THE

CHRISTIAN WITNESS,

AND

CONGREGATIONAL MAGAZINE.

JUNE, 1867.

OUR LORD'S TEACHING ON THE SUBJECT OF PROPERTY.

By the Editor.

JESUS CHRIST, the Christian's Lord and example, was a poor man; and many believe that poverty is in itself a good and holy thing.. Jesus Christ said, "Go and sell that thou hast and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven" (Matt. xix. 21), and the conclusion is drawn that almsgiving, to the extent of self-impoverishment, is the high road to glory. He said, "Provide yourselves bags which wax not old, a treasure in the heavens that faileth not, where no thief approacheth, neither moth corrupteth " (Luke xii. 33); and the conclusion is drawn that all bags which wax old, all earthly possessions, are unlawful and inconsistent with the heirship of heavenly possessions. Hence the vows of poverty which are associated with the ascetic life, and the pretensions of poverty to a superior sanctity.

In our land and in our times there is no danger, it may be thought, of such inferences as these being deduced from our Lord's teaching. The danger with us is not that we shall make too little of money, but that we shall make too much of it. The exchange is far more popular than the monasterythe crowded mart is more sought after than the solitary desert. But yet individuals are found here and there who, fixing their exclusive regard on such texts as we have quoted, and conscientiously resolved to follow Christ wholly, endeavour to reduce them to practice, and hold all who do not as they do to be little short of traitors to their Lord. And there are many more who have a vague impression that Christ did inculcate the repudiation of property, only they feel that such a system as this would lead to is impracticable-and this is an awkward dilemma for any to be in who believe that Jesus Christ was a true teacher, sent from God.

VOL. III.-NEW SERIES.

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The first question then really is, Did Christ condemn the possession of property, and lay it down as a law for His followers that they should sell their property, distribute it, and then live in poverty?" He became poor" Himself for our sakes, and in this we see His condescension and love, and by His manner of life as a poor man we are taught how to bear the ills of poverty, and other ills likewise. But did He command His followers to be poor? He said, as reported by one of the Evangelists, "Blessed are ye poor, for yours is the kingdom of heaven" (Luke vi. 20); and, at the same time, "Woe unto you that are rich! for ye have received your consolation." But even if we take the words as referring exclusively to temporal poverty and riches, they can be regarded only as words of comfort to the poor, for whom, notwithstanding their poverty, there was provided the kingdom of heaven; and words of warning to the rich, who in their pride despised, and in their selfishness oppressed, the poor, and for whom in their pride and selfishness there was no consolation beyond that which their wealth might give them. He said, "Sell that ye have and give alms" (Luke xii. 33); but this cannot mean, "Sell all that ye have and give it all away once for all, and acquire no more.' It rather inculcates the habit of giving, in counteraction of the habit of acquiring, and hoarding, and investing. He called men to be His immediate attendants, by requiring them to forsake all and follow Him. But this "forsaking" was needful to their attendance on His instructions, and to their going forth as His apostles. He said to one young man who asked what he might do that he might have eternal life, "If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven and come and follow me" (Matt. xix. 21). But it is obvious that this to him hard requisition arose out of peculiar circumstances, the selfcomplacency and self-ignorance of the young man, and his lack of that earnestness and spirit of preparedness for sacrifice which should accompany the question," What shall I do that I may inherit eternal life?”

