There are doubtless some Christians so situated that it suits them much better to make annual, or even monthly donations to the cause of God than weekly ones. When it is out of their power "to lay by in store on the first day of the week," they must of course adopt the most practicable plan. Monthly contributions are greatly preferable to those which are annual. It may be considered a singular fact, that persons, whose beneficent donations are annual, give less than those who contribute every month, or every week, though there may be equality as to income. The man whose income is a hundred dollars a year, is less apt to give twelve dollars at the end of the year than a dollar a month, and less likely to give a dollar a month than twenty-five cents a week. He whose income is a thousand dollars a year may be more easily induced to contribute ten dollars a month than a hundred and twenty dollars at the close of the year. He whose annual income is ten thousand dollars may be prevailed on to give twenty-five dollars a week or a hundred dollars a month, but how difficult would it be to secure twelve hundred dollars at the expiration of the year? Whether these facts can be accounted for or not, it is useless to dispute them. But it is possible to account for them. The longer the intervals between pecuniary donations, the more tenaciously the hand grasps the purse strings, and the more ample are the opportunities afforded the spirit of covetousness to invest none at all. The covetous spirit presents many objections to every method of doing good by pecuniary instrumentalities, and the best way to obviate these objections is to give with suitable frequency to the cause of God. Every contribution weakens the power of the covetous principle and makes it easier to give. The man who is tempted to love money adopts the plan of giving away. There is no hope for him if he does not permit his feelings of pecuniary liberality to counteract his penurious propensities. And there are men who were once addicted to covetousness, who by their frequent donations to the causes of benevolence, have effectually conquered the love of money and are not patterns of pecuniary beneficence. Hence we see the consummate wisdom of the Apostle's plan. "Upon the first day of the week let every one of you lay by him in store as the Lord hath prospered him." This systematic arrangement of weekly contributions is almost an infallible preventive of covetousness. Who that gives every Lord's day to the cause of Christ can be a covetous man? If his donations at all correspond with his ability he cannot be covetous. Here again we see the importance of instructing the young to adopt course of systematic beneficence. Let them in the morning of life learn to lay by in stores as the Lord prospers them, and they will not forget the lesson when they reach three score years and ten.To those whose pecuniary donations can only be annual, I would say let them be annual. Let not the circumstanc which necessarily preclude weekly and monthly offerings the Lord, preclude, without necessity, annual offerings. Let all do the best in their power, acting under a solemn sense of responsibility to God, and his approving smile will rest upon them. Ah, this is the thing - to act with a view to please God.
What portion of their worldly substance should Christians give to the cause of the Redeemer is a question worthy consideration. Neither reason nor religion requires that they should give all. While in the flesh they have wants - wants periodical recurrence - and therefore must be periodically supplied. These wants are not miraculously provided for. Hence the people of God are dependent for the means of support on the income which he in his Providence may furnish them. While they are not to torment themselves with solicitude, saying, what will we eat? What will we drink?. And wherewithal will we be clothed? They are to remember, for their comfort that their Heavenly Father knows they have need of all these things, and that it is his prerogative to bestow them.
As to the portion of their property which Christians should consecrate to purposes of benevolence, the presumption is that no rule can be given which will apply to all cases. Even where there is equality of income, yet, owing the inequality in other respects, one man often has it in his power to make larger appropriations than another. He who has a family of children to support and educate cannot reasonably be expected to cast as much into the treasury of the Lord as he who has no children - that is to say, provided their incomes are equal. Two ministers receiving the same compensation for their labors - the one living in a city and the other in the country - cannot make equal contributions to religious objects. The city minister's donations ought not to be as large as the country minister's owing to the greater expensiveness of living in a city. The question, how much must I give to the cause of God? Every Christian must decide himself. Some cannot with propriety sell property and give the proceeds; for if their capital were diminished it would seriously interfere with their means of subsistence. There are others who may dispose of large portions of perty without subjecting themselves to inconvenience.
========== [From the Tennessee Baptist, March 3, 1860, p. 2, from CD edition. Scanned and formatted by Jim Duvall.]
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