Hints and helps in pastoral theology - Plumer - XX - Chapters 25 & 26

Required reading
Hints and helps in pastoral theology by William S Plumer (Available from Amazon or free here) - Read Chapters 25 (Care of the poor) and 26 (Sabbath-schools).

My summary
Today we read two chapters.

In Chapter 25 Plumer instructs us on caring for the poor.  His comments concern:
(i) our attitude toward the poor;
(ii) church collections for the poor;
(iii) giving advice to the poor;
(iv) loans for the poor;
(v) intemperance among the poor;
(vi) education of the poor;
(vii) encouraging church attendance.

Then Chapter 26 makes some points about Sabbath-Schools:
(i) their history;
(ii) their Scriptural support;
(iii) their importance;
(iv) their influence;
(v) their power;
(vi) their prevention of crime;
(vii) their promotion of the knowledge of God and scriptural piety;
(viii) their filling the world with a race of rare men;
(ix) their support by people;
(x) their teachers;
(xi) their support from pastors.

What grabbed me
I appreciated the encouragement to counsel the poor: 'Often we can show no greater kindness to the poor than by giving them good advice. This is a weighty matter, and should never be done for the purpose of getting rid of them. Much less should it be done in a surly or haughty manner. Want of foresight is often both the cause and the accompaniment of poverty. To give good counsel to such is like lending our eyes to the blind.'

Giving advice requires time and care, which is what some people need more desperately than money.

Next week's reading
Read Chapter 27 (Doing good with the pen).

Now it's your turn
Please post your own notes and thoughts in the comments section below.