,,the ,,tithe ,,rev4 ,e4 ,b4 ,,stewart ,,pastor ,,third ,,united ,,presbyterian ,,church ,,chicago1 ,,ill4 ,,fourth ,,thousand ,,introduction ,,by ,,layman ,,the ,,winona ,,publishing ,,co4 ,,chicago1 ,,ill4 ,,winona ,,lake1 ,,ind4 ,,copyright1 #aijc ,,by ,,the ,,winona ,,publishing ,,co4 ,,the ,,tithe ,,preface4 ,there has been no attempt in this brief work to record every mention of the tithe that may be found in ancient writings4 ,some have called attention to a large group of references which lie in the era contemporaneous with the history of ,israel4 ,items of history1 for example1 from #ejj to #hjj ,b4 ,c4 are interesting1 but would not add materially to the argument4 ,in a way they may help to solve the question as to the meaning of terms used in the pre-,mosaic period4 ,many prefer to be cautious about asserting that there was a religious tithe in this remote period4 ,mr4 ,johns in his valuable work1 8,assyrian ,deeds and ,documents0 ,vol4 ,,iii1 says1 for example1 7pp4 #cdg-cdi71 that to translate a certain word 8tithe0 as some do is to 8assume that there was a tithe40 ,he admits1 however1 that this view 8agrees admirably with that universally adopted custom among ,semitic peoples of paying a tithe to the government40 ,on the other hand ,prof4 ,sayce positively asserts that there is a word which should be translated tithe4 ,the cautious ones say that he jumps at conclusions4 ,some who do not jump stand ever still and reach no conclusions4 ,which is better1 ,i do not undertake to say4 ,it has been the aim of this work to take a broad view of tribute1 not distinctly as paid to a priest1 but to kings as well4 ,rulers often assumed the function of a priest and appropriated the revenue to themselves4 ,while the meaning of terms and the use of revenue may be in a somewhat doubtful state1 there seems to be no question but that the proportion of the tenth prevailed as has been stated4 ,acknowledgment is gratefully made of the kind help of ,dr4 ,r4 ,f4 ,harper1 ,prof4 of ,assyriology1 and ,dr4 ,j4 ,h4 ,breasted1 ,professor of ,egyptology in the ,university of ,chicago1 for valuable direction as to books that might be read to advantage4 ,i desire to express my appreciation of the advice and encouragement of ,mr4 ,thos4 ,kane and other friends who have urged me to present this study to the public4 ,i trust it may increase the tribute to the ,king of glory1 the ,head of the ,church4 ,e4 ,b4 ,,stewart4 ,chicago1 ,august1 #aijc4 ,,introduction4 ,,what ,,we ,,owe1 ,,and ,,why ,,we ,,don',t ,,pay ,,it4 ,no one not an unreasoning optimist believes that with our present methods of ,church finance1 it is possible that the ,world will be ,christianized during the ,twentieth ,century4 ,no one not an unreasoning pessimist believes that if all ,christians practiced the ,tithe ,system and devoted one-tenth of their income to the ,master's work that the ,world could not be brought to a knowledge of ,christ within the next one hundred years4 ,these two facts being conceded1 and no thinking man will deny them1 three questions suggest themselves3-- #ast4 ,who is most to blame for present conditions8 #bnd4 ,the ,results1 #crd4 ,the ,remedy4 ,answering the first question as to who is most to blame1 it is my deliberate conviction based on more than twenty-five years varied experience and growing more decided each year1 that the blame very largely lies at the doors of our ,theological ,seminaries and ,theological ,professors1 the teachers of our teachers4 ,they must bear a very large share of the responsibility4 ,there will be1 there can be no permanent change for the better while our religious teachers are taught to teach us a lot of generalities which do not have even the merit of being glittering on this1 of all subjects connected with the ,christian life of laymen and lay-women1 the most important4 ,there will be slow progress so long as such a large proportion of students for the ministry are taught that we laymen and lay-women owe everything to ,god in general but nothing in particular1 nothing definite2 that the time of payment1 manner of payment1 and even the amount of payment of whatever we owe1 or think we owe1 or somebody else tells us we owe1 is left entirely to our natural disposition to benevolence or stinginess or to our moods and caprices4 ,that payment to ,god of any definite proportion of our income does not enter into the ,christian system2 that all our benevolences are to be classed under the general term of 8,giving10 thus placing our ,heavenly ,father and the street beggar to whom we may give a few pennies1 in the same category4 ,that it is right and not an insult to the ,almighty to teach us that we can give money to ,god2 that the basis and foundation of the ,christian system of providing means for carrying on the ,master's work in discipling all ,nations is founded on a few sentences from a letter ,paul wrote to the ,christians in ,corinth1 urging them to make a generous free-will offering in aid of some suffering fellow ,christians down at ,jerusalem4 ,for obvious reasons1 the reason he gives for urgency in the matter is very rarely quoted3 8,that there be no collections when ,i come40 ,paul evidently had his share of human nature1 and special collections which most ,ministers so much dread was probably also his pet aversion4 ,during the past year ,i have had a very striking confirmation of this opinion4 ,on ,september #bith1 #aijb1 ,i sent a copy of the following letter to the ,president or leading official in each of the ,evangelical ,theological ,seminaries in the ,united ,states and ,canada1 #aeb in all3-- ,dear ,sir--,by this mail ,i send you a sample package of such literature as ,i publish on the subject of 8,honoring ,god with our ,substance40 ,i will take pleasure in sending gratis1 express prepaid1 a sufficient number of similar packages to supply one for each theological student under your care if you or some one in your institution will state how many will be required and agree that they shall be placed in the hands of the students4 ,hoping to hear from you1 ,i am ,yours very truly1 ,just twenty-seven accepted the offer1 thus showing that nearly five-sixths of those to whom the letters were addressed were not willing or indifferent as to whether the students under their care should be taught that the debt we owe to ,god means anything definite4 ,in ,november of the same year ,i sent a similar letter addressed to the 8,professor of ,practical ,theology0 in the #abe institutions where the first offer was not accepted4 ,a total of #bb responded and expressed a willingness some of them an earnest desire to distribute literature on ,tithing among the students4 ,next ,i tried to reach the students direct1 as ,i had failed to reach them by the first two methods in more than two-thirds of the ,seminaries of our country and ,canada4 ,once more ,i had written and personally signed #ajc letters1 the envelope being addressed 8,to ,that ,student ,most ,interested in the ,subject of #8,honoring ,god with our ,substance4'0 ,the letter enclosed was as follows3-- ,to the student receiving this letter3-- ,dear ,sir--,by this mail ,i send you samples of such literature as ,i publish on the subject of 8,honoring ,god with our ,substance40 ,i will take pleasure in sending gratis1 express prepaid1 a sufficient number of similar packages to supply one for each ,theological student in your ,seminary1 if you will state how many will be required and agree that they shall be placed in the hands of the students4 ,when you engage in your life work you will find no subject of such vital interest to laymen1 and a thorough understanding of it1 and ability to explain it1 will greatly aid you in ,church and ,missionary support4 ,awaiting your reply1 and hoping for your co-operation1 ,i remain ,yours very truly1 ,to my great surprise only ten accepted this offer1 leaving #ic institutions devoted to training preachers either indifferent or unwilling to permit their students to accept and read1 without expense1 the same literature on the subject of ,tithing that active ,pastors have ordered in quantities aggregating many millions during the last #bg years for circulation among their people4 ,in contrast with so much apathy and indifference or opposition1 many of the replies received were of the most encouraging character1 the writers expressing deep interest in the subject and promising hearty co-operation4 ,another obstacle1 and second only in importance1 is found in the attitude of a large proportion of the editors of our ,religious ,newspapers4 ,it should be remembered in their behalf that nearly all of them are ,ministers1 and as a result are themselves the victims of false teaching or no teaching on this subject1 which to at least nine-tenths of their constituency1 is of the most vital importance4 ,the few lay-editors of ,religious ,newspapers that ,i have the honor of knowing all believe in and practice the ,tithe ,system4 ,as in the case of ,theological ,teachers1 ,i have very recent confirmation of this opinion4 ,a year or two ago a fellow worker in this field1 the ,rev4 ,henry ,lansdell1 ,d4 ,d4 of ,morton ,college1 ,black ,heath1 ,england1 an extensive traveler in ,oriental countries1 and noted author realizing that ,religious books are read by so few people as compared with ,religious newspapers1 conceived and put into execution the unique idea of publishing serially in slip form suitable for printers' proof1 some of the results of the latest archaeological researches and discoveries bearing on the subject of ,tithing1 supplementing and enriching them with his own researches and interviews with eminent archaeologists4 ,i copy from a letter received from him dated ,july #hth1 #aijc3 ,my ,dear ,sir--,your letter of the #bc;d ,june1 quite cheered me4 ,i have circularized and sent slips to upwards of #a1bej editors in #aad countries1 ,kingdoms and ,states1 sending also with my offer in #afg cases an autograph or dictated letter4 ,thus far the result is approximately as follows3 ,no answer received from #igf1 and the number who have declined is #bdh1 whilst about #bf have accepted the series in whole or in part4 ,the number of copies printed of four of these publications amounts to over #djj1jjj weekly2 of the rest ,i do not know the circulation1 but supposing that each paper has four readers1 it does not seem at all an extravagant estimate that the articles will be brought before two million readers weekly4 ,this surely is something to thank ,god for6 ,out of the #a1bej1 more than half were sent to ,america and ,canada4 ,not one ,canadian paper thus far has accepted1 but in the ,united ,states the papers accepting are ,california1 #a2 ,arkansas1 #a2 ,texas1 #a2 ,ohio1 #b2 ,new ,york1 #a2 ,new ,jersey1 #a2 ,pennsylvania1 #a2 ,illinois1 #a4 ,it is my belief--certainly my hope--that ,dr4 ,lansdell has in preparation a volume in which he will exhaustively treat of the early history of the ,tithe4 ,unfortunately ,i have mislaid the first three slips1 each about a newspaper column1 sent me by ,dr4 ,lansdell1 and hence am unable to give their titles4 ,commencing with the fourth1 the titles are as follows3-- ,,iv4 ,egyptian ,war ,tithes4 ,v4 ,pre-,historic and ,spartan ,greece4 ,,vi4 ,grco-,persian and ,later ,greece4 ,,vii4 ,the ,romans4 ,,viii4 ,the ,pelasgi1 ,britons and ,german-,saxons4 ,,ix4 ,where ,did ,abram ,learn ,tithing8 ,x4 ,jacob's ,vow4 ,,xi4 ,israel's ,first ,tithe4 ,,xii4 ,israel's ,second1 or ,festival ,tithe4 ,naturally the first three would have reference to the very earliest history1 including lately discovered evidences of ,tithing in pre-historic times4 ,one would suppose that such original and late matter as these titles indicate1 prepared by a thorough scholar1 would be gladly accepted and published by the religious press4 ,that it is not carries its own comment4 ,my own experience has in some respects been similar4 ,to illustrate3 ,two or three years ago ,i offered for a limited time to send gratis1 express prepaid1 to ,christian ,endeavor societies1 ,epworth ,leagues1 and ,baptist ,young ,people's ,unions such literature as ,i publish on the subject of ,tithing sufficient to furnish one of each to every family represented4 ,i had the offer printed1 occupying about an inch of newspaper space1 and sent it with a personal letter asking publication to practically all the ,evangelical religious newspapers in the ,united ,states and ,canada4 ,i kept no accurate record of the replies1 but probably one-fourth1 possibly one-third1 cheerfully published the offer2 two or three editorially called attention to it1 while a few returned it with an offer to insert it at regular advertising rates4 ,the rest ignored it4 ,as to ,results4 ,these1 judged by any fair standard are not only deplorable1 but a shame to our profession as ,christian men and women4 ,the old lady who boasted that she had been a ,christian for twenty-five years and had never failed to give a dollar a year to ,foreign ,missions was a good deal above the average4 ,if she had given a like sum1 less than ten cents a month1 to ,home ,missions1 she would not have suffered by comparison with the rest of us2 and yet we are the richest nation in the world1 and while now passing through a season of unexampled prosperity1 our gifts to ,missions show very slight increase2 in many cases they are less than ordinary4 ,no wonder the world sneers at our profession of love for ,christ and desire to see ,his ,kingdom established throughout the world4 ,they have the right to sneer in this regard and we are the last people in the world who have a right to criticise them for doing it4 ,in this respect both our ,heavenly ,father and the world about us occupy the same standpoint of judgment4 ,no matter what our profession may be1 both ,god and the world measure our real interest in this as in all other subjects by what we do for it1 and for us laymen and lay-women our doing is measured rightly and of necessity by our contributions1 the money we give4 ,so far as we are concerned ,i can think of but one excuse4 ,i admit that it is a poor one but it is the best we have4 ,we have either been wrongly1 or insufficiently1 taught by our religious teachers regarding this of all subjects to us the most important4 ,there has been little or no 8,thus saith the ,lord0 about it2 nearly all our teaching has been on the line of #8,give1 ,give1 ,give'2 very little of definite payment of what we owe and letting free-will offerings commence after our debt has been paid4 ,we have been continuously and persistently taught that we can give money to ,god4 ,we have even been exhorted and urged to be systematically benevolent in the matter of gifts to ,god4 ,think of it6 ,systematic benevolence applied to our ,heavenly ,father4 ,the whole system of our teaching on this subject has been based on 8,giving10 everlastingly 8,giving40 ,if this teaching is right we laymen can justly claim the right to give what we please and as we please4 ,gifts and payment occupy very different standpoints4 ,if ,i owe a debt1 it is a definite amount and ,i must pay it when it is due1 or be branded as a defaulter1 but no man owes a gift4 ,true1 we both give and pay when we pay ,tithes1 but the payment is to ,god1 the giving as ,his stewards and agents is to our fellow men for the upbuilding and advancement of ,his ,kingdom4 ,it is only fair in this connection to say that ministers have the same excuse1 poor as it is1 that we laymen and lay-women have4 ,they have been the victims of wrong teaching by their professors of theology and teachers of practical--not theoretical--religion4 ,the only sensible thing for us all to do is to repent and reform4 ,that ,i may not be accused of overstating or misrepresenting the situation1 ,i copy the ,pledge of the ,tenth ,legion of the ,christian ,endeavor ,society4 ,this ,pledge has been signed by over #be1jjj of the young people of our churches4 ,it clearly perpetuates this false teaching and will of course bear its legitimate fruit4 ,at the time the ,tenth ,legion was started the attention of its officers was called to the mistake as ,i regard it in the language1 but they declined to change it4 ,it reads as follows3 8,unto ,god the ,things that are ,god's0 ,enrollment ,blank4 ,please enroll my name in ,,the ,,tenth ,,legion of the ,united ,society of ,christian ,endeavor as a ,christian whose practice it is to give ,god the tithe1 and send me the ,certificate of ,membership4,a ,another result is that while this is a ,giving ,age as never before in the history of the world1 the ,church is not getting her share4 ,christians are giving largely1 but not to ,church objects nor through ,church channels4 ,there are tens of thousands1 probably hundreds of thousands1 of ,tithe ,payers but their ,tithes are not brought into the modern storehouse1 the ,church1 but are directed into numberless other channels4 ,habits of giving to objects of benevolence outside the ,church are being formed1 especially by the young1 which will last for life4 ,the result is and will continue that taking into account the increase in wealth and increase in ,giving in other lines1 the ,church is not only not making advance but relatively retrograding4 ,a further word about the results of this teaching4 ,the ,supreme message of ,christ was unselfishness4 ,judging by what we professing ,christians give to spread ,his ,name and ,kingdom outside of our own churches1 which means ,home and ,foreign ,missions1 could anything appear more intensely selfish than modern ,christianity in rich ,america8 ,boiled down1 it certainly appears to mean to the world at least1 and ,i fear to ,god1 get converted1 confess ,christ before men1 join the church1 attend church and prayer meetings1 do as little as you can and be respectable among your neighbors towards the support of your church and pastor1 and then give less than #b4jj each per member to ,home and ,foreign ,missions4 ,yes--taking out the amounts contributed by1 say1 #bj per cent of generous givers--mark ,i do not say large givers1 it is less than #ej cents each1 or to be liberal less than #e cents each per month for the conversion of the world at home and abroad1 and all this in free1 rich ,america4 ,in most other countries ,christians have some excuse for not paying the ,tithe to ,god4 ,in most of them there is a ,state ,church1 and the ,state claims the right to enforce payment of the ,tithe for the support of that ,church4 ,not so with us4 ,we have no ,state ,church1 and are accountable to ,god only for the payment of the ,tenth4 ,as ,mr4 ,stewart explains in the following pages1 the ,tithe is ,god's law for the race1 yet the payment--in ,american churches at least--is entirely voluntary4 ,in this respect it does not differ from the law of the ,sabbath1 or any other of ,god's laws4 ,we may refuse to obey any or all of them4 ,our obedience is voluntary1 but our refusal to obey does not abrogate or repeal the laws4 ,i was rejoiced when ,i learned that ,mr4 ,stewart1 the author of the following pages had been studying this subject for years4 ,i urged him to prosecute the work1 and publish the results of his investigations and conclusions4 ,i had the pleasure of reading the manuscript before publication4 ,i regard his work as excellent from every standpoint1 and the best for 8plain people0 ,i have ever seen4 ,it will be both my pleasure and duty to give it the widest possible circulation1 and ,i bespeak for it careful and prayerful reading1 more especially on the part of my brother laymen who are seeking to know and do their duty in this the most important practical subject connected with our ,christian life under ,twentieth ,century conditions4 ,as to the remedy4 ,there is no immediate remedy in sight4 ,it is simply a question of more light1 but light never enters into purposely darkened rooms4 ,in so far as ,mr4 ,stewart's little volume comes into willing hands it will help take down the shutters and let the light into hitherto darkened rooms4 ,i hope and believe it will also cause many putters-up-of-shutters to hesitate and at least be neutral rather than continue their thus far darkening work4 ,when the teachings of this little volume1 and others yet to be published in the light of recent investigations and discoveries have had time to permeate and leaven the thinking ,christian public he will be not only a brave1 but a rash1 professor1 or teacher or editor who will at once advertise his ignorance and offend a large proportion of his pupils1 or readers1 by proclaiming the doctrine that the ,tithe is not ,god's law for the human race and as enduring as its author4 ,he will not have the courage to teach that it was a ,mosaic institution1 that it was abolished by ,christ1 and that ,christ intended to substitute in its place as a system of church finance the earnest plea of one of his followers #cj or #dj years later for a generous free-will offering from the churches in ,corinth to relieve the needs of suffering fellow ,christians in another city4 ,a natural question would be--8,do you expect that the character of the teaching of a large majority of the ,theological ,professors and writing by editors of the religious newspapers1 most of them past middle life1 will be changed by the change in ,christian public opinion on this subject1 and that they will become active teachers of the binding obligation of the ,tithe80 ,i have no such hope1 but ,i do hope and expect that they will be neutral and refrain from opposing4 ,my belief is that active opposition and indifference can and will be stayed2 but my hope is in the next generation of professors1 teachers and preachers1 and as a result a generation of laymen and lay-women who will teach and practice that the ,tithe is--not was--,god's law for the human race1 and that the obligation to pay it is as binding now as it ever was4 ,,layman1 #caj ,ashland ,boulevard4 ,chicago1 ,july #bi1 #aijc4 ,,the ,,tithe4 ,,items ,,of ,,history4 8,tithe0 is an ,anglo-,saxon word meaning 8the tenth40 ,technically speaking1 it is defined as 8the tenth of produce1 property or spoils dedicated to sacred use40 ,trench quotes with approval ,emerson's characterization of language as 8fossil poetry0 and adds1 8but it may be affirmed of it with exactly the same truth that it is fossil ethics or fossil history4 ,words quite as often and as effectually embody parts of history1 or convictions of the moral sense1 as of the imagination or passion of men40 ,while this is true of words in such a fascinating way1 it will1 no doubt1 furnish the best basis of conclusion1 to trace the history of this word and the principle which it involves4 ,if a word embodies history1 the history of a word may contain much information of value4 ,this word then will briefly be traced in both ,biblical and ,extra-,biblical ,history4 ,,first3 ,in ,biblical ,record it appears early4 ,its first distinct mention is in ,gen4 #ad3bj4 ,abram returning from the slaughter of the four kings was met by ,melchizedek1 king of ,salem1 and priest of the most high ,god4 ,he blessed ,abram1 who in turn recognized him as his priest before ,god1 and 8gave him tithes of all0 the spoil4 ,its second is in ,gen4 #bh3bb4 ,jacob had been to the gate of heaven1 and none other than ,bethel could be chosen as a name for that place4 ,here ,jacob under the impression of the awe of ,god's presence1 vowed a vow1 saying1 8,if ,god will be with me1 and will keep me in this way that ,i go1 and will give me bread to eat1 and raiment to put on1 so that ,i come again to my father's house in peace2 then shall the ,lord be my ,god2 and this stone which ,i have set up for a pillar1 shall be ,god's house2 and of all that thou shalt give me ,i will surely give the tenth unto thee40 ,the third use is in connection with the ,levitical law4 ,the ,lord spake through ,moses and gave this commandment1 which is most fully stated in the three following places3 ,first3 ,lev4 #bg3cj-cb3 8,and all the tithe of the land1 whether of the seed of the land or of the fruit of the tree1 is the ,lord's3 it is holy unto the ,lord4 ,and if a man will at all redeem ought of his tithes he shall add thereto the fifth part thereof4 ,and concerning the tithe of the herd or of the flock1 even of whatsoever passeth under the rod1 the tenth shall be holy unto the ,lord40 ,second3 ,num4 #ah3bf1 #cj1 #ca3 8,thus speak unto the ,levites and say unto them1 ,when ye take of the children of ,israel the tithes which ,i have given you from them for your inheritance1 then ye shall offer up a heave offering of it for the ,lord1 even a tenth part of the tithe40 8,therefore thou shalt say unto them1 ,when ye have heaved the best thereof from it1 then 444 ye shall eat of it in every place1 ye and your households2 for it is your reward for your service in the tabernacle of the congregation40 ,third3 ,deut4 #ad3bb1 #bc1 #bh1 #bi3 8,thou shalt truly tithe all the increase of the seed that the field bringeth forth year by year4 ,and thou shalt eat before the ,lord thy ,god in the place which he shall choose to place his name there1 the tithe of thy corn1 of thy wine1 and of thine oil1 and of the firstlings of thy herd and of thy flocks2 that thou mayest learn to fear the ,lord thy ,god always40 8,at the end of three years thou shalt bring forth all the tithe of thine increase the same year1 and shalt lay it up within thy gates3 ,and the ,levite 7because he hath no part nor inheritance with thee71 and the stranger1 and the fatherless1 and the widow which are within thy gates1 shall come1 and shall eat and be satisfied2 that the ,lord thy ,god may bless thee in all the work of thine hand which thou doest40 ,how long the ,mosaic order was carried out we do not know4 ,samuel in his protest against ,israel's asking for a king 7#ast ,sam4 #h3ae1ag71 tells them that 8he will take the tenth of your seed and your vineyards and give to his officers and to his servants40 8,also he will take the tenth of your sheep2 and ye shall be his servants40 ,it is likely that the sacred use of the tithe was early perverted under the kings4 ,we hear no more of this system until the time of ,hezekiah 7#gbf ,b4 ,c471 who instituted once more 8the courses of the priests and ,levites0 7#b;d ,chron4 #ca3b-e1 #aj-ab71 and 8commanded the people that dwelt in ,jerusalem to give the portion of the priests and ,levites40 ,the people responded at once1 8and the tithes of all things brought they in abundantly40 ,so abundant were they that the chief priest reported that1 8since the people began to bring the offerings into the house of the ,lord1 we have had enough to eat and have left plenty3 for the ,lord hath blessed his people1 and that which is left is this great store40 ,so great was this store that chambers in the house of the ,lord were prepared for it1 and men were appointed to oversee this surplus1 who 8brought in the offerings and the tithes and the dedicated things faithfully10 and kept them in the places prepared for them4 ,before this reformation ,amos had sounded his warning in these ironical words4 ,amos #d3d1e3 8,come to ,bethel and transgress2 at ,gilgal multiply transgressions2 and bring your sacrifices every morning and your tithes after three years3 for this liketh you1 oh1 ye children of ,israel1 saith the ,lord ,god40 ,the prophets cry out all along the line against the greed and selfishness of the people4 ,the captivity even did not burn out this root of evil1 and ,nehemiah is called upon to right the neglect of the command1 8,honor the ,lord with thy substance40 7,prov4 #c3i47 ,he joins with the people in a determination to bring the first-fruits and the tithes unto the priests and ,levites1 that 7,neh4 #aj3cg1 #ch1 #ci7 the 8,levites might have the tithes in all the cities of our tillage40 8,and the ,levites shall bring up the tithe of the tithes unto the house of our ,god40 8,and we will not forsake the house of our ,god40 ,but fickle ,jewry was soon denying the charge of robbery at the mouth of ,malachi who says3 8,ye have robbed ,god in tithes and offerings and are cursed with a curse40 7,mal4 #c3aj47 8,bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse10 that blessings1 spiritual1 temporal and national1 may be poured out upon you4 ,what ,malachi denounced1 ,nehemiah rectified by one bold stroke4 ,he gathered the ,levites and singers from the fields1 whither they had gone to earn a livelihood1 and set them in their places4 ,once more the old order was restored1 and it was true that all ,judah 7,neh4 #ac3ab7 8brought the tithe of the corn and the new wine and the oil unto the treasuries40 ,when the ,new ,testament opens its pages of history we find the tithe principle very scrupulously observed by the 8rigidly righteous10 and perhaps by a majority of the ,jewish people4 ,the #gth chapter of ,hebrews makes use of the word tithe to show that the priesthood of ,christ1 who is after the order of ,melchizedek1 is superior to the priesthood of the ,levites1 because they in the loins of their father ,abraham paid tithes to ,melchizedek4 ,barring this chapter there are just six other places where the tenth1 or tithe1 occurs4 ,three of these 7,john #a3ci2 ,rev4 #aa3ac2 #ba3bc7 are simple numerals4 ,of the remaining three1 two refer to the same incident as recorded in ,matt4 #bc3bc1 and ,luke #aa3db4 ,the well-known words of ,matthew1 who gives the fullest statement1 are these3 8,woe unto you1 scribes and ,pharisees1 hypocrites6 for ye tithe mint and anise and cummin1 and have left undone the weightier matters of the law1 judgment1 and mercy1 and faith3 but these ye ought to have done1 and not to have left the other undone40 ,the other reference is equally well-known and occurs in the prayer of the ,pharisee1 who said1 7,luke #ah3ab47 8,i give tithes of all that ,i get40 ,the ,revised ,version is used in giving these quotations because it more correctly translates the verb in the first references which should also be translated 8tithe0 in the last reference1 for the ,greek verb is the same in all three4 ,,second3 ,the ,extra-,biblical records have frequent references to the tithe1 the number and extent of which can only be hinted at in the brief selections given4 ,since the time of ,selden who wrote his famous 8,historie of ,tithes0 almost #cjj years ago 7the edition to which ,i have access was published in #afah71 little seems to have been added to the historical data respecting the tithe by those who write upon that phase of the subject4 ,every reference book in the various libraries of this city1 and all the literature on the tithe1 so far as consulted1 have the same stereotyped references1 with slight variations in supposition and inference4 ,this fact led to the query1 8,is there no new data8 ,have excavators and translators of other literatures discovered no evidence of this usage08 ,about four years and a half ago1 ,i set about the task of reading in translation all that was available of the mass of material furnished us through the labors of such men as ,dr4 ,legge1 ,prof4 ,max ,mueller1 ,prof4 ,sayce and many others of the worthy host of oriental scholars4 ,a few of the most interesting are given of the items that came to light in the course of a somewhat extensive and at times tedious reading4 ,in the literature of ancient ,china1 7,li ,ki1 ,book ,,iii41 ,ch4 ,,ii41 ,sec4 #bg7 we find this statement3 8,a tenth of the year's expenditures was for sacrifices40 ,simcox 7,primitive ,civilizations1 ,vol4 ,,ii1 p4 #cf7 comments as follows3 8,this is nearly the only recognition of a tithe for religious or quasi-religious purposes in ,china and probably represents a very ancient fragment of tradition4 ,the king received a tithe of the national produce1 and he may have been anciently expected to spend a tithe of the revenue so obtained upon the rites of public worship2 but an earlier passage in that same book describes the ,son of ,heaven as retaining nine-tenths of the produce of his domains for his own use1 and employing the other tenth to defray the charges of the public offices40 ,prof4 ,maspero 7,the ,dawn of ,civilization1 p4 #cjb7 writes thus concerning the customs in earliest ,egypt3 8,the gods of the side which was victorious shared with it in the triumph and received a tithe of the spoil as the price of their help40 ,again 7p4 #gjf7 in speaking of a king in relation to the gods among the ancient ,chaldeans1 he says3 8,as soon as he had triumphed by their command1 he sought before all else to reward them amply for the assistance they had given4 ,he poured a tithe of the spoils into the coffers of their treasury1 he made over a part of the conquered country to their domain1 he granted them a tale of the prisoners to cultivate their