USA > Virginia > City of Staunton > City of Staunton > The First Presbyterian Church, Staunton, Virginia > Part 7
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29
It is not for me to say what my neighbor shall Contribute. The Bible lays down The rules.
[81]
.
FIRST PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH, STAUNTON, VA.
receive the offerings of the people, a comparatively rich member of the flock put down a very small sum as his contribution. The chairman said : "No, brother we can't take that." "Why not ?" asked the other. "Because," was the reply, "you have not com- plied with the 3d rule." The member took up his money and trudged off. Presently he returned and putting down a larger sum said huffish- ly : "Take that." "No," said the other, "we cannot take it. You have not complied with the 1st rule." The contributor retired again with his money, but finally returned, and with a changed manner begged that as a favor to him it might be received. "Yes with pleasure," said the chairman," "now you have complied with all the rules." This story illustrates the true principle of Christian benefi- cence, and the manner in which the people may be educated with ref- erence to it. The Lord does not need the gifts of any of His creatures. He, however, condescends to accept the free-will offerings of His people. He does not want enforced presents, and the church should not receive them. But the church should enlighten the people and exhort and rebuke in respect to the duty and privilege.
It may be taken for granted that no plan can be devised which will not involve some trouble to the officers of the church. One or more persons must be authorized to collect, or receive, the contribu- tions, and disburse them ; and owing to the infirmity of human nature, it cannot be expected that every individual will always pay in his quota promptly at the appointed time. Some degree of solicitation, or reminder, must therefore be practiced.
Upon the whole, the plan which seems to me most in accordance with scripture and the theory of our institutions ; best calculated to prevent irritations and discomfort in the congregation ; and most likely to result in raising the necessary amount of money, is the fol- lowing : Let the officers of the church at the beginning of every year invite each adult member of the congregation to say what sum he or she will contribute, in monthly or quarterly instalments, FOR THAT YEAR. If the aggregate subscribed shall be sufficient for the purpose the desired object will be accomplished. A subscription list for one year may be relied upon as likely to be solvent and promptly paid in. If the aggregate subscriptions shall prove insufficient, the fact should be reported to the congregation, and an opportunity afforded to sub- scribers to increase their respective donations. Frequent reports of the financial condition of the church should be made, not by announce- ments from the pulpit, but by means of printed statements placed in the pews. Every individual attending the church should be kept in- formed in regard to these affairs. All are equally interested, and
[82]
FIRST PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH, STAUNTON, VA.
every proper means should be used to excite the interest and call forth the liberality of the members.
There will, of course, be some members of the congregation un- able to contribute ; or at least to promise any sum they may think worth subscribing. Christ said : "The poor ye have always with . you," and as long as such are in the community, God grant that a reasonable proportion of them may be in our church, and cherished and accommodated as well as the richest. In fixing the amounts of their contributions, the comparatively wealthy must have reference to the fact that some of the brethren are able to do very little. We will not say that any are able to do NOTHING. And the smallest gifts may be more in the estimation of God than the largest. The widow who cast two mites into the treasury of the temple, Christ himself said, "cast in more than they all."
.
In our common conversation we speak of GIVING to the church, or to religious objects, and many people pay every claim upon them in preference to church dues. The latter are, however, DEBTS of the first dignity, higher than "debts of honor," and are entitled to be first discharged.
A word in conclusion in regard to the collection of church reve- nues. Church officers serve without pay, and certainly not for their own enjoyment. They have become our servants for Christ's sake. When they present to us the collection baskets during public worship, or elsewhere call upon us for money, it is to save us trouble, or to remind us of our duty. They deserve respect and sympathy, as friends and faithful servants, not the rebuffs which debtors some- times give to exacting and harsh creditors.
"Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give ; not grudgingly, or of necessity, for God loveth a cheerful giver."
"If there be first a willing mind, it is accepted according to that a man hath, and not according to that he hath not."
