We all know the stress God lays on the reproving power of the church -- she "must cry aloud and spare not"; she "must declare the sins of the people". The effect of the rebuking and warning voice of the church is to awaken sleeping consciences, form a healthy public opinion and sentiment and be a bulwark between men and all encroachments of evil. We all know very well that reproof draws its great power from blamelessness and purity of life.

For instance, who pays attention to the reproof of a bad man or woman? Who cares for the judgment of one full of faults and inconsistencies? It is the pure alone who are tolerated and hearkened to when it comes to reproof. Now, if the church becomes assimilated to the world, is different indeed only by a few delicate shades of moral coloring, how will she be able to uplift her voice against the iniquity that is in the world? How can the religious organizations that call themselves representative of the 'church' speak against the theater when we have things so much like it in our shows and festivals? How can the church denounce gambling and the lottery when she has the grab-bag, raffle and "voting" within her 'sacred' walls -- meeting with her smiling approval? The whole effect is to paralyze the tongue of preacher and babe in Christ in the presence of the great evils of the day. Within 'church' entertainment, the main expectation is from men of the world. The church wants their unsanctified dollars. Has the reader noticed at such times who are the most liberal contributors? They are men representing vocations and pursuits that are wrong. Not always legally wrong, but morally so. Now, why is it that the man of cards, or of the saloon, or of the rack-track, or of the lottery, will always give at such times when the church forgets her heavenly birth and high callings so far as to ask money at their hands? God tells you in the Book of Proverbs, "It is because they know that a gift pacifieth; and that it will, when received, take the reproof from the tongue of the reprover."

They know the psychological effect of dollars; they know how their gifts will fling a softening atmosphere around their wrong lives and pursuits, At the same time, the hearts of the benefited congregation will relax and relent, and they will say, "Looking kindly upon their donors. Let us not judge our fellow creatures any more. Who are we that we should judge any man!" All of which is very true, especially the last sentence commencing "who are we?" There is no question in my mind that the secret of the liberality of the wrong business and pursuit is to secure the tolerance of the various religious institutions filled with half-witted believers, gag the tongue of a Christian people, and stop the motion of the Christian pen. Men know the tremendous power that lies in the reproof of a holy church, and they know the disarming, silencing power of a gift received. So, they give and will continue to give.

There is a gambling institution in New Orleans whose baleful, corrupting influence is felt all over the land. It is a running sore and eating cancer to the financial and moral prosperity of the community; and yet this institution never fails to give to every good cause in the land and was never known to refuse liberal donations to the various denominations. It is done, not for the love of God, but to produce silence from the religious institutions and perpetuate its own existence. It does both of these things. God knows that if the church would arise in the majesty of heavenly rebuke, with the lightning of a holy indignation in her eye, that men would not be able, in a Christian land, to corrupt and make gamblers and drunkards of our children. If she would confront them with God’s truth in her life and lips, as did Christ in the Temple, there are a thousand evils now in our cities that would slink at once into the darkness where they properly belong and never lift their head again. However, when the church places itself under obligation to these evil pursuits and institutions, when she receives money from their hands, how is she going to rebuke them? She cannot. Indeed her reception of the gifts is a virtual endorsement. For a mess of pottage she has sold her birthright! She expresses horror at the act of Judas in selling Christ for thirty pieces of silver; but, at the same time, turns herself about and sells Christ’s honor, the purity of the church, and the rebuking power of the church, for the same shining, perishing metal. Men say, "We must have money, and all money is the same. One man’s money is as good as another’s." I beg pardon, but this is not so. He that noticed the two mites that fell into the treasury, and commended the gift and said nothing of the bullion going in, declared by that act that all money is not the same. The giver gives character to the gift. Nor is this all.

He that said in the Bible, "The hire of a harlot offered in the Temple was an abomination to him," declared in that statement that all money is not the same. A five dollar bill coming from one person, and a five dollar bill coming from another of different life and character, are as different in the sight of God as good and evil themselves. From all I can gather of the nature and acts of God in His Book, I feel safe in saying that the God of Truth and Love never accept money offered to Him that has the tears of the widow and orphan upon it, and that if wrung in the hands would actually drip with human agony and the blood of souls.

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