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1980

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-I Ci

He ha
dumb
a law
treadir
and its
ing.
Canaai
many \
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while
Theref
such,

Leave
mouth
take hi
he cat
Where
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cannot
make
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the swe
is such
In a
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Unmuzzle the Ox.

A SERMON

PKEACHKJ^ BV

A. B. MACKAY, Minister of Crescent Street Church, Montreal.

ON BEHALF OP

THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY'S AUGMENTATION FUND.

" Thou shall not mtnzU the mouth of the ox that treadeth out the corpt.
— I Cor. ix. 9, also i Tim. v. i8, and Deut. xxv. 4.

Dith God take care for oxeu ? '

DOTH God take carf. for oxen ? Yes, most
assuredly. God takes care for every creature
He has tnnde, great and small, and would have even
dumb creatures treated kindly. Therefore He gave
a law forbidding the muuhng of the oxen while
treading out the grain. He knew the heart of man,
and its constant tendency to become hard and grasp-
ing. He knew that after his people were settled in
Canaan — that land flowing with milk and honey —
many a close-fisted farmer would put a muzzle on his
ox, because he grudged the few ears of grain it ate
while going round and round the threshing-floor.
Therefore, by this command, He, as it were, cries to
such,

HANDS OFF !

I.eave the beast alone. "Thou shalt not iifllzzle the
mouth of the ox that treadeth out the corn." Let him
take his fill. So long as he is working hard, the little
he can eat will neither harm him nor ruin you.
Whereas, if you muzzle him, you may save a little,
but you will do a great injury ; for it would be the
height of cruelty to tantalize the poor beast, hour
after hour, with the sight, the smell, and even the
touch of that which he wishes all the time to eat, and
cannot take a mouthful of. Will not that mu£?.le
make him restive and ill-tempered? Without a
muzzle,

THE ox WILL LIKE HIS WORK,

and do it well. With a muzzle, the ox will hate his
work, and do it ill. Hence, this kind and considerate
command ; and it is just a sample of God's goodness
to all His creatures. The Royal Humane Society of
England, and kindred institutions, are pointed to,
and rightly, as instances of the kindly spirit of
modern civilization, but he who studies the much
neglected laws of Moses will find them fragrant with
the sweet perfume of God's benevolence of which this
is such a beautiful example.

In all the arrangements of His large and great
dominion, there is nothing niggardly, though there is
the most marvellous econotr.y. Even what we in our
short-sightedness call His prodigality, turns ouf on
closer inspection to be the highest economy, because
the prodigality of perfect love. What tongue can tell
His bountiful care ? He clothes the grass of the field
in a glory greater than Solomon's. He feeds all the
fowls of the air, though they sow'not, nor reap, nor
gather into barns. He giveth to the beast his food,

and to the young ravens which cry. "The eyes of
all wait upon Thee, and Thou givest them their meat
in due season. Thou openest Thine hand and satisfiest
the desire of every living thing."
But out of this ancient law of Moses, Paul gets

SOMETHING MORE

than an evidence of God's care for dumb animals.
Inspired by the Holy Ghost, as he gazed on it he saw
it brighten into something much higher and more
glorious ! Therefore, he tells us that this is a com-
mand, not given for the sake of oxen alone, nor even
principally, but abc all and without doubt for the
sake of the ministers of the Gospel. See how preg-
nant and far reaching is every word of God I When
He gave this kw at Sinai, His eyes were resting not
so much on oxen treading out the graip in the Holy
Land, as on men lalxiriously preparing the bread of
life for their fellows in every age and throughout all
the world ; and for the encouragement and protection
of such. He framed this law " because he that ploweth
ought to plow in hope, and he that thresheth, to
thresh in nope of partaking" (R.V.). Thus Paul
interprets this old Levitical law and elevales it into
an obligation resting on the Christian Church in ^
regard to lh» support of the ministry. And it is pla^yi
that this command thus interpreted was a

GREAT FAVOURITE *

with the apostle, and often on his lips. Twice in his
epistles, he quotes it in the same connection. Nor is
it hard to see the cause of this. It embodies the
responsibility of the Church towards those who lal)our
in word and doctrine, in a figure familiar, striking,
memorable ; a figure, moreover, which connects tnis
special obligation towards one class with the glorious
principle otGod's universal benevolence and care for
all HI"! creatures.

Looking at the question in this light, we get valu-
able instruction regarding both the ministry of the
Gospel and its support.

Think of the ministry of the Gospel as here
referred to. There is a ministry committed, to special
individuals, i.e., there is a class of men in the Church
set apart for a particular kind of work, to which they
are to devote themselves exclusively. This is a very
patent fact in our ecclesiastical organization as Pres-
byterians. Such a body of men does exist in our
Church ; and it b well that it is so, for this arrange-
ment is

^g||g||ggg_^

NO HUMAN DEVICE

which may be altered from time to time, and, if we
sec fit, abolished ; it is a divine ordinance. The
existence of such a IxKly of men is, indeed, a proof of
the care and love of the risen Head of the Church.
"When He ascended on high. He led captivity
captive, and gave Rifts unto men." What gifts? The
apostle Paul tells us, " He give some Apostles and
some Pro|)ht'ts, and s.aic Kvangelists, and some
Pastors and Teachris, for the perfecting of the saints,
for the work of tue ministry, for the edifying of the
body of, Christ," Eph. iv. 11-12. In the books
of the New Testament, we have the ministry of the
extraordinary gifts of the risen .Saviour in a form more
perfect than any early Church enjoyed, and in the
services of these workers whom He still raises up to
minister in holy things, we have the ordinary gifts of
this dispensaiion of grace. This fact, that there is a
distinct body of men set apart to spiritual work in
the Christian Church, needs to be strongly insisted
on in these days, for there is a tendency in some
quarters, and under the delusion of a higher spirit-
uality, to ignore this, and to forget the warning of
James, " Be not many teachers." How many, when
they have a mere smattering of divine knowledge,
think themselves perfectly competent to stand up and
teach every one. How niany say that they have an
unction from aliove, and know everything, whereas
the Holy .Spirit says, " If a man thinketh he knoweth
anything, he knoweth nothing yet as he ought to
know it."