lands or to work at their buildings40 ,prof4 ,maspero is writing of the earliest civilization which dates from #cjjj to #djjj ,b4 ,c41 while ,moses1 it needs to be borne in mind1 lived and wrote not more than #aejj years before ,christ4 ,prof4 ,hilprecht's splendid summary 7,explorations in ,bible ,lands during the #aith ,century1 recently published7 confirms this view4 ,in giving account of ,rassam's discoveries in the ruins of ,abu ,habba1 the ancient ,babylonian city of ,sippara1 he says 7p4 #bge7 the tablets discovered 8make us acquainted with the duties and daily occupations of the different classes of temple officers and their large body of servants1 with the ordinary tithes paid by the faithful1 and with many other revenues accruing to the sanctuary from all kinds of gifts1 from the lease of real estate1 slaves1 and animals1 and from the sale of products from fields and stables4 ,as tithes were frequently paid in kind1 it became necessary to establish regular depots along the principal canals1 where scribes stored and registered everything that came in4 ,among the goods thus received we notice vegetables1 meat1 and other perishable objects which the temple alone could not consume1 and which1 therefore1 had to be sold or exchanged before they decayed or decreased in value4 ,no wonder that apart from its distinct religious sphere the great temple of ,shamash at ,sippara in many respects resembled one of the great business firms of ,babel or ,nippur40 ,he further says 7p4 #caa71 in speaking of some ancient tablets found in the ruins of ancient ,nippur by the party of which he was a member1 8they consisted of business documents referring to the registry of tithes1 and to the administration of the temple property40 ,these tablets discovered in #ahhh proved to be a part of the great ,temple ,library discovered by ,prof4 ,hilprecht in #aijj4 ,many of them date back to the third millennium before ,christ and some bear such names as that of the now famous author of the code of laws1 ,hammurabi2 and others belong to the time as remote as that of ,sargon1 #chjj ,b4 ,c4 ,in 8,records of the ,past0 7edition of #ahij1 ,vol4 ,,iii41 p4 #if7 we read 8,in a field of a tenth1 he takes a tenth40 8,as for the tithe1 he gives one part as tithe to the palace40 ,among the various kinds of divisions or land tenures1 we find these two3 8,the division of a tenth10 and 8,the division with a tithe40 ,g4 ,bertin1 the translator1 says3 8,the work1 as we know it from the fragment in the ,british ,museum1 is accompanied with a ,babylonian translation of ,sargon of ,agade2 and the fragments recovered are those of a ,ninevite transcription made in the time of ,asshurbanipal for his library40 ,the tablets are divided into two columns1 the left hand one giving the ,akkadian and the right hand one the translation4 ,the translator further says3 8,the tablet from which the above is a translation is of great importance as giving us information and particulars as to the system of land tenure and cultivation of land in the early ,akkadian period40 ,the date of this ,sargon is now pretty well fixed at about #chjj ,b4 ,c4 ,this extensive system of land tenure being in vogue at that date argues that it had been in use in a less extensive form for a long time previous to the date of this publication4 ,the ,pundit ,dutt 7,ancient ,india1 ,vol4 ,,ii41 p4 #ch71 writing on 8,the ,rationalistic ,period1 ,b4 ,c4 #ajjj-bdb10 quotes ,megasthenes of the ,fourth ,century ,b4 ,c41 who gives an account of the civil administration of a city during that period as saying3 8,those who have charge of the city are divided into six bodies of five each40 ,in enumerating the duties of each1 he says3 8,the sixth and last class consists of those who collect the tenth of the prices of the articles sold40 ,added to these references to ,china1 ,india1 ,egypt1 and ,ancient ,assyria and ,babylonia1 is the array of evidence commonly presented in writings on the tithe1 including testimony from the ,persians1 ,arabians1 ,phnicians1 ,carthagenians and various other ,african communities1 the ancient ,britons1 the ,grecians and the ,romans4 ,one familiar instance from the ,greeks will suffice for illustration4 ,in ,xenophon's ,anabasis1 book ,v1 chapter #c1 we are told that 8they divided the money raised from the sale of captives and of the tenth which they took out for ,apollo and for the ,ephesian ,artemis 7,diana of the ,ephesians71 the generals took each a part to keep for the gods40 ,referring to ,xenophon's own home in ,scillus1 we read3 8,he made both an altar and a temple with the consecrated money2 and also thereafter always collecting a tithe of the fruits of the season from the land1 he offered sacrifice to the goddess2 and all the citizens and neighboring men and women partook of the feast40 ,a slab was set by the temple having the inscription1 8,the sacred place of ,artemis4 ,let the one who has possession and enjoys the fruit thereof 7i4 e41 of the estate7 offer the tithe each year1 and from the surplus repair the temple4 ,if any one does not do this1 it will be a care to the goddess10 i4 e41 she will punish him as an offender4 ,we now come to the era of the ,church ,fathers4 ,here we will quote more at length because of the importance of this testimony to the minds of many who are dealing with this subject4 ,it is understood that these witnesses are not to be regarded as final authorities to those of us who believe in the inspired revelation1 but they are important and interesting because they reflect the practice of the ,church when it was making its first great effort to preach the gospel to every creature and was making that effort1 as is generally supposed1 in use of methods sanctioned by the ,apostles4 ,the quotations1 unless otherwise indicated1 are from the edition of ,the ,ante-,nicene1 ,nicene and ,post-,nicene ,fathers1 published by the ,christian ,literature ,co4 of ,new ,york4 ,clement 7#cj-ajj ,a4 ,d471 who is generally agreed to be the one mentioned in ,phil4 #d3c1 wrote a letter to the ,corinthians1 some think in #fh1 but the majority in #ig ,a4 ,d4 ,he says 7,vol4 ,i41 p4 #af71 8,these things therefore being manifest to us1 and since we look into the depths of the divine knowledge1 it behooves us to do all things in 7their proper7 order1 which the ,lord has commanded us to perform at stated times4 ,he has enjoined offerings 7to be presented7 and service to be performed 7to ,him71 and that not thoughtlessly or irregularly1 but at the appointed times and hours4 ,where and by whom ,he desires these things to be done1 ,he ,himself has fixed by ,his own supreme will1 in order that all things being piously done according to ,his good pleasure1 may be acceptable unto ,him4 ,those1 therefore1 who present their offerings at the appointed times1 are accepted and blessed2 for inasmuch as they follow the laws of the ,lord1 they sin not4 ,for his own peculiar services are assigned to the high priest1 and their own proper place is prescribed to the priests1 and their own special ministrations devolve on the ,levites4 ,the layman is bound by the laws that pertain to laymen4 8,let every one of you1 brethren1 give thanks to ,god in his own order1 living in all good conscience1 with becoming gravity1 and not going beyond the rule of the ministry prescribed to him4 ,not in every place1 brethren1 are the daily sacrifices offered1 or the peace-offerings1 or the sin-offerings and the trespass-offerings1 but in ,jerusalem only4 ,and even there they are not offered in any place1 but only at the altar before the temple1 that which is offered being first carefully examined by the high priest and the ministers already mentioned4 ,those1 therefore1 who do anything beyond what is agreeable to ,his will1 are punished with death4 ,ye see1 brethren1 that the greater the knowledge that has been vouchsafed to us1 the greater also is the danger to which we are exposed40 ,in ,the ,teaching of the ,twelve ,apostles 7,vol4 ,,vii41 p4 #cha71 supposed to have been written about #abj ,a4 ,d41 we read3 8,but every true prophet that willeth to abide among you is worthy of support4 ,so also a true teacher is himself worthy1 as the workman1 of his support4 ,every first-fruit1 therefore1 of the products of wine-press and threshing-floor1 of oxen and of sheep1 thou shalt take and give to the prophets1 for they are your high priests4 ,but if ye have not a prophet1 give it to the poor4 ,if thou makest a batch of dough1 take the first-fruit and give according to the commandment4 ,so also when thou openest a jar of wine or of oil1 take the first-fruit and give it to the prophets2 and of money 7silver7 and clothing and every possession1 take the first-fruit1 as it may seem good to thee1 and give according to the commandment40 ,justin ,martyr 7#aaj-afe7 furnishes the following testimony 7,vol4 ,i41 p4 #afg7 when speaking of the changes that have taken place in the ,christians4 ,he says that1 among other things1 8we who valued above all things the acquisition of wealth and possessions1 now bring what we have into a common stock1 and communicate to every one in need40 ,in describing a church service 7#ahf71 he further says3 8,and they who are well-to-do1 and willing1 give what each thinks fit2 and what is collected is deposited with the president1 who succours the orphans and widows1 and those who1 through sickness or any other cause1 are in want1 and those who are in bonds1 and the strangers sojourning among us1 and in a word takes care of all who are in need40 ,irenaeus 7#abj-bjb7 gives an exceedingly valuable discussion of the relation between the law and the gospel1 in which 7,vol4 ,i41 pp4 #dgf1 #dgg and #dgh7 he says3 8,as in the law1 therefore1 and in the ,gospel 7likewise71 the first and greatest commandment is1 to love the ,lord ,god with the whole heart1 and then there follows a commandment like to it1 to love one's neighbor as one's self2 the author of the law and the ,gospel is shown to be one and the same4 ,for the precepts of an absolutely perfect life1 since they are the same in each ,testament1 have pointed out 7to us7 the same ,god1 who certainly has promulgated particular laws adapted for each2 but the more prominent and the greatest 7commandments71 without which salvation cannot 7be attained71 ,he has exhorted 7us to observe7 the same in both4444 ,and that the ,lord did not abrogate the natural 7precepts7 of the law1 by which man is justified1 which also those who were justified by faith1 and who pleased ,god1 did observe previous to the giving of the law1 but that ,he extended and fulfilled them1 is shown from ,his words40 ,he then quotes examples from the ,fifth ,chapter of ,matthew and speaks of the obedience of those who are freed from the bondage of the law1 and adds3 8,and for this reason did the ,lord1 instead of that 7commandment71 #8,thou shalt not commit adultery1' forbid even concupiscence2 and instead of that which runs thus1 #8,thou shalt not kill1' ,he prohibited anger2 and instead of the law enjoining the giving of tithes1 7,he told us7 to share all our possessions with the poor2 and not to love our neighbors only1 but even our enemies2 and not merely to be liberal givers and bestowers1 but even that we should present a gratuitous gift to those who take away our goods40444 8,now all these 7precepts71 as ,i have already observed1 were not 7the injunctions7 of one doing away with the law1 but of one fulfilling1 extending1 and widening it among us2 just as if one should say1 that the more extensive operation of liberty implies that a more complete subjection and affection towards our ,liberator had been implanted within us40 ,in the light of these statements1 we are to understand his words on pages #dhd and #dhe4 8,and the class of oblations in general has not been set aside2 for there were both oblations there 7among the ,jews71 and there are oblations here 7among the ,christians74 ,sacrifices there were among the people2 sacrifices there are1 too1 in the church2 but the species alone has been changed1 inasmuch as the offering is now made1 not by slaves1 but by freemen4 ,for the ,lord is 7ever7 one and the same2 but the character of a servile oblation is peculiar 7to itself71 as is also that of freemen1 in order that1 by the very oblations1 the indication of liberty may be set forth4 ,for with ,him there is nothing purposeless1 nor without signification1 nor without design4 ,and for this reason they 7the ,jews7 had indeed the tithes of their goods consecrated to ,him1 but those who have received liberty set aside all their possessions for the ,lord's purposes1 bestowing joyfully and freely not the less valuable portions of their property1 since they have the hope of better things 7hereafter72 as that poor widow acted who cast all her living into the treasury of ,god40 ,clement of ,alexandria 7#aec-bag7 writing about #bjj ,a4 ,d4 says 7,vol4 ,,ii41 p4 #cff71 in discussing the source of the ,greek virtues which he traces to the ,jewish law1 8,besides1 the tithes of the fruits and of the flocks taught both piety toward the ,deity1 and not covetously to grasp everything1 but to communicate gifts of kindness to one's neighbors4 ,for it was from these1 ,i reckon1 and from the first-fruits that the priests were maintained4 ,we now therefore understand that we are instructed in piety1 and in liberality1 and in justice1 and in humanity by the law40 ,tertullian 7#ade-bbj71 in describing the services of the ,church1 says 7,vol4 ,,iii41 pp4 #df1 #dg71 8,though we have our treasure-chest1 it is not made up of purchase-money1 as of a religion that has its price4 ,on the monthly day1 if he likes1 each puts in a small donation2 but only if it be his pleasure1 and only if he be able3 for there is no compulsion2 all is voluntary4 ,these gifts are1 as it were1 piety's deposit fund4 ,for they are not taken thence and spent on feasts1 and drinking-bouts1 and eating-houses1 but to support and bury poor people1 to supply the wants of boys and girls destitute of means and parents1 and of old persons confined now to the house2 such1 too1 as have suffered shipwreck2 and if there happen to be any in the mines1 or banished to the islands1 or shut up in prisons1 for nothing but their fidelity to the cause of ,god's ,church1 they become the nurslings of their confession4 ,but it is mainly the deeds of a love so noble that lead many to put a brand upon us4 ,see1 they say1 how they love one another1 for themselves are animated by mutual hatred2 how they are ready even to die for one another1 for they themselves will sooner put to death4444 ,one in mind and soul1 we do not hesitate to share our earthly goods with one another40 ,in answering the objection to their feasts as wicked and extravagant1 he retorts1 8,the ,salii cannot have their feast without going into debt2 you must get the accountants to tell you what the tenths of ,hercules and the sacrificial banquets cost40 ,probably it will not be amiss to quote ,tertullian on what he so aptly styles 8the over-fed ,christian10 in view of the many appeals for money by catering to the stomach of the saints4 ,on the subject of ,fasting 7,vol4 ,,iv41 p4 #aac7 he says1 8,with you #8love' shows its fervor in sauce-pans1 #8faith' its warmth in kitchens1 #8hope' its anchorage in waiters40 ,origen 7#ahe-bed7 says 7,vol4 ,,iv41 p4 #feb71 8,celsus would also have us to offer first-fruits to demons4 ,but we would offer them to ,him who said1 #8let the earth bring forth grass1 the herb yielding seed1 and the fruit tree yielding fruit after his kind1 whose seed is in itself upon the earth4' ,and to ,him to whom we offer first-fruits we also send up our prayers40 ,he is also quoted in ,smith and ,cheetham's ,dictionary of ,christian ,antiquities as saying 7,hom4 ,,xi41 in ,numeros71 8,how then is our righteousness abounding more than that of the ,scribes and ,pharisees1 if they dare not taste the fruits of their land before they offer first-fruits to the priests1 and tithes are separated for the ,levites2 whilst ,i1 doing none of these things1 so misuse the fruits of the earth that the priest knows nothing of them1 the ,levite is ignorant of them1 the divine altar does not perceive them08 ,cyprian 7#bjj-beh7 in his treatise 8,on the ,unity of the ,church0 7,vol4 ,v41 p4 #dbi7 states the condition of the ,church in his time as follows3 8,but in us