ingrat-
itude, freely we must give. " The love of
Christ constraineth me," was the lofty senti-
ment, and undying impulse of the Apostle
Paul in all his heroic, self-denying toil ; and
the same mighty motive should actuate us in
every work we perform, and in every sacrifice
we make for the Lord Jesus. The Holy Scrip-
tures furnish clear and ample instruction for
our guidance, in the management of the prop-
(375)
376 The Path to Wealth.
erty trust as the responsible stewards of
God. We need therefore experience neither
confusion nor perplexity in answering the
question, " What should be the extent of our
giving to the cause of God ? " The Jewish
law of tithe or tenth, together with ancient
examples of freewill offerings, throws a great
deal of light on the subject of systematic
beneficence.
The "tenth" principle is one of very ancient
obligation. It was adopted by the patriarch
Abraham, and, later on, by his grandson Jacob;
it was enjoined on Israel by formal injunction,
and the regulations in regard thereto, having
been framed into a law, were placed on the
statute books of the nation. It is clear, then,
that this law was not merely a part of the
ceremonial economy of Moses, but one, the
observance of which dated back to time im-
memorial. It. was evidently designed to be a
regulating precept in all future dispensations
of the Church — a principle never to be set
aside.
It is true, it was re-enforced under the Mo-
The Property Trust. 377
sale economy, just as was the Sabbath law;
but as the Sabbath law is just as much a law
of t*he Christian Church as it was of the Jew-
ish Church, so the property law, or tenth sys-
tem, is of perpetual obligation. No moral
precept has ever been repealed. God's law,
which regulates the property trust, is as
strictly of a moral character as that which
regulates the question of time. If, therefore,
the moral precept pertaining to the trust of
time be still binding, what authority have we
to declare that God's moral precepts in regard
to the disposal of property have been cancelled ?
They are equally parts of God's moral law,
and as such stand or fall together. But
they both stand, because Christ said, " I am
not come to destroy the law or the prophets,
but to fulfil."
It is evident that God claims for Himself
at least one-seventh of our time, and one-tenth
of our income, and neither of these laws can
be violated without entailing loss and suffering
on the transgressor.
If the Church under the old dispensation,
25
378 The Path to Wealth.
with its inferior privileges, gave so largely to
the cause of God, surely the Christian Church,
in the possession of higher privileges and with
a commission to evangelize the world, should
not adopt a smaller scale of contribution. We
contend that the obligations and motives for
liberality have been immeasurably intensified
under this new dispensation, by reason of our
vastly increased privileges, and also in view of
the enlarged field of operation which God in
His providence has opened up before the
Church. Never before in the history of the
world was there such a demand for the con-
secration of property on the part of the
Church as now, in this latter part of the
nineteenth century, because never before did
God give her such a magnificent opportunity
for reaching and saving a lost race. The
sphere for the exercise of Christian benevo-
lence and missionary enterprise is extending
with amazing rapidity, and God calls upon the
Christian Church everywhere to concentrate
and consecrate all her forces for active service,
that she may measure up to the glorious emer-
The Property Trust. 379
gencies of the hour. It is universally acknowl-
edged that with increased privilege there
comes increased responsibility. That being
the case, the Christian is under obligation to
devote his property to God, in larger propor-
tions than were those who only enjoyed the
feeble light and inferior privileges of the Jew-
ish dispensation.
It is quite evident that the early disciples,
under the Divine illumination of Pentecost,
were prepared to go a long way beyond the
bounds of Old Testament liberality. The cir-
cumstances were peculiar, requiring an entire
and universal surrender of their earthly sub-
stance for the benefit of the Church. The
Church had been inaugurated, and already
embraced a membership of over three thou-
sand souls, but her coffers were empty. Funds
must be secured in some way. What a beau-
tiful picture of self-sacrifice we have in that
Church under the constraining love of Christ.
Those primitive Christians advertised their
property for sale, and as soon as possible
turned their real estate into cash, and handed
380 The Path to Wealth.
the money to the Apostles to meet the press-
ing needs of the Church.
Think of a man selling a house, or lot, or
part of a farm now-a-days to raise funds for
the extension of God's cause in the earth !
What a stir such an act of sacrifice would
make in the community ! Yet just such occur-
rences were the order of the day in Apostolic
times. The whole church was imbued with
the spirit of unselfish love, and nothing in
their estimation was too precious to sacrifice
for the name and cause of Christ. l^Jo wonder
it is written, " And with great power gave the
Apostles witness of the resurrection of the
Lord Jesus : and great grace was upon them
all." The New Testament dispensation with
its antitypical realities, its Pentecostal bap-
tism, its sphere of action wide as the circum-
ference of the globe, certainly affords no shelter
for narrow covetousness or illiberal contribu-
tion.
We speak advisedly, when we say that there
is nothing so dishonoring to God in the Church
to-day, and hindering the salvation of the
The Property Trust, 381
world so much, as the glaring and almost uni-
versal disregard of the property trust. " Cov-
etousness is the plague-spot, the brand-mark of
the Church's present condition. It is an all-
consuming cancer in her soul, eating up the
vitals of her piety and bliss." If we could
only get covetousness out of the Church, we
should soon get power and soul-saving effi-
ciency into her. God is not chargeable with the
slow progress of the Church. He is bending
with infinite concern over a dying sin-stricken
world, but His plan of operation is to save by
the agency of the Church, which, alas ! is only
to a very limited extent imbued with the self-
sacrificing spirit of Christ.
The work of evangelization progresses just
as fast as the zeal and love and liberality of
the Church increase, and no faster. But is it
not evident to every spiritual mind that the
Church, in many instances, is so steeped
in the spirit of selfishness as to effectu-
ally hold the grace of God in restraint?
Grasping covetousness forms the granite bar-
rier which prevents the grace of Christ from
382 The Path to Wealth.
flowing out to refresh and save a famishing
world.
Let us consider more particularly the old
Jewish regulations for the property trust, in
contrast with the meagre givings of Christians
in the present day, and in this the most highly
privileged dispensation that the world has ever
seen.
