THE LOVE OF MONEY.

Auckland Star, Volume XII, Issue 3546, 17 December 1881, Page 4 (Supplement)

THE LOVE OF MONEY.

(Original.)

Money! 0 money! thy praises I sing; Thou art my saviour, my god, and my king. 'Tis for theo that I preach, and for thee that 3 pray, And make a collection twice each Sabbath day.

I have candles, and all sorts of dresses to buy, For I wish you to know that my church is high I don't mean in structure, in style, or in wall. But so high that the Lord cannot reach it at all

I have poor in my.parish who need Bomo relief— I preach to their poverty, pray for their grief; I send my box round to them morning and night. And hopo they'll remember tho poor widow's inltal

I gather my knowledge from wisdom's groat

tree, And tho whole of my wisdom is—£ b. and d. Pounds, shillings, and pence are all that I crave— From the first step on earth to the brink of tho grave.

And when I'm laid low, and my body's at rest. Place a box on my graye-'tis toy lasting

requestThat friends all may see, who come for reflcc

lion, I can't lie in peace without a collection!

For gold is my creed; I will not pray without it; My heaven is closed against all those who really

doubt it. For this is the essenco of parson's religion— Come regular to church, and bo plucked like a pigeon!

I'll have carriages, and horses, and servants at call— I'm not going to foot it liko Peter and Paul, Nor, liko John, live on locusts and eat the wild honeySo out with your .purses, and down with your money 1

Fools sometimes do ask what I do with their money— You might just as well ask what bees do with honey— I answer them all, with a wink and a nod, '• Keep tlu-eu-fourths for myself.audgive praises to God 1"

In cold, silent earth, I must soon be laid low, To sleep with tho blest, that cleared out long "KO. I shall slumber in peace till the great resurrection, And be lirst on my legs to make a collection!

Let parsons and preachers, whoever they bo, Once taste of the fountain, life-giving and freu ; AH their begging will cease, and joy will sooi flowBoth iv heaven above and on earth here below

And people will sec in God's window a dove, When instead of the money the object is love; And tlio Lord will have pruise, und the people have blessing. For the Spirit is there, and tho money-bag missing!