p. 50 | SPECIE PAYMENT by Editor

International Tract and Missionary Society · Oakland, California · Jan 27, 1890

SPECIE PAYMENT.

By Editor

Church fairs and festivals resemble death, in one respect at least, they have all seasons for their own. But winter is their favorite season. It serves then as a substitute for the revival, and is more pleasing to flesh and blood, and falls in more naturally with the life of the average church, than the revival, because the revival serves the Spirit, and the festival serves the flesh. Will our churches this winter serve the Spirit or the flesh? Will they go in for the festival or for the revival? These two cannot go into partnership. The church given up to the festival idea is seldom, if ever, troubled with a revival. The same soil don't grow revivals and festivals; if it does, the festival is a genuine one, the revival is a counterfeit.

We need the revival. The first step toward it is to discard the festival. The festival is for fun. The revival is a serious business. If you need money, put your hands in your pocket and give liberally according to God's rule, and send your subscription and your collector around to the brethren and sisters, and let them do the same, and you will have plenty of money. A writer in the Sunday School Times makes these judicious and pious statements:—

"The readiness to adopt indirect methods of raising money is a dangerous weakness of the Christian church of to-day. Whenever a church is to be built or repaired, or a large sum of money raised for any object, the first thought is apt to be of suppers and fairs and concerts, and other entertainments. Christians contribute a few dollars to such an entertainment, or buy a number of tickets, and imagine that the sum thus expended has been consecrated to God, and is put down to their credit in heaven. Some day they will learn that they have made a mistake, and that the credit side of their account on the great ledger is much smaller than they had supposed. That money is not consecrated to God that we spend in entertainments or suppers,

although we may receive no adequate return. It is simply a trade in which we have knowingly gotten the worst end of the bargain. Such schemes reflect great discredit upon the intelligence of Christians, to say nothing of their piety. If someone who is equal to the task would write a book on Christian economy, the real loss and wastefulness of these indirect methods might be made clear, and Christians might be induced to abandon them."

These views are eminently just. These festivals for money suppress the grace of giving, and turn the whole church life into a worldly spirit. The festival method of raising money has no countenance in the Bible, but is condemned by its principles and spirit. This same writer gives some illustrations:—

"What should we think of St. Paul, if he had written to the Corinthians thus: 'Now, concerning the collection for the saints, let all the brethren and sisters unite in getting up a charity ball, or a series of Isthmian games, with tickets of admission, that you may have a goodly sum of money raised when I come?' We should uncanonize him at once.

"The old tabernacle of the Hebrews cost an immense sum of money, and it was built at a time when the people were not in a flourishing financial condition. Why, then, do we not read, in the account of its construction, something like the following: 'And Moses called unto him Bezaleel and Aholiab, and said unto them, Go to, let us get up an entertainment, a grand festival with a manna supper, and roast quails in abundance. We may also have games and music and dancing. And let sundry beautiful damsels scour the neighboring country, selling tickets. Let them be in comely attire, and let them play upon the timbrel and lute as they go, that they may attract the attention of the people. It may be that yon wealthy Hittite will be pleased to contribute of his substance to the building of the Lord's temple; and, if we shall succeed in drawing a few shekels from some of the well-to-do Amalekites, our burden will be much reduced thereby; and, best of all, these ungodly sinners will have been duped into paying tribute for the glory of our God.'

" 'Absurd!' you say. Of course it is. If the Bible contained any such nonsense, we would throw it away."

We believe most heartily with this writer that none of the indirect methods of raising money find any approval, either from precept or example, in God's word. They are not in keeping with its teachings. They are a disgrace to the church of Christ, and bring only contempt upon it from the unbelieving world. Their result has always been to vitiate the true spirit of consecration, and to blight the spiritual life, influence, and activity of church members.

We are in full sympathy, and say Amen to his closing prayer: "May the time soon come when we shall be as practical in religious matters as we are in business. Then we shall do away with all indirect methods, all evasions of duty, and build up our Christian institutions on the only true basis—that of specie payment."—St. Louis Christian Advocate.