If the present system of pew-renting is a proper one, it ought to be enforced. It is due to good faith and fair dealing that there shall be no discriminations-one delinquent allowed to remain, and another, directly or indirectly, ordered to leave.
Whenever a pew-holder fails to pay the full price, turn him out. PUNISH the wife and children for the fault, or it may be the misfor- tune, of the head of the family. Owners of warehouses and other buildings for rent, act so. The object of all renting is to raise money. True this is not the professed primary object of the church, but when the church turns from its proper purpose and undertakes to play the landlord, it must adhere to sound business principles. There- fore, let the system be faithfully carried out or abolished.
Staunton, Va., June 1, 1892.
[83]
/
CHAPTER XI
TWO SERMONS BY REV. A. M. FRASER, D. D., PASTOR OF THE FIRST PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH OF STAUNTON, VA. SUBJECT : THE WORSHIP OF GOD WITH OUR SUBSTANCE; DELIVERED IN FEBRUARY, 1904.
FIRST SERMON
TEXT : - Prov. III : 9, "Honor the Lord With Thy Substance."
T HE subject presented to us by this text is that of worshiping or "honoring" the Lord with our "sub- stance" or property. In advance of everything else I have to say on the subject, I wish to make this state- ment : I shall not lay down a single main proposition but such as I feel sure of securing your unqualified concurrence in, and if you act in accordance with the convictions thus reached, such a thing as a financial problem will disappear from our church operations, and we will be doing more in proportion to our means than any church of which I have any knowledge.
Now if I have succeeded, during my residence in your midst, in winning, to any extent, your confidence in my judgment, this statement at the outset of such a discussion ought to secure the closest and most serious attention to all I have to say. Let me repeat and emphasize the state- ment : I shall not lay down a single leading proposition but such as I feel confident of securing your unqualified assent to. I may be mistaken, but I doubt if a lawyer ever stood before a jury more confident of his case than I
[84]
FIRST PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH, STAUNTON, VA.
am of carrying my case in the minds of this jury of six hundred persons. And that is a great deal to say when money is the subject to be discussed. And, moreover, if all will act in accordance with the views thus formed, financial difficulties will disappear from our church and we will be doing more in proportion to our ability than any church of my acquaintance. With this preface I proceed to an- nounce my first proposition.
I. In order that the Church may do the work which the Lord has given it to do, IT MUST HAVE MONEY.
It is unscriptural and impossible for the church to do the work the Master has given it to do, without the use of money. It might seem unnecessary to insist upon a pro- position so nearly self-evident as this one is, but there are some who dispute it, and it is possible that the leaven of this error is working to a greater extent than we sus- pect. They say that the gospel is free and then deceive themselves with the sophistry that because the gospel is free, no money should be employed in its operations.' Sal- vation is offered to all who will accept it, "without money and without price," and if any man thinks when he pays money into the Lord's treasury that he is paying for his redemption, he has never begun to know the value of that redemption, and greatly over-rates the value of money. When Simon, the sorcerer, offered to give the apostles money for the gift of the Holy Ghost, Peter rebuked him indignantly saying, "Thy money perish with thee, because thou hast thought that the gift of God may be purchased with money." Possibly it was to this occasion that Peter's mind reverted when he afterwards wrote in his first epistle, "Ye were not redeemed with corruptible things as silver and gold." But because God has chosen to make eternal life a free gift, he has not, therefore, denied us the privilege of worshiping him with our sub- stance and using our money to serve him.
[85]
FIRST PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH, STAUNTON, VA.
That money is needed to do this work, the following considerations will show :
1. It is right, and God has ordained that there shall be a ministerial office in the church. There should be at least one man for each Christian community who shall devote his whole time to the study and ministry of the word and to prayer. God has commanded him to give himself "wholly" to these things. Of course it is neces- sary for that man to get a living. But whence shall that living come ? If he stops to make his own living, he will not be giving himself "wholly" to these things. In pro- portion as his spiritual ministrations are interrupted by worldly cares and avocations will his knowledge of the word be imperfect and his ministry enfeebled. My stand- ard of ministerial scholarship and efficiency are very far above the plain on which I labor, but if I were forced to work for a living from Monday morning till Saturday night and then preach on Sunday such things as I had gathered through the week, I would sink to a level very far below the one I now occupy. If, then, a minister may not stop to earn his own living, whence can that living come except it be from the offerings of God's people which they make for the maintenance of the worship of God ? God has made no other provision.
