Duty to Support the Lord’s Ministers by Dudley Marvin Canright

Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · Apr 17, 1879

Duty to Support the Lord’s Ministers.

By Dudley Marvin Canright

One of the most sacred duties of a Christian, as enjoined in the word of God, is that of aiding in the support of the Lord’s faithful servants who go out in the name of Christ to preach the truth to an unbelieving world. The Lord has been very explicit upon this point. Thus Jesus says, “The laborer is worthy of his hire,” Luke 10: 7. And the apostle, arguing to the same effect, quotes this text thus: “And the laborer is worthy of his reward.” 1 Tim. 5: 18.

The Lord, if he chose, could have his truth promulgated by heavenly angels, without the assistance of men; but he has not so ordained. He has committed this sacred work to the hands of mortal men. To be successful, they must give it their whole attention; and in the majority of cases their work requires them to leave their homes, their families, and all the comforts and conveniences of life, and spend most, if not all, of their time among strangers and in new fields.

Now, these men have to eat, and drink, and wear clothing, as other men. Besides, their wives and children must be supported, the same as those of other men. But how shall this be done? They cannot be at home to look after their own affairs, and manage some kind of business. You ask that farmer, that mechanic or tradesman, how much it costs him to live, and support his family, and most of them will tell you that they have a hard time to get through the year, and make the two ends meet; and these men have the six working days to themselves, to labor and plan, and save, and manage their own affairs. Yet they say it is about all they can do to keep their heads above water. Well, my brethren, how do you suppose those are to live who have families as large as your own, yet have no means of supporting them except the charities of the people? They cannot plant crops and raise them; they cannot earn money with their hands nor prosecute a trade; neither can they be at home to save in various ways, as you can; yet their families must live. From what source is this living to come? God has settled this matter. He has made it the sacred duty of his people to look after the necessary wants of his devoted servants, and to faithfully supply them. If they neglect to do their duty in this direction, it is a positive sin against God.

The Holy Spirit thus argues this question in 1 Cor. 9: “Who goeth a warfare at any time at his own charges?” This is a pointed question. During the Rebellion, many of you went into the army. Did Uncle Sam require you to furnish your own clothing, your own arms and ammunition, and pay for this yourself? No, indeed. The government justly met all these expenses, and paid you good wages with which to support your families at home.

Again he says, “Who planteth a vineyard, and eateth not of the fruit thereof?” This is another forcible illustration. Who would not be grieved, if, after he had toiled with care for years in planting an orchard, in pruning it, in caring for it, he should then be refused the privilege of eating of its fruits? Or if, when he does eat of it, he is obliged to eat as though it were grudged him?

The Lord takes another illustration: “Who feedeth a flock, and eateth not of the milk of the flock?” Would it not be mean to refuse a cup of milk to the servant who has given all his time to milking the cows, and caring for the herd? So the Lord says in the case of his servants who go out and labor wholly in the vineyard of the Lord. And shall they not have their food of it?

Once more he illustrates: “For it is written in the law of Moses, Thou shalt not muzzle the mouth of the ox that treadeth out the corn. Doth God take care for oxen?” Verse 9. Anciently grain was threshed by laying it upon the threshing-floor, and driving oxen over it. This I have done frequently in former years. It is a very wearisome day’s work for a horse or ox to tread all day long over the light straw, to shell out the grain. Now, some men are so mean and stingy toward these animals that they will put a muzzle upon their mouth, so that they cannot eat a mouthful of grain all day. God, from Heaven, said that the ox that treads out the grain shall not be muzzled. It is but just and right that he should have what he wishes to eat; for he works hard all day. Now the Lord applies this to the case of ministers. He says that just so those who labor in gathering in souls, are workers in the Lord’s harvest field, should have their living from the labor which they perform.

The apostle asks this question, “If we have sown unto you spiritual things, is it a great thing that we reap your carnal things?” Here is a minister who comes into a place, enters your church, and labors there perhaps from a week to a month. He goes from house to house, reading, praying, and exhorting. In the church he labors day and night to build up the cause of Christ, and give you light, and instruct you in the things of God, to save your own souls. Now, says the apostle, “If we have sown unto you spiritual things, is it a great thing if we shall reap your carnal things?” Some seem to think it is; that after the minister of Christ has toiled, and studied, and spent anxious days and weeks to benefit them, he has no right to ask anything in return. If they keep him all night, give him a meal of victuals, hand him a dollar, or make a donation of a few simple garments, or something of this kind, they seem to think that this is all gratis, and that the minister should humbly accept it with profound gratitude, as though it was all a free donation without any obligation on the part of the giver.

