The Review and Herald, Review and Herald, Vol. 47, No. 9.
SYSTEMATIC BENEVOLENCE, OR THE BIBLE PLAN OF SUPPORTING THE MINISTRYPage 1
SYSTEMATIC BENEVOLENCE, OR THE BIBLE PLAN OF SUPPORTING THE MINISTRY.
By Dudley Marvin Canright
BY ELD. D. M. CANRIGHT.
(Concluded.) TEXT: “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 storehouse, 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.” Mal. 3:8–11. 5. First-fruits. Not only does the Lord require one-tenth of all our increase, but this one-tenth must be the first-fruits of our increase; that is, the first of whatever the Lord gives us. Thus the Lord says: “Thou shalt not delay to offer the first of thy ripe fruits, and of thy liquors; the first-born of thy sons shalt thou give unto me. Likewise shalt thou do with thine oxen, and with thy sheep.” Ex. 22:29, 30. The Lord says, Thou shalt not delay to offer the first-fruits; that is, you shall not keep putting it off, waiting and using it yourself; but we are to give the first of our ripe fruits; the first of our oxen, sheep, &c.—“The first of the first-fruits of thy land thou shalt bring into the house of the Lord thy God.” Ex. 23:19. Again the Lord said, “Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, When ye be come into the land which I give unto you, and shall reap the harvest thereof, then ye shall bring a sheaf of the first-fruits of your harvest unto the priest . . . And ye shall eat neither bread, nor parched corn, nor green ears, until the self-same day that ye have brought an offering unto your God.” Lev. 23:10, 14. Notice that they are forbidden to take their bread or parched corn, or green ears, or anything till they had first brought an offering to the Lord. So we read again in Proverbs 3:9, 10. “Honor the Lord with thy substance, and with the first-fruits of all thine increase. So shall thy barns be filled with plenty, and thy presses shall burst out with new wine.” Here we are required to honor the Lord with the first-fruits of all our increase. Paul recognizes the same principle in his instruction to the Christian churches. Thus he says: “Upon the first day of the week let every one of you lay by him in store, as God hath prospered him, that there be no gatherings when I come.” 1 Cor. 16:2. Our God is a great God, he is a jealous God, jealous of his honor. Freely he bestows his blessings upon his creatures. But he must be honored for them, so he requires that of everything he gives us we shall first recognize his authority and his goodness by bringing an offering to him before we use any of it for ourselves. This is certainly just and reasonable. In doing this we honor God and bring his blessing upon us. But here is just where our brethren are the most liable to let selfishness and covetousness come in and rob God of that which they should give to him. They pledge and intend to give so much during the year, but instead of making this the first-fruit they put it off and delay the matter till the very last of the year. They first serve themselves, and then the Lord last of all, if at all. Their debts must come first, their food must be first, their clothing first, their wants and wishes first. After all these have been met, then, perhaps, at the very last hour they will manage grudgingly to squeeze out to the Lord just enough to save a guilty conscience. This is all and entirely wrong. If they would have a free spirit, confidence toward God, and his blessing upon what they have during the year, let them honor God first, just as the Bible says. Let them commence the very first day of January, the first day of the week, and the first day of the month, and lay apart to the Lord the first tenth of all they receive. When you receive a dollar, lay out the first ten cents for the Lord’s treasury. If it is five dollars, take out half a dollar. If it is ten, lay out a dollar. Continue to do this strictly and conscientiously. This is God’s plan; this is Systematic Benevolence; nothing less is. It is not Systematic Benevolence at all to let our pledges go unpaid month after month, while we are constantly receiving blessings and means in different ways, more or less, every week and month of the year. Moreover, this is the only way to pay s. b. easily. All our brethren who have tried this plan thoroughly testify that such is the case. When we first receive five dollars it is easy to take out half a dollar and lay it by itself; or if one dollar is received, to lay aside ten cents. But when our s. b. has run behind, six, nine, or twelve months, it seems like a very hard thing to pay into the treasury at once the whole amount due. By taking this course, it makes it a great deal harder for ourselves, and we enjoy much less pleasure than we would if we gave it a little at a time as often as due. Brethren, we earnestly exhort you to reform in these matters. Commence now. Do not put it off. Have a place in your pocket-book, or a little box in your house in which to deposit your tithes as fast as they are received. Do this and God, will bless you. 6. Danger of covetousness. If there is one sin above another, against which the Bible repeatedly and in every form warns us, it is the sin of covetousness. The very root of this sin is selfishness, a self-caring disposition. It is my house, my farm, my stock, my goods, my children, my debts, my wants,—everything must center around me. All wants outside of themselves are forgotten. If we receive a few dollars in money our first thoughts are about self,—to use it for ourselves. Other