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1 Phil. iii. 6-8.

2 Luke xiv. 33.

him, those he counted loss for Christ Jesus his Lord, for whom he was ready to suffer the loss of all things;1 thereby reminding us of his Master's words: "Whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath, he cannot be My disciple.'

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Having now examined our subject in the light of the remaining books of the New Testament, this seems to be a suitable point from whence to pass under review the way by which we have traversed the entire field of revelation.

The first religious act recorded of the brothers Cain and Abel, was a recognition of their duty to offer to God a portion of their substance; and the fact that so many early nations are known to have set apart a tenth, or more, of their property whereby to honour their gods, indicates strongly, even if historical Scriptures had been silent, that this proportion must have been taught, as a primeval 8 Sacred Tenth, law, by God; and the practice of some at least of the patriarchs is in harmony with this inference.

ch. 1-4.

But however this may be, it is quite clear that one, or more, tenths of income, to be expended for religious and charitable purposes, were claimed by God of His chosen people Israel, amongst whom His laws concerning tithes would appear to have been put in operation from, at any rate, the settlement in Canaan to the time of Judah's deportation to Babylonia.

On the return of the Jews from exile, the code of the Pentateuch was still recognized as the proper standard of religious obligation; this code,

in the centuries immediately succeeding, being greatly amplified in detail by the traditional interpretations of the rabbis; so that when Christianity appeared in Palestine, tithe-paying was mixed up continuously and inseparably with almost every important act in the life of a religious Jew.

Inasmuch, then, as Jesus Christ was born at such a time, and in such a country, and in a Jewish family where the law was strictly observed, there can be no doubt that He grew up a tithepayer; nor did His enemies attempt to charge Him with a breach of the law under this head, nor with neglect of the payment of religious or ecclesiastical dues.

In His teaching, moreover, Jesus Christ never professed to repeal, abridge, or contract the law, which He emphatically said He came not to destroy, but to fulfil. He not only expressed approval of a minute payment of tithes, which, in the whole, amounted probably to a fourth of a Pharisee's income, but told His own disciples that their righteousness ought to exceed that of the Pharisees; and, as if that were not enough, He claimed from His followers a devotion of heart, life, and property, such as should exceed the love of all that a man holds dearest on earth.

And the practice of the first Christians was in harmony with such teaching; for in some instances they gave up their possessions to a common fund; whilst in the case of the apostle Paul we see a true Christian servant content to forego, for his Master's sake, his rightful claims for remuneration, whilst

1 Tim. vi. 8.

exhorting those whom he addressed, that, having food and raiment, they ought to be therewith content.1

It seems clear, then, in the light of revelation, and from the practice of, perhaps, all ancient nations, that the man who denies God's claim to a portion of the wealth that comes to his hands, is much akin to a spiritual anarchist; whilst he who so apportions less than a tenth of his income or increase is condemned by Scripture as a robber. Indeed, if in the days of Malachi not to pay tithe was counted robbery, can a Christian who withholds the tenth be-now, any more than thencounted honest towards God?

RIGHT GIVING IS A PART OF RIGHT LIVING. THE

LIVING IS NOT RIGHT WHEN THE GIVING IS WRONG.
THE GIVING IS WRONG WHEN WE STEAL GOD'S PORTION

TO SPEND ON OURSELVES.

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