Foreign Mission Journal, March 1880

Foreign Mission J ournal 1*iiR1In1ic<1 Monllily by <lic Foreign Mit.i.ion Hoard ol tlio Soullicrn KupliKt Convention. “ALL POWER IS OIVEN UNTO ME IN HEAVEN AND IN EARTH. GO YE, THEREFORE, AND TEACH ALL NATIONS." Vol. 11. — Now Sorios. } fllntem! nt tint l’oat-Offlco nt Richmond, Vn., ns second- class matter.] FOREIGN MISSION JOURNAL RATES PER ANNUM : On" copy . ••Ml cls- Knur copies ami over, tn oil" nililrcss, each . -Л els. •■rlMoiisa romlt hy Draft, Postal Order, or In UeRlstered better. mid notify us I'iiomi'ti.y of nny clinnirn In nililrcss. Address, FOREIGN MISSION JOURNAL. RICHMOND, Л"л, FOREIGN MISSION BOARD OF THE SOUTHERN BAPTIST CONVENTION, Locatkii at RICHMOND, VIRGINIA. Phksidknt— J. I.. M. CURRY. A'lCK-I’incsinicNTii.— Illnun Woods, Mil., J. A. Hackett, I, a., .1, It, Jeter. Vn., 11. H. McUnlliuii, Kin., T. II. I'rllcli- iin', N. ()., J. L. llurniws, Ky„ S. Henderson, AInbtima, W. I’oiie Veninnn, Mo., J. It. Link, Texas, W. L. Kilpatrick, (la., J. O. Kiirinan, S. C., Matt, lllllsmnu, Telia., T. 1*. !>py. Ark. I 'on ii k.s i tin* n i vo SKI.'IIKTAIIV— II. A. TUPI’ER. TlIKAhUHKIl— .1. O. Wll.I.IAMS. Heioiiiiisii Skcuktaiiy— W. II. OWATHMEY. Auditor — JOSEPH F. COTTRELL. IIomiookMavaokiis.— J. II. Hawtlioriie.J. Il.Wnlklns, II. K. Kllyeon, W. E. Ilntcher, K. Wortham, Henry McDonald, W. Gudilin, 11. 11. Harris, Л. E. Dickinson, J. \V. Jones, A. It. Clarke, J. It. Winston, T. J. Купив, U. II. Winston, S. O. Oloplon. _ 137" A ll communication s tn reference to the bu.1inc.1s о/ Чая Hoard should be addressed to II. Л. Тиггкв, Qirre-iponding Secretary, Richmond, Va. FORM OF BEQUEST. “ I hereby give mid bequeath unto the Southern Baptist Convention, formed In Augusta, Georgia, In the month of May, 184o, and chartered by the Legislature of the State of Georgia, by an not passed and approved December 20th, 1S45, (here insert the amount, if in money, or 1 subject ,’ if other property, either real or personal,) for Foreign Missions.” PLAN FOE CHURCH REVENUE and BENEFICENCE. Giving duly of our substance, for Christ's sake, Is an act of worship. The lmbit of making such offerings is an element of elevated Christian char¬ acter. The habitual exercise, of this grace— for a grace it is— is contemplated and designed hy the material gifts which Providence regularly entrusts to our hands ; and the orderly and full develop¬ ment of such gracious character is one of the high¬ est alms of church discipline. The love of money is a common idolatry of human nature; and Christian bcnollcenco is tho counteracting and eradicating power, ordained hy Ilim whose “ will is our sanctlllcation.” The nature of this gospel-giving is laid down in tiic precept of II Cor., vlll, 7 : “ Therefore, as ye abound in every thing — in faith, and utterance, and knowledge, and in all diligence, and your love to us, sec that ye abound in this grace also,”— the grace of rich liberality. A condition of its ac¬ ceptance, in the sight of God, and the extent to which It is to he exercised, is thus stated : “ If there ho first a nulling mind, it is accepted, accord¬ ing to that a man hath, and not according to that he hath not.” Tlio great motive for charitable and liberal giving is found in tlio words of II Cor., vlli, 9 : “ For yc know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though ho was rich, yet for your sakes lie became poor tliatyc, through ids poverty, nmy he rich.” A worthy example, cited by Paul, RICHMOND, VA., MARCH, 1880. was that of the churches of Macedonia, wiio first . gave themselves to the Lord, and then made the depths of their poverty to “abound to tlie riches of their liberality.” Tlio regular contributions of tlio church natural¬ ly divide themselves into two classes : First, those which arc for their own expenses ; and arc posi¬ tively binding, as necessary to tho complete orga¬ nization, and tlio prosperous perpetuity of the church. Second, those which are for objects of, general Christian benevolence, and are purely vol¬ untary, though equally necessary for individual and church prosperity. Each class of these duties is based upon its own, and well defined principles of reason, and of Holy Writ. The first class of Contributions — or, those posi¬ tively binding on the membership to defray the necessary expenses of the church. I. These necessary EXPENSEsmay be specified as for four objects : 1st. The i cork of the pastorate, which lias been contracted for by the church. 2d. The house of God, whose preservation, and im¬ provement. and ordering for worship and varied instruction, arc involved in the. idea of a living and progressive church. 3d. The Sunday school of the church, as tho children can be best trained in beneficence by the church paying the expenses of the school, and letting all their contributions go to benevolent objects. 