unanimity is diminished in proportion as liberality of working is decayed4 ,then they used to give for sale houses and estates2 and that they might lay up for themselves treasures in heaven1 presented to the apostles the price of them1 to be distributed for the use of the poor4 ,but now we do not even give the tenths from our patrimony2 and while our ,lord bids us sell1 we rather buy and increase our store4 ,thus has the vigor of faith dwindled away among us2 thus has the strength of believers grown weak40 ,the ,apostolic ,constitutions1 connected in a literary way with ,the ,teaching of the ,twelve ,apostles1 belong1 at least so far as the first six books are concerned1 to the third century4 ,dr4 ,riddle says3 8,the first six books are the oldest2 the seventh1 in its present form1 somewhat later1 but1 from its connection with the teaching1 proven to contain matter of a very ancient date4 ,the eighth book is of latest date4 ,it now seems to be generally admitted that the entire work is not later than the fourth century1 although the usual allowance must be made for textual changes1 whether by accident or design40 ,chapter #be of book ,,ii4 7,vol4 ,,vii41 page #djh7 has the heading1 8,of ,first-fruits and ,tithes1 and after what manner the ,bishop is himself to partake of them1 or to distribute them to others40 ,the following sentences are culled out of this chapter3 8,let him use those tenths and first-fruits1 which are given according to the command of ,god1 as a man of ,god2 as also let him dispense in a right manner the free-will offerings which are brought in on account of the poor1 to the orphans1 the widows1 the afflicted1 and strangers in distress1 as having that ,god for the examiner of his accounts who has committed the disposition to him4444 ,the ,levites1 who attended upon the tabernacle1 partook of those things that were offered to ,god by all the people4444 ,you1 therefore1 ,o bishops1 are to your people priests and ,levites1 ministering to the holy tabernacle1 the holy ,catholic ,church4444 ,as1 therefore1 you bear the weight1 so have you a right to partake of the fruits before others1 and to impart to those who are in want4444 ,for those who attend upon the ,church ought to be maintained by the ,church1 as being priests1 ,levites1 presidents1 and ministers of ,god40 ,again in ,chapter #ce 7page #dac7 we read1 8,now you ought to know1 that although the ,lord has delivered you from the additional bonds1 and has brought you out of them to your refreshment1 and does not permit you to sacrifice irrational creatures for sin-offerings1 and purifications1 and scape-goats1 and continual washings and sprinklings1 yet has ,he nowhere freed you from those oblations which you owe to the priests1 nor from doing good to the poor40 ,other references will be found also on pages #dga1 #did1 and among the ,canons1 page #ejj4 ,jerome 7#cde-dbj7 writes in his letter to ,nepotian 7,vol4 ,,vi41 ,second ,series7 as follows3 8,i1 if ,i am the portion of the ,lord1 and the line of ,his heritage1 receive no portion among the remaining tribes2 but1 like the priest and the ,levite1 ,i live on the tithe1 and serving the altar1 am supported by its offerings4 ,having food and raiment1 ,i shall be content with these1 and as a disciple of the ,cross shall share its poverty40 ,smith and ,cheetham's ,dictionary quotes ,jerome as saying on ,mal4 #c3aj1 8,what we have said of tithes and first-fruits which of old used to be given by the people to the priests and ,levites1 understand also in the case of the people of the ,church1 to whom it has been commanded to sell all they have and give to the poor and follow the ,lord and ,savior4444 ,if we are unwilling to do this1 at least let us imitate the rudimentary teaching of the ,jews so as to give a part of the whole to the poor and pay the priests and ,levites due honor4 ,if any one shall not do this he is convicted of defrauding and cheating ,god40 ,the same authority quotes ,ambrose 7#cdj-cig7 as saying 7,sermon #cd71 8,god has reserved the tenth part to ,himself1 and therefore it is not lawful for a man to retain what ,god has reserved for ,himself4 ,to thee ,he has given nine parts1 for ,himself ,he has reserved the tenth part1 and if thou shalt not give to ,god the tenth part1 ,god will take from thee the nine parts40 ,again in a sermon on ,ascension ,day1 8,a good ,christian pays tithes yearly to be given to the poor40 ,from the same authority also1 we get this from ,augustine 7#ced-dcj7 who is quoted as saying 7,hom4 #dh71 8,our ancestors used to abound in wealth of every kind for this very reason that they used to give tithes1 and pay the tax to ,caesar4 ,now1 on the contrary1 because devotion to ,god has ceased1 the drain of the treasury has increased4 ,we have been unwilling to share the tithes with ,god1 now the whole is taken away40 ,we quote further from ,augustine 7,vol4 ,,vi41 ,first ,series1 page #cfg74 8,let us give a certain portion of it4 ,what portion8 ,a tenth8 ,the ,scribes and ,pharisees give tithes for whom ,christ had not yet shed ,his blood4 ,the ,scribes and ,pharisees give tithes2 lest haply thou shouldst think thou art doing any great thing in breaking thy bread to the poor1 and this is scarcely a thousandth part of thy means4 ,and yet ,i am not finding fault with this2 do even this4 ,so hungry and thirsty am ,i1 that ,i am glad even of these crumbs4 ,but yet ,i cannot keep back what ,he who died for us said whilst ,he was alive1 #8,except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the ,scribes and ,pharisees1 ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven4' ,the ,scribes and ,pharisees gave the tenth4 ,how is it with you8 ,ask yourselves4 ,consider what you spend on mercy1 what you reserve for luxury40 ,in commenting on ,christ's saying in ,luke #aa3da1 8,give alms1 and behold all things are clean unto you10 ,augustine says 7pages #dce and #dcf71 8,when ,he had spoken thus1 doubtless they thought that they did give alms4 ,and how did they give them8 ,they tithed all they had1 they took away a tenth of all their produce1 and gave it4 ,it is no easy matter to find a ,christian who doth as much40444 ,christ saith to them1 8,i know that ye do this1 #8ye tithe mint and anise1 cummin and rue1' but ,i am speaking of other alms3 ye despise #8judgment and charity4'0444 ,what is 8in judgment08 ,look back1 and discover thyself2 mislike thyself1 pronounce judgment against thyself4 ,and what is charity8 8,love the ,lord ,god with all thy heart1 and with all thy soul1 and with all thy mind2 love thy neighbor as thyself3 and thou hast done alms first to thine own soul1 within thy conscience4 ,whereas if thou neglect this alms1 give what thou wilt2 reserve of thy goods not a tenth1 but a half2 give nine parts1 and leave but one for thine own self3 thou doest nothing1 when thou dost not alms to thine own soul and art poor in thyself40 ,once more we find ,augustine saying 7,vol4 ,,viii41 page #ffh71 8,cut off some part of thy income2 a tenth1 if thou choosest1 though that is but little4 ,for it is said that the ,pharisees gave a tenth4444 ,he whose righteousness thou oughtest to exceed giveth a tenth3 thou givest not even a thousandth4 ,how wilt thou surpass him whom thou matchest not40 ,chrysostom 7#cdg-djg7 preaches in much the same strain 7,vol4 ,,xiii41 page #fi74 8,they gave tithes1 and tithes again upon tithes for orphans1 widows and strangers2 whereas some one was saying to me in astonishment at another1 #8,why1 such a one gives tithes4' ,what a load of disgrace does this expression imply1 since what was not a matter of wonder with the ,jews has come to be so in the case of the ,christians8 ,if there was danger then in omitting tithes1 think how great it must be now40 ,in preaching on ,matt4 #e3bj1 he says 7,vol4 ,x41 pages #cie1 #cif71 8,so that1 though thou give alms1 but not more than they1 thou shalt not enter in4 ,and how much did they bestow in alms8 one may ask4 ,for this very thing1 ,i am minded to say now1 that they who do not give may be roused to give1 and they that give may not pride themselves1 but may make increase of their gifts4 ,what then did they give8 ,a tenth of all their possessions1 and again another tenth1 and after this a third1 so that they almost gave away the third part1 for three-tenths put together make up this4 ,and together with these1 first-fruits1 and first born1 and other things besides1 as1 for instance1 the offerings for sins1 those for purification1 those at feasts1 those in the jubilee1 those by the cancelling of debts1 and the dismissal of servants1 and the lendings that were clear of usury4 ,but if he who gave the third part of his goods1 or rather the half 7for those being put together with these are the half71 if he who is giving the half1 achieves no great thing1 he who doth not bestow so much as the tenth1 of what shall he be worthy8 ,with reason ,he said1 #8,there are few that be saved4'444 ,for nothing else do ,i hear you saying everywhere1 but such words as these3 #8,such a one has bought so many acres of land2 such a one is rich1 he is building4' ,why dost thou stare1 ,o man1 at what is without8 ,why dost thou look to others8 ,if thou art minded to look to others1 look to them that do their duty1 to them that approve themselves1 to them that carefully fulfill the law1 not to those that have become offenders and are in dishonor40 ,cassian 7died about #dcb7 in the ,first ,conference of ,abbott ,thomas 7,vol4 ,,xi41 ,second ,series1 p4 #ejc1 ,ch4 ,i471 makes record of the fact that certain young men1 led by ,thomas1 were 8eager to offer tithes and first-fruits of their substance0 to ,abbott ,john4 ,this is said to be the first instance on record of payment of tithes to a monastery4 ,in ,ch4 ,,ii4 ,abbott ,john thanks them for these gifts and refers to ,prov4 #c3i1 #aj as promising a blessing for so doing4 ,in chapters following1 he speaks of tithes and other offerings as given by the ,lord's commands and then instances the cases of ,abraham1 ,david1 and other saints who went beyond the requirements of law4 ,he argues that we who are under the gospel should sell all and give to the poor4 8,if even those who1 faithfully offering tithes of their fruits1 are obedient to the more ancient precepts of the ,lord1 cannot yet climb the heights of the gospel1 you can see very clearly how far short of it those fall who do not even do this40 ,while he holds that the law is no longer exacted1 he makes this significant comment 7p4 #eae74 8,but when the multitude of believers began day by day to decline from that apostolic fervor1 and to look after their own wealth1 and not to portion it out for the good of all the faithful in accordance with the arrangement of the ,apostles1 but having an eye to their own private expenses1 tried not only to keep it1 but actually to increase it1 not content with following the example of ,ananias and ,sapphira1 then it seemed good to all the priests that men who were hampered by world care1 and almost ignorant1 if ,i may say so1 of abstinence and contrition1 should be recalled to the pious duty by a fast canonically enjoined1 and be constrained by the necessity of paying legal tithes1 as this certainly would be good for the weak brethren and could not do any harm to the perfect who were living under the grace of the gospel and by their voluntary devotion going beyond the law40 ,see also this same thought enlarged upon in ,ch4 #cc4 ,four bishops who were members of the ,second ,synod of ,tours 7#efg7 issued a letter to the laity in which they assert that the tithe should be paid4 7,hefele1 ,vol4 ,i41 p4 #cid74 ,the ,second ,synod of ,macon 7#ehe7 enjoined afresh the law of the tithe under penalty of excommunication for refusal to observe it4 ,this is the first official enactment that is considered authentic by those who are said to be authorities4 ,from that time on its endorsement and enforcement became common and at length almost universal in the ,church4 ,the first ,christian emperors assigned land and other property to ministers for their support1 but enacted no law respecting the tithe4 ,the first legal enactment was made by ,charlemagne1 king of the ,franks1 #gfh-hjj1 and ,roman emperor1 #hjj-had4 ,his ,capitularies established its practice in the ,roman empire1 and thence it spread to other lands4 ,offa1 king of ,mercia1 introduced the tithe system into ,england about the close of the eighth century1 and ,ethelwulf in the ninth century1 or according to ,clarke 7,history of ,tithes71 ,athelstan #ibg1 made it a law for the whole ,english realm4 ,to what the tithe was to be devoted was optional until ,innocent ,,iii41 through the ,archbishop of ,canterbury1 #abjj1 issued a decretal requiring tithes to be paid to the clergy of the parish to which the payee belonged1 which decree ,clarke says was inoperative until reissued by the ,general ,council of ,lateran1 #abae1 when the parson was finally given the parochial right to the tithes4 ,the tithe was introduced into ,portugal and ,denmark in the eleventh century1 into ,sweden in the thirteenth1 and soon became a general law of ,christendom4 ,the ,roman secular law provided that any one who obtained a part of the public land in a conquered country should pay to the state a tenth of the revenue he derived from its rent1 and this system was usually transferred to the colonies settled on the soil4 ,when the church tithe came into prominence there arose two kinds1 secular and ecclesiastical tithes1 which to a greater or less extent have been associated and commingled in almost every civilization from the earliest times4 ,it would be impossible1 were it deemed necessary1 to state in a brief limit the minuti of this complicated tithe system4 ,it was not abolished by the ,reformation4 ,luther and ,calvin believed in tithing for the support of the ,church4 ,it may be worth while to quote from the ,first ,book of ,discipline1 which ,knox heartily approved4 ,one section runs as follows3 8,the sums able to sustain the forenamed persons1 and to furnish all things appertaining to the preservation of good order and policy within the ,kirk1 must be lifted of tenths1 the tenth sheaf of all sorts of corn1 hay1 hemp and lint3 tenth fish1 tenth calf1 tenth lamb1 tenth wool1 tenth foal1 tenth cheese4 ,and because that we know that the tenth reasonably taken1 as is before expressed1 will not suffice to discharge the former necessity0 it directs other gifts and rents4 ,these ,reformers1 however1 felt the burden of the enforced tithe and the movement grew apace to remove it4 ,it was abolished in ,france in #aghi4 ,other countries where any law obtains1 have largely commuted it to a fixed annual sum of money1 after the system in vogue in ,england to-day4 ,enlightened ,christendom is rightfully rebelling against this enforced tribute and is looking for a more spontaneous support4 ,,lines ,,of ,,argument4 ,there are certain conclusions1 it seems to me1 which may safely be drawn from this brief summary of the evidence now before us4 ,first3 ,,the ,,tithe ,,is ,a ,,universal ,,principle1 ,,not ,a ,,levitical ,,institution4 ,it seems peculiar to one who has studied the subject in the light of the new data which is now being brought to light so abundantly1 that one should be so regularly confronted with the assertion that the tithe is a ,levitical institution4 ,it is stranger still that so many ministers continue to assert this as a fact1 when the unanimous testimony of such men as ,prof4 ,sayce1 ,prof4 ,maspero1 ,dr4 ,hilprecht and others of their standing can easily be gathered to the contrary4 ,they all assert that no matter how old the civilization there is always abundant evidence of proportionate giving to the gods and almost invariably the tenth4 ,the only apparent exception is in the ,laws of ,manu of ,ancient ,india1 wherein we find one-tenth1 one-eighth1 and one-sixth specified as the tribute to the king who doubtless saw to it that one-sixth became general in ,india4 ,it is likely that if we had the most ancient laws we would find that the one-tenth prevailed1 even in ,india4 ,just as ,i had reached this stage in writing1 there came to my notice a communication from ,rev4 ,henry ,lansdell1 ,d4 ,d41 ,london1 ,england1 calling attention to his investigations in the same line1 which abundantly confirm the statements made4 ,he gives