W hile there is

NOTHING SACERDOTAL

in the Christian ministry, and any attempt to elevate
any body of men into a priestly caste, as if they were
in a special sense the lot of God, is utterly subversive
of Christianity, still we must never forget that it has
pleased God to call certain men to official positions in
His Church, and that therefore the Christian ministry
is stamjied with a peculiarly sacred character. To
despise it is to dcsi)isc our Saviour's good gifts, and
to throw contempt on His infinite wisdom. Paul, in
all his labours (or the Church, recognized this grand
fact ; ili».-efore it was his practice to ordain elders in
every Church, or cause them to be ordained. No-
where did h'i leave a conijiany of Christians without
some among them who should labour in word and
doctrine ; who should rule and feed the flock of God ;
who shr.uld tjive themselves wholly to this work, and
keep themselves therefore disentangled from the
ordmary affairs of life. .Such labourers are spoken of
under various figures in the context. They are soldiers,
fighting for the great Captain of Salvation — officers in
His army. .Some who follow divisive courses would
reorganize this army, and have all officers and no pri-
vates. They are also vine dressers, tending the vineyard
he has planted and watered and hedged in. They are to
preserve and train and nourish the vines, so that they
may produce abundant fruit. They are also shepherds,
loving the sheep for whom the Good Shepherd has
died ; feeding them from day to day under the eye of
the Great Shepherd, who rose from the dead, and
looking forward to that time when they shall present
each one blnnieless b fore the Chief Shepherd in His
kingilor.n of glory. Tney are also ploughmen, breaking
up the fa!;'".' ground by the plow of repentance and
conviction, casting in the good seed of the eternal
Word, harrowing it in by prayer and supplication,
reaping and threshing the spiritual harvest on earth.
They are also called oxtn. This is the humblest figure

used, but it is very striking and instructive. Ths
work of the Christian minister, like that of the ox
treading out th» grain, is

IMPORTANT.

Without the labor of the oxen the eastern farmer
would have no bread ; famine and death would stare
him and his family in the face. So without the
ministry of the Gospel the people perish for lack of
knowledge. It was high wisdom as well as sincere
piety which led to the adoption of the motto, " Let
Glasgow flourish by the preaching of the Word."
Where there is no breaking of the bread of life there
is spiritual famine and spiritual death— aye, and an
end is put to all true progress and prosperity. A
family, a village, a to't-n, a city, a province, a nation,
outside the influence of the Christian ministry is dead
in trespasses and sins, and passing on to inevitable
ruin, moral, spiritual, and material. Those who scoff
at Christianity little dream of the many indirect bene-
fits they derive from it We often hear the work of
C'hrislian missions pronounced a failure by those who
have never taken the trouble either to record facts or
to weigh their words.

THE LATE CHARLES DARWIN

was in no sense of the word a Christian — indeed he
confessed that there were two things he felt no need of,
viz., poetry and religion ; yet, as an accurate observer
of facts, he had no sympathy with those scoffers, and
says that if any such happened to be shipwrecked on
one of the South Sea islands their first hope would be
that the missionaries had preceded them. Why so?
Because, if the missionaries had not preceded them,
thei certain fate would be to be killed, and perhaps
eatci. ; whereas, if they had preceded them, they
would be sure of a kin<l reception. Surely the work
of the Christian minister is im|K)rtant. We would
say even more : It is indispensable to the highest
good of the human soul. The work of the oxen in
treading out the grain has, in many countries, been
superseded. Threshing machines have been invented,
and

THE USE OF THE OX IS ANTIQUATED.

Not so the minister of Christ.* So long as the
human heart is stained with sin and weighted with
sorrow, so long will it need to hear the old, old story
of Jesus and His love. Whatever our advances in
education, civilization, power, wealth, we cannot do
without the ministry of the Gospel. The inventive
brain of man will more easily find substitutes for air,
water and light than it will for the Gospel of God's
grace. Nothing has ever been invented that can take
the place of those, and nothing that can supersede
this. .Many things have been tried, hive failed, are for-
gotten. Many things aic being tried, and will share
the same fate, for, as has been well said, " they are
nothing more than new balloon routes to empty
heavens and obliterated gods." The more we see the
good effects of the old Gospel on the hearts and lives
of men, the more confidence have we in its power.
Nothing else is needed to give peace to the conscience
and purity to the life ; nothing else on this earth is
working constantly for righteousness. Vox a holy
life, for a triumphant death, for a glorious eternity,
how necessary, and yet how sufficient, is the ministry
of the Gospel of tiod's grace.

* I met with two gentlemen, who told me that in the sarlier
days of settlement in Canada, oxen were used for this purpose.
One said that to get on with them at all you had 10 feed them
well. The other said you must treat them kindly. Let us join
the two statements, " Feed them well, and treat them kiodiy."
Good advice for the oxen on the Saviour's threshin)( floor.

