p. 28 | Will a Man Rob God? by James White

The Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · Jun 26, 1866

"Will a Man Rob God?"

By James White

STARTLING question! Yet such terrible robbery does exist at some time in order to be mentioned by the prophet of God.

God, by his prophet affirms, "Ye have robbed me in tithes and in offerings." And the result is, "Ye are cursed with a curse."

The natural and forcible application of this subject to Systematic Benevolence will not be questioned by the informed. But there are those who are robbing God, at a fearful loss to themselves and their families. They overwork themselves and their families, deprive themselves and theirs of needed rest, and break down their constitutions in accumulating wealth, in adding

farm to farm to be a terrible curse to them in the time of trouble. "Go to now, ye rich men," says the apostle, "weep and howl for your miseries that shall come upon you." "Ye are cursed with a curse." Even admitting for a moment that the Lord will not come for several generations, these men of wealth are making a sad mistake in laying up treasure on the earth at such a sacrifice of happiness and health to curse their children. The men and women of real worth to the world generally come from poor families. The worthless men and women come almost always from the families of the rich.

The lamented Abraham Lincoln was a poor boy. His father was a poor man. With the rich inheritance of poverty, Abraham Lincoln learned self-reliance. And he who rose to the highest seat in our government, instead of revelling in wealth, luxury, and vice, when a young man, was a rail-splitter.

From the political let us look to the theological world. Go with us to the streets of Germany, and there we see a poor boy singing his simple song for his daily bread. Martin Luther had inherited the great blessing of humble life. His parents were poor. And he was far the greatest man of the fifteenth century. With his poverty he inherited great muscular and mental strength. He had a sound mind in a sound body.

In his lowly life he learned to be a man of God, and as he rose to greatness, the Papal power trembled before him. Had he been a rich man's son, probably his wretched legacy would have been imbecility, effeminacy, and the many vices of his time. Hence the great mistake of those who rob God of what he requires of them, rob themselves of present happiness, and the glory of the life to come, and in so doing ruin their children for both the present and the next world. Parents, be warned while you may, while Jesus is our advocate. "It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God."

JAMES WHITE.

Battle Creek, June 24th, 1866.