two personal incidents which ,i deem worthy of record here4 8,the ,rev4 ,j4 ,e4 ,padfield1 a missionary of my acquaintance1 whose station at ,musulipatam ,i visited in #ahij1 took the pains to inquire systematically and in detail over his large district1 of every native ,christian family in each congregation1 as to how much heathen in their own social position would pay1 or what would have been the amount of their own religious offerings had they continued to be heathens4 ,this was done with a view to comparison with what they gave for ,christian religious purposes of every kind4 ,as a result of that inquiry it was stated that the high caste ,brahmins had been wont to spend for religious purposes the equivalent of a month's income per annum2 the lower castes1 such as farmers1 cultivators1 and coolies spending less3 but speaking of these particular ,christians as a whole it appeared that whilst they were heathen they had to expend upon religious observances not less than one-thirteenth of their net incomes40 ,once more3 when prosecuting my studies one day at the ,british ,museum1 ,i was accosted by a well-educated young ,sikh1 who came from ,amritsar1 and was brother1 or near relative1 of the chief priest of the ,golden ,temple1 which ,i remember to have visited4 ,upon my asking for any information he could give relative to the subject ,i was studying1 he said that1 in the time of ,baba ,aryan ,sodhi1 the fifth ,sikh ,guru 7or teacher71 the people gave a tenth part of their incomes for religious purposes2 but that in the present day1 good ,sikhs give about one-twentieth1 though the proportion varies4 ,these examples confirm what ,i have learned from missionaries as to the present status of the subject in ,india1 and largely also in many other countries4 ,the latter instance tends to prove that at times in the earlier history of ,india the tithe has prevailed1 which is the point with which we are at present concerned4 ,seeing that the tithe has been so universal1 it may be of interest to inquire why it should have been so universal4 ,it matters little whether you take the portion offered to the gods or the tribute to the kings as the ,sons of ,heaven and representatives of the gods1 why should we find in all these ancient civilizations one-tenth as the universal offering8 ,why should not all have had one-sixth as in ,india at one time8 ,it surely cannot be ascribed to the inherent generosity of the priests and rulers4 ,seven is also a sacred number4 ,why did they not require one-seventh8 ,the tithe finds an interesting parallel in sacrifice with which it is closely connected4 ,for when one is commanded to sacrifice1 the minimum at least must be set to his sacrifice4 ,sacrifice1 ,i believe1 was a divine institution given to our first parents in ,eden4 ,most likely the tithe is seen1 in germ at least1 in the offerings of ,cain and ,abel4 ,the ,council of ,seville viewed ,cain's sin as one of covetousness in withholding a portion of the tithe or part that ,god required4 ,the ,septuagint reading of ,gen4 #d3g1 which the early ,church ,fathers seem invariably to adopt1 and a literal translation of ,heb4 #aa3d point to this view4 ,personally ,i like to translate the latter 8more of a sacrifice0 which is simple and includes both the idea of quantity and that of quality and spirit4 ,wickliffe translated it 8a much more sacrifice40 ,westcott maintains that this is correct4 ,the critical scholars generally admit that such is the natural rendering1 but claim not to be able to see why such a thing should be said4 ,covetousness played so prominent a part in the parent's fall1 why should it not in the son's sin1 seeing that it is one of the most persistent of the ,satan brood8 ,dr4 ,john ,brown1 in his ,commentary on ,hebrews1 ,vol4 ,,ii41 page #da1 quotes another who says3 8,it is easy to be demonstrated that sacrifices owe their original to the will and appointment of ,god4 ,the ,apostle says1 as ,moses said before him1 that ,abel's sacrifice was acceptable to ,god4 ,but it would not have been acceptable if it had not been of divine institution1 according to that plain1 obvious and eternal maxim of all true religion1 ,christian1 ,mosaic1 and natural1 #8,in vain do they worship ,god1 teaching for doctrines the commandments of men1' ,mark #g3g4 ,if there be any truth in this maxim1 ,abel would have worshipped ,god in vain1 and ,god would have had no respect to his offering1 if his sacrifice had been merely a commandment of his father ,adam1 or an invention of his own4 ,the divine acceptance1 therefore1 is a demonstration of a divine institution40 ,this line of argument is almost unanimously accepted among ,christian scholars as an adequate basis for the belief that sacrifice was a divine institution4 ,why is it not fully as applicable to tithing8 ,it is not stated in ,scripture1 prior to the giving of the ,mosaic law1 that either is a divine institution4 ,but if 8divine acceptance is a demonstration of a divine institution10 the tithe has as clear a demonstration of its origin as has sacrifice4 ,now and then in ,scripture the whole business of sacrifice is spoken of in a deprecating way4 ,cf4 ,heb4 #aj4 ,such is not the case in respect to the tithe1 unless ,amos #d3d be so taken4 ,but whatever view one may take of the origin of the tithe1 there can be no reason for the claim that it is a ,jewish institution4 ,it is true that there are some people who seem to think that ,adam was the first ,jew and that everything from ,adam to ,christ was ,jewish4 ,in the very region whence came ,abraham1 the first ,jew1 the tithe was in force as early as #chjj ,b4 ,c41 which is nearly #bjjj years before there was a ,jew4 ,it was as well defined in ,babylonia at that period as it was in ,judea in the time of ,moses and would much better be called ,babylonian than ,jewish4,b ,in conclusion1 we may reiterate the words of ,dr4 ,kennicott4 8,whatever custom has prevailed over the world1 among nations the most opposite in polity and customs in general1 nations not united by commerce or communication 7when that custom has nothing in nature or the reason of things to give it birth1 and establish to itself such a currency71 must be derived from some revelation1 which revelation may in certain places have been forgotten1 though the custom introduced by and founded on such a revelation still continued2 and further1 this revelation must have been antecedent to the dispersion at ,babel1 when all mankind1 being but one nation and living together in the form of one large family1 were of one language and governed by the same laws and customs40 ,with sacrifice1 the tithe went abroad over the face of the whole earth and survived long after its origin was forgotten4 ,if 8in the annals of all times none are found which did not pay tithes0 among the nations of the past1 either as an offering to the gods or as a tribute to the rulers1 the evidence certainly warrants the conclusion that 8offerings of at least one-tenth to ,god1 was a primeval appointment not for the ,jews1 but for all nations40 ,second3 ,,although ,,universal ,,it ,,was ,,incorporated ,,into ,,and ,,made ,,the ,,basis ,,of ,,the ,,mosaic ,,system ,,of ,,tithes4 ,in the ,mosaic system there was a general tithe1 conforming in every feature to this universal tithe4 ,then there was a second tithe1 of national significance only1 used as material for a feast at a designated place the first and second year4 ,but the third year it was to be eaten at home1 the poor sharing in the feast4 ,this is the best view1 ,i think1 of what some call the third tithe4 ,hence every ,jew offered two-tenths each year besides the first-fruits and all other offerings free-will and required4 ,counting the first-fruits at from one-thirtieth to one-sixtieth 7as rabbis tell us they were estimated7 the ,jew must needs give about twenty-five per cent of all his yearly income4 ,chrysostom figures it at a third to a half1 but the probability is that he has it too high4 ,those of us who speak on the tithe are often accused of trying to put the ,church back on the ,jewish basis1 which is another of those foolish things that even some fairly intelligent people seem to never tire of saying1 no matter how little sense there is in them4 ,to reach a ,jewish basis1 the average ,christian would have to give at least ten times what he is now giving1 not merely one-tenth of his income4 ,let us get up to the heathen standard1 before we worry too much about being ,judaized4 ,third3 ,,being ,,universal ,,the ,,principle ,,of ,,the ,,tithe ,,is ,,not ,,to ,,be ,,counted ,,as ,,abrogated ,,when ,,the ,,old ,,testament ,,economy ,,ended1 ,,unless ,,it ,,be ,,so ,,stated ,,or ,,at ,,least ,,by ,,fair ,,inference ,,be ,,implied4 ,it certainly is not stated anywhere in the ,new ,testament that the tenth is no longer the ,lord's4 ,neither can any fair inference be drawn showing that it is no longer holy to the ,lord4 ,the two incidents cited1 it is true1 contain rebukes to the ,pharisees who were tithers1 but the tithing is not condemned any more than is prayer or fasting4 ,it is the manner1 not the principle1 that is condemned4 ,on the contrary1 tithing is emphatically commended4 ,for the ,savior says1 8,these ought ye to have done and not to have left the other undone40 ,i am well aware that it is the reply of many that ,christ merely commended their doing what was a plain duty under the ,mosaic law1 but that he in no way implies that such a duty was binding on others4 ,granting that the first statement is an assumption1 then we have it answered by another assumption1 with the result that the whole statement of ,christ is of no weight in the matter4 ,christ did not always fall in with the teachings of the ,mosaic system1 as for example in the matter of granting divorce4 ,if ,he had wanted to do away with the tithe1 certainly ,he could have said so1 as clearly as ,he did in matters of divorce4 ,he does not here1 or elsewhere1 offer any substitute for this universal standard1 and ,he spoke often on the subject of money and of covetousness4 ,one verse in every four in the gospels by ,matthew1 ,mark1 and ,luke have to do with these subjects1 and one verse in every six in the whole ,new ,testament4 ,certainly if a new standard were to be revealed1 there is abundance of opportunity4 ,the objection may be stated here that sacrifice was likewise universal4 ,true enough1 but we have fulfillment of all its obligations and typical significance in the perfect sacrifice1 8,the ,lamb of ,god which taketh away the sin of the world10 8,our ,high ,priest who needeth not daily like those high priests who offer up sacrifices1 first for his own sin and then for the sins of the people4 ,for this he did once for all when he offered up himself40 ,i have also met this objection4 ,circumcision and polygamy were universal1 and your argument would establish them4 ,in the first place circumcision was never universal1 and even if it had been1 we have numerous statements in the ,new ,testament denying its further claim and a seal of the covenant1 as ,i believe1 clearly revealed which was to supersede it4 ,as to polygamy1 it may be safely affirmed that it never was divinely commanded1 it is contrary to a definite law of ,god1 announced to our first parents1 and reaffirmed in the ,new ,testament4 ,with sacrifice all the rites of ceremonial significance and the retinue of priests and ,levites which administered them came to an end4 ,all moral obligations1 however1 were not abolished1 but many of them were more strictly interpreted4 ,the ,sermon on the ,mount reveals a higher conception of moral obligation and requires a purer motive than any precept of the ,old ,testament4 ,the laws of home relationship are made more binding4 ,the bill of divorcement is swept away and only the great principle recognized1 namely1 faithlessness to the universal law1 8,thou shalt not commit adultery40 ,even in the case of ritual offering this is true4 ,take an example4 ,while incense is abolished1 that which is symbolized1 the great heart beat of humanity which we call prayer1 is not abolished but is enlarged to a precept of exceeding broad scope1 8,pray without ceasing40 ,now we demand some word of fair implication at least1 or some example to show that the universal obligation of the tithe has been set aside in the general shaking up of the earth4 ,it was not removed as being one of 8the things that are made10 but1 as ,i believe1 it remains as one of 8the things which cannot be shaken40 ,this statement is borne out by the evidence afforded from its history4 8,these thing ought ye to have done0 is a word that justifies our conclusion4 ,fourth3 ,,not ,,being ,,abrogated ,,when ,,the ,,old ,,testament ,,economy ,,ended1 ,,it ,,is ,,universally ,,binding ,,in ,,the ,,new ,,testament ,,dispensation4 ,notwithstanding all that has been written to the contrary1 ,i am firmly persuaded that this was recognized by the early ,church4 ,the quotations cited are abundantly sufficient to prove this statement1 if fairly interpreted4 ,and this leads me to enter a protest against the unfair presentation of this evidence on the part of many writers4 ,this can be illustrated by the case of ,irenaeus who is invariably1 so far as ,i have seen1 set down as on the side of the abrogation of the law of the tithe1 because he said in one place as quoted on page #ag 8instead of the law enjoining the giving of tithes1 7,he told us7 to share all our possessions with the poor40 ,certainly nothing could be found1 nor is found1 more explicit than that statement4 ,yet any one who reads the whole context will see that ,irenaeus is contending for just the opposite thing4 ,he classes the tithe1 not with the ceremonial things1 but with the natural precepts1 by which he means the moral law as is clearly shown4 ,to argue that ,irenaeus is abrogating the tithe1 is to argue that he is doing away with the law of adultery and murder1 for he mentions them in exactly the same language4 ,the same thing would be true of the commandment to love our neighbors4 ,but why should we debate this point when ,irenaeus distinctly says1 8all these precepts1 as ,i have already observed1 were not 7the injunctions7 of one doing away with the law1 but of one fulfilling1 extending1 and widening it among us40 ,now ,i should like to know how it comes that all these learned men who speak so surely of ,irenaeus have always neglected to quote ,irenaeus as to what he really meant8 ,personally1 ,i am willing to stake the whole case on ,irenaeus4 ,for ,i do not know a better presentation of the whole question than he makes4 ,when he includes tithing under the head of the moral precepts of the law and then says emphatically 8that the ,lord did not abrogate the natural 7precepts7 of the law10 ,i am sure that he stated the whole truth in respect to this subject4 ,that he enlarged their scope and raised the maximum of moral requirement1 he rightly affirms4 ,when that is understood there is no more room for debate4 ,but why such dreadful alarm over this tithe law8 ,why1 for example1 should the writer in ,smith and ,cheetham's ,dictionary try to minimize all this testimony of the ,father's8 ,he is anxious to prove that 8the evidence belonging to this period would seem to show that payment of tithe was first regarded as a duty soon after ,a4 ,d4 #cej4 ,by that time the idea generally prevailed that the priest of the ,christian ,church had succeeded to the office of the ,levitical priests1 and consequently to their rights and privileges40 ,his bogy comes to light in the following3 8,cyprian 7,epist4 #a3i1 ,ed4 ,erasmus1 #ff ,pamel47 writes to dissuade a presbyter from accepting the position of guardian on the ground that the clergy are separated from all secular business4 ,the tribe of ,levi had no inheritance but was supported by tithes1 that they might devote themselves entirely to divine service2 #8the same plan and form is now preserved in regard to the clergy' that they may not be diverted from their sacred duties1 but #8receiving as it were tithes may not depart from the altar4' ,here the phrase tanquam decimas is decisive against the payment of tithe as a fixed legal due1 for decimae paid as legal dues could not be tanquam decimae4 ,there is analogy1 not identity in the method of support40 ,the word 8legal0 is the key to all this twisting and