" It is commonly supposed that the devout
Jew gave a tenth of his means to God. A
careful examination of the facts convinces us
that his yearly offerings to God were on a
scale of liberality far greater. There was the
ransom for his first-born son, and also the
first-fruits of his flock. There were the first-
gatherings of his harvest, estimated at one-
sixtieth, and the corners of his field left in
reaping, another sixtieth. Then whatever
dropped from the hand in reaping was left
for the poor; and once in seven years the
lands were allowed to produce spontaneously
for the poor. Then there were the trespass-
offerings, sin-offerings, half-shekels of the
sanctuary, and the remission of all debts
The Propel' ty Trust. 383
every seventh year. Then came the tithe for
the priesthood — a tenth of the produce of the
fields — and of what remained another tenth
for the Temple and the poor."
A careful summing up of all their givings
shows that the honest Jew was in the habit of
consecrating at least one-third of his income to
God. We find, therefore, that under the Jew-
ish dispensation laws regulating every depart-
ment of giving were not only clearly and ac-
curately defined, but w^ere solemnly and rigor-
ously enforced.
" In this, shall we say, advanced age, it be-
comes a serious question to what extent the
laws that regulated the givings of the Jews are
binding upon us. Many of those laws were
for the support of different objects in the Tem-
ple service, but this service, with its various
details, has passed away, and of necessity such
laws have become null and void. All that was
ceremonial and local has been repealed. We
venture, however, to afiirni that the principle,
the duty of giving, is not commercial, but
moral in its nature and influence. Let it never
384 The Path to Wealth.
be forgotten that to give is a moral duty, and
part of the moral law. With no sanctuary
worship and its half-shekels, ' sin-offerings,'
etc., and no Jewish priesthood, the letter of the
law has been abrogated, but the spirit of the
law — the law itself — still lives, and is binding.
We have temple worship and a living ministry,
and the various institutions of the Church to
be supported in this age of Christian activity
and life ; and it is really a grave question
whether the earnest, prayerful and believing
Christian of the present day, in the possession
of means, is not under obligation to give to God
as much as the honest and devout Jew of a
former day."
The above quotation contains the opinion of
a devout minister of Christ in this Dominion,
who has given a great deal of time and
thought to the investigation of this question.
We think that no Christian, who apprehends
his superior privileges in t«his Gospel dispensa-
tion, and whose heart responds with Christ-like
sympathy to the crying needs of a perishing
world, will regulate his contributions by a
The Prope7^ty Trust. 385
narrower scale than that which governed the
ancient Jew.
It wonld appear from a careful study of this
whole question, as it relates to the different
dispensations of the world's history, that we
are morally bound to lay aside as a minimum^
one-tenth of our income for God, and then to
supplement that tenth by further contributions
and thank-offerings according to our resources,
and according to the demands of the Church in
her ever widening conquests for Christ. There
is perhaps no law in the Bible that is more
thoroughly misapprehended, and more gen-
erally disregarded than this very law, which is
designed to regulate God's claim upon the
earthly substance, which He has permitted
man as His steward to handle for the time be-
ing. Christians should be exhorted to study
the Word of God on this important subject,
that they may form proper conceptions of their
responsible duties pertaining to the manage-
ment and distribution of their material wealth.
Let us brieily review the situation. In the
earliest history of the remotest dispensation,
386 The Path to Wealth.
the claims of God in this regard have been
prominently set forth. At the very gates of
Eden the godly Abel offered up sacrifice to his
Maker. Abraham gave one-tenth unto God,
and when called upon to surrender his only
son Isaac, immeasurably dearer to him than
all earthly substance, he promptly obeyed
the command. Jacob when at Bethel, on that
memorable night when he had the vision of
angels, vowed a vow unto the Lord, and this
was the purport of it ; that if God would be
with him and give him food to eat and raiment
to wear, he would surely serve God and con-
secrate one-tenth of his substance to the Giver
of all good.
The Mosaic dispensation, which afforded
higher privileges than that of the Patriarchal,
imposed a tariff of systematic tithing that
claimed about one-third of all the property
possessed by the Israelites. The regular stated
annual contributions of the Jews to the service
of God were very large, and yet, on special oc-
casions, when thank-offerings were called for,
how readily and nobly the people responded!
The Property Trust. 387
Witness the scene at the erection of the Taber-
nacle. The people gave in such abundance,
that the building committee of the Tabernacle
complained to Moses of the surplus, and ac-
cordingly the leader of the people issued a
proclamation throughout the camp to this ef-
fect : — " Let neither fnan nor woman make
any more work for the offering of the Sanctu-
ary." " So the people were restrained from
giving. For the stuff they had was suf&cient
for all the work to make it, and too much." It
is not often now-a-days that a trustee board, in
building or repairing a church, is constrained
to send a notice to the pulpit, kindly request-
ing the people to withhold their gifts, inasmuch
as the contributions already made are amply
sufficient to meet all the demands in full. But
the time is coming when the treasuries of the
Lord will be flooded ; when railroads, and
steamboats, and manufacturing establishments,
and all the industries of Christendom will be
run for the glory of God, and the extension of
Gospel light and truth in the earth.
As another illustration of special liberality
388 The Path to Wealth.
over and above the regular contributions, we
migbt instance the building of the Temple at
Jerusalem. David and his nobles headed the
subscription list with over two hundred and
forty millions of dollars, and this enormous
sum was augmented by subsequent contribu-
tions, till it reached an aggregate of three
thousand millions of dollars. Coming down
the ages to the dispensation of the Holy
Ghost, the highest dispensation the Church
has yet enjoyed, we find the primitive Chris-
tians transcending the bounds of Old Testa-
ment liberality. They literally sold out for
God, put their property into a common treas-
ury, and from this source distribution was
made to all men as every man had need.
And yet, with the precepts and example of
the ancient Church before us for a period of
four thousand years, with the sacrifices of love
made by the early Christian Church under
the wonderful illumination of Pentecost, with
the increased privileges and wealth of the
present dispensation, with a commission that
is not narrow and circumscribed like that of
The Property Trust, 389
the Jewisli Church, but aggressive and uni-
versal, a commission to publish the Gospel to
all nations — with all these features of the
case before them, some have the assurance to
declare that God does not require His people
in the present day to contribute so large a
proportion as even one-tenth to His cause.
