SYSTEMATIC BENEVOLENCE by James White

Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · Nov 23, 1869

SYSTEMATIC BENEVOLENCE.

By James White

“Upon the first day of the week let every one of you lay by him in store, as God hath prospered him, that there be no gatherings when I come.” 1 Cor. xvi, 2. “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. For I mean not that other men be eased, and ye burdened; but by an equality,” &c. 2 Cor. viii, 12–14. “That the same might be ready, as a matter of bounty, and not of covetousness. But this I say, 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 the cheerful giver.” 2 Cor. ix, 5–7.

These texts relate to one purpose which the apostle was endeavoring to accomplish, which was, to send relief to the poor saints which dwelt at Jerusalem. We may learn from Acts ii, 44, 45; iv, 32–37, the reason why such assistance was needed by that church. They had expended their means in the cause of God at the very commencement of the work, and were thus reduced to poverty. Hence, when Agabus stood up at Antioch, and signified by the Spirit that there should be a great dearth throughout the world, “the disciples, every man according to his ability, determined to send relief unto the brethren which dwelt in Judea; which also they did, and sent it to the elders by the hands of Barnabas and Paul.” Acts xi, 27–30.

It was fifteen years after this, that Paul wrote to the Corinthians to engage them also in this benevolent work. In the text cited from 1 Cor. xvi, he proposes the method which should be adopted by the churches in the prosecution of this object. And in the texts quoted from the second epistle he shows the motives that should actuate them in this work. That the great apostle succeeded in this effort, appears from Rom. xv, 25–31. “But now I go unto Jerusalem to minister unto the saints. For it hath pleased them of Macedonia and Achaia (Corinth was a city of Achaia) to make a certain contribution for the poor saints which are at Jerusalem.” We have an account of Paul’s visit to Jerusalem with this bounty for the saints. Acts xxi, 15. “And after those days we took up our carriages, and went up to Jerusalem.” The word rendered carriage is literally “baggage;” and such was once the signification of the word in English. Thus much respecting the circumstances that stand connected with Paul’s directions to the Corinthian church. It remains that we gather from these facts some instruction relative to our own duty.

If Paul found it essential to complete success, that method should be observed in raising means for benevolent purposes, it is certainly not unreasonable to conclude that we should find the same thing beneficial in promoting a similar object.

“Upon the first day of the week let every one of you lay by him in store as God hath prospered him,” &c. This implies, 1. A stated time for the business; viz., the first day of the week. 2. The concurrent action of each individual; for he adds, “Let every one of you” lay by him in store. 3. And this is not a public collection, but a private act of setting apart for the Lord a portion of what one possesses. 4. The amount to be given is brought home to the conscience of each individual by the language, “As God hath prospered him.”

The children of Israel were required to give a tithe, or tenth, of all their increase. See Lev. xxvii, 30–35; Num. xviii, 21, 24–32; Deut. xiv, 22–26, 28, 29; xxvi, 11–13; 2 Chron. xxxi, 5, 6; Neh. x, 38. And it cannot be supposed that the Lord requires less of his people when time is emphatically short, and a great work is to be accomplished in the use of their means in giving the last merciful message to the world.

Says the prophet, Mal. iii, 8–10: “Will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed me. But ye say, Wherein have we robbed thee? In tithes and offerings. Ye are cursed with a curse; for ye have robbed me, even this whole nation. Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the Lord of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of Heaven and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it.”

Who says that these “tithes and offerings” are merely speaking and praying in meeting? Away with such doubtful applications of Scripture. If the prophet Malachi is not here teaching the carrying out of the Israelitish system of tithing, he is certainly enforcing a duty of the same nature, and his words may come home to us with full force, and the principle be carried out by obedience to the language of Paul—“Upon the first day of the week, let every one of you lay by him in store,” &c. Says our Lord, Luke xi, 42: “But woe unto you, Pharisees! for ye tithe mint and rue and all manner of herbs, and pass over judgment and the love of God: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone.”

