62
Confrontation
cause means are raised by these to defray church expenses. Men refuse
to give for the love of Christ; but for the love of pleasure, and the in-
dulgence of appetite for selfish considerations, they will part with their
money.
Is it because there is not power in the lessons of Christ upon benev-
olence, and in His example, and the grace of God upon the heart, to
lead men to glorify God with their substance, that such a course must
be resorted to in order to sustain the church? The injury sustained to
the physical, mental, and moral health in these scenes of amusement
and gluttony is not small. And the day of final reckoning will show
souls lost through the influence of these scenes of gaiety and folly.
It is a deplorable fact that sacred and eternal considerations do not
have power to open the hearts of the professed followers of Christ
to make freewill offerings to sustain the gospel as the temptation of
feasting and general merriment. It is a sad reality that these induce-
ments will prevail when sacred and eternal things will have no force
to influence the heart to engage in works of benevolence.
The plan of Moses in the wilderness to raise means was highly
successful. There was no compulsion necessary. Moses made no grand
feast, and he did not invite the people to scenes of gaiety, dancing, and
general amusement. Neither did he institute lotteries or anything of
this profane order to obtain means to erect the tabernacle of God in the
wilderness. God commanded Moses to invite the children of Israel to
bring their offerings. Moses was to accept gifts of every man that gave
willingly from his heart. But the freewill offerings came in so great
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abundance that Moses proclaimed it was enough. They must cease
their presents; for they had given abundantly, more than they could
use.
Satan’s temptations succeed with the professed followers of Christ
on the point of indulgence of pleasure and appetite. Clothed as an
angel of light he will quote Scripture to justify the temptations he
places before men to indulge the appetite and in worldly pleasures
which suit the carnal heart. The professed followers of Christ are
weak in moral power and are fascinated with the bribe which Satan
has presented before them, and he gains the victory. How does God
look upon churches that are sustained by such means? Christ cannot
accept these offerings, because they were not given through their love
and devotion to Him, but through their idolatry of self. But what many