We claim that the whole tenor of Bible teach-
ing, from Genesis to Revelation, contradicts
and overthrows the position of those who
take this narrow view of the subject. With
increased privileges, increased ability for doing
good, a sphere of operation as wide as the
globe, how can it be otherwise than that the
obligations of the Church in the matter of
property consecration should be greatly in-
creased ?
The question is sometimes asked, " Should
a poor man, or a man that is in debt, give one-
tenth of his earnings to God ? " We would
reply by asking another question, *' Should a
poor man, or a man in debt, keep the Sab-
bath ? " The poor or embarrassed man might
defend himself against the claims of the fourth
390 The Path to Wealth.
commandment, by an argument like the fol-
lowing : — " To me time is money. I can make
a dollar a day. There are fifty-two Sabbaths
in the year. To keep the fourth command-
ment and thus suspend labor for fifty-two
days, means simply fifty-two dollars out of
my pocket. I don't think that God requires
a poor man to set apart so large a proportion
as one-seventh of his time for religious pur-
poses, and, therefore, on what I regard the
principles of common honesty and justice, I
feel that I am guiltless in working at my busi-
ness on Sunday as well as Monday."
Could such a line of argument be accepted
in harmony with the teachings of the Chris-
tian faith ? Would not the practical outcome
of such sentiments utterly destroy the ver}
foundations of Christianity, and make every
man a law unto himself? It cannot be that
any man is more likely to improve his earthly
condition, and pay off all his debts by a sys-
tematic violation of the Sabbath, than by the
strict observance of that holy day. There
certainly can be no gain in deliberately set-
The Property Trust, 391
ting at defiance the law of an infinitely wise
and benevolent God. If the voice of the
fonrth commandment were the voice of des-
potism, rebellion would be justifiable. But if
the command is reasonable and benevolent, it
is at once a matter of wisdom and prudence
on our part to yield a willing obedience.
Our liberties, our enjoyments, our prosper-
ity, our growth in every department of life are
all affected by the character of the government
under which we live. To surrender our liber-
ties, our freedom of speech and freedom of con-
science to the sceptre of tyranny, is to live the
crushed and degraded life of a slave. On the
other hand, to bow in joyful homage at the
throne of a government whose laws are whole-
some, broad, liberal, consulting the highest
freedom and dearest interests of the subject —
to bow in homage at such a shrine is to confer
upon ourselves honors and blessings untold.
Now, it will be found on investigation that
such is the unselfishness and benevolence of
the Divine government, that every law on the
statute books is framed in the interests of the
392 The Path to Wealth.
subject. Not in some of their interests, but in
all of them, down to what might be termed the
most insignificant items and trifles of life.
And further, so thoroughly are these laws
based on the mental, moral, spiritual and physi-
cal constitution of man, that whilst obedience
thereto invariably brings blessing, disobedi-
ence just as invariably brings trouble and
penalty. The Sabbath law is an illustration
of this thought. This law claims one-seventh
of our time for physical rest and sacred pur-
poses. This, we claim, is pre-eminently a
benign and gracious law. Such is the physi-
cal constitution of man, that his body cannot
stand unremitting toil without serious injury.
Man will live longer and do more work by a
strict observance of the Sabbath than if he dis-
regarded this regulation of the Creator. The
human body demands the periodical rests indi-
cated in this great time-law of God. No indi-
vidual, no community, nor nation can set this
law at defiance, without entailing upon itself
untold misery and disgrace. The Sabbath
law, then, is a highly salutary and beneficent
The Property Tricst. 393
law as far as the body is concerned. Still
higher are its spiritual advantages. For the
time being man is liberated from the usual em-
ployments of life, and with thoughts and ener-
gies withdrawn from secular pursuits, he is
afforded special opportunities for communion
with God and with His people, and for the de-
votional study of Divine truth, and through
these channels incomparable blessings come to
his heart and family and home. The hands
of this Sabbath law are full of benedictions for
the children of men.
What is said of the Sabbath law may be j ust
as truly said of every other law of God, viz.,
that it is framed in the interests of the subject.
'* The command^ients of God are not grievous,
but joyous, and in keeping of them there is
great reward." Our argument then is this,
that if it is profitable for the poor man to keep
God's time-law, it must also be profitable for
him to observe God's property-law. Both pre-
cepts come from the same Great Lawgiver, and
are richly laden with blessings to those who
keep them.
26
394
The Path to Wealth.
It always pays to be on the right side of
God's law, whatever the character of that law
may be. Obedience to divine instruction,
whether that instruction pertain to the conse-
cration of time, the stewardship of property,
the regulation of the bodily appetites and pas-
sions, or the direction and control of all the
higher spiritual faculties of our being — will
prove the enrichment of human nature in
body, soul and estate. O that the children of
men would learn to trust and obey God ! Then
would they find that all along the line of obe-
dience and faith the smile of Jehovah illumi-
nates and the rich benedictions of heaven fall.
On the other hand, all along the line of disobe-
dience we discover darkness, trouble and curse
growing out of the very nature of things. No
man need hope to outwit God or contravene
the tendency of His laws, by looking for bless-
ing on the side of disobedience. As all God's
laws are designed to uplift and bless, an indi-
vidual will be enriched rather than impover-
ished by consecrating at least one-tenth of his
substance to the cause of Christ.
The Property Trust. 395
This subject might be illustrated largely
from practical experience. Let the citation of
one or two instances suffice. I was acquainted
with a man who lived on one of my early
charges who adopted the tenth principle, though
at the time his income was very small. He
lived in a log-house and owned a small farm
of twenty-five acres. He had been in the habit
of giving the scraps to the Lord, — a five cent
piece or a ten cent piece that he might happen
to have in his pocket when the demand for the
cause of Christ was made. His attention hav-
ing been directed to the subject of proportionate
giving, he resolved to govern his contributions
by the new light he had received. Accord-
ingly, when he sold five dollars' worth of
market stuff, he put aside fifty cents for the
Lord. If he only sold one dollar's worth, he
laid by ten cents. One-tenth of all sums,
whether large or small, was faithfully deposited
in a separate drawer for God. He soon found
that his contributions on the new plan would
be vastly in advance of his former givings, and
what surprised and delighted him was, that
396
The Path to Wealth.
notwithstanding his greatly enlarged scale of
liberality, he had more left for himself than
when he gave only the trifles to God. About
this time the annual missionary meeting was
held in his neighborhood, and when the sub-
BURNING THE NOTE.
scription paper was circulated he contributed
the sum of seventeen dollars, which was more
than all the other farmers in the neighborhood,
put together, gave that year.