1>>^^

(^:^

Yet, like the work of the oxen, the work of th<; min-
isters of the Ijospel is himitiU, There is nothing in it
ouiwnrdly ntlraciivc. Though they have <lone moic
for the (jooii of tiie world than any other class of
men, as a rule,

THEIR SERVICKS ARE IGNORKD

and their work lightly esteemed. Wc have often
heard of titles and decorations being granted for the
killing of hodies ; who ever heard of their being
given for the winning of souls? Vet this, above all
other noble deeds, deserves reward, and when all
earthly honours shall have vanished into thin air, tncy
that turn many to righteousness shall shine, as the
stars, for ever and ever. Some modern apostles ol
sweetness and light, sonic philnsophcis, and scientists,
and newspaper editors, big with a sense of their own
importance, pooh-pooh the power of the (Jospel ;
and we do not wonder at it, for they know nothin'^
of v. hat they speak. Hut who that has ever felt it
can ever doub' that the Gospel is the jwwcr of flod
unto Salvation. Some editors of doily newspapers
very complacently assert, that their influence is far
greater than that of the puinit. Now it cannot be
disputed, that most editors address larger audiences
than most ministers ; but do they, dare they, bring
the only saving power that exists to bear upon their
readers? Do they know nothing among men but
Jesus Christ, and Him crucified ? What, then, does
their influence amount to? All the galvanic batteries
in the world could not give life to a dead body, and
all the editorials in the world, if they ignore the
Gospel, will never quicken a dead sotil. Neverthe-
less " it has pleased God by the foolishmss of pu.^.ih-
in£\.o save them than believe."

THE POWER OF THE PRESS

so high-toned, so influential, so independent, is often
lauded to the skies ; what does it amount to in
too many cases? The following extract may help
to furnish an answer. " Hear what John Swinton,
one of the ablest and most experienced newspaper
men of New York, said at a dinner some years ago.
He was called upon to respond to a toast : ' 1 he
Independent Press,' and after some hesitation said :
— ' There is no such thing in America as an ' In-
dependent Press,* unless it is out in secluded country
towns. You are all slaves. You know it, and I
know it. There is not one of you that dares to
express an honest opinion. If you expressed it, you
would know beforehand that it would never appear
in print. I am paid $150 for keeping honest opinions
out of the paper I am connected with. Others of
you are paid liberal salaries for doing similar things.
If I should allow honest opinions to be printed in o.ie
issue of my paper, I would be like Othello before
twenty-four hours. My occupation would be gone.
The man who would be so foolish as to write honest
opinions would be on the street looking for an honest
job. The business of a New York journalist is to
distort truth, to lie outright, to pervert, to fawn
at the feet of Mammon, and sell his country and
his race for his daily bread, or for what is about the
same, his salary. You know this, and I know it, and
what foolery to be toasting an ' Independent Press. '
We are all the tools and vxssals of nch men behind
ihe scenes. VVe are jumjping-jacks. They pull the
string and we dance. Our time, our talents, our
lives, our possibilities, are all the property of rich
men."

I know nothing of the in.m who thusspcak% but
I fiar loo many ii-.-wspapi-rs are conduited very much
as he de-iCiiliL'S. God save the Wurld Irom iho gii><pi.'l
of such ini-'n. W\ tlioy <lo vaiini thcuiMjIvcs louilly.
No wundi'r that with ^,uch the .Ministry of tlie (iospcl
is lightly csttx-niod.

Again, like the work of the oxen, the work of the
ministers of the Gospel is

LAIIORIOUS.

Many think otherwise ; many think their life one
long liolid.iy. Not a few grumble ai tluMii .is if ihi-y
were only drones in the human hive. When I have
listened to such grun'blers, I have often felt inclined
to ileal with them as tlie farmer's wife lid with her
grumbling husband, v.ho was forever saying he could
(lo more work in one -lay than she could do in three ;
and I am pretty sure that if I did so, the result would
be exactly the same. Yet, still it must be arknow-
le Iged, that a man whose heart is not in the work
may be a great idler on the (jospcl tlireshing floor.
Ju'it as some lazy ox, instead oi trc.-xding out liie
grain, would lie down on the threshing floor and
gorge itself to repletion, so have I seen pnd heard of
sleek ecclesiastics, who have thought that tiie great
end for which the church existed was to keep them in
ease and comfort. Such faithless ministers, like lazy
oxen, are a sheer incumbrance, and the sharper the
goad of contempt and scorn wi;h which their hides
are pierced, the better for the work of the Lord.
Yet, notwithstanding, to the true minister of Christ,
this work is very laborious. In innumerable ways
his thoughts, his sympathies, and his activities are
continually drawn forth, and yet there is a samer ess
in his work, like the ceaseless round of the ox upon
the threshing floor, which is very apt to produce
weariness and the merely mechanical performance of
the highest functions. Oh, it is no e.asy work for the
minister of the Gospel to do all he h's to do, to do
it as it ought to be done, to do it as he desires to
do it.

But here wc are also taught concerning the sup-
port OF THE MINISTRY. This also is divinely
ordained. As certainly as God has ordained certain
men to preach His Gospel, so certainly has he made
provision for their support.

We might come to this conclusion from a conside-
ration of the necessities of the case. They who do
this work are

MEN, NOT ANGELS,

human beings, having the same necessities, limita-
tions, and liberties as their fellows. If, theref(>re,
such biings devote ihemstlves exclusively to this
work, it is plain that provision must be made for
them. It might have been otherwise. Instead of
men, God might have set apart angels to this work.
Then, think of it ; there would have been no need of
collections, or pew-rents, or weekly oflerings. There
would have been no need of college endowment
funds. Home mission, French evangelization and
Foreign mission funds would cease to exist. There
would be no aged and infirm ministers ; no widows
and orphans needing our care. There would have
been no need to attend so laboriously to the augmen-
tation of stipends. Then the labourers would not have
needed a cent. " Ah 1" I hear some one say,

HOW GLORIOUS

that would have been ! How freely would the Gospel
have been preached 1 How much loore heavenly and

spiritual ! How infinitely supi-riDr in every rcsiK'ct
to the present conililion of things ! How much let-
ter than this continual dunning of people for money ;
this eternal cry of (iivc, jjive. give ;' this turning the
pulpit into a begging box ! l)ur hands are never out
of our iMKkcts. Stop, sir, stop ; I can listen to
such tallc no longer. Let me asV you a few j)lain
questions in all earnestness. Do you think (Jod is a
fool ? Do you think He has made a huge mistake
in arranging for the preaching of the (Jospel by men
and not Dy angels ? Better tell Him that to His face ;
but until you are prepared to do so, better hold your
tongue, f.ye, and let not even your heart harbour for
an mstant such an impious thought. Why is it that
(lod has arranged for the preaching of His (jospel by
beings compassed with infirmity, beings requiring
material support P Is it because the angels think
such work

HENKATH TIIFIR UIONITY ?