people are forgotten, our poor brethren are forgotten, the cause of God is forgotten, God’s servants are forgotten, God himself is forgotten. So great is the danger upon this point that one of the ten commandments directly relates to it, strongly condemning it. Let us carefully read the word of the Lord upon this point; and, my brother or sister, do not pass these passages over lightly. Meditate on them a little as you go along; see if they do not hit your case; do not get to sleep or become drowsy while you read them. They may be so familiar as to have lost their force with you. “And having food and raiment let us be therewith content. But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition. For the love of money is the root of all evil; which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.” “Charge them that are rich in this world, that they be not highminded, nor trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God, who giveth us richly all things to enjoy; that they do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to distribute, willing to communicate; laying up in store for themselves a good foundation against the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life.” 1 Tim. 6:8–10, 17–19. “Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God.” 1 Cor. 6:10. “Moreover thou shalt provide out of all the people able men, such as fear God, men of truth, hating covetousness; and place such over them, to be rulers of thousands, and rulers of hundreds, and rulers of fifties, and rulers of tens,” etc. Ex. 18:21. “But he that hateth covetousness shall prolong his days.” Prov. 28:16. “With their mouth they show much love, but their heart goeth after their covetousness.” Ezek. 33:31. “For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, thefts, covetousness,” etc. Mark 7:21, 22. “And he said unto them, Take heed, and beware of covetousness; for a man’s life consisteth not in the abundance of the things he possesseth.” Luke 12:15. “Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry.” Col. 3:5. This is what the Lord says to us, only it is not a hundredth part of the warnings which the Bible contains upon the subject. Every one of us is in danger upon this point. We may blind our eyes, and silence our conscience; we may apply all this to somebody else, as the most of men do, but we are the very men meant. It is not simply the rich men that are in danger of covetousness. The poor are often just as covetous as the rich. They are stingy with what little they might give; and because they have but little they make themselves believe that they need not give anything; but this is not the case. Paul says, “Let every one of you lay by him in store.” And in the Old Testament the Lord said that the very poorest should give half a shekel, and that none should come empty-handed before him. See Deut. 16:16, 17. 7. Liberality to be cultivated. While the Bible repeatedly and everywhere warns against covetousness and stinginess, on the other hand it everywhere commends liberality. Great and many promises are made to the liberal soul. I will quote a few passages out of the many. Do not pass them over lightly, my brother or sister. They were given for our instruction. “The liberal soul shall be made fat; and he that watereth shall be watered also himself.” Prov. 11:25. “But to do good and to communicate forget not; for with such sacrifices God is well pleased.” Heb. 13:16. “But whoso hath this world’s good, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him?” John 3:17. “He that hath a bountiful eye shall be blessed; for he giveth of his bread to the poor.” Prov. 22:9. “He that giveth unto the poor shall not lack; but he that hideth his eyes shall have many a curse.” Prov. 28:27. “Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again.” Luke 6:38. “For God is not unrighteous to forget your work and labour of love, which ye have showed toward his name, in that ye have ministered to the saints, and do minister.” Heb. 6:10. “And Jesus sat over against the treasury, and beheld how the people cast money into the treasury; and many that were rich cast in much. And there came a certain poor widow, and she threw in two mites, which make a farthing. And he called unto him his disciples, and saith unto them, Verily I say unto you, That this poor widow hath cast more in, than all they which have cast into the treasury; for all they did cast in of their abundance; but she of her want did cast in all that she had, even all her living.” Mark 12:41–44. “There was a certain man in Cæsarea called Cornelius, a centurion of the band called the Italian band, a devout man, and one that feared God with all his house, which gave much alms to the people, and prayed to God alway. He saw in a vision evidently about the ninth hour of the day an angel of God coming in to him, and saying unto him, Cornelius. And when he looked on him, he was afraid, and said, What is it, Lord? And he said unto him, Thy prayers and thine alms are come up for a memorial before God.” Acts 10:1–4. “For even in Thessalonica ye sent once and again unto my necessity. Not because I desire a gift; but I desire fruit that may abound to your account. But I have all, and abound; I am full, having received of Epaphroditus the things which were sent from you, an odor of a sweet smell, a sacrifice acceptable, well-pleasing to God.” Phil. 4:16–18. If liberality is so highly commended by the Holy Spirit, it certainly must be a very important grace, one that should be well cultivated. 