trembling4 ,this will be explained1 perhaps1 when we recall that he is an ,englishman1 and comes of a race that has suffered much from enforced tithing4 ,uhlhorn's ,christian ,charity in the ,ancient ,church is marred by the same tremendous anxiety to kill off any hope of this legal monster ever getting loose again4 ,hence it seems that it is now time to say that the tithe never was in ,bible times1 the legal monster that it afterward became4 ,under ,old ,testament teaching and practice1 the tithe was voluntary4 ,no hand of force was used to collect it1 but as in the time of ,hezekiah1 the people brought in the tithes willingly and abundantly4 ,it was a moral precept1 enforced by appeals to the conscience4 ,hezekiah does not reckon on the tithes in a way that indicates that he would compel them to be brought in1 but expresses his gratitude when he finds that so much was brought in by the people4 ,the appeal of ,malachi to the nation that had robbed ,god is a moral appeal and is based upon the same thought that we find in all such appeals of ,scripture4 ,that the ,pharisees by their traditions had reduced it to a burdensome legal requirement need not be questioned4 ,so did they weigh down every moral precept that the ,lord ever laid upon the conscience of men4 ,the advocacy of the tithe in this country is always on the voluntary basis1 so far as ,i know4 ,i feel that it would be a calamity were it put on any other basis1 and ,i know that all who are working in this line1 so far as ,i have become acquainted with their work1 have the same feeling4 ,what we believe is that this is ,god's standard of giving1 a minimum below which one cannot fall and be entitled to a claim on ,god's rich promises of blessing to those who give money for ,his work4 ,the maximum claim is the one of which the ,fathers so often speak4 ,matt4 #ai3ba4 8,sell that thou hast1 and give to the poor1 and thou shalt have treasure in heaven40 ,between these two claims love finds its field of operation and its measure of perfectness4 ,this is our view and the view which ,i think prevailed in the early ,church4 ,clement's ,letter to the ,corinthians1 the nearest writing to the inspired books of the ,new ,testament1 says3 8,those who present their offerings at the appointed times are blessed2 for inasmuch as they follow the laws of the ,lord they sin not40 7,see page #ad47 ,the context clearly shows that he has in mind the laws governing the offerings to the priests and ,levites4 ,the ,teaching speaks of 8giving according to the commandment10 which must mean the ,levitical commandment1 or one similar to it4 ,justin ,martyr first says that they put what they 8have into a common stock0 and later says 8they who are well-to-do and willing1 give what each thinks fit10 and in both cases seems to intimate that what is contributed is given to the dependent4 7,see page #af47 ,his last instance of giving as each one thinks fit1 may be a description applicable to those who sought to follow the law of the free-will offering which is laid down in ,deut4 #af3aj1 #ag1 and reaffirmed by the ,apostle in ,i ,cor4 #af3b4 ,a special contribution to the poor would be made now on the same basis in any of our churches and does not touch the subject of the regular support of the ,church4 ,yet many ministers who ought to know better1 insist on saying that this is the ,new ,testament law of giving4 ,it is most decidedly not a ,new ,testament1 but an ,old ,testament law1 confirmed by the ,new ,testament1 and by common sense apart from any question of ,scripture authority4 ,if ,justin meant to affirm that this regulation was in force1 well and good4 ,but if he meant to say1 as some would have us believe1 that the ,church had thus early gotten on the basis of every man doing exactly as he pleased1 then all we have to say is that from our modern experience with that sort of teaching1 we cannot commend his judgment or the practice of the ,church of which he was a part1 for no such principle1 ever had1 or ever can have1 the sanction of ,god4 ,again how this can be reconciled with the statement that they have put all into the common stock is more than ,i can see4 ,how could men be well-to-do who had sold all and put it into the hands of others8 ,it may be for convenience of his argument that he describes in the first case what some few have done1 perhaps himself among the number1 and that in the ,church service1 he is telling of either the observance of the rule of the free-will offering1 or else is letting us into a state of anarchy respecting the proper teaching on the subject of giving1 which led to the difficulties of the later centuries4 ,the same comment may be made on the statements of ,tertullian4 ,it will be noted that he does not tell how the aggressive work of the ,church is to be supported1 but only of what is secured for what we commonly call charitable purposes4 ,it may be that the reason we begin to hear of shortcomings in giving as early as in the time of ,origen and ,cyprian1 is that this every-man-do-as-he-thinks-fit teaching is bearing its legitimate fruit and that now there must be some heroic measures taken to offset its fatal influence4 ,from what these witnesses tell us1 the ,church of the third century was reaping the fruit of some erroneous teaching and practice in respect to the giving of money4 ,from that time on the call is to a recognition of duty1 as all the extracts go to show4 ,the gift of the maximum had been made by the few4 ,the many had followed their own will and the result was disastrous to the ,church1 and we are not surprised that the later writings abound in appeals to the people to meet even the minimum demands of the tithe1 if they ever expected to exceed the righteousness of the ,scribes and ,pharisees4 ,but it is to be noted that only ,justin ,martyr and ,tertullian seem to endorse a hit and miss plan of giving4 ,with these exceptions1 the ,fathers agree that the laborers in the kingdom of ,christ take the place of the ministers of the ,mosaic period1 and deserve to be as well supported1 according to the teaching of ,christ in ,matt4 #aj3aj and ,luke #aj3g1 enforced by that of ,paul in ,i ,cor4 #i3g-aa and ,i ,tim4 #e3ah4 ,and here it may be said in passing1 that ,paul justifies his plea for support in the work of the ,gospel by--8,saith not the law the same also80 ,if the law confirms the justice of the laborer's claim under the ,gospel1 is it such a perversion of the spirit of the ,gospel to urge that one do not fall short of a plain requirement of that same law8 ,this identification of the teachers of both dispensations and of the method of their support is not a later growth1 as the ,smith and ,cheetham's writer would have us believe1 but is found in the very earliest writings4 ,it is quite likely that different practices prevailed at different times and in different places in the ,church4 ,but it is to be borne in mind that with the two exceptions named1 the testimony is for meeting ,god's requirement1 whether it be that the requirement was considered to be the whole or the tithe1 and that there is no approval given to the do-as-you-please plan in matters of conduct4 ,here ,i think it in place to repeat some things said in ,tithe ,conferences at ,winona and elsewhere during the past year in regard to one of the most persistent and misguided of all the objections with which we are confronted4 ,it is urged that the ,new ,testament bases all action on love and that one must give according to his love and that this is the only ,christian standard of life and service4 ,this is confusion much confounded4 ,it is a fixed principle of ethics that men cannot be a law to themselves and civilization be preserved and conduct properly regulated4 ,though good men may fail to see it1 this method of giving according to the measure of one's love is1 at the bottom1 anarchy pure and simple4 ,every man is left to determine what he shall do according to the impulse of the moment and without any regard to a fixed standard of right4 ,such a principle cannot be tolerated in social life4 ,there is a standard of law which makes the right for one the right for all and to set this aside in any case is to invite trouble4 ,in all human conduct1 a fixed standard1 apart from men1 must be the basis of right4 ,it must be invariable and must obtain in one life as much as in another4 ,hence this high-sounding plea for love as the basis of all action is pure anarchy in ,christian guise4 ,lawless grace is as loveless as lawless humanity4 ,license claimed on account of standing under grace1 though put on a heavenly plane1 is hell-born just the same4 ,license means anarchy1 and anarchy is devilish though concerned with the holiest of occupations4 ,to make love a standard of action is to confuse a motive and a standard4 ,love is variable1 not the same in any two individuals1 and not the same in any individual at different times4 ,has love no place in ,god's scheme8 ,certainly it has1 and a very large place at that4 ,god's plan does not limit love in its maximum which is all 8that thou hast40 ,but what we contend is that ,god does have a minimum standard below which one cannot fall and claim to have the love of ,christ constraining him4 ,love fulfills law1 doesn't abrogate it as so many seem to think4 ,the law says1 ,remember the ,sabbath day to keep it holy4 ,love says1 ,i will make that day and every day holy unto the ,lord1 but does not say1 ,i will do away with the law altogether as to that which ,god has made the minimum requirement of the race4 ,love may go beyond the law's requirement1 but will not fall below it4 ,love does not and cannot repeal law1 but obeys it and furnishes the only true motive to obedience4 ,grace alters and exalts the motive but cannot free from the obligations of law4 ,a little clear thinking at this point would do much to set many people right on this question and on many other questions of ,christian life4 ,the large amount of ,pharisaical floundering and pietistic mouthing with which the ,church is persecuted on this behalf is not creditable to our intelligence or to our ,christianity4 ,so simple and fundamental is this point both from the standpoint of ethics and of religion that it seems strange that sane men should ever call it in question4 ,but men were troubled with it when ,paul wrote his letter to the ,romans and are still troubled with it and strangest of all quote ,paul's words which were written to set people straight on this matter as the justification of the very thing he was trying to correct4 ,to me this is one of the most peculiar perversions of ,scripture which has ever arisen in the history of the ,church4 ,that the epistle to the ,romans which has for its key word righteousness 7which ,i think means rightness according to ,god's standard and which can have no other satisfactory meaning71 should be taken as the authority for ,antinomianism which practically annihilates law is certainly a singular proof of the fact that some people have the logical faculty in a very rudimentary state4 ,it seems to me that we ought to be able to see that if ,god's standard of right is abrogated1 then nothing can control a man's life but his own promptings4 ,what is a law but ,god's standard of right in respect to that particular line of conduct to which it applies8 ,what is the abrogation of law but the doing away with ,god's standard and the substitution of a human standard8 ,we have become so afraid of the charge of legalism that we have swung far to the side of anarchy1 and1 as between the two1 legalism is the least to be feared1 as bad as it is4 ,plain speech is needed for we must not palliate the consequences of such teaching4 ,paul meant well as a persecutor1 but ,paul the preacher greatly deplored his course of action in such a rle4 ,men may think they are doing ,god and humanity service by such advocacy1 but to me it is the devil's work and makes for lawlessness which is sin and which when finished brings forth death4 ,lawlessness abounds in teaching of school and ,church and is it any wonder that we stand horrified at some of its outbreaks in our very midst8 ,herein ,i find a most urgent call to advocate the right as ,god has indicated it in respect to giving as well as to any other of the lines of conduct which go to make up a well-rounded life4 ,giving is not left to the emotions of men1 no matter how pure and holy they may seem to be4 ,giving is to be according to ,god's measure or requirement4 ,to this it seems we ought all to agree4 ,has ,god a measure8 ,if so1 what is it and how does it operate8 ,some of us think that ,he has and that it is fixed and invariable1 the same always and for all4 ,why should he not have8 ,honest people of business ability do not sell wheat by whim1 potatoes for appearance sake1 or calico by hysterics4 ,produce is measured by well-defined standards and disposed of in due regard to and careful consideration of the principles of economic distribution4 ,why be so careless in respect to moral conduct8 ,ethical principles ought to be1 and ,i believe are more clearly defined than are economic principles4 ,what is the rule1 what the standard1 are the first questions concerning any moral act4 ,when this is known the character of the act is easily determined4 ,every grace or fruit of the spirit is to be tested by this vital inquiry4 ,faith1 the first-fruit1 has a unit of measure4 ,belief unto salvation is the minimum of faith4 ,beyond that faith may reach to heights that seem to have no limit4 ,but it must measure up to that minimum1 or fail to merit the name of faith4 ,love the final-fruit1 as we sometimes say1 has its unit1 namely1 the gift of self4 ,no gift without the giver1 no love without the lover4 ,these minimum requirements are agreed upon by all teachers of the gospel of redemption from sin through the blood of ,jesus ,christ4 ,no one supposes for a moment that such teaching involves the idea that faith and love shall never go beyond this minimum4 ,they must go on to perfection4 ,this brings us to answer that provoking misrepresentation of the position of tithers which claims that men ought to give more than the tithe and that love to ,christ should lead to the consecration of all to ,him4 ,i do not know of any tither who feels that the tenth is all that he ought to give4 ,most pastors know that if extra money is wanted1 the tithers are not the last to respond4 ,further1 ,i have never heard such doctrine advocated by any tither4 ,we persistently say that we are dealing with the minimum1 not with the maximum1 not with the outgoings of hearts full of love to ,christ1 but with those who are robbing ,god of even ,his minimum and are thus guilty of the awful crime of covetousness1 which the ,new ,testament places among the vilest of crimes and says that it will shut out of the kingdom4 ,the fifth chapter of ,i ,corinthians clearly teaches that the covetous brother is to be shut out of the fellowship of ,christians1 even in this life4 ,how does the treatment of the rich man by many churches and communities square with this plain teaching8 ,the early ,fathers were very faithful in teaching concerning the crime of covetousness1 following in the footsteps of the ,apostles and of ,christ ,himself4 ,how about the minister who considers himself above the business of mentioning money matters to the congregation8 ,this rank ,phariseeism needs to be driven out of the minds of ministers and theological teachers who train ministers4 ,if they spoke on this subject as often as ,christ did1 they would need to preach on it about once a month4 ,mr4 ,kane's experience wherein after three heroic efforts1 he only succeeded in finding theological professors and students in about half the seminaries in this country and ,canada who were willing to receive literature which he offered to furnish gratis1 speaks of an awful perversion of ,scripture teaching on this subject and a failure to grasp the vital questions of ,christian life which it touches4 ,is it any wonder that there is a constant 8drain of the treasury0 as ,augustine said8 ,wrestle with it as we may1 the consecrate-all-to-the-,lord and all such plans1 have proved a dismal failure in respect to bringing 8meat0 into ,god's house1 and the crying need of the hour is money to send workers into all the world to preach the gospel4 ,whatever be your scheme