I knew another man who adopted the tenth
principle when in debt. A few weeks after his
The Property Trust. 397
new decision, a note of one hnndred dollars
came due. The party holding the note came
to him and in the course of conversation re-
marked, ^' You have done a great deal for me,
and I never intend to ask you for this money."
So saying, he opened the stove-door and con-
signed the note to the flames. It is really
wonderful how much this man and his two
sons, both of whom have also adopted the
tenth principle, have given of late years to the
cause of Christ, and their testimony is this,
that God has abundantly blessed them — both
materially and spiritually — as the result.
During a ministry of twenty years, I have met
with a number of persons who have observed
this system of contribution, and every experi-
ence corroborates the beneficence of the law, and
the absolute reliability of the promises con-
nected therewith.
** One-tenth of ripening grain,
One-tenth of tree and vine,
One-tenth of all the yield
From ten-tenths' rain and shine.
398 The Path to Wealth.
One-tenth of lowing herds,
That browse on hill and plain :
One-tenth of bleating flocks,
For ten-tenths' rain and shine.
One-tenth of all increase
From counting room and mart ;
One-tenth that science yields,
One-tenth of every art.
One-tenth of loom and press,
One-tenth of mill and mine ;
One-tenth of every craft
Wrought out by gifts of Thine.
One-tenth of glowing words
That glowing guineas hold ;
One-tenth of written thoughts —
That turn to shining gold.
One-tenth ! and dost Thou, Lord,
But ask this meagre loan,
When all the earth is Thine,
And all we have Thine own ? "
CHAPTER II.
The disregard of God's claims upon the
pocketbook is a crying evil in the Church
to-day, and one that leaves a blight upon
every department of Church work. Profes-
sors of religion are not, as a rule, doing busi-
ness for God. They are doing business for
themselves and devoting their incomes for
selfish purposes, whilst the cause of Christ
receives a very small and insignificant con-
sideration in their financial plans. They de-
clare that their property is their own, and
they have a right to do just what they like
with it, and this they affirm in spite of God's
published and repeated declarations to the
contrary. Listen to Jehovah's version of the
matter : " The gold and silver are mine."
" The cattle upon a thousand hills are mine,
if I were hungry I would not ask thee."
" The earth is the Lord's and the fulness
thereof" '' Ye are not your own, ye are
(399)
400 The Path to Wealth.
bought with a price.'' In all these passages
the absolute proprietorship of the Almighty
is asserted. How significant and opportune
was Jehovah's charge to His ancient people,
in view of the wealth and prosperity of their
future settlement in Canaan. " Beware that
thou forget not the Lord thy God, when thou
hast eaten and art full, and hast built goodly
houses and dwelt therein ; and when thy
herds and thy flocks multiply, and thy silver
and thy gold is multiplied, and all that thou
hast is multiplied. And thou say in thine
heart, my power and the might of mine hand
hath gotten me this wealth. But thou shalt
remember the Lord thy God : for it is He that
hath given thee power to get wealth.^^ Would
that every prosperous business man realized
and practically recognized the secret spring
of his ever growing gains. Human independ-
ence is a myth. '^ My power and the might
of mine hand hath gotten me this wealth, " is
a vain and wicked boast. Well indeed may
God rebuke the folly and impertinence of
such self-commendation, with the reminder,
The Property Trust 401
" Thou shalt remember the Lord thy God :
for it is He that giveth thee power to get
wealth." How readily could the Almighty
unnerve the right arm of industry, and render
the cunning workman a helpless invalid ! How
soon could He smite the brain with paralysis
and transform the shrewd business man into
a driveling idiot ! One touch of God's retribu-
tive providence would wither human beauty,
and blast human greatness, and close up every
avenue to wealth and prosperity. Should the
refreshing dews and genial showers and golden
sunshine be withheld, all vegetation must
necessarily cease and barrenness and death
universally prevail.
Trading in the rich resources and varied
treasures of Divine bestowment, man cannot
afford to raise the cry of self-derived success.
All the capital by which earthly possessions
are multiplied is furnished by the bountiful
hand of Providence.
Muscular strength, brain-power, mechanical
skill, inventive genius, atmosphere, soil, light,
rain and heat — the essential factors of human
402 The Path to Wealth,
wealth, are all the gifts of God, and should
never be overlooked in considering our obliga-
tions to the Author of all good.
If the generous bestowal of material bless-
ing renders our obligations to God so great,
what shall we say concerning the strength
and perpetuity of those claims that grow out
of the gift of Christ to our fallen race, and
the whole plan of human redemption with its
unutterable and eternal benedictions ?
Who can describe the narrowness of soul,
the want of appreciation, the consummate
selfishness of the man who can summer in
all these Divine blessings, and yet begrudge
even one-tenth of his annual income for the
extension of Christ's Kingdom in the earth ?
" Will a man rob God ? "
The fact is, the entire system of Church
finance requires revision. It ought to be the
easiest thing in the world to raise money for
the cause of that blessed Jesus, who went
down to poverty and agony and death, that
He might lift us to riches and joy and life.
Instead of that, it is a matter of great diffi-
The Property Trust, 403
culty to maintain the institutions of the Chris-
tian Church as they should be maintained.
It is far easier to raise money for a political
club, for holiday recreations, or a band tourna-
ment, or even for a miserable kalithumpian
procession, than it is to secure funds for
carrying the Bread of Life to a starving world.
There is nothing that seems to grieve some
people so much as an appeal for money on be-
half of Christ's Kingdom on the earth. Thou-
sands would like to see the cause prosper, but
want a kind of success that costs nothing — ^' a
cheap and inexpensive success that will sup-
port itself, and leave their cupidity untaxed
and undisturbed." Let us remember that
there is no success in any department of life
without sacrifice, much less in the extension
of Christ's Kingdom, which has its very foun-
dation in unselfish benevolence.
