The Christian Use of Money.
By Mial Davis
The definition comes to us, "coin, metal (usually gold, silver, or copper), stamped with public authority, and used as the medium of commerce." We find the first mention of the word when Abraham bought the burial-place for his wife Sarah; thence all along through the books of Moses, the prophets, and Psalms; also in the New Testament, by the apostles and evangelists. The use made of the word in the seventy places in the scriptures where it is found indicates clearly its importance. In the Jewish dispensation we find,— The Atonement money, the Redemption money, the Trespass money, and the Sin money, showing the sacred use made of it in the established worship of God among his ancient people. Illustrations of the power of money for good and evil are found in abundance scattered through the Bible; and the wise man was inspired to write that "money answereth all things." Money must therefore be used,—used by Christian men and women. The subject before us is. The Christian Use of Money. The word "Christian," as here used, is thus defined: "pertaining to Christ, belonging to Christ, relating to his doctrines, precepts, and example." This simple dictionary-explanation of the word is, perhaps, the most beautiful but comprehensive brief essay that could be written upon the subject. Put the use of money according to this definition; and we have its Christian use. Let me give it again. "Pertaining to Christ, belonging to Christ, or relating to his doctrines, precepts, and example." Excuse me, dear brethren and sisters in the Lord, for saying that my own heart has been deeply stirred within me in applying this definition to my own life and experience in the use of money. That we may ever make the test of our lives, may God grant us help? There is a saying as follows:— "Money can neither open new avenues to pleasure, nor block up the passages of anguish." With the Christian use of money, cannot this be accomplished? On an old monument in Staffordshire, Eng., may be found the following:— "As I was—so be ye;
As I am—ye shall be;
That I gave—that I have;
What I spent—that I had;
Thus I end all my cost;
What I left, that I lost." Concerning the duty of the Christian use of money, no argument is necessary to the truly Christian heart. To use money with relation "to Christ's precepts and example," as "belonging to Christ," would seem to be easily understood. As to food and raiment, shelter and sustenance, for ourselves and those dependent upon us, He knoweth that we have need of these things. It would most evidently follow, that to use money in a Christian way would lead us to engage most heartily in all the various benevolent and charitable work of the communities in which we live; for He whom we imitate "went about doing good." But the special object of our gifts of money would seem to be that for which he gave his own most precious blood,—the Church of Christ, in all its various fields of labor, in every department of its work because it is his church. This use of money would lead us to seek to enhance our power and ability for all this service. But do some say, "I have little money?" Then with little money the consecration, the spirit, the blessing, will be the same. It only requires common observation to notice that those who do not give statedly, when with small means, do not give uniformly with large means; and vice versa, those who have given thus while having little, have most uniformly increased with their means proportionately. Do some inquire, "What or how much shall I give?" Let us answer in the words of William Arthur, Esq., in his treaties on "Giving". He says,— "If we go to the Old Testament to learn what the Lord counted acceptable in ancient times, we find Abraham, the father and representative of all believers, standing before Melchisedec, the type of our great High Priest, giving a tenth of all." We find the patriarch Jacob, when homeless, awaking from his sleep by the roadside, solemnly vowing to the God of his fathers, that, if only "bread to eat and raiment to put on" were granted to him in his exile, a tenth of all should be rendered back in honor of his God." Among the Jews, we find that each head of a family was bound by direct enactment to give one-tenth of all his yearly income to the support of the ministering tribe of Levi. He had to pay a second tenth for the support of the feasts, a third tenth for the poor, once in three years. And in addition were the trespass-offerings, long and costly journeys to the temple, and sundry other religious charges, all imposed by divine sanction, beside freewill-offerings. Taking all these items, it is undoubted, that, among the Jews, every head of a family was under religious obligation to give at least a fifth, perhaps a third, of his yearly income. If we seek an answer from the New Testament, every thing seems to push up the scale to a proportion from which we nearly all shrink away. We find liberality in a rich man sanctioned up to "half his goods," as in the case of Zaccheus; and, in a poor widow, up to "all her living," as with the two mites. We find a whole church selling their property, and giving away without limit; and, though that example is never enforced on others, it is never reproved. We find the church of Macedonia in "depths of poverty," and also in "a great trial of afflictions, abounding in riches of liberality;" and their record is written for the gratitude of all ages, that they gave "beyond their power." Those early Christians who thus rejoiced to bestow are melted together to yet greater sacrifices by words so winning and so mighty as, "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." Thus coming into the gospel dispensation, we are sensible at once of a notable rise in the temperature of benevolence. Here the idea of a religion less generous, less self-denying, less superior to sordid hoards or personal comforts, is not only inadmissible, but atrocious. Whatever of heavenliness and large-heart was in the religion of the prophets received an expansion not a chill; and selfish man is placed, at best, in his highest school of usefulness. Does the Christian use of money give better returns than other uses? Some time since, an article appeared in the Christian Era, entitled, "Hold on to your money!" Queer, indeed, for a Christian paper to announce to its readers! In brief, the injunction was to place money while in life so that Christ should recognize it after death—deposit it in the Bank of Heaven. Lay up treasure there, by bringing money there through the blessing of God on money given in life. Thus money lasts into eternity. We hold on to our money by letting go of it here. Some time since, a man in this State, possessing property, but nearing the grave, sent for a friend to advise him concerning some of his property. On arriving, the friend said it would be well for him to attend at111once to such matters as he wished to, as a change might soon take place with him. Holding a bond for a thousand dollars in his hand, he remarked, he thought of giving it to his housekeeper, he having lost his companion by death. He asked, "Will it make any difference for an hour or two?" He died holding the bond in his hand. As with our lives, so with our money; he that saveth his money shall lose it; and he who, for the Lord's sake, and the gospel's sake, loses his money, shall find it. The only money ever saved for ourselves is what we give to the Lord. Need anything be said of the joy of this Christian use of money? You who know the meaning of that most mysterious statement, "It is more blessed to give than to receive," understand the returns, the dividends of money thus invested: "Them that honor me I will honor." What like the joy of feeling that you are assisting in the support of a preached gospel in your community (for who would live where it is not preached)? What pleasure comes of having part in a mission Sabbath school, in the work of our State Convention, of our great Home Mission Society! What delight like that of realizing, that, by your money, men and women, noble and Christlike, are preaching the gospel to the poor in far-off lands! If the sweet story of Jesus and his love is to be told to them, it must be told by the voice of living men and women, not by angels. And whence are the means to come to send forth messengers to tell the tidings of grace to every creature? The answer comes, by the Christian use of Money, spending it according to the definition of the word "Christian" as given above: "pertaining to Christ, belonging to Christ, relating to his doctrines, precepts, and example." We are drawing near to the hour when we shall take our flight from this to another shore. At whatever moment we depart, many other souls from all lands will be departing too. Who would wish, that, in the flight of souls, of which he will be one, the majority should be of those who had never heard the name of Jesus? If this is not to be our case, if that name is to sound upon all ears, and to be invoked in all tongues, up, and be in earnest! Spare your goods, that the poor in soul may be rich at last! Who dies rich? He who, whether he leaves little, or much, or nothing behind him, has treasure laid up in heaven; he dies rich! Who dies poor? He who, whatever he leaves behind him, has nothing laid up before him; he dies poor! —Mial Davis, Burlington, Vt.