for getting the money1 you know1 brother pastor and fellow-workers1 that the great hindrance to enlargement of the ,church's work is money to meet necessary expenditures4 ,some one always bobs up with the mystical dictum that it is prayer1 or consecration1 or something to that effect4 ,but that is only beating the ,devil around the bush4 ,for the promised result of the prayer1 or the consecration1 or whatever one may suggest1 is that money will be forthcoming4 ,so after all it is money that must be gotten1 by whatsoever means one may employ4 ,the giving of all to the ,lord is the only ,new ,testament method which is offered us as an alternative4 ,i am free to say that it has failed to meet the case not only in our age1 and in the age of the ,fathers who rang the changes on it1 but ,i am persuaded also that it did not meet the case in the days of the ,apostles4 ,it must always be remembered that it was voluntary1 as ,peter said to ,ananias1 and though voluntary1 it did not fail to present difficulties very early in the history of the ,church1 as the sixth chapter of ,acts shows4 ,again it should be remembered that the very fact that ,paul was instructed to call for a collection for the poor saints in ,jerusalem proves two things at least4 ,that the needs of the ,church were not met by this voluntary communism1 and that this communism had not been adopted elsewhere to any great extent1 else the appeal to people to lay aside for this free-will offering as ,god had prospered them would have been a piece of pious nonsense4 ,the ,jewish ,encyclopedia 7,vol4 ,,iii41 p4 #ffh7 gives an interesting bit of evidence as to the effect of this movement4 ,we read that 8against the tendency prevailing in ,essene and ,christian circles to sell all one had and #8give to the poor' in order to have #8treasure in heaven' 7,matt4 #ai3ba71 the rabbis at the ,synod in ,usha ordained that #8no one should give away more than the fifth of his fortune lest from independence he may lapse into a state of dependence'0 7,ket4 #ej a74 ,while the evil effect of anything ,christian is apt to be overstated by these ,jewish writers1 still may it not be that here we have proof that communism1 tried under the most favorable circumstances1 as it certainly was under the early ,church management1 fails to meet the case1 and that ,christ's saying1 8,the poor always ye have with you10 was still true and even more emphasized under this method of social life8 ,the fact seems to stand out even on the pages of the book of ,acts with special emphasis that such a method1 with the very best management1 does not take away the problem of the dependent1 but really intensifies it4 ,the ,apostle ,paul seems to have had to deal with this tendency toward abuse of charity and in doing so laid down some very fundamental propositions to which the ,church ought always to give heed4 8,for even when we were with you1 this we commanded you1 that if any would not work1 neither should he eat4 ,for we hear that there are some which walk among you disorderly1 working not at all1 but are busybodies4 ,now them that are such we command and exhort by our ,lord ,jesus ,christ1 that with quietness they work1 and eat their own bread40 ,,ii ,thess4 #c3aj-ab4 8,if any provide not for his own1 and specially for those of his own house1 he hath denied the faith1 and is worse than an infidel40 ,i ,tim4 #e3h4 ,these positive teachings certainly argue that ,paul did not approve of the communistic plan1 for how could one eat his own bread or provide for his own household1 if he had put all into the common fund8 ,in short1 ,paul1 as the great organizer of the ,church1 does not give a single hint that he approved of such a method4 ,all his statements are emphatic on the other side4 ,even his own custom of working for his living argues his disapproval of the communistic idea4 ,this should be borne in mind by those who are so sure that ,christian ,socialism as they choose to call it1 will solve all the problems respecting the poor4 ,personally1 ,i believe that ,paul's method is the better one and will come nearer than any other to the solution4 ,the question is often asked1 why does not the ,new ,testament say more about the tithe1 if it is still the universal law8 ,the answer to this has usually been1 that all the peoples to whom the apostles preached had been accustomed to give at least a tenth for religious purposes and they found no particular need to lay emphasis upon what was a universal practice4 ,also that the enthusiastic support through voluntary communism and other large free-will offerings made it unnecessary for them to dwell upon it4 ,these answers have weight and might be counted sufficient1 if it were not that they seem to assume that the ,new ,testament is silent on this great question4 ,attention has been called to ,christ's commendation of the tithing principle and to ,paul's appeal to the law4 ,but it seems to me that not enough is made of the treatment of this subject in the one book in which we would naturally expect it1 that is1 in the book of ,hebrews4 ,the writer was trying to convince these ,hebrews of the incomparably superior character of ,christ and ,his priesthood to that to which they were so attached4 ,we would naturally suppose that here1 if anywhere1 we would have some discussion of the tribute to this great ,high ,priest and that is just what we have in the seventh chapter4 ,rev4 ,henry ,constable 7,gold or the ,gospel7 has well said1 8,the ,levitical priesthood1 by the command of ,god1 received tithes of their people4 ,it follows as certainly that ,melchizedek had the same claim to a tenth from ,abraham which they had from the ,jews1 i4 e41 a divine command4 ,for1 surely1 if a tenth were ,levi's right by divine ordinance1 while ,melchizedek had no such right at all1 he is in this respect inferior to ,levi1 and ,paul's argument from his reception of a tenth from ,abraham an inconclusive one40 ,why1 too1 if ,christ does not have such a right and does not receive the tithe is ,he not in that respect at least inferior to ,levi8 ,again1 we quote ,dr4 ,john ,owen4 8,when ,abraham himself gave tithes to ,melchizedek1 he did it not in his own name only1 but in the name of himself1 and his whole posterity40 ,he argues the significance of the act as follows4 ,abram was called to be 8the foundation of a new church20 he 8had now received the promise0 not only for himself1 but for 8all his seed in him10 and whatever he 8did in obedience unto ,god1 he did undertake in it for his posterity40 ,wherefore 8,abraham1 in this solemn address unto ,god by ,melchizedek the type of ,christ1 wherein he expressed his covenant obedience unto him1 was the representative of all his posterity and in particular of ,levi and all the priest that descended from him4 ,and having now received the whole land1 by virtue of a covenant1 in behalf of his posterity1 that it should be theirs1 though he himself had never possession of it nor in it1 he doth in the name of his posterity1 and as their representative1 give the tenth unto ,god by ,melchizedek1 as the chief rent which ,god forever reserved unto himself1 upon the grant40 ,this is a remarkable argument from one who earlier in his comments rather hesitatingly tries to break the force of the tithe argument in general1 largely1 it is evident1 because of the misuse of it under the monstrous enforced system of his day4 ,however1 if we1 as ,paul contends in ,galatians1 are children of faithful ,abraham1 and 8there are not two churches1 but two states of the same church0 as ,dr4 ,owen puts it1 then either ,scripture contradicts itself1 or we prove false to our covenant relationship and dishonor ,christ when we do not do homage to ,him in person1 as our father ,abraham did in type in the paying of tithes4 ,i see no escape from this alternative4 ,calvin is the only commentator1 so far as ,i have seen1 that has given a consistent interpretation to the #hth verse4 ,he says1 8,for he thus reasons--those to whom the ,law assigns tithes are dying men2 by which it was indicated that the priesthood would some time be abrogated1 as their life came to an end3 but the ,scripture makes no mention of the death of ,melchizedek1 when it relates that tithes were paid to him1 so the authority of his priesthood is limited by no time1 but on the contrary1 there is given an indication of perpetuity4 ,but this is added for this purpose1 lest a posterior law1 as it is usual1 should seem to take away from the authority of the former law4 ,for it might have been otherwise objected and said1 that the right which ,melchizedek formerly possessed is now void and null1 because ,god had introduced another law by ,moses1 by which ,he transferred the right to the ,levites4 ,but the ,apostle anticipates this objection by saying1 that tithes were paid to the ,levites only for a time1 because they did not live3 but that ,melchizedek1 because he is immortal1 retains even to the end what has been given to him by ,god40 ,the editor1 ,rev4 ,john ,owen1 adds this comment3 8,the obvious meaning of this verse is given by ,calvin4 ,the ,levites were dying men1 which shewed the character of their office2 ,melchizedek is represented as not dying1 which betokens that his office as a priest1 is perpetual40 ,the tribute to the priesthood was only a temporary right of the ,levites1 it will be noted ,calvin claims1 and that it is the perpetual right of the priesthood which is after the order of ,melchizedek4 ,how clear and luminous is this interpretation when compared with that of many who stumble around over that verse and pretend not to be able to see just how it fits into the ,apostle's argument4 ,it seems to me that we strike the most triumphant of all the notes in this great address to the ,hebrews in this very verse4 ,our ,high ,priest has as ,his type one that liveth4 ,this is preparing the way for the 8power of an endless life0 and 8,he ever liveth0 which come later on in the chapter4 ,we are dealing with that which has no end1 which is true as much in respect to the tithes paid as to any other part of this divine arrangement4 ,any claim that the ,levites had was only for the time4 ,any claim that ,christ has had is living1 is perpetual and no posterior grant can make it null and void4 ,here1 then1 we have a strong and inconvertible statement of the claim that ,christ has on the tithe and that at just the point where we might be led to expect it4 ,it seems to me that a man must be hunting for something when he passes this by and cries out for proof4 ,it may be worth while to call attention to this fact that the oldest ,babylonian reference shows that the tithe was centuries before in force in the near vicinity of this same ,melchizedek and that it is not any longer a question where ,abraham got his idea of a tithe4 ,rev4 ,henry ,constable also makes this further point which is worth notice4 ,the tithe is not ceremonial as is shown by the fact that 8no part0 of ,jacob's offering 8was for the use of the priesthood4 ,the priest of ,jacob's household was ,jacob himself4 ,when there was no ministry to support it was yet ,god's claim and accorded to ,him40 ,it scarcely seems necessary to prolong this discussion4 ,the universality of the tithe1 as a moral obligation1 seems to me to be beyond question4 ,it is the universal minimum of the race in the matter of giving to the gods and the conclusion seems inevitable that it is the original requirement of ,god4 ,forms1 materials1 and incidents of giving may have varied1 but the standard never4 ,there does not appear any satisfactory reason for believing that it does not survive the changes from the ,old to the ,new ,dispensation4 ,the voluntary tithe was recognized and urged on all hands until in the sixth century ,a4 ,d4 ,the general confusion of ,church and ,state and everything else that followed gradually took away its voluntary character4 ,it became a sort of enforced tribute to that monstrous duality which presided with such mock dignity over all interests1 sacred and otherwise1 until the time of reformation when divine truth and order began once more to appear4 ,in all the mighty overturnings of the era of ,wickliffe1 ,luther1 ,calvin and ,knox1 these 8stalwart old iconoclasts0 all contended for the tithe4 ,while they lashed unmercifully the lazy monks and worldly clergy1 yet with ,wickliffe they preferred 8the good old custom of paying tithes1 according to one's own free-will1 to good and godly men1 who were able to preach the gospel40 ,possibly it would be well to say of ,selden who is generally quoted as opposed to the tithe1 that he himself says of his famous book1 8,it was not written to prove that tithes are not due by the ,law of ,god4444 ,neither is it anything else but itself1 that is1 a mere narration1 and the ,historie of ,tithes40 ,it comes out in the course of the narrative1 however1 that he was contending for the voluntary tithe1 just as has been done in this discussion4 ,he was suffering1 as many others like him have suffered1 from the oppression of human enactment and perversion in respect to that which ,god intended to be a gracious and wholesome provision4 ,hence arises the odium which attaches to the word tithe4 ,but odium is not enough to excuse the retention of a principle represented by a name4 ,like the name ,christian which we bear1 it can by ,god's help be made an honorable one4 ,it was so perverted in the time of the kings of ,israel1 as ,god had warned them it would be4 ,hezekiah1 however1 restored its proper usage4 ,the tithe was never intended for a national tax to support the ,state4 ,its support was at first voluntary as it seems 7#a ,sam4 #aj3bg74 ,it came to be a fixed tribute by the demand of such kings as ,rehoboam4 ,it is to be remembered that odium1 and perversion1 and the plea of heavy taxes1 did not prevent ,malachi from accusing the whole ,jewish nation of robbing ,god4 ,the tithe is still holy to ,him and ought to be brought into ,his house and must1 if large blessings are to come4 ,the facts adduced lead inevitably to the main conclusions reached1 if ,i understand the principles of logical induction4 ,this method of induction is quite popular at present1 when applied to certain historical data4 ,i am persuaded that if as much surplus ingenuity and lauded scholarship were expended on these data as are expended on other data to establish useless hypotheses1 the ,church of ,god would be more edified and would become 8liberal0 in a manner more pleasing to ,god4 ,strictness in doctrine and liberality in giving surely are more compatible with divine teaching than liberality in doctrine and stinginess in giving4 ,liberality has affected the wrong thing4 ,the slackening of doctrinal teaching has benefited nothing1 but has brought a flood of ,rationalism1 ,infidelity1 and ,unbelief on the ,church4 ,loosen the purse strings and cherish 8the faith once delivered to the saints0 as ,god gave it1 and we have ,his word that the floods of evil shall be driven back by the floods of heavenly blessings which ,he challenges us to receive4 ,the sweep of the facts is broad4 ,the conclusions are inevitable4 ,the tithe is universal4 ,its duty remains to be performed4 ,it seems an unnecessary trespass on time and patience to try to meet all the quibbles that may be started4 ,it is not time for sentiment1 nor is it well to bring in the poor1 as if ,god did not know how to provide for them4 ,pastors know that the poor are not the grumblers4 ,many complain against the law that the one-seventh of time is ,god's4 ,the ,sabbath is not counted a burden1 neither is it annulled on that account4 ,complaint settles nothing4 ,people complain of everything under the sun and often of things above the sun4 ,we are not called upon to adjust the relations of capital and labor which make the ,sabbath and the ,tithe an oppression 7if you please to call them such71 in order to prove the obligation of the ,sabbath and the ,tithe4 ,one-seventh of time and one-tenth of money belong to the ,lord4 ,who takes either for his own robs ,god1 ,his word being witness4 ,the same question arises as to why both are not more distinctly taught in the ,new ,testament4 ,both are old and well established4 ,each is a minimum demanded without reservation4 ,if this be not true of the tithe1 then there is no law governing that grace of ,god in