2. Not only has God not made any other provision than that, he has in fact made exactly that provision. [Perhaps I should pause here for an explanation. I hope that no one imagines for a moment that these remarks have any reference that is personal to myself. No congregation could discharge its obligations to its pastor more com- pletely and punctually than you have met all your finan- cial obligations to me. If it were otherwise I would not feel at liberty to discuss the subject as freely as I do. As I explained in a former sermon, I am preaching upon this class of subjects in response to a request to do so, and be- cause we are now contemplating a change in our method
[86]
FIRST PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH, STAUNTON, VA.
of raising the revenues of the church. I wish, therefore, to discuss the subject in a manner that shall be free from all personal references and upon the high ground of Bible teaching and Christian duty and privilege. With this ex- planation I will proceed with the proof that God has ordained that the ministry shall be supported out of the offerings of his worshipers].
At I Timothy v:17 we find these words : "Let the elders that rule well be counted worthy of double honor, especially they who labor in the word and doctrine." What is this "honor" that is to be accorded all elders and a double portion of which is due to those "elders who rule well" or "who labor in the word and doctrine ?" A close study of the word in its historical uses in Israel and in its connection with the passage here, will lead you to the con- clusion that by "honor" Paul meant a material support of some kind. This is made clear by the following verse. When we discuss religious subjects we are in the habit of quoting from the Bible to support our positions, and so Paul did in this case. Passing to the next verse (the 18th) we find him quoting from Deuteronomy : "Thou shalt not muzzle the ox that treadeth out the corn."
The old way of threshing wheat (for that is what is meant by "corn") was to drive oxen to and fro across it and let them tread the grain out of the straw. When they became tired and hungry, they would reach down and get a mouthful of straw, sometimes getting grain along with the straw. A stingy man would be inclined to stop this little waste by muzzling the oxen or tying baskets over their mouths. The law of Moses forbade their treating the oxen so. It was upon the principle of justice that the oxen were earning all they got. They were yielding in- comparably greater quantities of grain than they were getting. Now why does Paul quote that particular scrip- ture in this connection ? What bearing has it on the sub- ject in hand, the giving of "honor" to elders ? The logic
[87]
-
FIRST PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH, STAUNTON, VA.
of the quotation is that "elders who rule well, especially they who labor in the word and doctrine," are treading out the bread of life for the people, and whilst they are so engaged they are not to be debarred from getting a living by that work. He follows up this quotation with another, "The laborer is worthy of his hire." The minister is a laborer, and if you get any good at all out of his labors, it is worth far more to you than the support you give him. Paul says elsewhere on the same subject, "If we have sown unto you spiritual things, is it a great thing if we reap your carnal things?" In further proof of the same position we might turn to the ninth chapter of First Corin- thians, where a great deal of the chapter is taken up with the direct discussion of this subject and it is all so forcible that it is hard to select one verse or a few verses for illustration. There we find the apostle using the same quotation he did in 1 Timothy, v : 18 : "Thou shalt not muzzle the ox that treadeth out the corn," and again applies it to the subject of supporting the ministry. And he adds the question, "Doth God take care for Oxen ? or saith he it altogether for our sakes ? For our sakes, no doubt, this is written." That is, God's object in putting that precept into the law of Moses and keeping it there through all these centuries was to impress upon the people this simple principle of justice in order that it might be applied to the support of the Christian ministry in these latter times. "That he that ploweth should plow in hope, and he that thresheth in hope should be partaker of his hope." In this same ninth chapter also occurs this lan- guage : "Do ye not know that they which minister about holy things live of the things of the temple ? And they which wait at the altar are partakers with the altar ? Even so hath the Lord ordained that they which preach the Gospel should live of the Gospel." Do not such pas- sages satisfy us that the church must nave money to keep itself supplied with the Gospel ?
