LOTTERIES.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XXVII, Issue 21, 25 May 1899, Page 27

LOTTERIES.

— ♦ ARE THEY LAWFUL ' Those of our readers who have cast their ryes over the necossaiily brief remarks made on rallies on our " Current Topic-* " of this wt ck may be interested to learn that so far from being evil in themst lyes, lotteries were from time to time couimanded by God Hnn-eU. Nobody who is at all familiar with the Holy Scriptures can ior a moment maintain that lotteries are in themsehes '-infill. _ iSuch a supposition would be nothing short ot blasphemy. We aive hereunder a few of the many instances n-cognwd in the Senptuie m which lotteries were reported to for the purpose ot detHrmmnur issues, and that, too, with the command or approval ot Ahniehiy Cod. To begin Open your Bibles at Li rif/n/i, chapter IC>. vei^cs 7 to 10. You will learn that the go-it that was to be saci ificed was to be distinguished from the ernis.-ary or scape-gout by the casting of lots. This lottery you will observe was by command of the L.rd '• And the Lord spoke to Moses and commanded him, saying." etc. The next text we call your attention to is from \nnilnr>, chapter 2(5, verses from ."2 to .">7. '• And the Lord spoke to Moses.

saying : To there shall the land be divided for their possessions according to the number of their names. ... yet so by lot the land be divided to the tribes and families. Whatsoever shall fall by lot, that shall be taken by the more or the fewer." Again, the Lord said to Moses '• Josue the son of Nun thy minister, he shall go in r to land of Canaan J for thee : exhort and encourage him. and he shall divide the land by lot to Israel."— (I)i lilt riiiiniin/ i , ,'jS.) A-am : -1 have gn en it (the land) to you in possession, and you shall divide it among you by lor. ... to every one as the lot shall fill «o shall *h*> inheritance be given." ( \nvibrr* x^xiii.. Again. Josuo *aid "The land in the mid«t between the«p, mark you out into seven parts, ani ye .-hall come hither to me that 1 may cast h.ts for yon I>> lore the Lord your God. . . . And he j" Josue i cast lots before the Lord in Silo, and divided the land to the children of Lsrael into seven parts " {,/o.iiir xviii.. <>, <l.) If you turn your attention to /. Autr/x. chapter ](), you will learn that Saul, the first King ot Israel, was selected by lot. The anther of the /tool, of Pro,; vbx says - Lots are cast into the hi p. but they are disposed of by the Lord. . . . The lot suppre«setu contentions, and determineth even between the mighty ' (chapter \vi., 'M, and xviii , Is). " Coming to the New Testament, we find that the successor of Judas to the Apostolate was determined by lot. ' And they gave them (Joseph and Matthias) lots, and the lot fell upon Matthias • and he was numbered with the eleven apostles ' (,1/tfv i., 2tf). ' Now. having perused and meditated on all these Bible texts what think you of lotteries / Are they sinful / Will you dare to siy so with the sacred pages staring you in the face ' If so. then Moses. Josue, the Apo>tles. and even the Almighty Himself were guilty of sin. Those of our Protestant readers who are curious in this matter might consult the following additional texts of Scripture • 7. bamml x iv.. 12; /. Chronicle xxiv., Wl ; Matthrin xxvii., 35; Joshua xv., 1 : xvi., I : xvii , 1 and 14 ; xviii., 11 ; xix., 1, 10, 17, 21. and H) ■ xvi., I : 7. (7/ro/urhx vi . .")4 ; Jvdgrx xx., {> ; /. Samuel xiv., 11:/. i'hmnirlts vi., \Y.\ ; xxiv., :> and 7.', xxv., 9 ; Exther iii , 7 ; Aits xiii.. l'.i. ' Some of our Nonconformist friends may say that it is not to the lottery they object, for that is scriptural, but to its abuse. Very well, if there be abuses they should be stopped. But if we must put a stop to everything that is subject to being abused, we should have to =top life liberty, health, and even the grace of God. for all these tiring-, can be and are abused.