8. A proof of our sincerity. To his brethren whom Paul was exhorting to give liberally he said, You must do this “to prove the sincerity of your love.” 2 Cor. 8:8. This I believe to be the principal object in giving; viz., to prove the sincerity of our love. Talk and profession are very cheap and easy; but when a man will give his money to support a cause, that is the very best proof that he loves it. Hence the Lord has ever required this test of our sincerity. The importance of this idea will be seen by the following facts: (1.) The Lord is not dependent upon our means to support his cause. He could easily send down means from Heaven; he could multiply gold and silver in the treasury, and thus save the purses of his people, but he does not choose to do it. (2.) The little which the poor widow can give amounts to but a trifle in supporting the work. It would hardly be missed from the treasury, and yet even such are encouraged to give something. Evidently the design of this is not so much to fill the treasury as it is to prove their love. (3.) The Saviour himself said that the poor widow who gave only two mites gave much more than the rich who cast in large sums. What she gave was valued, not according to the amount given, but by the amount of sacrifice she made in giving. Hence, those who give stingily and grudgingly are marked by the Lord. So Paul distinctly says: “Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity; for God loveth a cheerful giver.” 2 Cor. 9:7. In order, therefore, to attain the great object of giving, we must give cheerfully and liberally, according to our means.66If we do not, it shows our lack of love to God and to his cause. It proves our selfishness, and brings not the blessing of God, but his frown upon us. Every one, therefore, should give something, even if it costs him as much as it did the poor widow. 9. By giving the first-fruits of our substance we place our property and family under the protection of God, and bring his blessing upon what we possess. This also is a very important idea. It is plainly stated, and many times repeated in the Bible, that where men give nothing to the Lord they take their property into their own hands and from under the protection of God. They cannot ask God’s blessing upon it; for if the Lord blesses their wheat, they keep it all themselves; if he blesses their cattle, they keep them all for themselves; if he blesses them with health, they use it in serving themselves. God will not be a partner to such selfishness. But if we strictly honor the Lord by giving him the first-fruits of all that he bestows upon us, then we can ask and expect the blessing of God upon the balance. No fact is more plainly stated in the Bible than this. Let us read a few passages. “Ye have sown much, and bring in little; ye eat, but ye have not enough; ye drink, but ye are not filled with drink; ye clothe you, but there is none warm; and he that earneth wages earneth wages to put it into a bag with holes.” “Ye looked for much, and, lo, it came to little; and when ye brought it home, I did blow upon it. Why? saith the Lord of hosts. Because of mine house that is waste, and ye run every man into his own house.” Hag. 1:6, 9. Here the Lord very distinctly states that he did blow upon what they had, and scattered it, and withheld the dews from watering their grain, and kept their fields from bearing because they did not devote their substance to his cause as he required. Read another passage. “Ye are cursed with a curse; for ye have robbed me, even this whole nation. Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, 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, saith the Lord of hosts.” Mal. 3:9–11. Here the Lord distinctly states that he will bless their crops if they will pay their tithes. Paul states the same doctrine in the New Testament. “Now he that ministereth seed to the sower both minister bread for your food, and multiply your seed sown, and increase the fruits of your righteousness.” 2 Cor. 9:10. No doctrine is more reasonable than that the great God will bless those who fear and honor him; and that his prospering hand will be withheld from those who do not. For seventeen years I have been connected with Seventh-day Adventists, and have traveled extensively through all our Conferences and churches, and have carefully observed upon this point, till I am thoroughly satisfied that the special blessing of God does attend those who are prompt and liberal in paying their s. b.; and that very frequently calamity and adversity come upon those who do not do it. If it were proper, I could here give a large number of very striking and interesting illustrations of this fact. Nearly every church furnishes illustrations of it. Many brethren have come to me and told their own experience confirming it, both those who had given liberally and those who had tried robbing the Lord till they were satisfied. I once organized s. b. in a church where the following circumstance occurred. One brother lived near the church. He was a very liberal brother, always giving to every enterprise that came up. He had a large family, yet his house and barn were always filled at every monthly meeting. His neighbors said that the Adventists would soon eat him out of house and home; but he did not believe it. When we came to organize s. b., he said that he believed in the plan. He was worth $2,000, but he would put his property down at $2,500, so that the Lord should not blow upon