What sacrifices men will make at the shrine
of self! What sacrifices the commercial man
will make to put more working capital into his
business ! What sacrifices the farmer will
make to buy another farm, or to pay for the
404
The Path to Wealth,
one he has ! What plans and self-denials
many a man will resort to in order to build a
fine house and adorn it with elegant furniture !
What downright hardships and terrible ex-
posures men will submit to, away off in the
gold mines far from the blessings of civiliza-
tion and the comforts of home, in their resolute
determination to dig a fortune out of the earth !
The Property Trust. 405
We have no fault to find with all this. Self-
denial, sustained courage, persevering toil con-
stitute the highway to success in every avenue
of life. But we inquire, should the motive of
the merchant, or the farmer, or the fortune
seeker be stronger than the motive of the Cross ?
Where is the proof of our attachment and
love for the Saviour, if the motive of the Cross
does not move us with an all-absorbing impulse
to do large things for Him ? Have you thought,
dear reader, of those words, so often embodied
in Christian song — " I gave my life for thee,"
and then of the question which follows — '' What
hast thou done for me?"
This statement and this interrogation reveal
the generosity of God and the ingratitude of
man. Here we have Infinite love on the one
hand and human selfishness on the other.
How^ grasping covetousness is confounded in the
presence of Calvary ! It is with the mysteri-
ous, unparalleled, infinite sacrifice of Jesus be-
fore our gaze, that we gather the highest in-
spiration for Christian liberality and Christian
work.
4o6 The Path to Wealth.
" Sweet the moments, rich in blessing,
Which before the Cross we spend."
* ' Here we learn to serve and give,
And our narrow self deny ;
Here we gather love to live,
Here we gather faith to die."
It is beneath the vertical influence of this
manifested love that human selfishness re-
treats and vanishes, and the whole man — with
all the powers and possibilities of his life — is
surrendered to God.
Dear reader, if your heart rebels when you
are asked to do anything for Christ, if your
givings are small and contributed reluctantly at
that, I pray you take a long and lingering
look at the Cross. Look at it till you see its
glory ! Look at it till you feel its mysterious
power melting and subduing your heart, and
breaking all the bands of selfishness that have
so long imprisoned your soul ; and then, with
the generosity which an all-pervading love in-
spires, you will appreciate the sentiments of the
Christian poet when he cried : —
The Property Trust, 407
Were the whole realm of nature mine,
That were a present far too small ;
Love so amazing, so Divine,
Demands my soul, my life, my all."
The love of Jesus Christ transforms the
matter of giving from an irksome duty into a
refreshing privilege, — a spiritual luxury.
Of all potent forces in the universe of God,
love stands forth in unrivalled strength. It
will carry more burdens, it will endure more
suffering, it will accomplish more work, it will
win more victories, it will give more money, it
will encounter and conquer more difficulties
than any other moral force that can be named.
It has been truly said that " To love, more
than to anything else, this world owes what
blessedness it enjoys."
O that the love of Christ might extend the
empire of its divine influence from the centre
to the circumference of every Christian heart !
In that case the questions of church finance
and church work would soon be effectually
settled, and the conquest of the world for God
would be an event of early date. Love knows
4o8 The Path to Wealth.
no burdens. Measured by this test, bow pro-
fessions of attacbment and loyalty to Christ
come short !
Should a faithful, loving wife ask a w^ealthy
husband to procure her some article that she
was very much in need of, and he should
churlishly reply, " I cannot afford to get it for
you," you would conclude that he did not love
his wife much, or he would have granted her
reasonable request. And when Jesus Christ,
with his pierced brow and bleeding hands and
wounded side, approaches His professed fol-
lower to plead on behalf of His needy, suffer-
ing cause, and that man ties his purse-strings
and shuts his heart and sets himself like a flint
to resist the most pathetic entreaties, what is
the verdict ? Why, that Mammon has a much
stronger grasp on that man's heart than the
love of Christ. The most charitable mind
could reach no other conclusion.
I could wish that all Christians would inves-
tigate this property question, not only in the
light of scriptural command and scriptural
promise, but especially from the standpoint of
The Property Trust, 409
the Cross ; for then, I am convinced, they would
be prepared to transfer the whole matter of
contribution to the institutions of the church,
from the legal basis of duty to the higher plat-
form of joyous privilege. " Ye know the grace
of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was
rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, that
ye through His poverty might be rich."
'^ Every man according as he purposeth in his
heart so let him give; not grudgingly or of
necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver.
And God is able to make all grace abound
toward you ; that ye always having all sufiE-
ciency in all things, may abound in every good
work."
27
CHAPTER III.
Wk now wish to call attention to some of
the Divine pledges of blessing on behalf of
those who faithfully observe the claims of His
property laws, and to the indirect penalties that
follow the violation of these laws. There is a
remarkable passage in the third chapter of
Malachi's prophecy that demands more than a
passing notice.
The Jews had been withholding from God
His prescribed proportion of the income, and,
as the result of this sin, the land was visited
with destructive insects and other pests, that
destroyed the fruits of the husbandman's labor.
At this juncture, when there was sore distress
and scarcity throughout the land by reason of
failure in the crops, Jehovah charged His peo-
ple with the worst kind of robbery, and having
commanded them to bring all the tithes into
the storehouse, he flung out the notable chal-
lenge : " Prove Me now herewith, saith the
(411)
412 The Path to Wealth.
Lord of hosts, if I will not open you the win-
dows of heaven and pour you out a blessing,
that there shall not be room enough to receive
it.'' "And I will rebuke the devourer for your
sakes, and he shall not destroy the fruits of
your ground ; neither shall your vine cast her
fruit before the time in the field, saith the Lord
of hosts. And all nations shall call you blessed :
for ye shall be a delightsome land, saith the
Lord of hosts."
It is a fact worthy of special note, that in
temporal as well as spiritual things, God places
trust first in the order of events, and blessing
afterwards. " Prove Me by trusting Me and
I'll honor you by blessing you," is the sub-
stance of the Divine challenge.
It might at first sight seem unreasonable for
God to demand all the tithes of the Jewish sys-
tem, under the circumstances. Nevertheless,
that is just what He did. It was done to pro-
mote humiliation and excite trust, and also to
show His people their entire dependence upon
Him for all the good things of this life.
