p. 120 | IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION by Editor

Seventh-Day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · Thursday, February 19, 1880.

FromThe Review and Herald, Vol. 55, No. 8

IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION.

By Editor

We are happy to note that The Bible Banner, of Philadelphia, ranges itself on the side of what we must consider, both from theory and experiment, to be the Scriptural view of the subject of tithes and offerings. To this end it quotes from the REVIEW the article on “Tithes and Offerings,” which was published in No. 3, present volume, with an editorial article by J. D. B., from which we give an extract below.

The practice of paying a tithe of our income into the treasury of the Lord, as what rightfully belongs to him, is one which we can recommend, not only because it is a command of the Lord, and his work receives a great benefit from the means so bestowed, but because of the blessing it brings to the givers themselves. Whoever will practice it, we believe will soon come to see the wisdom of God in the arrangement; for it is something in which all, even the poorest, can engage, as it is so easily done, if taken hold of scripturally, that is, by laying aside the tithe first and immediately, when the income is received. Then the setting apart of the tithe never becomes a burden; and the blessing of the Lord on the nine-tenths which he permits us to retain for our own use will cause it to go further and accomplish more than we could accomplish by adding to our nine-tenths and wrongfully appropriating to our own use the remaining tenth, which the Lord claims as his.

S. D. Adventists have very generally adopted this system; and they have done it, as the Banner remarks, not by extortion or compulsion; for no pressure of this kind is brought to bear, but “willingly and of a ready mind;” and so far as we know, it has proved to the individuals themselves a help and a blessing, both temporally and spiritually. Then there is the pecuniary advantage to the cause; for if any people blessed with a fair proportion of numbers will adopt this system, they will find that their enterprises will not be crippled by financial embarrassment. And if the thoughts advanced in the article referred to shall be any help to the readers of the Banner, it will be a satisfaction to us, as we know the plan will be to them if they will adopt it. In the editorial remarks, alluded to above, the Banner says:—

“This people, with hearts properly devoted to the Lord and systematically acting in this pecuniary matter conscientiously, are ‘well able to go up and take the land,’ of, (1.) a thorough and adequate support of their local churches, and of their poor; (2.) an extensive missionary work; (3.) and besides they could easily carry on a publishing business of $150,000 a year. This is no dream.”

We have pointed you to the S. D. Adventists, who are doing very nearly this thing. They mean business. They believe what they say, even if you think their doctrine untrue, and they show the legitimate fruit of faith, deeds. It is done without bondage. It is done freely. There is no driving. In this land and this age there can be none. Their people are not in Utah, isolated by hundreds of miles of deserts from civilized community. They are settled among men where they do not depend on the prophet and apostles and hierarchy, for the quiet enjoyment of their own way. It is said by some that the tithes are extorted, but it is doubtless a libel; for it is no more possible to extort tithes from S. D. Adventists than it is from other Adventists, or Baptists, or Presbyterians, or Methodists, or other religious people. Now what they do they do gladly, and though they are doing so large a work they no doubt are doing less than they might; for no doubt many among them do not come up to the standard of duty they adopt.

If what they do proves that they believe their own preaching, then when with the probable income our brethren represent, they could do a $150,000 publishing work yearly, and do not do a $30,000 business all told, does it not prove that we do not one-fifth part believe what we preach?

As none of our writers furnish a treatise on this subject, we are going to let the S. D. Adventists tell you how they do their work, and why they do it so; therefore I have begun a reprint this week of an article on tithes from the REVIEW AND HERALD; it is Scriptural and earnest, and we hope it will be read. We may now and then introduce a note in brackets. We feel that there is a moral question here involved, and are in earnest about this matter. The Lord’s truth must be published. His people must do it. We are expecting to see them gladly offer to the Lord, and rejoice in the prosperity of his work.