Nay, the highest angel in heaven would think it his
gre test honour to stand in the place of the most
obscure minister of the Ciospel, prearhing to the
smallest audience in the world. Is it then because
God cannot spare the angels from their higher duties ?
Nay, there is in (jod's universe no duty or privilege
higher than exalting the name of the only begotten
.Son of Go'i as the Saviour of sinners. There is no
work more pleasing to (]od the P'ather. The angels
came v ith delight to roll the stone away from His
sepulchre, and to fold the linen clothes in which His
bo('y was wrapped. The smallest service for the
Lord Jesus is a work excelling in glory. Is it then
because God wishes ' is work to be done at

AS CHKAP A KAIK AS HOSSIIU.K,

and therefore puts part of the burden on us ? Perish
the thought forever in the sight of the great sacrifice
He has made, the unspeakalHe gift He has bestowed,
even His own Son — dearer to Him than all things
visible and invisible. What ! does the Almighty
need our help ? Does the Creator of the ends of the
earth need our money ? Nay, but He knows that
7oe need to. learn the God-like glory of giving, of
giving for such a cause. He would have us children
worthy of Himself, knowing that it is more blessed
to give than to receive. Therefore, for our good, for
our present and future blessedness, He has committed
this ministry into human hands. This is part also of
our spiritual training, an arrangement made for our
spiritual nourishment and growth in grace.

We might also come to this conclusion from think-
ing on God's ways. If these are His servants, will
He not see that they are paid ? If they are His
soldiers, will He send them a warfare at their own
charges ? If they are His oxen, will He muzzle
them ? If He takes care for oxen, much more will
He take care for the ministers of His Gospel. And
the remembrance of God's past arrangements makes
us come to the same conclusion. When He set apart
one of the twelve tribes to attend to spiritual matters,
He made liberal provision for them. He £,ave them
cities to live in, fields for their cattle, a tenth part
of the produce of the fields of their brethren, and in
addition urged His people to remember them with
s|>ecial gifts in seasons of thankfulness.

•

HAS GOD GROWN LESS GENEROUS?

Is He less interested in the support of these men
whom He has ordained to preach the Gospel to every
creature in the world than He WM in the cupport oif

I those whom He had ordained to conserve the truth
I in Canaan till His .Son should come? Is He less
J anxious about thosf who are torch-bearers to every
i land ol darkness than He was about those who trim-
med the lamp and ke|)t it burning in that little
I land ? Nay, He is the same yesterday, to-day, and
I for ever.

j Hut, apart altogether from such inferences as these,
j we have

I TIIK PLAIN DECLARATION,

"They which minister about holy things live of the
I things of the temple, and they which wait at the altar
I are partakers with the altar. £ven so hath the Lord
ordained, that they which preach the Gospel should
live of the Gospel." This is a matter which (iod has
thus ordained ; therefore, if any find fault, let him
know that he finds fault with (iod. Hence, also we
have the plain command, " Let him that is taught in
the word communicate to him that teacheth in every
g(V)d thing." Nothing could be more plain and
emphatic. And remember, it is in connection with
this commandment that we have tb; solemn warning,
" He not deceivetl ; God is not r. locked ; for what-
soever a man soweth, that shall h.' also reap." With
how many is the support of the ministry

A MERE MOCKERY ?

The Rev. Newman Hall tells the following : " I
remember once dining at the h<;use of a wealthy mer-
chant, who, though he loved the house of God, was
not remarkable for generous contributions, and who
said to me across the table that his thoughts had
wandered at church in the morning service by calcu-
lating that during thirty years he had paid in pew
rent upwards of £y>o {$1,500). It was, perhaps,
rude in me, but my spirit was stirred to reply :
' Less sir, than for blacking the shoes of your
household.' After a pause, he« frankly said: 'That
is true !' I heard no more of the payment of pew
rent as a sign of generosity."

How many think if their own minister is fairly
supported their responsibilities cease, as if their little
corner of the vineyard constituted the whole Church
of Christ. One of the saddest sights in any church,
and one of the most hurtful, is the .selfishness of a
numerous and well-to-do congregation. Not only
does it withhold the money which is sorely needed,
but its evil example is imitated and its selfish policy
adopted by others, to the hindrance of Christian
fruitfulness. Little do they dream what mischief they
may do in the heritage of the Lord. A large tract of
land in Glengarry, Ontario, has been rendered utterly
useless by 'the introduction of one floiuer into the
garden of a Roman Catholic bishop there. From
one little plant with a beautiful blue flower, it has
multiplied into millions and overrun thou.sands of
acres, utterly destroying their fruitfulness ; and so the
people now call it

THE bishop's CURSK.