what he had. He owned a lot thickly covered with large stone so that it was worthless to him even for pasture. Soon a railroad was built right by this field. They had to have just such stone as this for bridges. He sold them for $1,000. His land was much more valuable with them off than on. He came to me and said that he had trusted the Lord and he had raised his property $1,000, and that I might put it down $3,500, which I did. Now, take another case: At the same time, and in the same church, a brother refused to pledge anything on s. b. He claimed to be very liberal but did not believe in the plan. After urging him a long time he finally told me to put down $1,300, which I did. At the time, I thought this was liberal—all that he was worth. This was in November. The first of January his house was burned, and all that they had in it. They never saved a thing, not so much as their clothing. Their loss was a very severe one. Then the facts came out as to what he was worth. He still had his farm, hay, stock, &c. Taking out a few debts, himself and others said he was now worth about $1,300, just the amount at which he had valued his property six weeks before. Was this an accident, or was it the hand of God upon him? Another poor brother got behind in his s. b. about $20. Seeing no way to raise it he set apart a piece of ground and planted it to strawberries, promising that the berries should be sold to pay the $20. They grew and yielded largely. Enough were sold to raise the $20, and they had some left besides. The money was sacredly laid aside for the Lord. Soon a peddler came along with a patent honey extractor. They were persuaded that this was a very fine thing, with which they could earn much money; but in order to buy it they had to use the $20 laid aside for the Lord. They did use it, thinking soon to replace it with the money earned; but, as might be expected, the Lord did not bless the undertaking. The brother was sick, the extractor did not work well, and that winter the bees died, and the money was a total loss. They saw their mistake when it was too late. There are many other cases more striking than these which have come under my observation, though I do not feel free to give them lest I might injure the feelings of some. But I have known so many that I cannot doubt the hand of God in them. 10. It is astonishing how conversion affects some men. Before they were converted they were liberal in handing out their means. If they joined an excursion party they were ready to meet their share of expenses. They thought nothing of spending five or ten dollars at a dance, show, or party. They could take their family to the circus, fair, &c., and give them money to spend. They could buy jewelry and fine clothes for their children. They boasted of being as liberal as other men. But as soon as they embrace the cause of Christ, their liberality has all dried up. They seem to think it a terrible thing to give a few cents for the gospel. They act as though every cent given in this way was lost. They are willing to belong to this church, to enjoy all its privileges, to attend meetings, to hear preaching, and to let others pay for it. A conversion that changes a man in this way I do not hesitate to pronounce spurious. 11. Of all people, Seventh-day Adventists ought to be the most liberal. (1.) Because they profess to believe and obey the Bible more strictly than any other people; and the Bible, as we have shown, is full and explicit on the point of liberality. (2.) Because we enjoy greater light, and greater blessings in the truth than any other people living. How common it is to hear our people thank God for the light and truth which they have received. Others around them have never seen this precious light. If we do really appreciate it we ought to show it by our works. If others can give to support error, how much more should we give to support the truth. (3.) But the greatest reason of all why we should be liberal is because we believe that the end of all things is right at hand. Our farms, our houses, and all our property is soon to be burned. We are in the closing part of the last generation and the last message to the world. Our numbers are few, and our means small, but the work is great, and the time is short. Frequently the cause is left to suffer for the want of means which we have in our possession, but persistently withhold. Brethren, if we really believe this message, let us give some good, substantial proof of it. Some of you, as the end draws near, are getting more selfish, more covetous, more grasping; some of you are adding field to field, farm to farm, house to house, and are accumulating money to be burned up. God will mark these things. There are thousands of men in the nominal churches who give more liberally of their means than many of our own people think of doing. Let us be careful that we do not deceive our souls upon this point. 12. Seventh-day Adventists save many thousands of dollars every year where others spend it. Let us suppose a case. Here is a family who used to pay from ten to fifteen dollars per year for tobacco. They pay nothing for this now. They used to pay as much more for tea and coffee. All this they save now. They used to go to circuses, dances, shows, donation parties, and many other places of amusement, all of which costs time and money. They attend none of these places now. Here they save many dollars. They used to wear jewelry and other costly articles. They wear none of these now. They lay out nothing for novel books, story papers, and the like. They take but little interest in the general holidays of the country. They dress plainly, and live plainly. They stay at home and work, work, work, six days in the week, twelve months in the year. If they attend one camp-meeting in the year they think they have made a great sacrifice of time. What is the consequence? Just what we might expect. Our people are improving financially faster than any other class of people of the same means. I fear that this is simply making a gain of godliness. 