We need a higher morality, a more pure and unadulterated piety and
greater simplicity of benevolence. We do not want money extracted
from the pockets of the people by the Church offering them sensual
gratification, amusements and entertainments, to say nothing of the
ball, the lottery and other gambling. Let us in the name of the Lord
and of religion, in a manly way, come directly to the people for means
to _support religion_ and ask them to _give from love to Christ_,
and no matter if we do not obtain one-fourth the amount it will do
ten times as much good. The Lord needs no money made by lotteries,
gambling, fairs, festivals, or any such appeals to the lust of the
flesh, the human appetite, the love of fine companies, etc. He needs
no money only that _given to him through love and devotion to his
cause_. Those who appeal to entertainments, amusements, fine companies
of men and women, the dance, lotteries, festivals, fairs, etc., etc.,
thus publish to the world their impression that there is more potency
in these worldly and secular appliances than there is in the grace
of God and the love of Christ, and we doubt not they find it to be
so, in _raising money in their assemblies_. They have tried it and
demonstrated it to be so. We care not if it be so; we care not if
it has been demonstrated that the people will give more money for a
monkey show than for the kingdom of God; we will not resort to the
monkey show; nor do we care if they will give more money for revelling
than for the holy cause for which Jesus died; we will not resort to the
revelling. There are other matters aside from the question, how much
money can we raise, that must be kept in view.
We must maintain our piety, devotion to the Lord, purity, and must
not be conformed to this world, but transformed by the renewing of
our mind. We have never consented to this modern element that will
appeal to anything and everything that will _raise money_. It is not
Godliness, nor the love of God, but sensual; it is devilish. Come
directly to the children of God in the name of the Lord and appeal to
them for his sake to give, to give freely and of a willing mind; that
“it is more blessed to give than to receive,” and appreciate what is
given in his name.