The same principle of action is illustrated in
The Property Trust. 413
God's dealings with His people in the days of
the prophet Haggai, about one hundred and
twenty-five years previous to the above-men-
tioned test. The Jews had returned from cap-
tivity, but instead of devoting their means and
energies towards the rebuilding of the Temple,
they were erecting comfortable homes for them-
selves, leaving the house of God neglected and
desolate. The visitation of God upon the peo-
ple and the land because of covetousness is
full of admonitory lessons to all succeeding
generations. ^' He that hath ears to hear let
him hear."
" Then came the word of the Lord by Haggai
the prophet saying, is it time for you, O ye, to
dwell in your ceiled houses, and this house lie
waste? Now therefore, thus saith the Lord
of hosts ; consider your ways. Ye have sown
much, and bring in little ; ye eat, but ye have,
not enough ; ye drink, but ye are not filled with
drink ; ye clothe you, but there is none warm ;
and he that earneth wages, earneth wages to
put into a bag with holes. Ye looked for
much, and lo it came to be little : and when ye
414 The Path to Wealth.
brought it home, I did blow upon it. Why ?
saith the Lord of hosts. Because of mine
house that 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. And I called for a
drought upon the land, and upon the moun-
tains, and upon the corn, and upon the new
wine, and upon the oil, and upon that which
the ground bringeth forth, and upon men and
upon cattle, and upon all the labour of the
hands." Let the men who think to outwit
God by despising his money laws, ponder well
the import of this withering. Divine curse.
The prophet further reminds the people of
their folly by pointing them to the small re-
turns of the field and the vineyard : " Since
those days were, when one came to a heap of
twenty measures, there were but ten." God
would only have asked two measures out of
the twenty, but seeing the farmer was not dis-
posed to give any, the Lord took ten measures,
or, in other words. He took fifty per cent, by
penalty J when He would only have asked ten
, The Property Trust. 415
per cent, by law. Again, '' When one came to
the pressfat for to draw out fifty vessels out of
the press, there were but twent}^" God only
required of them five vessels, but seeing they
were greedily determined to hold all and give
none, He took from them thirty vessels, or six
times as much, by penalty, as He would have
asked by law. ^' I smote you with blasting
and with mildew and with hail in all the labour
of your hands ; yet ye turned not to Me, saith
the Lord."
Shall the potsherd of the earth strive with
his Maker? Need insignificant man, depend-
ent on the Divine bounty for every breath he
draws and every atom of strength he possesses,
expect to cheat God with impunity ?
"Heaven, though slow to wrath,
Is never with impunity defied."
Here again, in the midst of poverty and famine,
God called upon the people to devote their time
and strength towards completing the Temple.
Modem prudence and wisdom would rebel at
this point and say : '' No ! let the people look
4i6 The Path to Wealth.
after their own families first, and afterwards
take the interests of God's cause into consider-
ation." The Author of all wisdom and bless-
ing speaks otherwise. "Go up to the moun-
tain, and bring wood, and build the house, and
I will take pleasure in it, and I will be glori-
fied, saith the Lord." And then Jehovah
promised that from the very day they began to
obey Him the tide of their calamities should
be arrested, and an era of temporal and spirit-
ual prosperity should be opened up for them
by a smiling Providence. '^ From this day will
I bless you."
Oh that men would recognize the hand of
God in all relations of life. , Were the people
to observe the property laws of the Bible, we
should have such scenes of commercial and
agricultural prosperity as the world has never
seen.
* * The sun gives ever, so the earth
What it can give — so much 'tis worth ;
The ocean gives in many ways —
Gives baths, gives fishes, rivers, bays ;
So too the air, it gives us breath,
When it stops giving — comes in death.
The Property Trust. 417
Give, give, be always giving, —
Who gives not is not living ;
The more you give,
The more you live.
"God's love hath in us wealth unheaped,
Only by giving is it reaped ;
The body withers and the mind
Is pent up by a selfish rind.
Give strength, give thoughts, give deeds, give pelf,
Give love, give tears, and give thyself.
Give, give, be always giving, —
Who gives not is not living ;
The more you give.
The more you live,"
[We regret that want of space prevents us from publishing the
full paper on "The Property Trust."]
THE PUBLISHERS.
(Hieing and ^umh^,
BY
J^EV. /NO. POLLARD, D, D,
(419)
GIVING AND RECEIVING.
"To remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he said, It
it is more blessed to give than to receive. ' ' — Acts xx. 35.
" More blessed to give than to receive ? "
Who believes that ? Some would deny it at
once even as a bare theory. Some, whatever
they might think of it as a naked proposition,
would promptly discredit it as a rule of life :
they think it would ruin them to act on it.
Others might not feel authorized to discard it
in any sense ; and yet they stand in doubt of
it. After the statement, *' It is more blessed
to give than to receive," they would "write a
stupendous interrogation point (?), as if to say,
'' Is that true ? " '' Can it be true ? "
What I propose to do is to help your faith
in the doctrine of the text by, showing that,
however strange or absurd it may appear, it is
in perfect accord with common sense and
(421)
422 The Path to Wealth,
sound reasoning. At first it may seem a glit-
tering fallacy ; on examination it is found a
solid, sober truth.
Several preliminary remarks must be made.
Your tbougbts have perhaps already darted to
your pocket-books.
1. Let us not suppose that the giving and
receiving here referred to are the giving and
receiving of money alone. They are of course
included ; but the passage before us embraces
much more. It embraces the giving and re-
ceiving of sympathy, of prayers, of kind
words, of kind acts, of anything, of every-
thing that relieves, establishes, comforts, helps.
2. One act of receiving must precede all
giving in the highest sense. It is that act of
receiving referred to by John when he says,
'' But as many as received Him, to them gave
He power to become the sons of God, even to
them that believe on His name'' (John i. 12).
We must be filled and enriched by the pres-
ence of Christ with us and in us before we can
become givers to the world about us.
3. Christ, when on earth, acted on the prin-
Giving and Receiving. 423
ciple of the text, " The Son of man came not
to be ministered unto, but to minister " (Matt.