13. How much ought I to give? We now come directly to the question for which we have been preparing the way. Being convinced that it is our duty to do something, every reader will next ask the question, How much ought I to give? The answer is ready—God has written it—one-tenth of all your income. Well, what does that mean? It means just what it says,—one-tenth of all we make during the year with our means and our labor. That is, if I earn ten dollars, one dollar of it should be given to the Lord whether it is earned by working on the farm, at a trade, teaching school, or in any other manner. But if I have a team, farm, &c., and with them and my own labor I raise one hundred bushels of wheat, ten of those should be given to the Lord. If I raise ten sheep, one should be given to the Lord; or if I have money out at interest which brings me one hundred dollars a year, ten of that should be given to the Lord. This certainly is reasonable. The Lord gives us nine-tenths of all our income from every source during the year. This we are to use in meeting our own wants—our food, clothing, taxes, debts, etc. But the first tenth the Lord reserves to himself for the support of his servants. Many argue that they cannot pay their tithes till they have first paid their debts; but this is a delusion of the devil. Our obligations to God are just as sacred as those to our fellow men. We have no right to rob God to pay our neighbor. What would we think of the man who would rent another man’s farm, agreeing to give him one-third for the use of it, and then use that third in paying his debts? Would the fact that he owed debts justify him in taking that which belonged to another to pay them? Certainly not. Neither are we justified in withholding our tithes to pay debts which are contracted for our own personal wants. Then, many persons are always in debt and always will be. They use this as an excuse all through life to justify them in doing nothing for the Lord. Others have claimed that the tithe which we are to give is simply one-tenth of what we actually clear above all our expenses of living during the year. But this is wide of the mark. If this were the plan, a large proportion of our brethren and sisters would not be required to give a cent from one year to another; because, after taking out their living during the year, they find themselves worth no more than they were the year before; hence they would have nothing from which to give a tithe. No, this is not the Lord’s plan. He requires us to give one-tenth of all our income. See Lev. 27:30–32; Matt. 23:23; Luke 18:12; 1 Cor. 16:2. Our own personal wants are to be supplied out of nine-tenths of our income. The other tenth is the Lord’s. Of course allowance is to be made for very aged people, for the sick, &c. Then again, we are not to pay a tithe on property which does not belong to us. That is, if I own property to the amount of $2,000 and owe $1,000 of it I am only to pay tithes upon that which I have clear of debt, that is, $1,000. Or if a man should employ a large number of hands in doing a large business, he would not pay a tenth of all the proceeds of their labor. He must first take out enough to pay them for their work, and so pay a tenth only of what he actually clears from their labor. We should pay a tithe of whatever we make, either with our property or with the labor of our hands. To illustrate: I have a thousand dollars. This, put at interest, brings me one hundred dollars per year, and one tenth of that is my tithe, which is ten dollars. But besides this I am laboring all the time myself for which I receive from $8 to $12 per week, or about $500, per year. Why should I not give a tenth of what I earn with my hands as well as a tenth of what my property earns? Certainly, I should. Hence while I can give ten dollars as the income on my $1,000 of property, I can give fifty dollars on my labor. Or, take this illustration: A man owns a farm, farming implements, team, &c., which he rents for one-half the crops, while the man who does the work on the farm has the other half as his share for his labor. Now the property itself brings one half the produce, while the man’s labor brings the other half. If, then, the owner of the farm should pay tithes on his property, why should not the other man pay tithes on his labor? Certainly he should. His hands are his capital. There are thousands among us who have little or no property, and yet they earn and receive scores and hundreds of dollars every year. These should pay a tithe of this, the same as the man who pays a tithe of the income of his farm. Then, of course, the man who both has property and earns means should pay tithes on both. But suppose that a man’s property is all in a house and lot which he occupies himself. It does not bring him a dollar’s income. Should he pay tithes on this? Certainly; because he has the use of it. It saves him paying rent. The man who had the same amount of