Selfishness in any strong congregation is like that
weed, and if it is not utterly rooted out will work
fearful havoc in the whole Church. The bishop's
curse is nothing to it. The strong need to be re-
minded that they must bear the burdens of the weak,
and so fulfil the law of Christ. I was once talking
with a farmer on this subject, and as he did not seem
to be particularly clear about it, I asked him if he
could repeat the Shorter Catechism " Yes," said
he ; "I learned it when a hoy, and I have not forgot

iserve the truth
ic? Is He less
>earcrs to every
those who trim-
; in that little
ay, to-day, and

:rences as these,

ngs live of the
vait at the altar
7 hath the Lord
• Gospel should
which (iod has
fault, let him
lence, also we
hat is taught in
cheth in every
lore plain and
onnection with
:)!emn warning,
ced ; for what-
) reap." With

following : "I
a wealthy mer-
5e of God, was
ions, and who

thoughts had
rvice bj^ calcu-
1 paid in pew
was, perhaps,
red to reply :
hoes of your
said: 'That

ment of pew

lister is fairly

if their little

hole Church

any church,

Ifishness of a

Not only

urely needed,

selfish policy

of Christian

mischief they

large tract of

lered utterly

ver into the

here. From

lower, it has

thousands of

and so the

is like that
t will work
he bishop's
;d to be re-
of the weak,
snce talking
lid not seem
him if he
' Yes," said
re not foigot

Jit yet." ••Well," I said, "let me hear you answer
Ithis (luestion : 'What is required in the eighth com-
Imanclmcn- .>' " He began to repeat the words, " The
fighlh commandment requireth the lawful procuring
and furthering the wealth and outward estate of our-
selves-" " Stop," I said ;" Is that all the answer?"
f ' No," he replied " there are other two words—' and
\thcrs: " " But don't most people put a full stop after
[•ourselves,' and never dream that in order to obey
Tlhe eighth commandment they have to think of others
»s well as themselves?" "T».at is true," he an-
Swere<l ; " I never saw it in that light before."

While I thus speak I by no means forget the fact
khat some weak congregations could do a gieat deal
Jbetter than they are now doing. Selfishness can be
jmanifested just as easily by the weak as by the strong,
and needs to be as sharply reproved. There are con-
zregalions, as well as mdividuals, which remin<l me
Bf the story told of a mourner at a

SCOTCH KUNERAI..

There it was the custoiti (and a very l)eautiful one)
Ifor the friends of the deceased to carry him to his last
resting-place by means of wooden supports under the
fcoflfin. The clay happened to be hot and the road
pong, when one of those who were carrying noticed
Ihat his neighbour seemed quite cool and comfortable.
Tie asked for an explanation. " Do you lift ?" his
neighbour whispered. " Yes, certainly ; what do you
Jo?" "//f<j«." That was the secret of his com-
art. Kven so in regard to this good work, and every
t»ther, there are some who lift and some who lean ;
\ jme who lalwur, and some who rest ; some who
come to the help of the Lord, and .some who deserve
khe curse of \leroz ; and therefore we do well to
jTemember that He who searches the heart is not
pnocked, but whatsoever a man soweth, that sliall he
o reap. How many in our congregations, both
strong and weak, sow to the flesh—/, e., for pride,
»nd show, and luxury, and greed, most lil)erally ;
vhile they sow to the spirit— «>., for the maintenance
ind spread of the Gospel, oh, how niggardly ! In
how many cases is there spent on the ministry of the
^Gospel less than a tithe of what is s[)ent on

USKI.KSS LUXURIES OR HURTKUI, INDULGENCES !

^re you among the number of these ? Well, friend,

BOW on. Sow as you please ; but remember " God is

Inot mocked, for whatsoever a man soweth that shall

Ihe also reap. He that soweth to the flesh shall

[of tlie flesh reap corruption." *

The support of the ministry being (Jod's ordinance,
I it is not to be looked upon either as a matter of charity
or as a mere bargain. How many seem to think that
the minister is a genteel beggar, with a threadbare
I black coat, to whom it is a charity to toss a morsel
[out of their superfluity. How many seem to think
[that the minister is a man in their employment — a

'Who can doubt that if a tenth part of what is now spent
I by some of our chi'rch members on tobacco, sweets, and amuse-
muntj (to say nothing of intoxicating drinks) were set apart for
I the Aupport of the ministry we would have more than enough
I to give every minister of our Church $ 1,000 a year and manse,
' and who would be any the worse for it ? Some of our mem-
bers would stare in astonishment if asked to give Stno to start
this fund, and yet they are able to give thuir chitdren ioyt
worth $100 or more — and their friends a femst for which it would
Cake many a boor minister a quarttr'i labury to pay ; and we
are brethren i

servant, to whom they have given a situation, with a
promise of so much pay for so much work.*

How then are we to lof)k upon this support ? It is
simply as circumstances allow, a falling in with

AN AKKANC.EMENT ^

which our Father has made for the carrying on of
that work with which is linked the highest goixl of
tlie human soul. Mut when we speak of these things,
some who profess to be exceedingly spiritual jioint to
the Apostle Paul, and tell us that he did not live of
the (iospel, but, instead, laboured with his own hands
to support himself and friends. True, we leply.
This is just the exception that proves the rule. Paul
sta'cs very emphatically that he ha<l a right to stop
working with his hands, to marry a wife, and to become
chargeable on the Church. He had the right, but he
would not use it. It was to the praise of Paul that
he would take no support from the Corinthian church ;
but it was to the perpetual blame of these Corinthians
that they were not permitted to help him. And this
reminds us of the fact that sometimes

THE BEST MINISTERS ARE THE WORST PAID.

Matthew Henry, in his pithy way, says that " a
scandalous maintenance makes a scandalous ministry."
Thank God, not always. No minister of the Gospel
ever received less than the Apostle Paul, and who
ever preached better ? The fact that a man receives
a big salary is no proof that he is a faithful minister
of Christ. Perhaps it only proves that he is a trim-
mer and a time-server, able to get the soft side of the
rich, and keep wealthy sinners at ease by prophesy-
ing smooth things, and crying " Peace, peace,' when
there is no peace.