XX. 28) : which is equivalent to saying, " I
came not to receive, but to give ; I came not to
set the current of benefits from the world to
me, but to turn that current from me to the
world." We have but to read the history of our
Lord to see how fully the acts of His hands
confirmed the utterance of His lips. His whole
life, as well as His death, was a giving, not a
receiving. The Son of God, being possessed
of infallible wisdom, must have sought the
object that was most desirable and most
blessed.
Now we proceed to the main argument.
I. The analogies of nature and life give us
no slight intimations of the teaching in the text.
Your writing-desk gives : from it you draw
your materials for correspondence or any liter-
ary work you may propose to yourself Your
waste-basket receives. You think much more
of your writing-desk than of your waste-basket.
You take your writing-desk and put it on the
table — the post of honor: you take your waste-
424 The Path to Wealth.
basket and put it under the table — the station
of inferiority and humiliation. The fountain
gives : the sewer receives. The fountain is
pure, and sparkling, and attractive: the sewer
is dark, and filthy, and repulsive. Those sub-
stances in nature that receive all the rays of
the sun and absorb in themselves as much as
they receive are black — a color symbolic of
woe. Those substances that receive all the
rays of the sun, and, absorbing none, give
back all, are white — the color emblematic of
purity and glory. There is an inland sea that
has no outlet : — the Dead Sea, in Syria. It
has an inlet through which the rapid Jordan
is emptied into its bosom. It receives but
does not give. Its shores are a desert, on its
surface no sail is spread, through its waters no
fishes swim, in its tide no wild fowl bathe their
plumage. Amid frowning cliffs it lies, for-
saken of men, and accursed of God.
2. Look at the traits nourished by the two
processes. Receiving tends to nourish self-
ishness. It makes a man purseproud, and
sordid, and earthly. The horizon of this
Giving and Receiving. 425
world completely bounds his vision. He will
see nothing beyond this world, and conse-
quently he will become narrow in his views
and sympathies. We might suppose that, in
the person that much receives and nothing
gives, at least one excellent quality would be
nourished — gratitude. But even here we find
ourselves disappointed. The person that only
receives is never grateful. His numberless
and never-ceasing blessings come to be re-
garded by him as a matter of course. He sees
not God the Giver in one of them. His greedy,
eager gaze is too closely fixed on the gift, for
him to see the hand that bestows it. He is
like the swine beneath the oak, too busy eat-
ing the acorns to look up to the boughs from
which they fall. Such are the traits nourisned
by receiving. What are the qualities de-
veloped by giving ? Generosity, benevolence,
fraternity, tenderness of soul, largeness of
view, and resemblance to Him that gives to all
life, breath, and all things. These are the
traits that giving fosters ; and these are the
traits that exalt and ennoble human nature.
28
426 The Path to Wealth.
They as far surpass the qualities nourished by
receiving as fine gold surpasses the basest
metal.
3. Then I appeal to your own experience.
You have been doubting whether it was " more
blessed to give than to receive," when, if you
had only read aright your own history, you
would have known it was true. You have
sometimes received. You have felt joy in re-
ceiving. At other times you have given.
And you felt joy in giving. Both experiences
are then before you. Which do you prize
most ? Are you not perfectly conscious that
your joy in giving was of a better, purer,
nobler type than your joy in receiving? Do
you not feel that it was a joy that better became
a rational, immortal, accountable being ? Do
you not feel that it was a joy you would rather
think of and dwell upon amid scenes of afflic-
tion, and at the hour of death ? The joy of
receiving is like a sparkling dew-drop which a
passing footstep may brush away ; but the
joy of giving is like a glittering star set in
the sky of night, which will shine on over
Giving and Receiving 427
decaying empires, and through revolving
ages.
4. God has promised much to giving^ nothing
to receiving. What does Jehovah promise to
giving ? It would require a volume to tell you.
I quote only one pledge that Jesus has made.
^ Give, and it shall be given unto you ; good meas-
ure, pressed down, and shaken together, and
running over, shall men give into your bosom '^
(Luke vi. 38). This blessed promise effectu-
ally answers those that ask, " How am I to
have anything to give, if I am to be giving all
the time ? " Give, and it shall be given unto
you. You have probably seen men load drays
with bagged hams. The man in the store will
throw to the one on the pavement, and the
man on the pavement to the man in the cart.
The man on the pavement is constantly pitch-
ing the hams away from him, and yet is as
constantly having a ham in his hands. Why?
Because, as rapidly as he parts from one,
another is thrown him. So, God deals with
the liberal soul ; as he parts from what he has,
God gives him more. Now search out yoiwx
428 The Path to Wealth,
promise to the mere receiver ; and when you
have found it let me know.
5. Receivmg has no recompense in the next
world : giving has. Dives was a man that re-
ceived on earth. He was clothed in purple
and fine linen, and fared sumptuously every
day. But what did he get on the other shore?
Nothing, absolutely nothing. In the other
world, a drop of water to cool his tongue was
denied him. " Son, remember that thou in
thy lifetime receivedst thy good things, and
likewise Lazarus evil things ; but now he is
comforted, and thou art tormented" (Luke xvi.
25). In contrast with this spectacle look at
the reward offered in the other world to giving.
Jesus says, " When thou makest a dinner or a
supper, call not thy friends, nor thy brethren,
neither thy kinsmen, nor thy rich neighbors ;
lest they also bid thee again, and a recompense
be make thee." That is, take care how you
become a receiver in this world. " But when
thou makest a feast, call the poor, the maimed,
the lame, the blind: and thou shalt be blessed;
for they cannot recompense thee : for thou
Giving and Receiving, 429
shalt be recompensed at the resurrection of
the just" (Luke xiv. 12, 13, 14). If receiv-
ing has its rewards only on earth, but giving
its recompense both here and hereafter, surely
we may no longer doubt that "it is more
blessed to give than to receive."
OBJECTION.
But some one may say, " The principle you
advocate calls for us to discontinue all ac-
cumulation and do nothing but distribute."
