A eee Lt 9 bt ow Hohan we aw =, : g é ! Bate 110 As eer + Sle WE : Thy cA SERMON | -ON TITHES | ee American Board of Conmissinners for Foreign Missinus Room 102 Congregational House, Boston a a Ni ca Om ee Sl Spe a Se Ltt 3 3 ee EE Sa rk ‘« Ds, Cees ta stot : > » $ ~ Pa “ - ~ am - am x - = - = ig * fy - =e - « Se ee Pte Seat ~ * o ‘ A Kerman mi Tithes. By Buinp Houannes, of Shepik, Eastern ‘Turkey. [Blind Hohannes, (John, sometimes called “John Concordance,” because of his great knowl- edge of the Scriptures) graduated some years ago from the Theological Seminary at Harpoot, East- ern Turkey, and was afterwards stationed as preacher at Shepik, a small and very poor village not far from Arabkir. There he exerted a most happy influence, and there he first preached his sermon on tithes. Miss West, who heard him preach afterwards on the subject at Harpoot, sent an abstract of the discourse for the Missionary Herald, where it was published in October, 1868. It was reprinted in the Christian Work, a stand- ard English publication, with the suggestion that it should be circulated by hundreds of thousands among Christians of England, was translated into Welch, has been repeated in India, and China, and Africa, exciting no little interest, and is now issued in a convenient form for circulation, in con- sequence of a recent call for copies. Miss West remarks: ‘‘It is difficult to do jus- tice to a scene and asermon so unique. When the sightless man was led up into the pulpit, his appearance was anything but attractive; but he had a message from the Lord of Hosts, and well did he deliver it.” ‘‘ The blindness of the preacher added to the impression. Saying, ‘ We will read’ such a chapter, or hymn, he would repeat the same, word for word; and when he called upon the people to read, it was for their sake rather than his own.”’| The preacher commenced his discourse by repeating that striking passage in Malachi: “Will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed me: But ye say, Wherein have we robbed thee? In tithes and offerings,” etc. He then, in few words, told us that he proposed to show from the Word of God, that the giving of a tenth to the Lord was a primitive institution, attended with great benefits and blessings to the givers, and perpetuated and enforced under the new dispensa- tion no less than the old. “Open your Bibles,” he said, “at the 14th chapter of Genesis, and let some one read the 18th and 20th verses.” Bibles were instantly opened all over the house, and the passage read, in clear tones, by one of the congregation. 3 “Abraham gave tithes to Melchizedek,” said the preacher, “more than four hundred years before the giving of the law to Moses : — Abra- ham, ‘the father of the faithful,’ whose children the Jews gloried in being, — Abraham, whom even Moslems honor and call ‘ the blessed.’” “ Now turn to the 28th chapter and read the 2oth, 21st, and 22d verses.” Jacob’s vow was read, concluding with the words: ‘“ And of all that thou shalt give me, I will surely give the tenth to thee.” He then rapidly drew the con- trast between Jacob’s gozmg to Padan-aram — alone, and in utter destitution —and the return, with his flocks and herds, and camels, men-ser- . vants and maid-servants; for the man had in- creased exceedingly, in spite of the covetousness of. Laban. “And now,” he said, ‘open at the 27th of Leviticus, and read the 30th verse. ‘And all the “the of the land zs the Lord’s,’”’ repeated the preacher: ‘‘nine-tenths for yourselves, but one-tenth ‘is holy unto the Lord.’ Open at Numbers 18th, and read the 2oth, 21st, 26th, 28th and 29th verses.” This was done, and then Ho- hannes briefly commented upon each verse. He said the Levites, who ministered in the house of the Lord, were to have no part or inheritance in -the Zand, for the é&thes of the people were to be their inheritance ; and of these tithes, ey were 4 to offer a ¢exth to the Lord, ‘‘ even of all the dest thereof!” “Read Deut. 14th, 22d; and 26th, 12th. See the abundant provision made, not only for the Levites, but also for the ‘stranger, the fatherless and the widow.’ Read also 2d Chron. 31: 4-10, where the people are described as obeying the command of God, and bringing in ‘abundantly’ of the ‘increase of the land.’ And the chief priest answered king Hezekiah, when he questioned him concerning the ‘heaps,’ — ‘Since the people began to bring the offerings into the house of the Lord, we have had enough to eat, and have left plenty; for the Lord hath blessed his people ; and that which is left is this great store.’ “Now read Nehemiah 13: 1oth, 13th, and 14th verses. Mark the contrast! The people no longer gave tithes ; the house of the Lord was dese- crated, and the Levites had forsaken their sacred office, and ‘fled, every one to Ais ows FIELD!’ And now,” said the preacher, “‘ we will turn to the new dispensation. Open at the 23d of Matthew and read the 23d verse: ‘These ought ye to have done, and zo¢t to leave the other undone,’ are our blessed Saviour’s words to the Scribes and Phari- sees. Ye do well to pay “thes, —it is your duty, —hbut ye ought also to do judgment, mercy and faith, Now turn to, Luke 11: 42. ‘Wo unto 5 you Pharisees, for ye tithe . . . all manner of herbs, and pass over judgment and the love of God: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone.’ Read Luke 3: 7-12. ‘Bring forth fruits worthy of repentance,’” repeated the preacher. ‘“‘John the Baptist was a connecting link between the Jewish and the Gospel dispen- sations, and he spake as he was moved by the Spirit of God, —‘ Now also is the axe laid at the root of the tree.’ What tree? It was nothing less than the tree —the root—of self and selfsh- ness! Nhat this good fruit is he tells us in the Iith verse: ‘Ile that hath two coats, let him im- part to him that hath none; and he that hath meat (food), let him do likewise.’ Where now remains the desi ?”” he exclaimed. ‘‘ Under the new dispensation, not one tenth merely, but one HALF is required!” (At this announcement there was an evident sensation in the audience ; many a face lighted up with a smile, as the electric cur- rent shot through the assembly). The preacher continued: ‘f Read now the 6th of Luke, 38th verse. ‘Give, and it shall be given unto you.’ Give, and you shall have the where- withal to give! Shut your hand and your heart, and you shut the windows of heaven; you keep back the blessing of God. See what Christ says in Luke 12: 33. ‘Sell that ye have and give Orv alms,’ &c., which means — consider yourselves as stewards of God’s grace on the earth; seeking your inheritance in the world to come. You are to sct light store by your earthly possessions, and lay up treasure in heaven. Now read Luke 14: 33.’ Slowly and solemnly the preacher repeated the words of the Master,— ‘‘‘ So likewise, whoso- ever he be of you that forsaketh not ALL that he hath, he CANNOT be my disciple!’ Ah, my brethren,” he said, ‘fit is not mercly a Zenth, or even a half of our worldly possessions that Christ claims, z¢ zs our ALLL! Think upon the mearsing of those words. It is thus He speaks to you: ‘If you wish to be my disciple, you must cout the cost! You cannot serve /wo masters. You must give up everything that the children of this world seek after. You must hold yourselves aloof from your earthly possessions, (the Armenian version of the text quoted from Luke 14: 33), holding to them /oose/y, setting your affections on things above. Your comfort, pleasure, honor, ease, yea, your very life, you must esteem as soth- ig in comparison with my service! And in thus losing a// you will find ALL, and that forever.’ “Open your Bibles at Matthew 19: 29, and Mark 10: 29. and the glorious promise to those who truly ‘forsake all’ for Christ and his cause. Sce,” exclaimed Hohannes, after solemnly repeat- ing the passage, ‘‘see how rich the reward! A hundred-fold in this life, and Ze everlasting beside’! Now open at Luke roth, read from the 2d to the roth verse. Note the words of Zac- cheus: ‘The half of my goods I give to the poor’ —and mark the answer of our Saviour. But what say you? Is salvation to be bought wits money? Weall know that it is ‘without money, without price.’ Why then this blessing upon Zaccheus?” ‘ Because,’’ answered one of the congregation, ‘the gzvzzg was the fruit of his jaith {” “Yes,” rejoined the preacher, “ Zac- cheus brought forth fruit worthy of true repent- ance, and immediately received the promised blessing. * Now let me tell you a story. When I was in the class in sermonizing, in the seminary, our teacher was very anxious that we who were soon to go forth as preachers, and perhaps become pas- tors, should work upon right principles ; and he often talked to us of our duty, as leaders, to teach the people to do for themselves. He somctimes told us of places where much money (of the 3oard) had been expended by missionaries, and little real good accomplished, because the people had not been taught to give for Christ’s cause. ‘In one little village,’ he said, ‘40,000 piasters of the Board’s money was spent, the people giving only 50 piasters during thirteen years! And the work in that place amounts to nothing, to-day, in consequence of this unwise course.’ “Tt so happened, that when my course of study was finished, I was appointed to that village. It was the last place I should have chosen. I had no desire to go to that field, but God had so ordered, and I went. ‘The missionaries told me that my wages would be 1,500 piasters per year,* of which the people were to raise 600 piasters ; and before I left, one of them took me aside, and counselled me to make it as easy for the pcople as possible, by eating at their houses, etc., etc., be- cause it would come hard to them at fst to do so much. Soon after I went there, a neighboring pastor came over to the village, and we held a meeting with the brethren. We talked about my support, and it seemed that they had, with much difficulty, subscribed 500 piasters per year. I told them the missionaries had said they would raise 600. ‘ ever!’ they exclaimed, ‘ we cannot raise another Zara!’ And pastor M. said it was im- possible—they were too poor. ‘Where then shall I get my other hundred?’ I asked. ‘We will help you from our place,’ he answered. “But my mind was not at rest. That night I thought much on the subject. I said to myself — * $60. The piaster is about four cents. 9 ‘Suppose the American Board should some day withdraw its support from this and other feeble churches, what will become of them?’ And I prayed: ‘O, Thou who knowest all things, and with whom are all plans, show thy ignorant ser- vant how thy kingdom can best be established in this land.’ And it seemed to me that a voice said, in my soul— ‘It can be done, dy giving one in every ten!’ When I thought it over, it occurred to me to test it firstin my own case. One tenth of my I,500 per year would be 150 piasters. ‘No!’ I said, ‘I can’t give as much as that; I should suffer for it.” But when I came to take it out of every month’s allowance it did not seem so much. ‘One tenth of my 125 per month, will be 12 1-2 piasters ; Zcaz doit,’ I said, ‘and JZ wil/, even if I do have to pinch a little?’ It happened that pastor visited us about that time, and I laid the subject before him. ‘It can be done,’ he said, ‘and it must be. I will give a tenth of my salary.’ And so said preacher , who also came over. ‘Well, then,’ I said, ‘do you think it will do for me to lay it before the brethren?’ ‘ Yes,’ they replied, ‘it is the best thing you can do.’ So I prepared myself and preached to the people on the next Sabbath. The Lord blessed his own word. They accepted it, and came together to be t+ Hohannes had no family to support. IO ‘written’ for their tithes. When we made a rough estimate it appeared that their ¢ez¢hs would amount to more than my entire salary! ‘ Why, how is this?’ they all said; ‘it was so hard be- fore, but now it comes very easy, and is truly pleasant.’ ‘‘ Now, to show you how God blessed that little flock, I will mention one case. ‘There was one of the brethren who had a vegetable garden, which the Turkish official, in writing down the taxes, had estimated at goo piasters (for that year’s produce), taxing him go piasters. Others said it was too much ; it would not produce that amount. But mark the fulfillment of the promise in Mal- achi lii: 10. That brother sold 3000 piasters worth of vegetables, besides what was eaten by a household of 32 persons, and given away — amounting to full 3,000 more. Others were also blessed, and all acknowledged that they had never known a year of such prosperity. The people not only supported their preacher and school-teacher, but also paid over 2,000 piasters for other pur- poses.” The preacher was about to close his discourse, when a member of the congregation arose, and asked permission to say a few words. “I have learned,” he said, “ from one of the missionaries, another truth which has great weight in this giv- iba ing of one tenth of our income to the Lord. Un- der the old dispensation, the Jews were only required to care for their own nation, but under the new dispensation the command is, ‘ Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature!’ Therefore a ¢evth is not enough for Christians to give.” To this the preacher re- sponded: “A ¢enth is the very least that a disci- ple of Christ can give. Over and above that, he should give as God prospers him.” ‘‘ And now,” he added, “‘let us seek the aid of the Holy Spirit, that we, and all our offerings, may find acceptance before God.” NovE.—Ina sermon preached by President I. D. Griffin, D. D., before the American Board, in 1826, the following description is given of the call for benevolence which God presented to the ancient Hebrews: “In the first place, they were to devote the first fruits of their fields and of their flocks ; in the second place, they were to give to the Levites a tenth of all the products of both; in the third place, they were to consume another tenth in charity feasts with the Levites and the poor; in the fourth place, they were to offer mary exper. 12 sive sacrifices, some fixed by law and others vol- untary. These four items cannot be reckoned at less than three tenths of their income. In the fifth place, the many contributions demanded for the poor (some fixed by law and others voluntary), together with all that was required for hospital- ity, are moderately estimated at another tenth. Indeed under the pressure of all these laws, a conscientious and liberal Hebrew would hardly get through the year without parting with one half of his income. This page God wrote and hung out of heaven, and retired, leaving men to follow their own judgment and inclination to the end of the world. In the day when Ao/iness to the Lord shall be written on all the possessions of men, this page will be read and better under- stood. Then a law which has slept through so many ages will be revived again, and holy men will feel it a privilege to give something like four tenths or one half of their income to God.” ete ae oe ah Revert rae ae Fewer ee So ed E ee > eae ; Sek area eae Sli Sl PP ail il : rs mega ce en eS P i PR Sra ae Fe Send contributions for the work of the © American Board to FRANK H. WIGGIN, bbe 2 Congregational House, Boston. "FSHE literature, leaflets and letters of the a American Board may be had by address- — ing JoHN G. HOSMER, Congregational House, 14 Beacon St., Boston, Mass.; or at the offices of the District Secretaries: Rev. C. C. CREEGAN, D. D., ath Ave. and 22d St. New York City; Rev. A. N. Hircucock, Ph. D, 153 La: Salle’ St. Chicago,” IIL} nhevaae. MELVILLE TENNEY, Y. M. C, A. Building, San Francisco, Cal. eee Che Missionary Gerald. Single subscriptions, 75 cents. In clubs of ten, 50 cents each. FORM OF BEQUEST. I give, devise and bequeath unto the — «American Board of Commissioners for Foreign — Missions,” incorporated in Massachusetts in — 1812, the sum of dollars, to — be expended for the appropriate objects of said — is corporation.