The fact, also, that a man receives a mere pittance
is no proof that he is an unfaithful or inefficient min-
ister of the Gospel. It may only be the proof that
he is lx)ld as a lion, and, whether men hear or forbear,
declares the whole counsel of God. But, to return t(»
Paul, if he refused to take a cent from these rich
Corinthian curmudgeons, he takes care to say to them,
" I robbed other Churches.t taking wages of them to

* These two ide.-Ls are not at all uncommon, as the follow.
iiig will show : On the first occasion on which I went to a
missionary meeting in this country a farmer from Ireland told
me the TollowinK with much glee :— " A farmer had three sons;
and a gypsy, who professed to read fortunes, said to him that
one of his sons would be a murderer, another a thief, and the
third .T Ijegg.ir. This greatly distressed the good man, and
after payment of a considerable sum the gypsy agreed to
show him a way out of the difficulty. ' Make your tirst son,'
he saiil, ' a doctor, and he can kill as he likes ; make your
second a lawyer, and he can take what he likes ; make the
third a minister, and he must he a Ijeggar all his days.' " I leave
the doctors and the lawyers to arrange their p.irt of the story
as they please ; but only the other day, in going into a ba/a.ir,
and asking if I had to pay, I was answered : Oh, ministers
have always to beg their way, so you may go in free." Indeed,
have we not c.irncd, in the prosecution of this very work, the
following degree: "A sturdy beggar."

In regard to the uilicr idea, I shall never forget the tone
of injured dignity with which a hard-headed office-bearer
referred to the action of his young minister, who dared to have
an opinion contrary to himself : " That he should tak sic liber-
ties. He should mind that I hae been connekit with this kirk
for mair nor twenty years, and have often wrocht hard in't i«
mak a seetawashuH for that young man."

t Yet these other churches did not grumble that tht burden
of the apostle's support should fall partly on them, while the
rich Corinthians, who were well able to pay Paul, gave him
nothini^. Such reasoning, though seemingly wise, is entirely
toplustieal and contrary to the sp-rit of that gospel which says,
*' It is more blessetl to give than to receive." The only plausi>

I !

do you service." Agnin nnd ogain he gladly recei' ed
money (rom the |M»or but Iwluveii brethren in I'iiil-
iupi. What a deli(;htrul {{low of thankfulness is
tiiere in that letter he writes to them (lom Rome,
acknowledging their gifts. The money spent hy
these pool disciples on I'aul the aged, and prisoner
of Jes<ls Clirist, was not wasted. It producetl that
exquisite epistle to the Fhilippians. What money
could buy it now or replace it if it were lost ?

TAI-K OF INVESTMENTS !

That money sent by Lydia, the widow who sold

!)urple, and the jailor, and the rest of thcHi, was the
)est investment they ever made. They are reaping
the interest of it to-day. It will yield them a divi-
dend of glory for ever and ever. Talk of million-
aires. We don't know who are the millionaires
when the will is read. Not till the books are opened
and the record of Heaven is declared shall we know
what any man is really worth. We have the auihor-
ity of the Judge Himself that many a man who dies
rich will be a pauper forever— unable to command
even a drop of water. There are men in this world
like the

EASTHENWARE MONEY BOXES

we had when we were children. It was easy putting
money into them, but exceedingly hard to get any-
thing out of them. What a trial of patience was it
to get out a cent. We had to put a knife in the slit,
turn it upside-down, and shake till our arms ached.
Even so, are there not members in our churches who
will gather and scrape and hoard al' the time ; but

fity the man that tries to get anything out of them?
le has need of .\ patience like Job's. Worse than
the aching arms of boyhood, he will get many an
aching heart, and all his pains will yield but a poor
return. Ah well, there is a time coming when all
these money boxes will be empty enough. Soon the
hammer of death will fall and dash them in pieces,
and then, what a scattering there will be.*

This support of the minister should come from the
people who are ministered to. This is reasonable,
rhey are the people Ixmefitted ; therefore, they shoultl
support the labourers. All church history proves that
this is the healthiest way of doing this work. "It i?
not wholesome that a priestly class should possess
revenues independent of the people, and it is not
wh. '?some that the people should enjoy spiritual
privii.ges without being called upon to make some
pecuniary sacrifice for them. '

ble argument against this scheme which 1 have heard is just
this— I shall try to put it in the very words addressed to me by
a city gentleman. He said : " I know the farmers in such and
such a district. They are rich men. Most of them have large
farms of thrir own and money in the bank. They are far better
off than I am, and far better able to support their m'nisters.
Their conduct in giving their ministers such pittances is exe-
crable.'' " I believe every word you say," was my answer.
" But suppose you lived next door to a man who was such a
wretched miser that ht even grudged the food of his watch-dog
and half starved it. Don't you thmk, though you execrated the
conduct of his master, yet out of compassion for the poor beast
you would chuck a bone over the fence now and then ?" My
friend smiled and said, " Yi>s, I would," and he did give
me a very good bone. This idea was the seed of the parable
with which this closes."

*I once heard a bcotchuiun who had prospered remarkably,
and who was worth a gi^eat deal of money, but who was by no
mean^ noted for liberality, say the following to a friend in
reference to giving : " Man, Aleck, a'm no gude at coontin.
When I gaed to schiile I began wi' adeeshin, and I ikive been
Icarnin't •' my life. I hae twe come to liubktracshin yet.'' He
willioon.

This support of the ministry slioidd be generous.

WE DO NOT desire RICHES

for ministers. We have much sympathy with what
lulward Irving said to a young minister in an ordina-
tion charge: ''Oh, if thou shouldst become rich;
oh, if thou shouldst die rich, I will be ashamed of
thee." And we do not fear poverty. However
ungenerous the support given to the ministers of the
Ciospel, the work will go on. .Sec, is this a true
minister of Christ Jesus ! Feed him with bread and
water. Clothe Inm in sheepskins and goatskins.
House him in dens and caves of the earth. Do you
stop his work? l)o you shut his mouth? Nay.
Hear his cry : " Necessity is laid on me, yea, woe is
unto me if I |)re.ich not the (iospel." Hut while we
ha' e no desire for riches, and no despair from poverty,
yet we maintain that the support of the minister of
the (Jospel should be generous. Why? Hecause of the
jirotracted training he has to go through before he can
be called to one of our weakest congregations ? He-
cause of his capacity and attainments, and the money
value of these in any ordinary occupation ? I might
give these and many such as sufficient reasons, but I
purposely forbear. Instead, I would answer, he
should be generously supported Inicause of

HIS POSITION IN .SOCIETY.