Not at all. Your view completely overlooks
the true relation between accumuiacing and
distributing. We are not to dispense with
distributing in our accumulating: neither are
we to dispense with accumulating in our dis-
tributing. But we are to accumulate in order
that we may distribute. "Let him labor,"
says the scripture, "working with his hands
the thing which is good, that he may have to
give to him that needeth" (Eph. iv. 28). Re-
ceiving must go on: but go on, not as a means
of accumulation, but as a means of giving.
This subject teaches us many important
430 The Path to Wealth,
LESSONS.
1. It rebukes the error of constantly con-
sidering what we are receiving from others.
Some deal with this question almost entirely.
With them the only inquiry is, "What treat-
ment am I receiving from other people?" I
have met with such persons very often. They
have told me how cold, how distant, how un-
appreciative, how uncharitable, this one and
that one are towards them. This may be a
matter of some interest, but it is by no means
the sole matter or the main matter. If it is
true that "it is more blessed to give than to
receive," the question for us to ask is not how
other people are treating us, but how we are
treating other people; not what we are getting
from our fellow-men, but what we are meting
out to them.
2. It teaches us a lesson about accounts.
Few business men neglect to inquire, at stated
times, what their receipts have been. But in
the light of this text, I must ask whether that
should be all. When at the end of a year or a
month or a week, we are thinking of earnings
Giving and Receiving, 431
or salary or income, we should not merely in-
quire what money we have received, but we
ought to add up also to see what we have
given.
" He only breathes, and never lives,
Who much receives and nothing gives,
Whom none can praise, whom none can thank,
Creation's blot, creation's blank."
^\xt iitthe.
BY
ii£K WM. TAYLOR, Bishop of Africa.
(433)
THE TITHE,
When God established human rights to six
days per week for all manner of honest in-
dustry and legitimate enjoyment in secular
lines of life, He reserved one day of each week,
a seventh of time, to which He gave us no
right except to use it for purposes of mercy to
man and beasts of burden according to His
plain injunctions in regard to the institutions
of the Sabbath.
So when God established human rights to
property, He reserved the tenth of all net pro-
ceeds for purposes of mercy, and never gave to
man any right to the tenth except as a dis-
bursing agent for Him.
He has given to mankind, ist, the mental
appetence for property; ad, the right to ac-
cumulate, to have, and to hold property ; and,
3d, property resources in vast variety; and He
436 The Path to Wealth,
protects their property rights by the eighth
comraandment of the Decalogue. Having done
all this for all men, it would be extremely un-
like God's way of doing business to let them
riot in His vast domain, regardless of the rights
of the Sovereign who has provided and supplies
all its resources.
He opens His vast fields of wealth in all
their varieties to be developed by the human
race, giving fruitful seasons for the soil, water
power, wind power, steam power, and electric
power, with power of mind and muscle, requisite
to all mechanical and commercial pursuits, and
goes in partnership with each worker, demand-
ing as His share the tenth of the net proceeds
of their united labor. Abraham and Jacob
conformed to this fundamental law with con-
temporaneous nations of that day. It was
hence incorporated in the divinely appointed
Mosaic system of law. ''All the tithe of the
land, whether of the sea or of the land, or of
the fruit of the tree, is the Lord's ; it is holy
unto the Lord ; " not simply the Lord's in the
sovereign sense of '' the earth is the Lord's and
The Tithe. 437
the fulness thereof," but in the sense of busi-
ness personal rights as explained in the next
verse.
"And if a man will at all redeem aught of
his tithes, he shall add thereto a fifth part
thereof" — he would receive in money a fifth
more than the current value of the tenth
bullock or other kind of tithe he wished to
redeem. ''And as concerning the tithe of the
herd, or of the flock," herd of cattle or flock of
sheep or goats, " even whatsoever passeth under
the yoke, the tenth shall be holy unto the Lord."
Four varieties of value are named to teach us
that all productions of human industry are
subject to God's reserved right of the tithe for
the relief of the poor and needy, and for the
support of the institutions of God for the
benefit of mankind. It will be observed that
this law of the tithe is not a ceremonial or a
typical law, having a limited tenure, but is as
enduring as " seedtime and harv-est," and
human life and labor on earth. The man who
refuses to give to God the tithe of his net
earnings or income, to be applied according to
438 The Path to Wealth,
His best judgment, is guilty of defrauding his
Divine Sovereign.
" Will a man rob God? " The rascally fel-
low replies, '' wherein have we robbed Thee ? "
God replies, " in tithes and offerings." What
is the penalty ? "Ye are cursed with a curse."
What are the terms of reconciliation ? " Bring
the tithes into the storehouse and prove me
therewith, saith the Lord, and see if I will not
pour you out such a blessing as there shall not
be room to receive it."
He does not command them to bring the
freewill offering. The one is a legal right, the
other is an acceptable voluntary offering. He
goes on to indicate the curse visited upon those
who refuse to give to God His portion, and its
removal at their return to honest dealing with
Him.
" I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes,
and the vine shall no more cast her fruit, and
ye shall have a delightsome land, and all
nations shall call you blessed."
The devourer is a generic term to represent
all extraordinary destructive things that waste
The Tithe.
439
the tiller's toil, such as the caterpillar, the
locust, the Kansas grasshopper, the army
worm, the chinch bug, the potato bug, and
such like, and the mildew and blight of various
kinds which cause " the vine to cast her fruit,"
the wasting or destruction of the maturing
crops of any kind, and of property in general.
God does not do this vindictively, but to
teach His subjects what a losing business it is
to defraud their Maker. These laws apply
alike to saints and sinners apart from the
question of personal salvation, upon a personal
acceptance of the Lord Jesus as the Saviour of
sinners.
The Pharisee who went up into the temple
to pray " paid tithes on all that he possessed,"
and undoubtedly received the promised bless-
ing of God on his business, yet he did not
receive Christ and obtain justification by faith
as did the poor Publican.
All expenses involved in the production of
values must be paid before " net proceeds " can
be estimated, and tithed ; the personal and
family expenses of the producer must come
440 The Path to Wealth.
out of tlie nine-tenths which fall to his share.
The tithes should be " laid by in store "
promptly ; the disbursement of it may be de-
layed, subject to the order of God by some
providential intimation that commends itself to
the judgment and conscience of His partner in
the business. '' We are workers together with
God " in this as we should be in all that per-
tains to life and godliness.
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