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THE TITHING SYSTEM

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Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · Mar 27, 1879

FromReview and Herald, Vol. 53, No. 13.

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THE TITHING SYSTEM.

By A. S. Hutchins

SHALL we “render unto God the things that are God’s”? In all our churches where the subject of tithing has been introduced, I think, so far as I have knowledge, the larger portion, or nearly all of the brethren and sisters, have signed the pledge to pay one-tenth of their income into the S. B. treasury.
There are those who no doubt will sign the pledge yet, and conscientiously act in harmony with the requirement of the word of God in this matter; while others may not venture to pledge to give unto the Lord one-tenth of what he in love and mercy shall bless them with strength and ability to gather, or that may, without any personal effort on their part, drop into their hands.
He who was rich, for our sakes became poor, that we through his poverty might be rich. And are we afraid to promise to do in temporal things what is required of us to carry on the last work of the church of God?
Should the Son of God ask some who profess to love him and his cause, and talk of hoping to meet him when he cometh, questions as pointed as he did James and John (Matt. 20:22), I fear they would not say unto him, “We are able.”
The first quarter of the present year is nearly past. How is it about the “tithes and offerings” for the present quarter? Are you conscientiously saving the Lord’s portion of your income? Or is it so small for this quarter that you give little attention to it? If so, you may justly fear that when you receive more, you will be negligent then.
“He that is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in much; and he that is unjust in the least is unjust also in much.”
Angels watch the development of character, and weigh in just balances moral worth. Soon life’s record will be made. A few more fleeting years, and the Master will come forth and pronounce a blessing upon those who have “been faithful in a very little.”
The habit some have fallen into of paying no attention to systematic benevolence and T. and M. pledges is a bad one. Again, to let a debt accumulate for our periodicals and leave the T. and M. society to pay this, when with suitable care and attention to the subject at the right time, these could have been paid as well as other obligations, manifests a great lack of fidelity to God, to his people, and to our own spiritual interests.
On a certain occasion Jesus desired to impart some important instruction to his disciples; to this end, he “called a little child unto him, and set him in the midst of them,” and taught them wherein to imitate him. May not the followers of Christ learn from a child at present?
Within a few months I have seen children weep for fear their names would not be entered on the S. B. book again. Some little children are so trained, even in very poor families, that when they earn or receive a few pennies, they always conscientiously count out one tenth for the cause of God. An earnest worker tells of a little boy who said, “We can give the Lord one-tenth as well as not; for he gives us all we have, and we can give back one-tenth.” “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above.” “Render therefore unto Caesar the things which are Caesar’s; and unto God the things that are God’s.”
A. S. HUTCHINS.