Christ did not thus instruct all who came to Him for the words of life. He did not, for example, command Zaccheus-probably the richest man mentioned in the Gospels, being the factor or farmer of the taxes in one of the most fertile districts in Palestine-to sell all that he had in order to follow Him. Nor did He command Nicodemus to sell His property and become poor, even when going to the root of the matter by saying, "Except ye be born again, ye cannot enter into the kingdom of heaven." He commended the poor widow who cast her two mites, being all her living, into the treasury of the temple; but He did not condemn the rich for being in possession of that "abundance" out of which they cast their gifts into the same treasury. He only taught that small as the widow's contribution was, it was more to be commended than the much larger contributions of the rich men who entered the temple by her side. When He sent out the twelve to preach His gospel in the cities and villages of the land, He said to them, "Take nothing for your journey, neither staves nor scrip, neither bread, neither money, neither have two coats a-piece" (Luke ix. 3), and when soon after He sent out the seventy He said, “Carry neither purse, nor scrip, nor sandals" (Luke x. 4). But the

want of any purse of their own, and of any clothing beyond that which they wore, was to be made up by those to whom they were sent, and who had purses, and were not blamed for having them; and when He was about to leave the world, He gave other instructions to those who were to preach His gospel after His departure. "He said to them, When I sent you without purse, and scrip, and shoes, lacked ye anything? And they said, Nothing. Then said He unto them, But now, he that hath a purse, let him take it, and likewise his scrip: And he that hath no sword, let him sell his garment, and buy one (Luke xxii. 35, 36); that is, His former instructions were intended for temporary and exceptional circumstances, but now they were to be thrown on the ordinary course of God's providence, and must use all ordinary means for their support and defence.

The fruits meet for repentance which John the Baptist required did not include the repudiation of property. The selfish were required to become unselfish : "He that hath two coats, let him impart to him that hath none; and he that hath meat let him do likewise." The publicans were required to cease from their extortions: "Exact no more than that which is appointed you." The soldiers were required to cease from their besetting sins of violence and turbulence (Luke iii. 11-14). And as it was with the forerunner so with Christ Himself; He demanded fruits meet for repentance, but we do not find among these the repudiation of property.

In fact, how could it be? This world is full of wealth, or of the means of wealth-gold, and silver, and copper, and iron, and coal, treasured up for man's use, convenience and comfort; fields rich in the power of producing food for man, with rain and sunshine to co-operate with that power. Is all this wealth to lie ungathered and unused? And are men to roam about as savages, and feed on roots and whatsoever else may present itself to their hands? Or will it be said that the wealth of the world belongs to the men of the world, and that Christians should renounce it for a state of poverty. But this representation destroys itself. It is the duty of all to serve God; and if it is the duty of one it must be the duty of all to reduce themselves voluntarily to a state of poverty. And then it will come to pass that when all do their duty, and become Christians and serve God, the world's wealth must be buried or cast into the sea; and the paradise then restored will be a paradise of universal voluntary poverty, from which even "digging and delving" will be excluded, for these are the primary means of plenty and wealth.

But why insist on a truth which no reader will probably question? For the reason which is already indicated; namely, that there is a misgiving, probably widespread, that while the possession of various degrees of property is inevitable as this world is constituted, it is contrary to or not in full harmony with the teaching of Christ. And then if Christ's teaching be impracticable in regard to this matter, it may be in regard to others; and thus will His authority and our obligations to obey Him be undermined. It is a dangerous thing for any man's moral health and safety to live in any practice or habit of the rightness of which his conscience entertains doubts.

We rest, then, in this conclusion, that Christ did not condemn the possession

of property, and did not lay it down as a law for His followers that they should sell their property and distribute it, and live in poverty. While full of sympathy with the poor, and providing for them consolations which were to be found nowhere else, He never uttered a word which, rightly interpreted, teaches that poverty is in itself holier or more Christian than wealth.

