The Love of Money © 2016 Simon Peter Sutherland

Recently I acquired a 19th century scrapbook.

The scrapbook contains a lot of truly interesting things. Newspaper articles, letters, pictures, concert advertisements, and toward the front there is a poem. This poem is called “The Love of Money” and speaks against money preachers and ministers of the 19th century. It begins with a quote from 1 Timothy 6: 10 “For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and have pierced themselves through with many sorrows”. 

In that text, Paul was stating that many had been led away from Truth and walked away from Christ and lost what they had and in doing so fell into a life of misery.

The poem is an insightful warning and one that is even still so relevant to our day, where so many people fall away from Truth and into error out of their love of money, and the pursuit of acceptance. As Bob Dylan once wrote; “money doesn’t talk, it swears“.

The old poem reads like so;

“MONEY ! oh money ! thy praises I sing,

Thou art my Savior, my God, and my King;

Tis for thee that I preach, and for thee that I pray, And make a collection twice each sabbath day.

I have candles, and all sorts of dresses to buy,

For I wish you know that my church is called high-

I don’t mean in structure of steeple or wall,

But so high that the Lord cannot reach it at all.

I have poor in my parish who need some relief –

I preach to their poverty, pray for their grief;

I send my box round to them, morning and night,

And hope they’ll remember “the poor widow’s mite.”

I gather my knowledge from wisdom’s great tree,

And the whole of my Trinity is £,s, and d ;

Yes, pounds, shillings, and pence, are all that I crave.

From my first step on earth to the brink of the grave.

When I’m laid low, and my body at rest,

Place a box on my grave, – ’tis my latest request,

That friends may all see who come for reflection,

I can’t rest in peace without a collection.

Money’s my creed, I’ll not pray without it,

My heaven is closed ‘gainst all those who doubt it;

For this is the essence of parson’s religion-

Come regular to church and be plucked like a pigeon.

My pay may be hundreds or thousands a year-

Double it, treble it, still I’ll be here

With my box or my bags, collecting your brass,

For I can’t do as Jesus did -ride on an ass.

I’ll have carriage and horses, and servants, and hall, –

I am not going to foot it, like Peter and Paul;

Neither like John – live on locust and honey, –

So out with your purses, and down with your money.

Fools sometimes ask what I do with this money !

They might just as well ask what bees do with honey !

 I answer them all with a wink or a nod;

I keep three-birds myself, and give praises to God.

In the cold silent earth I may soon be laid low,

And sleep with the blest that went long ago;

I shall slumber in peace till the great resurrection,

Then be first to my legs to make a collection.”

The Love of Money © 2016 Simon Peter Sutherland