How may we reduce to practice these excellent suggestions? We recommend the following plan, which all, with very few exceptions, can adopt:

Amount of Property	Names	Amount to be given on each first-day	Amount of personal donation on each first-day	Total	Jan.	Feb.	Mar.	Apr.	May	Jun.	Jul.	Aug.	Sep.	Oct.	Nov.	Dec.
$1000	Brother A.	20 Cents	10 Cents	30 Cents	$1.50	$1.20	$1.20	$1.50	$1.50	$1.20	$1.50	$1.20	$1.20	$1.50	$1.20	$1.50
	Sister A.	5 “	5 “	10 “	.50	.40	.40	.50	.50	.40	.50	.40	.40	.50	.40	.50
	John A.	2 “	2 “	4 “	.20	.16	.16	.20	.20	.16	.20	.16	.16	.20	.16	.20
	William A.	2 “	2 “	4 “	.20	.16	.16	.20	.20	.16	.20	.16	.16	.20	.16	.20
	Mary A.	2 “	2 “	4 “	.20	.16	.16	.20	.20	.16	.20	.16	.16	.20	.16	.20
					$2.60	$2.08	$2.08	$2.60	$2.60	$2.08	$2.60	$2.08	$2.08	$2.60	$2.08	$2.60

The above may do for a general rule, yet there are exceptions. Some of these we will name. 1. The aged, widows, and infirm, who are poor, and have but little or no income, should feel themselves exempt from this system of benevolence. 2. Those whose income is more than ten per cent on their property can pay higher in proportion to the amount of their income. A tithe, or tenth, of their increase is just exactly one-tenth of the increase of their property. Has a brother or sister increased his or her property during 1869 the sum of $1000, a tithe would be just $100. Again hear the prophet, “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.”

But let it be distinctly understood, that it is systematic benevolence, not systematic compulsion, that we are advocating. The scriptures of the Old and New Testaments require free-will offerings. Our people are invited—none compelled—to enter the arrangement, and then left to assess their own property, and give such a percentage as they choose. The subject is set before them as scriptural, and reasonable, and necessary, that there may be equality in sustaining the cause; then all are left to act in the fear of God.

This system casts no burden on the poor, and disarms the rich of every reasonable excuse. It tests the

sincerity of the wealthy, develops covetousness, and manifests the real friends of the cause.

The draft upon the poor man, should he put down the highest figures, is so very light that he would be ashamed to complain. And the rich man, who professes to believe that the present is the period for the last message of mercy to the world, would appear to ill advantage, as the veriest hypocrite, complaining of a system which calls from him only about one per cent annually of his wealth, to sustain the cause of truth. Such men usually add, annually, from ten to thirty per cent to their property. Let such blush to talk of sacrifice while their property increases. A sacrifice consumes.

The first design of our system of benevolence was to sustain the cause, as may be seen by the following from an address from the Battle Creek church to the churches and brethren and sisters in Michigan, published in the Review, Feb. 3, 1859:

“We wish to call your attention to a plan of systematic benevolence, to support the proclamation of the Third Angel’s Message.”

This was the original design of our plan of benevolence, and we regard it as a very great error in departing from it in any degree. Numerous have been the drafts upon the treasury of this system. The only safe course is to return to, and strictly follow out, the first design of our system of benevolence: namely, That the treasury be opened only to the maintenance of the cause of the Third Angel’s Message. It is proper to here state that most of our churches have adhered to this course, while some have opened their treasury to almost every trifling excuse, and have had little or nothing to help sustain the cause.

We would say to our brethren and sisters in the several States in which they live, that after they have paid their taxes to support our civil government, with its benevolent objects and ample means of sustaining the unfortunate and the poor, if they feel it their duty to do more for the poor, do it independent of that sacredly set apart to sustain the cause of truth, even if they do less for the cause. If it be necessary to divide your liberality, then let that consecrated to the cause of God, though it be a small sum, remain untouched, sacredly devoted to the cause for which it was designed.

We recommend to churches, and to individuals also, to re-arrange their s. b. figures annually. Property should be put down at what the owners would sell it for in bank notes, provided they wished to sell it. J. W.