THE SUPPORT OF GOSPEL MINISTERS ACCORDING TO GOD'S PLAN.
By D. T. Bourdeau
It is safe to say that hundreds of thousands of missionaries could be sustained in heathen lands if all professed Christians were faithful in paying their tithes. This could be done without depriving home missionaries of what they need to meet their reasonable temporal wants. And would not this be far better than for so-called Christian nations to expend annually billions of dollars on spirituous liquors, tobacco, and other needless and injurious articles, and to pay out so much to meet war expenses? If these nations had really had the true missionary spirit, and given God His just dues, war to-day would be unknown, and there would be but little, if any, heathenism in our world. “Testimonies for the Church,” Vol. III, page 395, has these significant words: “If all who profess the truth will come up to the claims of God in giving the tenth, which God says is His, the treasury will be abundantly supplied with means to carry forward the great work for the salvation of man.” The work carried on by the ministry is here intended. The truthfulness of this statement would be confirmed by making a general estimate of the income of our people. If, therefore, an honest tithe from our people would suffice to sustain our ministers, why call for donations for this purpose in addition to the tithes received? The answer is: Because not all those who profess present truth pay an honest tithe. Donations must come in to make up for the lack. And those who make voluntary offerings, or donations, for this purpose, will have the reward and wear the crown of those who fail to do their duty, unless the latter repent and reform. And what if all were to lay upon the ministers not only the preaching of the gospel, but also the support of themselves and the missionary work? In that case, all but the ministers would lose their crowns and their glorious, everlasting reward. This is not God's plan. God would have all take part in the work of giving, that all may receive the rich blessings in store for so doing, the ministers not excepted. Anciently the Levites, as well as others, paid tithes. See Neh. 10:38. And why should the ministers of Christ under this dispensation be deprived of the privilege of fulfilling this duty? Why should they not set an example to the lay members in so important a matter? On this point we will add the following words, from a reliable source, which appeared in the REVIEW AND HERALD of Dec. 17, 1889: “The ministers themselves should be strict to carry out to the letter the injunctions of God's word.” Even little children who have come to the years of accountability, should be encouraged to pay tithes and offerings. Encouraging them to do this is a potent means of leading them to take an interest in the work of salvation, to early give their hearts to the Lord, and to lead useful lives. The first tithes I saw offered to preachers by Seventh-day Adventists were chiefly the avails of children's industry. The children met twice a week, and spent two hours in braiding palm-leaf hats. Each time they earned at least two dollars, which they joyfully put into the treasury as their tithes. This was over forty years ago. I have watched these children, have seen them all grow up into Christian manhood and womanhood. “Testimonies for the Church,” Vol. III, pages 411–413, bears the following pointed words under this head:— “Each member of the different families in our churches, who believes the truth, may act a part in its advancement by cheerfully adopting systematic benevolence [an expression used to mean or embrace the tithing system when these words were written]. ‘Let every one of you lay by him in store [margin, by himself at home], . . . that there be no gatherings when I come.’ . . . The responsibility should rest upon every individual who enjoys the belief of the truth. ‘Let every one of you lay by him in store as God hath prospered him.’ Every member of the family, from the oldest down to the youngest, may take part in this work of benevolence. “The offerings of little children may be acceptable and pleasing to God. In accordance with the spirit that prompts the gifts will be the value of the offering. The poor, by following the rule of the apostle and laying by a small sum every week [and ‘the first day of the week’], help to swell the treasury, and their gifts are wholly acceptable to God; for they make just as great sacrifices as their more wealthy brethren, and even greater. The plan of systematic benevolence will prove a safeguard to every family against temptations to spend means for needless things; and especially will it prove a blessing to the rich by guarding them from indulging in extravagances. . . . “The apostle suggests the first day of the week as a proper time to review the course of Providence and the prosperity experienced, and, in the fear of God, with true gratitude of heart for the blessings He has bestowed, to decide how much, according to His own devised plan, shall be rendered back to Him.” The poor, and those in debt, should not excuse themselves from paying their dues to God. If poverty and debts are a substantial excuse in this matter, then Christ need not have made himself poor to save us, and that we might have the riches of His grace and finally inherit the everlasting riches of the world to come. Then we should not love God supremely and our neighbors as ourselves. Then we may forget Jesus' words of commendation with regard to the poor widow who dropped only two mites into the treasury—all that she had for her living. Mark 12:42–44. Then might men ever harbor selfishness, and keep in debt that they might never pay their dues to the Lord! The following reply of a servant of Jesus Christ, whose writings have been and still are extensively circulated, to a person who asked her, “Do you think my father should pay tithes? He has met with great loss recently, and he says that as soon as he cancels his debt, he will pay tithes,” is to the point:— “How do you regard our obligations to God, who gives us life and breath, and all the blessings we enjoy? Would you have our indebtedness to God continually increasing? Would you rob Him of the portion He has never given us to use for any other purpose than to advance His work, to sustain His servants in the ministry? For the answer to your question, the prophet Malachi asks, ‘Will a man rob God? . . . But ye say, Wherein have we robbed thee?’—as though there was a willingness to misunderstand this subject. The answer comes: ‘In tithes and offerings. Ye are cursed with a curse: for ye have robbed me, even this whole nation.’ After such a statement, would I dare say to you, You need not pay tithes as long as you are in debt? Shall I tell you to be sure to pay all you owe any man, although you rob God to do so?” —Special Testimony, entitled “Will a Man Rob God?”