WE heard a story the other day of a man who passed a criticism upon a sermon by facetiously asking at the close of the service that the penny he had put in the collection be returned, since he had not secured the worth of his money. Whatever point there may have been in that story it is only necessary to note what occurs in connection with the average "collection" at a religious service, to see that men are more likely to give the Lord the least thing they can find at hand, rather than the greatest or than anything adequate to the circumstances. Many a man with a roll of bills in his pocket hunts about for a nickel that he may seem to give the Lord something, or may appear to pay for what he secures in connection with the church service. The amount thus given is often less than the "tip" which the same man would give to a waiter who serves him at dinner, and not greater than the amount he pays a street boy for polishing his shoes. The barber, who shaves his face and cuts his hair is likely to get more than the Lord does at church service.13
It must be that such men have so little acquaintance with God and righteousness, and with the purpose of the church of Christ and its mission in the world, that they are practically strangers to all larger and better conceptions. If they were not, they could not search for a nickel, putting aside the dollar which comes to their hand first, in making gifts to the Lord. Men always invest money in proportion to their desires for any given thing, or in proportion to the value of the investment because of what it may return to them.
If the truth were known, all forms of business owe an immense debt to the church of Christ, because of its conservative influence in the matter of moral character, commercial honesty, social purity, and the general well-being of society. Imperfect as the church of Christ is—because all human organizations are marked by human limitations and imperfections—it is the representative of God and righteousness among men, in a far greater degree than any other organization. As such, it has the right to ask for liberal support, and the men who receive its benefits are under obligations to grant that support.
The man who refuses to pay just taxes on his property, when the city in which he lives has given protection to him, and by good order and general improvements has increased the commercial value of his property, is looked upon as niggardly and mean. If Christianity and its influence in the world be considered from the standpoint of business alone, it has the right to demand far more liberal support from men outside the church than it receives. Those who put a nickel upon the plate at church service, when they ought to put $5.00, are men who deliberately appropriate the benefits which come from the existence of the church, without recognizing their value by courteous thanks, or corresponding financial support. If such men's estimate of God and righteousness is to be judged by the amount of their contributions to the church of Christ, they must hold Him and His church in very low esteem.—Sabbath Recorder.