Again, extravagant costume is the foe of all Christian alms-giving.
Men and women put so much in personal display that they often have
nothing for God and the cause of suffering humanity--a Christian man
cracking his Palais Royal gloves across the back by shutting up his
hand to hide the one cent he puts into the poor box! a Christian woman
at the story of the Hottentots crying copious tears into a twenty-five
dollar handkerchief, and then giving a two-cent piece to the
collection, thrusting it down under the bills, so people will not know
but it was a ten-dollar gold piece! One hundred dollars for incense to
fashion--two cents for God! God gives us ninety cents out of every
dollar. The other ten cents, by command of His Bible, belong to Him.
Is not God liberal according to this tithing system laid down in the
Old Testament--is not God liberal in giving us ninety cents out of a
dollar when he takes but ten? We do not like that. We want to have
ninety-nine cents for ourselves and one for God.
Now, I would a great deal rather steal ten cents from you than God. I
think one reason why a great many people do not get along in worldly
accumulation faster is because they do not observe this Divine rule.
God says: "Well, if that man is not satisfied with ninety cents out of
a dollar, then I will take the whole dollar, and I will give it to the
man or woman who is honest with me." The greatest obstacle to charity
in the Christian church to-day is the fact that men expend so much on
their table, and women so much on their dress, they have got nothing
left for the work of God and the world's betterment.