[88]
FIRST PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH, STAUNTON, VA.
3. But the church needs money not only to supply itself with the ministration of the Gospel, but also to send that Gospel to those who do not have it. The command of Christ is to "preach the Gospel to every creature." And Paul asks in reference to the heathen, "How shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed, and how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard, and how shall they hear without a preacher, and how shall they preach except they be sent ?" And it is in the line of these questions to add, "How shall they be sent without money ?" Whether they go by railway and steamship or afoot, money is necessary to support them. But it is useless to dwell longer on this proposition. Enough has been said to show that both Scripture and sound reasoning place it beyond every vestige of doubt.
II. The next proposition is this :
In order that the church may do the work which the Lord has given it to do, it must have A GREAT DEAL OF MONEY.
If you were to travel from this point in a westerly direction for a hundred miles you would doubtless encoun- ter communities that are thickly settled with an ignor- ant, thriftless, godless population that needs the Gospel. There will, of course, be some ready to say that it is useless to preach the Gospel to such people, but they say so in ignorance of what the Gospel is now doing in many such communities and forgetful of the fact that their own an- cestors were rescued from a far worse condition by this same Gospel. I once heard a lawyer say to a jury, "If I thought my client was guilty of the crime of which he is accused, I would not reach out my hand to save him from torment." Everybody knew that the client was guiltv and that the lawyer knew he was and had consented to defend him only on condition of a fee of five hundred dol- lars. He was not only reaching out his hand to save him, but putting forth all his might. No, there never lived a
[89]
FIRST PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH, STAUNTON, VA.
man so infamously wicked and cruel, but what we would do all in our power to save him if we believed he was going to torment. Now when a minister goes to such a com- munity as I have mentioned and preaches the Gospel there, that Gospel proves just as sweet and saving there as it does among us. They accept it, and they are gathered into a church. They must have a house to worship in and a preacher to instruct them. They cannot supply these for themselves. It takes time for the Gospel to work such a change in their lives that they can become industrious, economical, yet liberal and self-supporting. Meanwhile, according to the Bible rule that we ought to bear one another's burdens and the strong should help the weak, it is our duty to assist them. Now there are many such churches throughout the country and they create a de- mand for a great deal of money. Again, more than one- fifth of all the churches on our roll are marked "vacant" in the minutes of the assembly. A great many of those not marked "vacant" have preaching but rarely. Many have preaching only every other Sabbath; many have it but one Sabbath out of three or four, and some of them but once in two months. Many ministers whose whole time is occupied with one church or a group of churches are insuffi- ciently supported. They are driven to penurious economy wearing coarse and often threadbare clothes themselves subjecting their families to privations, in order to eke out a scanty living on from four to seven hundred dollars a year-less money than is often paid by large cities for fourth-rate officials to idle away their time. This is not an exaggeration. A few years ago I met a gentleman who had often visited in a congregation that was served by a minister whom I had known as a student at the Theologi- cal Seminary. I asked how this former acquaintance was succeeding in the ministry and had this reply : "He is doing very poorly. Sometimes he preaches very good sermons and they show what he can do. But generally he
[90]
FIRST PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH, STAUNTON, VA.
preaches very poor sermons, though the people bear with the poor ones very patiently, for they understand that he has been at the plow all the week when he preaches to them." I grant that that is an exceptional case, but it is not a rare exception, as I could show by other illustrations. But what must the rule be that admits of such exceptions ! Money is needed to piece out the living of such men so as to allow them to give themselves fully and efficiently to the ministry.
