The Benevolent Work of the Church, and the Report of the Committee of Twenty-One [pp. 246-272]

1872.J THE BENE~OLENT WOBE OF THE CHURCH. 257
wishes to give to every proper scheme, and to give in due proportion to
each one; and it is certain, under existing circumstances, few men can
act with due intelligence on these points. The plan of the Commission
simply proposes that a committee should be appointed to collect and
arrange data, which no single man could collect for himself, and then to
place those data, wilk ad?' ice, in the hands of every church member."
We would add to these admirable representations, that
while the odiousness of eom1~~~1~ory collections should not have
place in any arrangement, the "advisory" influence, emanating
from such a representative and authoritative exponent of the
combined counsels of the Church, would operate with a rational
and moral power of persuasion, which would tend to raise the
apathetic and selfish to a sense of duty. Certainly such an
enforcing of the claims of our benevolent work is far from
undesirable, when it can be averred that hundreds even of
ministers, and many thousands of our members, are neglcctful of these claims. Who questions the need of some method,
not yet put in requisition, for calling pastors and sessions
statedLy to account here, as of old has been the rule in regard
to ministeis' salaries, and other matters of practical religious
moment? Possibly there might be to some minds plausibility in the objection, as against a Central Committee of Benevolence and Finance; but it cannot avail against the proposed General Commission, for the reason that, in its advisory
arrangements and assessments, every person interested may
feel that through his representative he has been fairly heard
and has given his consent.
Neither would it be within the province of this Commission
to determine matters of detail, such as the plan or time for
making any collection of funds, or whether the Church shall
consider and contribute to the several objects of interest in
succession, or in mass. If one congregation prefers to give,
according to the Free Church plan, once a week, or at other
stated times, for the cause of religion, without specifying the
particular objects which the Church has undertaken, be it so.
If another congregation elects to make one, or half a dozen
collections every year, in the church or at the church door,
or by envelopes, or through collecting committees, or otherwise, it surely is their right to do so. The people are at lib