property in money at interest would be expected to pay a tithe of his interest. But perhaps, the interest on his money would not meet the rent which he pays for the house in which he lives. Again, a man has a small farm which brings him but little cash income. He thinks he is excused from paying as much s. b. as the man who has the same amount of property in money at interest. But we say he is not. This little farmer gets his rent, his wood, his garden produce, much of what he eats and many other benefits from the farm, for all of which the moneyed man must pay the cash out of his income. The principle, then, upon which we arrange our s. b. is this: The usual and fair income on money is ten per cent, that is, ten dollars on a hundred. One hundred dollars put at interest would bring ten dollars each year. One-tenth of this income, or increase, is the Lord’s, that is, one dollar. But if a man’s means is invested in property instead of in money, we say that that property is worth to him the same as money at interest. If it is not, then he can sell it and put it at interest. A farmer not only has his rent free, what he eats and uses, his wood and hay and what he sells on his place, but he has the rise of his property, which in many cases is a good deal. All things considered, it is fair to reckon the use of it worth to him the same as so much money. Sometimes it is worth much more than that, and perhaps sometimes less, but that is a fair average. This offers a plain basis upon which to reckon our s. b. Each one hundred dollars is worth to its owner ten dollars per year; hence on each one hundred dollars he can give one dollar per year s. b. This is equivalent to a tithe of the income of his property. Of course he does not have to give one tenth of his grain and produce besides the one dollar on the hundred, but this one dollar on the one hundred answers for the one tenth of what his farm produces. But if a man works his farm with his own hands, then, besides the one dollar on the one hundred, he should give a personal donation equivalent to one-tenth of what his own labor is worth. Or if he works out and earns money with his own labor he should give one tenth of this. 14. How the money is collected and what is done with it. Each church elects annually one of its members as s. b. treasurer. He is provided with a book for the purpose, in which is written the name of every person wishing to contribute anything for the support of the gospel. As the Bible says we should give weekly, 1 Cor. 16:2, we place beside each name just how much that person wishes to give each week. If he has property, he puts down the value of it. Two cents a week on each one hundred dollars will amount to one dollar per year, as near as you can get at it by the week. Then if he wishes to give a personal donation, this is added to that. A great many who have no property give a personal donation, running all the way from one to seventy-five cents per week. Two cents a week amounts to about one dollar per year, in exact figures, $1.04; hence, if a person67wishes to give $5 per year, he puts down ten cents per week; if ten dollars, twenty cents, and so on. Each individual pays the treasurer what he has pledged as often as he chooses, though he should never let it run longer than three months, and it should all be paid within a year. Then we have a State treasurer. The treasurer in each church sends to the State treasurer at the end of every three months all the money that he receives. Thus all the funds raised in all the States is placed in one general fund. Out of this fund all the ministers in the State are paid. When a minister needs means the president of the Conference orders the treasurer to pay him what he thinks he ought to have. At the end of each year at our State Conference, every minister has to lay before the Conference a written account of all his labors during the year, containing a statement also of every dollar he has received, and of all that he has paid out. This report is laid before an auditing committee of nine brethren, who decide whether he shall have more, whether he has had enough, or too much. Thus a careful and judicious use is made of every cent our brethren contribute. Also, the expenses of the General Conference is met out of the funds of the different State Conferences. Legitimately every cent of the s. b. should be used for the support of the ministry; but all our churches have fallen into the habit of reserving a small share of their s. b. to pay their sexton, buy oil, &c. With the exception of a few dollars for this purpose, all the s. b. should be voted and paid to the State Conference. “A LITTLE WHILE.”
By D. T. Call
“A little while!” Oh! precious words
Of Jesus. Spoken just before
The cross, the crown of thorns, the scourge,
And mockings, that for me he bore. A “little while!” What’s that he saith?
“A little while!” We cannot understand.
Sense only comprehends the parting,
And lonely wand’ring to a desert land, “A little while!” Weeping and lonely,
Hearts, nigh to bursting with the parting’s pain,
Find peace and comfort in his promise only,
“A little while” and “I will come again.” A “little while!” How oft the words
Have cheered the heart that, nigh to breaking,
Has clung unto the promise given,
And found a balm for all its aching. A “little while!” and night is over;
Cease weeping, and with faith’s glad smile,
Fight the good fight, be valiant ever,
For Jesus cometh in “a little while!” —D. T. CALL, in Advent Christian Times.