Again, take the case of ministers disabled by age or disease, and of helpless families of deceased ministers. So many have been receiving such small salaries that they are unable to save anything against an evil day. When sick- ness, old age or death overtakes them they are found in absolute destitution. You may place them upon the roll of paupers if you wish, but still the duty of making some provision for them as for other paupers is an imperative one. The Masons take care of their poor and so do other fraternities. How much more should the church do so when these have sacrificed themselves in her service ? But to meet this obligation, there must be more money.
Again, we have candidates for the ministry to be aided in getting an education. A very large proportion of our candidates for the ministry come from poorer families. They have nothing to offer to the Lord except themselves. We must either cut off the supply of ministers to that extent or else provide the means for educating them.
Again, consider the work of home missions proper, or that of carrying the Gospel to parts of this country that are destitute of it. Those of you who have read Dr. Strong's book will recall the outline of his argument setting forth the problem of home missions as it lies before the church to-day. Think of the immense influence to be wielded in the future by the Trans-Mississippi region of the United States ! Think of the portentous forces of godless immi- gration, Romanism, Mormonism, socialism, intemperance,
[91]
FIRST PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH, STAUNTON, VA.
sudden wealth and the congregating of large bodies of wild, lawless men into the cities and mining camps, all of which are fast combining in the formation of an ominous national character there ! How important it is that the power of the Gospel shall be felt there while the mass is forming, to neutralize the evil and to create a religious life among the people ! To do this immense work requires a geat deal of money.
Once more, remember that there are yet a thousand million heathen in the world, and our Saviour has laid upon this generation the obligation to do all it can to make known the Gospel to every one of them. He said : "Go ye into all the world and preach the Gospel to every creature." He did not grant the church an unlimited time in which to obey that command. He did not say, "I will give you ten thousand years," nor "I will give you six thousand years." He did not allow two thousand years. He did not say to us, "Go on and take your ease, build fine homes, buy up great farms, accumulate bank stock, surround yourselves with every luxury and occasionally when you get into a mellow mood give a little something to save some of your perishing fellowmen. But take your own time." He did not speak in that way. He did sanction some delay. He said, "Tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem until ye be endued with power from on high." But as soon as that "power from on high" came down upon them on the day of Pentecost, the command became at once a present, pressing, imperative, terrific, explosive, "Go!" The Duke of Wellington is said to have called this command the "Church's marching orders," but this army has waited two thousand years to obey the General's orders to march !"
Dr. Pierson has drawn a telling contrast between the conduct of the church in this matter and the action of Mordecai when the Jews were threatened. Haman secured a decree for the extermination of the Jews. That decree
[92]
FIRST PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH, STAUNTON, VA.
could not be revoked, but Mordecai secured a counter-decree permitting the Jews to defend themselves when assailed. It was necessary to make known this decree to all the Jews living in all the kingdom. There were one hundred and twenty-seven provinces, extending from Hindostan on the east to Ethiopia on the west, and each province had its own language or dialect. Mordecai undertook the work of placing this decree in the possession of every Jew in all these provinces, and in his own dialect. He had no facilities for the work, such as printing presses, mail, telegraph, railroad or steamship, and yet in less than nine months he had finished the work.
He also tells a story to illustrate the same point : A minister once asked an English soldier if Queen Victoria were to issue a decree and command the British army to place it in the hands of every creature, how long it would take to accomplish it. His reply was : "I think we could manage it in about eighteen months." But the church, with equal resources and with infinitely more tremendous motives, has dragged along for nearly 2,000 years and has scarcely made a beginning of doing the work yet. Now that Great Commission rests upon the conscience of the present generation with all the weight it would have had if no preceding generation had been negligent of its duty. It is just as if all intervening generations were obliterated and the church of to-day were standing in the immediate presence of its Lord, and receiving the whole commission, were charged with its prompt accomplishment.
Imagine yourself standing on the brink of a precipice and as you look landward you see a cloud of dust in the distance. As you closely watch it, you see the moving forms of human beings in the midst. As it approaches nearer, you discern that is it a moving column of humanity, marching four abreast and directly towards you. When it gets very near, you stand aside to see what it will do, ex- pecting it to turn either to the right hand or to the left.
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.