But the Lord does not so teach. He says positively that the laborer is worthy of his hire, and the apostle says that just as no man goes to war at his own charges, and as no one tills the vineyard and eats not of its fruit, nor tends the flock without drinking the milk,—just so it is proper and right that the minister who labors in spiritual things should be supported with the temporal things of the people for whom he ministers, and God requires them to pay him.

Even stronger he says, “Even so hath he ordained that they which preach the gospel shall live by the gospel.” Yes, this is an ordinance of God.

The Lord has ordained that the minister should obtain his living by the gospel which he preaches. The lawyer expects his living from those who are benefited by his labor. The physician looks to the sick, to whom he has rendered aid, for his pay. The farmer looks to his fields for his reward; but the minister neither pleads law, nor doctors the sick, nor plows the field, and hence cannot expect his living from any of these sources. Where must he obtain it? God has settled this question. It is to come from those to whom he has ministered in spiritual things.

Dear brethren and sisters, I fear that many of you do not realize your duty in this matter as God has set it forth in his word; hence we wish to call your attention to your sacred obligation. Look at our ministers! Who labors harder than they? Who practises more self-denial? Do they not love their wives, and their children, and their homes, and the conveniences and comforts of life as well as you do? and yet most of these they have to forego. It is only occasionally, and then for short periods of time, that they can be with their wives and families. They are out constantly, going from town to town and from house to house, sleeping in one bed one night and in another the next night, putting up with whatever is set before them, and taking things as they come. They are always expected to be cheerful and pleasant, willing to labor under any and all circumstances, and to take what they get without complaint. If they say anything to their brethren about supporting them, it is called begging. I believe that it is a burning shame for our brethren to feel and talk in that manner. Place yourselves in their circumstances, and see if you would not feel some interest, about your temporal support, and the care of your families. I think you would.

There is one reason why our people take less care and less responsibility in providing for their ministers than any other class of religious people. Most all other churches have their ministers located in their midst, where all the church can plainly see their circumstances, and become familiar with their wants. If the family is in poor circumstances, everybody knows it. If they have but little in their house, everybody sees it. The minister is there every week to remind them, by his presence and his words, of their duty in this respect. This being the case, the churches look after these ministers and their wants. They go to the parsonage with little gifts and donations. Once or twice a year they get up a donation party, and carry in various articles for the use of the minister’s family, and in other ways constantly look after his wants.

But it is not so with our ministers. Not one church in ten has one of our ministers living in their midst. “Out of sight out of mind,” is an old proverb, and thoroughly true in this case. Only two or three times a year do most of our people see a minister, and it is but for a day or

so at a time. They know but little of the wants and conditions of his family, or of his own financial circumstances. Their own wants and necessities are ever before them, and consequently these servants of God are entirely forgotten. Their clothing, their food, their household affairs, their debts,—these are what they think of, while the faithful servant of Christ is forgotten and uncared for. If he takes occasion to preach one sermon touching their duty to give to the minister, they hang their heads, scowl their faces, and go home wishing that he would preach on something else.

My brethren, have you done your duty to these ambassadors for Christ? Christ once said, “Inasmuch as ye have done it unto the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.” This will be true wherever we have neglected the humblest child of God. But how much more true will it be where we have neglected the ambassadors of the Lord Jesus himself, and the very ones who are devoted to his sacred service! But say our people, “We pay systematic benevolence!” The ministers are paid from that, and hence it is not expected that we shall look after them further.” Yes, if this were only true; but there are many of you who do not even do this. You run along quarter after quarter, and some of you year after year, without paying one cent to aid the ministers of Christ. You have lived, but you have used up all your means for yourself. You have physical strength, but you devote it all to your selfish wants. You have farms, and shops, and various ways of earning means; but you use all this for your own wants, and leave the servants of Christ unprovided for, so far as you are concerned. You give nothing in donations, nothing in freewill gifts, little in any manner. Will not God hold you guilty for this course? Are not many of you suffering spiritual death on this very account now?

Many of our brethren live alone, where they do not see a minister once a year, and very often these brethren do nothing at all, or at least very little, in aiding the Lord’s servants in their work. Because they do not see these men, they do not appreciate what they are doing. Most of our ministers spend all their time in wholly new fields, away from any of the people of God. They expect no support where they labor, neither do they get any. Now if our own brethren do not take hold of this, who will do it? We call your attention to this subject, hoping that the Lord will send it home to your hearts, and help you to wake up, and do your duty as men of God. D. M. CANRIGHT.