He belongs to no class cf society. Like the Gospel
he preaches, he is equally related to all — high and
low, rich and poor, learned and ignorant ; therefore,
he should be in such a position as to be able to
approach the richest, as well as the poorest, and to be
approachable by the poorest, as well as by the richest ;
and above all he should be raised above humiliating
and ensnaring dependence on individuals.*
I would also say it should be generous

FOR THE SAKE OF HIS WORK.

It will be better done if he is raised above distracting
cares. How can a man concentrate all his energies
on this high work when he does not know how to
make ends meet. How can he preach from the text,
" Owe no man anything," when, through no fault of
his, perhaps, but through culpable carelessness on the
part of his people, he has a heavy account with this
one and iiat one in his audience? In the columns of
the Canada Presbyterian, the following appeared
some time ago : "A lady, a member of Dr. John
tlall's church in New York, was asked why she
always went to hear Dr. Hall wherever he spoke, and
she answered : It does me good to sit under him.
Dr. Hall is just like a great sunbeam." " Yes," said
the editor, $10,000 a year and a little army of willing
workers will go a long way to produce a sunbeam
spirit ; but it is hard for a minister to write a sunbeam
sermon while he hears his wife scrape the bottom of
the flour barrel in the next room." This witness is
true. It would have been miserable economy to
muzzle the ox, and it is

MISERABLE ECONOMY

to pinch the minister. Are there any muzzled oxen

* A friend in England once told me the following : He was to
preach in a little country town, in a church which was looking
out for a minister. Just before poing into the pulpit, an office-

bearer, by way of giving him a hmt as to how he should conduct
himself, taid : " You kno* if you do not preach so as tu please
the people who sit in such and xuch a pew, you can't get on

lid be GBNRROUS.

: economy to

muzzled oxen

in our church, i. *,^ are there nny minUter* not ade-
quately supported ? There is alraut one minister out
of every three in the western section of our Church
who receives less than $750 a year, and mo*t of these
[have to keep a horse otf these small silarie* in order
I to do their work. Fancy such a minister walking into
a bookseller's store. He takes up a lMM)k and looks
at it ; he peeps into another; he read* the titles of a
great many. The bookseller comes up to him ;
politely points out this new work aii<l that new work ;
tells how helpful they would lie to him in pruparinn
[for his nulpit. No need to tell him '.hat. lie has
jbeen thinkirg all the time, how much iHJtter that
Isermon would have been if he had been able to consult
[this authority. He never felt more keenly how ham-
[pered he was by the smallncss of his library and his
income. Oh ! how the muzzle galls ! Oh I how ht
wishes to have these works, but the muzzle of |)overty
lis ooon him, and he can't afford it. In this Canadian
|climate, he cannot act on the principle of Erasmus :
" When I have money, I buy books ; when I have
[any more, I buy clothes."*

VVc often hear about the hardships of the Foreign

mission field. I believe there are men in the [lOorer

ulistriots of our Church enduring gre.iter hardships

[than any labourer in any Foreii;n mission lield in

the world. How they get on at all on their small

' stipends is a wonder. Were it not for the self-denying

labours of

Til KIR WIVES

^ it would in many cases be an impossibility. A friend
[once told me the ex|)erience of a lady of her acquaint-
jance, who had married a minister. She hadexptcted
Uo lead a very useful life, in which she could do a
[great deal of good for others ; but, she said, " I find
my life is spent in wishing dishes, and striving to
make ends meet." Ves, and she is doinr nolile work,
too, if she does indeed make ends me , and keciis
everything neat and clean. I once heaiii a minister,
in receipt of a very gi>;j'l salary, say to some friends,
in presence of his wife, "Well, as to small salaries,
I must say this, when I tiegan life in a city with
$1,000 a year, I was just as comfortable then as I am
to-day." " If you were, I was not," his wife in-
stantly replied. He had been in the habit of giving
her all his money, and, therefore, the whole burden
of making ends meet had fallen on her shoulders,
and so, if he did not know the difTerence that a good
income made, she did.

To give another illustration of how much the
Church owes to the ministers' wives, who are in
many cases splendid chancellors of the exchequer : I
was once dining with a country brotlier, in presence
of his nice large family, lie had been in his charge
for over twenty years, and had never all that time
received over $500, and hid a horse and buggy and
sleigh to keep oil" that. Sniilin;;ly he asked if I could
guess how old his coat was. It was a very good coat,
and I felt inclined to say two years, but I professed
my inability to do so, and was just as glad I did, for he

•Our riclier members could do a great deal of good at com-
paratively little expense by giving gifts of books to many
ministers in our we.iker charges, or, better still, by establishing
a session library in all our congregations, rich and poor alike,
for the use of the minister. As one who once possessed such a
library, I can testify to its immense benefits. We h.tve S. S.
Libraries and Congregational Libraries. Why shoul 1 there
not also be a .Ses iion Library in connection with every Church 1
One of the best of these I have seen w.is in a Manse in a
sea coast town in Scotland. The minister who occupied the
Manse has since then attained great eminence as an exegete.
Was there no connection between his valuable critical laUjurs
and that library?

told me that it was twenty years old. It was the coat
in which he wss married. Yes, I thought . and what
carefulness and diligent housekeeping does this fact
imply ?