which we are to abound1 unless it be that we should hold with some of the ,fathers that 8those who have received liberty should set aside all their possessions for the ,lord's purpose40 ,this is the only other method that has the much demanded ,new ,testament approval1 so far as amount is concerned4 ,i do not find even our brethren who are so strenuous for ,new ,testament teaching and practice1 falling over themselves to adopt this method4 ,our own denomination is reckoned as a liberal one1 but counting its income according to government reports which place the average income of every man1 woman1 and child at #ee cents per day1 we have never paid for all purposes more than one-third of one-tenth of our income into the ,lord's treasury4 ,some other branches of the ,church may be a little better1 but many of them are unquestionably worse4 ,well might ,chrysostom exclaim1 8,o what a shame6 that what was no great matter among the ,jews should be pretended to be such among ,christians60 ,instead of giving a tithe1 we fall so far below it that the tithe actually seems visionary to us4 ,the most careful calculations show very clearly that ,god knows how much money he wants for ,his work and that with the tithe of the ,church's income at present1 the world could be evangelized in this generation4 ,the early ,christians gave often all their means and all their time4 ,we complain of one-seventh of time and one-tenth of money4 ,if the ,jews could give #be per cent from the produce of ,judean hills and valleys1 why cannot we give cheerfully at least one-tenth to the kingdom of ,him who though ,he was rich yet for our sakes became poor that we through ,his poverty might be rich8 ,he who falls below one-fourth gives less than the ,jew4 ,having a better covenant1 established on better promises1 and administered by a better ,mediator1 shall we grumble at one-tenth1 the tribute of a heathen or savage to a god he dreads and with no spark of divine love to call forth his offering8 ,to fail to pay the tithe is not only worse than ,jewish but even worse than heathenish4 ,nowhere do we find such niggardliness1 no not even in a heathen4 ,no one has ever been the worse off for doing his duty toward ,god4 8,the ,path to ,wealth0 by 8,a ,blacksmith0 contains a chapter of voluntary testimonies given at a public meeting4 ,twenty-nine testimonies were given either directly or indirectly4 ,the occupations of the persons were as follows3 ,five not named1 six ministers1 four farmers1 two merchants1 and one each of the following3 ,general agent1 ,y4 ,m4 ,c4 ,a4 secretary1 student1 clerk1 lady stenographer1 principal of schools1 shoemaker1 young lady telegraph operator who had a mother and sister to support1 and a missionary from ,india1 who told the story of one of his native helpers1 ,bhelsari ,naiah1 who had been tithing for three months when this conversation took place4 8,well1 ,bhelsari1 how does the tithing system work80 8,capitally1 sir40 8,ah1 how is that8 ,you were always complaining of being hard up1 and even in debt1 when you used your whole income for self2 now1 you give one-tenth to ,god1 you have no complaints40 8,ah1 sir1 the nine-tenths1 with ,god's blessing1 is better far than the ten-tenths used to be without it40 ,i have received many testimonies to the same effect4 ,mr4 ,thomas ,kane1 of ,chicago1 has had thousands and thousands of such replies1 so that we may safely say that ,bhelsari's answer must stand as the voice of general experience4 ,not only have men tried it for themselves1 but it has been tried in business where firms have kept a strict account of the ,lord's part and disbursed it for charity and have not found the ,lord's promise wanting4 ,of late years it has come to be a prominent part in the system of finance of various congregations4 ,what is known as the ,tithe ,covenant ,plan originated in ,wesley ,chapel in ,cincinnati about eight years ago4 ,the central idea of this plan is based upon the literal interpretation of ,mal4 #c3aj1 8,bring ye the whole tithe into the storehouse1 etc40 ,the members bring in every week in an unmarked envelope the tithe of their income for that week and all is counted together and then distributed by the officers of the ,church according to a previously arranged schedule4 ,this congregation1 being a downtown one1 was about to give up from lack of support1 when this plan was started and now it is one of the most active churches in that city and is the most liberal of any church in the city or conference in its support of charity and missions4 ,the ,third ,united ,presbyterian ,church of ,chicago adopted this plan ,april #a1 #aija4 ,the ,methodist ,church of ,shelbyville1 ,ind41 adopted it on ,june #a1 #aija4 ,the ,memorial ,presbyterian ,church of ,indianapolis1 ,ind41 adopted it on ,july #a1 #aija4 ,these were the churches that had made actual trial of it1 when the ,tithe ,conference was held at ,winona in ,august1 #aijb4 ,since then several have taken it up1 notably the ,delaware ,avenue ,baptist ,church of ,buffalo1 ,n4 ,y41 and the ,eighth ,presbyterian ,church of ,chicago4 ,mr4 ,blynn ,yates of ,buffalo1 ,n4 ,y41 has consented to act as the distributer of information in respect to the working of this plan and after the ,conference at ,winona this year literature will be issued which will give data concerning what some of us believe promises to be a mighty factor in the ,church's progress in the years to come4 ,in all these congregations where this plan has been given a fair trial it has wrought wonders and the testimonies that will soon be at your disposal will be a revelation1 ,i judge1 to many who have been in despair almost over the problem of financing the kingdom4 ,it will show that ,god has a plan and that the plan will meet the needs of the ,church to-day1 as it always has in the past1 when honestly administered4 ,no congregation need fear to give it a fair trial4 ,as the colored preacher said1 8,i hab nebber known a church killed by too much gibbin to de ,lawd4 ,if der should be such a church1 and ,i should know about it1 ,i'll tell you what ,i'd do4 ,i'd go to dat church1 and ,i'd clamber up its moss-covered roof1 and ,i'd sit straddle of its ridge pole1 and ,i'd cry aloud1 #8,blessed am de dead dat die in de ,lawd4'0 ,if any one tries this method and faithfully proves the ,lord therewith1 and then goes under1 it certainly will be time to say1 8,blessed am de dead dat die in de ,lawd40 ,many give more than the tenth and should do so4 ,i know some who give one-fifth1 and higher proportions up to that height attained by one whom it has been my privilege to meet who gives nine-tenths of his income and lives on the one-tenth4 ,when we have paid our due to the ,lord1 we still have nine-tenths out of which to meet the call of the gospel in such words as these1 8,give good measure4 ,freely ye have received1 freely give4 ,abound in this grace4 ,sell that thou hast and give to the poor40 ,a man once gave such a large gift to missions as to call forth words of surprise4 ,he said1 8,it is one-quarter of what ,i own4 ,i found that as ,i was prospered my money engrossed more and more of my thoughts4 ,i am not going to be a slave to the money ,god gave me1 and ,i am going to conquer the love of money by giving it away40 ,that was in accord with the word of ,christ to the rich young ruler and any one who is becoming a slave of money ought not only to give a tenth1 but might better give a quarter or a half or even all his money away1 rather than die as the fool died who laid up treasure for himself and was not rich toward ,god4 ,christ commended the widow who gave all and cared for her as he will for all who honor ,him with their substance4 ,the tithe has been given by all races and conditions in the past and no objection on account of race or condition can hold against it now4 ,while we might have cut short much debate by saying that the tithe is not a ,jewish institution but is an ancient law of the race and we are no more called upon to prove its obligation than we are that of the law of the ,sabbath or of marriage1 yet we have tried to present the case as briefly and yet thoroughly as possible within reasonable limits4 ,but1 as ,i said at ,winona last year1 suppose you deny all this evidence and refuse to be convinced of its obligation1 there is one plea that you cannot gainsay4 ,it is the one system that has never failed to get the money4 ,the history of the past shows this4 ,the enemies of the ,evangelical ,church recognize it4 ,the ,mormons1 the ,seventh ,day ,adventists1 the ,dowieites all find the tithe sufficient to carry on their wonderful propagandas and demonstrate the argument that ,god's tenth if rightly used by ,his ,church would enable us soon to take the world for ,christ4 ,all other methods of raising money pale into insignificance when compared with this which has always1 in all ages1 and among all classes of peoples proved sufficient to do great things in the name of the religion or irreligion in behalf of which it was used4 ,the simple argument1 ,it works1 ought to appeal to the many struggling ,church workers who are at their wits' end to know how to meet expenses4 ,that mere tithe-paying will bring spiritual blessing1 ,i do not claim4 ,the reverse is true1 as the ,pharisee testifies4 ,but tithing according to ,god's plan and in the spirit which ,he has laid down in ,his word must and will bring great blessing4 ,one of our missionaries in ,india tells of a native who was an earnest ,christian and a believer in tithing4 ,he had a friend who was converted and he was anxious to have him tithe also4 ,after some effort to persuade him and seemingly without avail1 he gave his friend a sound thrashing and enforced the tithe by brawn and not by persuasion of conscience4 ,this was zeal without knowledge4 ,you can no more make a man give than you can make him pray4 ,you can make a man say words1 but it is not prayer4 ,you may make him hand out money unwillingly1 but that is not giving as ,i view it4 ,i like to define giving as follows3 ,giving is a cheerful1 willing1 liberal1 intelligent1 quiet1 regular and prayerful exercise of a ,god-given grace4 ,this grace of giving1 like all ,god's gifts1 comes with the asking and stays with the using4 ,it is no more possible for a man to have the grace of giving without asking for it and making proper use of it1 than it is to have the ,spirit for service without asking for and making use of that gift4 ,i would not attempt to force this system on any unprayerful person or people4 ,but1 ,oh that the ,church might awake to its glorious provision and its wonderful privilege in this conformity to the law of giving6 ,when a man asks for the grace of giving and receives the impulse to open his purse to abound in this grace1 then comes to him ,god's rule1 ,the ,tenth is holy unto ,me as a first-fruit of this grace1 and immediately he begins to see where it is that a man crosses over the boundary line of selfishness and steps into the plane of devotion to ,god1 and he takes the step and rejoices in it4 ,as he walks on in the glad consciousness of duty done1 he begins to rejoice in larger manifestations of this grace and meets other and larger opportunities for the gospel's sake and for the ,master's sake1 and thus the fulness of the blessing of this grace flows into his soul and he knows the meaning of abounding in this grace also4 ,what has been said of individual experience1 may be just as truly said of the experience that comes to any congregation that will follow this same plan of ,god1 as some of our congregations can testify4 ,the blessing is not only financial1 but it is spiritual in a large and increasing sense4 ,would that ,john ,knox might stir up the ministry now as he is said to have done in his day in ,scotland when he said1 8,there is no impiety against which it is more requisite you set yourselves in this time4 ,repent1 therefore1 and amend your own neglect in this behalf and call upon others for amendment40 ,max ,mueller is said also to have written to a young minister1 8,when one thinks what this world of ours would be1 if at least this minimum of ,christianity were a reality1 one feels that you are right in preaching this simple duty in season and out of season1 until people see that without fulfilling it1 every other profession of religion is a mere sham40 ,the ringing words of ,bishop ,potter at the dedication of ,grace ,chapel in ,new ,york city1 while they may apply peculiarly to the ,episcopal ,church1 yet are wholesome words to all ,god's people4 8,the growth of wealth and of luxury1 wicked1 wasteful1 and wanton1 as before ,god ,i declare that luxury to be1 has been matched step by step by a deepening and deadening poverty which has left whole neighborhoods of people practically without hope and without aspiration4 ,at such a time1 for the church of ,god to sit still and be content with theories of its duty outlawed by time and long ago demonstrated to be grotesquely inadequate to the demands of a living situation1 this is to deserve the scorn of men and the curse of ,god6 ,take my word for it1 men and brethren1 unless you and ,i and all those who have any gift or stewardship of talents1 or means1 of whatsoever sort1 are willing to get up out of our sloth and ease and selfish dilettanteism of service1 and get down among the people who are battling amid their poverty and ignorance--young girls for their chastity1 young men for their better ideal of righteousness1 old and young alike for one clear ray of the immortal courage and the immortal hope--then verily the church in its stately splendor1 its apostolic orders1 its venerable ritual1 its decorous and dignified conventions1 is revealed as simply a monstrous and insolent impertinence60 ,seeing that this indictment is well placed1 why should not any person or people pay to ,god at least the tenth1 as ,his minimum requirement8 ,the need has not ceased4 ,we have the poor with us4 ,the ministry is appointed to live by the gospel4 ,the field is not ,judea alone1 but the world4 ,opportunities of beneficence are multifold4 ,men are waiting and hungering for the gospel4 ,men are longing to take it to them4 ,means we must have4 ,our greatest need1 as before stated1 from the human side is money1 not men or machinery4 ,as ,mr4 ,gladstone said1 8,the inculcation and practice of systematic beneficence will prove the moral specific for this age40 ,will the people rob ,god8 8,bring ye the whole tithe into the storehouse1 that there may be meat in mine house1 and prove me now herewith1 saith the ,lord of hosts1 if ,i will not open you the windows of heaven and pour you out a blessing1 that there shall not be room enough to receive it40 ,why not make the test8 ,then ,god even our own ,god will bless us with the riches of ,his grace1 to whom be glory in the ,church of ,jesus ,christ throughout all ages1 world without end4 ,amen4 ,,footnotes3 ,a ,yes1 ,i know the stock answer to this4 8,jacob's ,vow40 ,but what and where was ,jacob when he used this language8 ,a sneak and a fugitive from the just wrath of his brother4 ,it is safe to say that never afterwards1 certainly never after he became an honest man did he speak of or regard the payment of the ,tithe as a 8gift0 to ,god4 ,it looks as though the ,pharisee boasted of giving ,tithes1 but there is no use in painting him blacker than he was4 ,let us hope he had in mind that he gave tithes to the ,temple service1 in which case the word he used was correct4 ,it is unfair to charge even him with claiming that he gave ,tithes to ,god4 ,so far as ,i recall ,christ never mentioned ,tithes but twice4 ,once ,he said 8,ye tithe20 in the other instance 8,ye pay tithes10 and added his approval4 ,b ,after the above was written1 the following came to my notice from ,prof4 ,sayce in a late work entitled1 8,the ,religions of ,ancient ,egypt and ,babylonia40 ,in speaking of the custom of the authorities1 he says1 8,a tithe of all that the land produced was theirs1 and it was rigorously exacted1 for the support of the temples and priests4 ,babylonia1 in short1 was the inventor of the tithe40 ,,transcriber',s ,,notes3 ,italicized text is surrounded by underscores3 italics4 ,obvious typographical errors have been corrected4 ,inconsistencies in hyphenation have been standardized4 ,archaic or variant spelling has been retained4