p. 84 | SYSTEMATIC BENEVOLENCE by James White

Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · Sep 5, 1878

SYSTEMATIC BENEVOLENCE.

By James White

(Continued.)*

Why this leanness of soul with many of our people? Why so little of the manifestation of the Holy Spirit among them? Let the prophet of God answer: “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 store-house, 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. And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, and he shall not destroy the fruits of your ground, neither shall your vine cast her fruit before the time in the field.” Mal. 3: 8-11.

In the foregoing from the Lord by the mouth of his prophet are fearful threatenings and gracious promises. The curse of the Lord, whether his hand is stretched out to scatter property, or his withering touch takes away physical, mental, or spiritual strength, who can bear it? The blessing of God in its fullness, even when poured down through the open windows of heaven to the overflowing of the soul with the Holy Spirit, when basket and store are correspondingly full, who can comprehend the blessedness of such a shower from the hand of our covenant-keeping God? We would here state that during the past twenty years we have seen the fulfillment of the curse threatened on unfaithful stewards, and the prospering hand of God with faithful stewards, both in the ranks of Seventh-day Adventists. We mention a few cases on both sides as samples of the many, and as this is a sensitive subject we withhold the names of the persons.

Bro. E. E. and wife, of Vermont, were among the first who embraced the Sabbath in that State. They were wealthy. An only child, a daughter, made up the family of three. Bro. E. was a man of considerable ability, and soon after he embraced the third angel’s message it appeared evident that he should give himself to the proclamation of the truths connected with this message. The Lord sent Bro. and Sr. E. messages of warning, reproving them for their love of this world, and saying that Bro. E. should consecrate himself and his property to the work and cause of God.

About this time they sold their property in Vermont and moved to Whiteside county, Illinois, and purchased a large improved farm; and what money remained after paying for the farm they put out at interest, some of it as high as thirty-five per cent per annum. Before leaving Vermont, Sr. E. said to some of her friends in substance as follows: “Elon says he is going West to preach the message, but I am going to farm it.” And so it proved. The labors and cares of a large farm and money at interest taxed this family to the utmost, leaving no time for Bro. E. to improve his gift before the people. They appeared anxious that the message should be preached in the vicinity of their Illinois home, and invited one of our most efficient ministers to come to that State and labor. He went, and labored about two months, and was so far neglected by Bro. and Sr. E. that he had to hire money to pay his fare out of the State.

But the Lord did not leave them without giving them warning after warning of their dangers, and instructions as to their duty. And when the sin of covetousness was set before Bro. E. and his duty to give of his means for the cause, he would excuse himself by stating that he would do more, but that “Maria” (his wife) opposed him. Soon Maria was stricken with sudden sickness and death, leaving not a ray of hope behind of her acceptance with God. The remark was then made that now we had a chance to see whether Maria stood in the way of her husband. And as Elon made no change for the better, but rather for the worse, it was evident that they were agreed, like Ananias and his wife Sapphira, to keep back not only a part of their wealth, but all of it.

Again the Lord warned Bro. E. of the danger of his deceiving himself. A faithful message was given him from the Lord that his heart was set upon his covetousness as much as that of his wife had been, and that unless he changed his course and gave himself and property to the work and cause of God he would soon follow his wife. But this message only startled and aroused him for the time being, to fall back into a deeper worldly stupor; and in a few months poor Elon was laid in the silent grave beside Maria, leaving as little hope in his case as in hers.

The property, some less than fifteen thousand dollars, fell into the hands of the only daughter and her husband. These young people, not having experience sufficient to manage so large a property, were invited to locate at Battle Creek, Michigan, where they would have that counsel they needed. But they refused, and appeared jealous that no one had any higher interest in them than to get their property. They expressed themselves anxious and willing to help the cause, but as times changed they could not collect money at high interest that was due. They did give notes to the Publishing Association at Battle Creek for three hundred dollars, which were never paid. Hard times pressed on, and it was evident that the hand of the Lord was stretched out to scatter the property that had been kept from the cause of God in the face of repeated warnings. Loss followed loss in quick succession, by bad debts poorly managed and by fire, until every dollar of that large estate was scattered to the four winds. Soon the married daughter died, leaving a son. He has since died, and is silent in the grave with his mother and grandparents, but not without hope. Thus disobedience in the face of the most definite warnings has been visited by the blotting out of the entire family, even to the third generation, and the scattering of the entire estate. We leave this painful narrative, simply saying that in the final summing up of accounts in the last Judgment, the subjects of it will receive according to their works. Many other cases similar to this could be given; but this one is given at length to represent the many. And right here we give that wonderful text which represents not only the class who scatter of their means abroad for the benefit of the cause of God, but also those who withhold it and are thereby brought to poverty:—

“There is that scattereth, and yet increaseth; and there is that withholdeth more than is meet, but it tendeth to poverty. The liberal soul shall be made fat; and he that watereth shall be watered also himself.” Prov. 11: 24, 25.

J. W.

(To be continued.)