CAN WK no ANVTItlNO

to remove the scandalous condition of things that
exists ? If we had $J5,ooo |>er annum achlitional to
what is now bemg raised, we could give each minister
in the western section t)f the Church $750 per annum
and a manse. The Cieneral Assembly thinks this should
and could be done. The question may \tc fairly a'iked,
are the aid-receiving ctuigregations doing what they
might be expected to do? And the answer is, they arc
d(ung better than the self-supporting congregations.
Last year, aid-receiving congregations contributed for
ministeri.al stipend at the r.ale of $7. IS per communi-
cant, whereas theself-supportingiontiibuted at the rate
of $4.90 jvr communicant for the same purpose. Were
the self-.iupporting tti contribute ft>r ministerial siip-
port at the rate of the aid-receiving, they would raise
$150,000 more than they are now doing Would it
be unreasonable then to expect them to raise the
whole $35,000 additional, required for this work ?

In presenting this matter to ditTerenl congregations,
I have received much encouragement, and have come
to the conclusion that the matter reiiuires only to l)e
fairly stated to elicit a hearty response. After
stating the rase as in the preceding pages, one gen-
tleman, unsolicited, |)rt)mise 1 $200 for the first year
to launch the scheme. A lady sent me a ci^etiu" for
$150. Another gentleman sent me a letter contain-
ing a $100 bill, with directions not to le: his namir be
known, but to forward it to the most muzzled minister
I knew. A boy sent me $2.00 out of his pocket-
UKjney, and a servant girl, probably newly out from
the Old Country, gave me two sixpences. These are
a few instances out of many that could be stated. If
a like spirit was general, the thing could lie easily
accomplished ; for after all it is not great in itself -
not ijreat as compared with our ability. Vet in
another sense, it is great. It is great in regard to
the amount of good which this money would accom-
plish. Think how many cares and hardships and
privations it would abolish ; how much sunshine it
would bring to those who, though never comjilaining,
have a weary struggle to maintain from year to year.
Surely we dare not say in regard to this work, "Am
I my brother's keeper ?" Some thertv may be who
have no heart for this work, who will never be at a
loss to excuse themselves, and say in the most
crabbed of accents, "I will not give you a cent";
but there are others who, like a good lady, whom we
met, will ask with pain, " Why did you not tell us
this before, that we might put an end to such a
scandal .■'" Only let each one lay this matter before
the Lord, and all will be well. For our encourage-
ment and warning, let me conclude with

A I'ARABLE.

There was a certain rich man'iwhose name was
Nabal, and his fields brought forth abumlantly. Now,
it came to pass in the time of harvest, that he rose
early, and went to one of his threshing floois, and,
seeing the ox eat of the ears of grain which he wa.s
treading out, it grieved him sore, and he said to his
servant, "Why this waste? Take a muzzle and
bind it on the mouth of the ox, that my substance
be not wasted." And the servant did as he was
commanded, and Nabal went his way. Now, about

Boon, Aihel, the rich neishbour of Ntbal, paued by.
and the Mrvant intreated him laying. " My matter
hai commanded me to muule the ox, and he ii very
faint, for the sun i* hot and the work it heavy ; per-
mit me, I pray thee, to take him to thy rich pasture
for one hour, that he may eat and drink and be
refresheii." And Ashel was wroth, and his counten-
ance fell, and he nald, " Must I make Nobal rich ?
Is it reason that I should waste my sul)stance in fat-
tening his oxen ? Nay, verily. Bring him not to
any of my fields." And when he went away angry,
the heart i)( that servant was sad, for he grieved
because of the (^. And a poor man, Hesed, drew
nigh ond said, "Grieve not because of this. Behold
I nave a little pttch of grass and a well therein ;
lead the ox thither, and lei him take his fill." And
the servant said, " The blessing of the God of Israel,

who spake bjr th« mouth of Moaet saying, ' Thou

shah not muiilt the mouth of the ox that trtodeth

out the corn,' rest upon thee and upon thy house, in

! that thou didst take compassion on the beat." So

he passed bv the rich pastures of Ashel and led the

, ox of Nkbal to the poor man's little field. Which of

I these, therefore, Nalml, Ashel, Hesed. obeved the

I law: "Thou shalt not muczle the mouth of the ox

I that treadcth out the c orn ?" We have seen in what

sense the Holy Ghost makes this law bin<ling on us

all in these gospel days. Let us take heed then,

lest judging others in a lower sphere we condeuin

ourselves in a higher. Rather let us, beholding its

glorious scope, smcerely pray, " Lord, have mercv

upon us, and incline our hearts to keep this law. '

Doing this 'here wouhl not from this day be a single

muzzled ox in all our borders. So let it be.

During the past year though I have preacled the above sermon many times and in
many places, I have never preached the whole of U in any one place ; and at the suggestion
of friends it is now sent out entire to the Church at large, in the hope that it may deepen
the interest in the work of augmenting ministerial stipend, which is now going on. It is
put into your hands freely, but if you feel inclined to pay for it you are heartily welcome to
do so by placing any amount you please in stamps or otherwise in an envelope, and
forward-ng it to the Rev. R. K. Warden, 260 St. James Street, Montreal, Que. After the
expenses of printing and distributing the sermon have been defrayed, all the moneys thus sent
will be given to the Augmentation Fund. If in this way some relief is given to our much
enduring ministers, I shall feel myself abundantly rewarded. Some friends who read this
will remember what they said they would give me for a copy of this sermon. Here is the
sermon — let Mr. Warden have the money; and kindly send it quickly, for the Church
accounts close in April. And should you want any more copies, a better edition is in
course of preparation, and will* be on sale shortly at W. Drysdale & Co'.s, Montreal, from
whom also extra copies of this edition can be obtained.

Montreal, March 12th, 1884.

A. B MACKAY.

<Mn Mying, «Thou
n« ox that treadeth

upon thy houM, in
on thebeai;." So

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Lord, have mercy
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;his day be a single
> let it be.

ny times and in
t the suggestion
it may deepen
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envelope, and
ue. After the
aneys thus sent
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I who read this
Here is the
>r the Church
r edition is in
lontreal, from

MACKAY.