1882 



Gl.EANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



623 



them he says, " Sanctify them through thy 

 truth ; thy "word is truth." Simple, meek, 

 unostentatious, humble truth. It is low 

 down and humble, and yet it towers like a 

 great monument, when it obtains a lodging- 

 place in the human heart. 



When one is resting on truth he has God's 

 approving voice constantly in his heart ; and 

 such a one has little need of secrecy any- 

 where in his lieart. He need never seek to 

 find wherein he msiy hide, neither need he 

 try to cover himself with (ig leaves for fear 

 the clear light of day will show something he 

 would rather have hidden. Who has not 

 witnessed the ]niinful spectacle of one try- 

 ing to hide a lie by tellingr a score of others V 

 He pulls the tig leaf of untruth over one spot, 

 only to find it leaves a nakedness exposed 

 somewhere else, and, like a drowning man 

 clinging to straws, he chooses flimsier things 

 than straws, to make it appear that he is a 

 man and a gentleman. Is there any hope 

 for such a oneV Surely there is no hope when 

 he puts his trust in Satan, and expects false- 

 hood and evasion to bring him out of trouble. 

 But is it possible for one who is steeped in 

 sins of this kind to turn about and be fair 

 and honest? It is possible; but it is much 

 like the reform an intemperate man must 

 make. There is a manly way of extracting 

 yourself from the worst fix a poor mortal 

 ever got in by falsehood and dishonesty. 

 The sharp turn that God demands is so great 

 that it is literally being born again. Who is 

 there who has not, some time or other, looked 

 back and seen where he had not been frank 

 and honest and fair V Well, when you do see 

 this, as you value your peace of mind and 

 your peace with God, even though your face 

 does flush and burn, and even though a lump 

 does rise in your throat, sav, '' My friends, 

 I have been unfair, and perhaps not quite 

 honest in this. If you will forgive me, I 

 will try to do better in future." You may 

 say noDody ever does this. Yes, they do. 

 my friend, and there are those who can re- 

 member of cases very much like it; but it 

 almost always precedes a real radical reform. 

 The courage tliat it takes to do it always 

 gives the poor sinner a big lift toward God, 

 for it is virtually saying, "Get thee behind 

 me, Satan." 



" To this end was I born, and for this pur- 



Kose came I into the world, that I should 

 ear witness unto the truth." These were 

 Christ's own words to Pilate, and yet hovv 

 little did they seem to avail! With a certain 

 class, it seems to avail just as little now, to 

 state that the Christian religion comes into 

 the world as a witness of truth. We are not 

 to state it, but our lives are to be a witness 

 of it. My eye just now alighted on the fol- 

 lowing in the American Grocer. The writer 

 was telling of a partnership he once formed 

 with a young man, and says, — 



I paid large prices, but was in hopes I was getting 

 into trade with a good moral young man, a Sunday- 

 EChool teacher, who possessed unusual attractions. 

 The day after we had flciished our inventory I made 

 a most sickening discovery. George's chief recom- 

 mendation was his veracity, but he provtd a flatter- 

 ing deceiver. Mr. Smith, a coal-heaver at the fur- 

 nace, came In to purchMSe a piece of cotton cloth. 

 George met him with extended hand, and assured 



him of his warmest friendship, stating that he ap- 

 preciated his call, as he knew how much trade fol- 

 lowed in his footsteps, assuring him that any thing 

 he might want could be had at cost price in New 

 York city. Mr. Smith bousrht a piece of cotton, pay- 

 ing 15 cents; was told it cost the firm 16 cents. I ex- 

 amined the cost-mark and saw it was onlv II cents; 

 and after Mr. Smith's departure I said, " George do 

 you make a practice of selling many goods below 

 cost?" He replied, "E.\amine the mark, and you 

 will be satisti'^d with the shIc." 1 said, " I have done 

 so, and thought you were mistaken; surely you 

 would not tell a falsehood to sell goods?" He an- 

 swered, " There is no other way to sell them," and 

 that in figuring costs he only added his own time at 

 the rate of Ave or ten dollars per second, or what- 

 ever was necessary to make up the deficit. I felt 

 blue. I was now past bound to a most atfable liar, 

 in whom I could place no dependence. 1 was surely 

 in trouble. 



And is this really trueV Are there Sunday- 

 school teachers w'ho bear witness for Christ 

 in this wayV If it is true, is it any wonder 

 that the world jeers at young men who 

 teach or superintend Sabbath-schools, and 

 say that they are not as honest at heart as 

 those who try to live honest and make no 

 professions? Are we who follow in the foot- 

 steps of that meek and lowly Savior of 

 the world letting our livps bear witness unto 

 the truth, in the footsteps of the Master? 

 Did you, my friend, ever try to talk to any 

 one on the stibject of religion, with a view 

 of leading him to Christ? Do you know 

 what it is to almost tremble when you think 

 of the sacredness of the office? Christ came 

 to save sinners. The world does not care 

 whether they are saved or not; but you and 

 I do. The world laughs in a cold, uncharit- 

 able way, when some poor brother or sister 

 has done amiss Tiie world talks it over, 

 puts it worse than it really is, and, with a 

 cold-hearted indifference, laughs about it 

 and rather rejoices that another has turned 

 out untruthful. The Christian is slow to 

 believe wrong of any one ; " thinkeih no 

 evil ;" and wliile the matter is talked over, 

 feels sorrow in his heart, and an earnest de- 

 sire totulk kindly and gently to the sinning 

 one, and to bring him or her back to better 

 things. Could you indulge in unkind and 

 idle words about a person one hour, and 

 then talk to them about their soul's salvation 

 in the next? Surely not ; for he who does 

 Gods work must feel that God"s eye is ever 

 on him, and no one need hope to succeed a 

 single instant in winning souls to Chiist, 

 who is not earnest, truth I ul, and the same, 

 whether the one who is being discussed is 

 present, or a thousand miles away. God so 

 loved the world, that he gave his only Son 

 to save it; and you, as a Christian, are bound 

 also to so love the world, that no un kindness 

 ever spring up toward or about any one. 

 Then shall you be consistent, and then shall 

 you witness to the truth, even as Jesus did. 

 It is a blessed thing, my friends, to cultivate 

 a spirit of saying all the good you can hon- 

 estly and sincerely of every one; and you 

 will discover that, with the saying, comes 

 the happy faculty of seeing, the good in the 

 men and women God has placed around you. 

 A habit of uncharitable criticism is a most 