4th. The poor of the church, whom the Master has graciously imposed upon tip, for the blessing which attends the proper care of poor Saints, as Christ's peculiar represen¬ tatives on earth. II. Tiie principles on which these cliurcb-cx- penscs are binding on the membership arc four¬ fold : 1st. The independence of the churches of Christ. This implies that, as a rule, each church is to take care of itself. It lias no claim for support upon other churches, or religious associations or conven¬ tions; much less upon any organization of a worldly or political character. Hence, the obliga¬ tion of support must rest on its own membership. 2d, The equality of the membership. Tills equal¬ ity is not merely in privileges, but In duties : not only in benefits, but in self-denials. This princi¬ ple of church polity lays the burdens of the church equally on all the membership. 3d. The Divine Headship of the church. The church are the servants of Jesus. “One is your Master, even Christ, and all ye arc brethren.” The payment by the members, according to “ the ability ” of each, of these necessary and author¬ ized expenses of the church, is nothing more than tho Lord’s stewards employing a part of the tal¬ ents committed to them by tlio Master, for the support of Ilis own household. •ltli. The universality of this pr,..ciplc in all as¬ sociations which require monetary expenditure. The benevolent society, the business co-partnership or corporation, the family, tlio school, tlio State — all are sustained by tlio imposition of burdens and taxes of some kind upon those who are thus asso¬ ciated for common benefits or benevolence. From such an obvious and universal law of reason, the church can claim no exemption. The gospel is “without money and without price” to the world; but it was published at a fearful cost to the Master, No. 12.— Whole No. 120. and it has ever been at a heavy expense to his servants— even at the expense, nt times, of their entire property, and of tlielr very lives. Tlio light is free ; but the candlestick is costly. III. The PRECEPTS AND ENCOURAGEMENTS of Revelations, on tills subject, are equally plain: “ Let him that is taught in the Word com¬ municate unto him that tenchetli In all good things, lie not deceived. God is not mocked : for whatso¬ ever a man soweth, that shall ho also reap.” “ Will a man rob God? Yet, yo havo robbed mo * * * in tithes and in offerings. * * * Rringyo all tiio tithes into the storehouse, that there may bo meat in mine house, and prove mo now herewith, saitli the Lord of Hosts, if I will not open you tlio windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing that, there shell not be room enough to receive it.” If it lie asked, whether this latter scripture docs not refer to the tithes, which were commanded for the support of tlio Ancient Temple? we ask, In reply, whether that law for tlio Temple-support lias not been re-enacted for tho support of the church? Hear tlio utterances of Paul, in I Co¬ rinthians, ix, 13—14, on this identical point : “ Do ye not know that they which minister about holy tilings live of tlio things of the temple? and they which wait at tlio Altar are partakers with tlio Altar? Even so hath the Lord ordained that they which prcacli the gospel should Jive of the gospel.” IV. Here is suggested the proportion of their means, which the church may be expected to employ for the support of the gospel. As is clearly seen, their is reference, in this passage of Pi.nl, to tlie Corinthian church, to the tithe, or tlio one-tenth of tlie income of Israel, which was di¬ vinely demanded for the temple . service. And under tlie self-sacrificing gospel system shall less be expected than under the less liberal Jewish economy? Rut, as we live in days far different from those, when tlie church, calling nothing “their own,” brought all their possessions, and placed them at tlie Apostles' feet, it is prudent and important, in order that our plan for church-con¬ tributions may bo practical as well as scriptural, to give tlie broadest interpretation to “ tlie gospel- support,” which lays claim to this tithe obliga¬ tion. Let it be interpreted, then, as comprehend¬ ing all contributions for church and charitable purposes. Now, assuming, that each church mem¬ ber may require a third of the one-tenth of his in¬ come for private charities ; ami, another third for tlio objects of general benevolence, to which regu¬ lar contributions are made through the church, there remains one-third of one-tciitli, or one- thirtieth of Ids income, which should be at tlie service of tlie church, if needed, to meet its cur¬ rent expenses. V. Application of this first class duty of contributions : 1. Tho income of tlie membership of a given church may be estimated at an amount, the thirti¬ eth part of which would ho ample for tlio liberal expenditure of tlie church on its home-work. 2. But, as such an application demands much caution and wisdom, tlie following recommenda¬ tions are made for raising tlie revenue for church- expenses :