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Now as to the use of property, what did Christ teach? Some things which we have to say in answer to this question may be said in a few words, because they need neither particular texts nor arguments in support of them. (1.) All property is a trust, not an absolute ownership. In this it ranks with life, strength, reason, influence, and all other gifts and bestowments of God. They are all talents, to be "occupied " till the Giver and absolute Owner of them shall come to receive an account of our stewardship. Simple and undeniable as this truth is, only let it become practical in the heart and life of a man, and it will make him a new creature in his relations to the things of this world. (2.) Wealth is not worthy to be the chief object of a man's ambition, or to have the chief place in his heart. "No man can serve two masters for either he will hate the one and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon," (Matt. vi. 24). (3.) Even a moderate degree of earthly good, the most ordinary competence, should not be the occasion of anxious concern and thought. "If God so clothe the grass of the field, which to-day is and to-morrow is cast into the oven, shall He not much more clothe you, 0 ye of little faith? Therefore be not concerned, saying, What shall we eat? or what shall we drink? or wherewithal shall we be clothed. For after all these things do the Gentiles seek; for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. But seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you" (Matt. vi. 30-33). Some people have no faith in any providence but their own industry and enterprise. They toil and accumulate as if there were no Providence. They feel themselves safe in proportion to the means they have stored, and only in that proportion. One wonders what difference it would make to these people if they ceased to believe in a God and believed in none. Their belief in God seems to have no effect on the spirit in which they labour and hoard. Providence is to them only an idea. bird in hand and they feel sure of it, but not till then. claims of humanity and religion are postponed or adjourned until they have birds enough in hand to serve them all their days and to leave to their children as well. Let us beware of this essentially unchristian spirit. There is a Providence that can blight as well as prosper. And if it prosper and only prosper us in this spirit, our prosperity will be a curse rather than a blessing.

Give them their The most urgent

The possession of wealth, Christ taught further, involves great spiritual danger. Not that wealth itself is an evil, the love of it being the evil and the root of all evil. But such is man's 'weakness that the possession of it tends greatly to produce the love of it. What else can we make of Christ's words? When the young man who prized his "great possessions" more

than "eternal life" went away sorrowful, our Lord said, "How hardly shall they that have riches enter into the kingdom of God!" The disciples were astonished at His words, and He added, "Children, how hard is it for them that trust in riches to enter into the kingdom of God! It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God" (Mark x. 23, 24). When Christ said, "How hard is it for them that trust in riches to enter into the kingdom of God!" He was not correcting or retracting what He had said, "How hardly shall they that have riches enter into the kingdom of God!" He was only intimating how nearly allied the having riches and the trusting in riches are. And the moral of it is, that there is an exceeding danger lest the having riches should lead a man to trust in riches, lest the possession of wealth should beget the love of wealth. The danger is so great that the man who is conscious of it will, for this reason alone, if for no other, be careful that the acquisition of property shall not become the dominant motive of his life.

Christ taught His disciples to include the claims of charity and religion in the expenditure of their property. There was no need that the claims of equity should be insisted on, but they were incidentally alluded to in various parables, and used in His illustrations of spiritual truth; as in the parable of the householder, who hired labourers for the work of his vineyard at a denarius (seven times our penny) a day. Our Lord's teaching quite sanctions our common proverb, "Be just before you are generous." But at the same time He so insisted on the duty of being generous, as to make us feel that we must beware how we make the claims of justice an excuse for neglecting the obligations of love.

Some of Christ's instructions on this subject were uttered by way of correcting abuses which prevailed around Him. "Take heed that ye do not your alms before men to be seen of them; otherwise ye have no reward of your Father which is in heaven. Therefore when thou doest thine alms, do not sound a trumpet before thee, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. But when thou doest alms, let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth; that thine alms may be in secret: And thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly" (Matt. vi. 1-4). Give alms, but not ostentatiously. Give alms as in the sight of God, not as in the sight of man. By alms we are to understand not what we may put into a beggar's hand in the street, but all beneficence towards the distressed and poor. And the exercise of such beneficence is solemnly enjoined by our Divine Master. How solemnly no one can forget who has read or heard His description of the judgment day! "Then shall the King say, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me." "Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me" (Matt. xxiv. 34-40).

Our Lord did not prescribe any special proportion of our means to be laid on the altar of charity and religion. But it is evident that the man who is loyal to Christ, who obeys Him not grudgingly but lovingly, and who has in