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GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



July 15 



Behold the I,amb of God that taketh away the sin 

 of the world. — John 1:21. 



We have not a high priest that can not be touched 

 with the feeling of our infirmities, but was in all 

 points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. — Heb. 

 4:15. 



More than twenty-five years ago, before I 

 began to write or talk for Christ Jesus — yes, at 

 a time when I knew not the Lamb of God 

 that taketh away the sin of the world, I stood 

 with a companion looking out into the street. 

 Nobody was near to hear our conversation. A 

 remark was made to me to the effect that even 

 the poor dumb brutes and domestic animals in 

 the street were more worthy of confidence 

 than my own poor sinful self. They were not 

 responsible before God and before man for 

 their actions ; but /, who professed to be a 

 man, and a man of integrity, really belonged 

 on a scale lower than that of the brutes. This 

 was spoken in a sort of sarcasm. And, by the 

 way, it is rather strange, but none the less 

 true, that partners in crime sometimes speak 

 the truth plainly. I have seen several men 

 together in a drunken orgie, when one of them 

 would speak out and tell the other what a 

 beast he was making of himself by his con- 

 tinued intemperance ; yes, and after winding 

 up what might be considered a pretty good 

 plain temperance lecture to the poor sot, the 

 one who told this plain truth would finish by 

 saying, " Now, boys, is it not true, every word 

 I said ? ' ' When they would assent with grave- 

 looking faces, the speaker would add, " Come, 

 let's take another drink." 



I do not mean to tell you, friends, that I 

 was a drinking man at this time — at least, that 

 was not my particular sin. When my com- 

 panion uttered this plain scathing truth I bow- 

 ed my head in shame, for I knew it was true. 

 A spark of manhood, however, did prompt me 

 to make a feeble resolution to do better, and I 

 think I added something like this ; and I said 

 it, too, with honest, sober sadness : " If what 

 you say is true, I think I had better turn over 

 a new leaf right here on the spot, and be a 

 little more of a man than I have been." 



I remember I had considerable of a dogged 

 determination in my heart just then to show 

 my tormentor, for the time being, that I could 

 and would be different in the future. At this 

 point I received a still more cutting piece of 

 sarcasm, and that from one who had not la- 

 bored very hard in times past to make me bet- 

 ter. The words were something like this : 



" Turn over a new leaf, and do differently 

 from what you have been doing? No, you 

 won't. You will keep right on just as it has 

 been for months and years past." 



When I came to think it over in my sober 

 moments, and remembered the resolutions I 

 had made but never kept, I was forced to ac- 

 knowledge there was very little probability, 

 as things were going, that I would ever be any 

 different or any better. May God help the 



poor sinner who has lost hope because he has 

 struggled in vain so many times to break asun- 

 der Satan's shackles. Why do I bring this 

 thing up from so long ago ? Well, I think it 

 was a dream that reminded me of the occur- 

 rence. I was away back in the old times ; but 

 in the dream I did not bow my head in shame, 

 in submission, and in despair. Do you know 

 why I didn't? Because, since that time I have 

 had more than twenty-five years' experience 

 in breathing that little prayer I have told you 

 of so often, " Lord, help." When my compan- 

 ion taunted me with the fact that I was not 

 only away down in conscience and rectitude, 

 but that I was helpless and lost, in my dream, 

 I forgot that reference to my helpless and lost 

 condition, and turned from my tormentor — 

 yes, I turned from all the world with all its 

 trials and temptations. I turned toward that 

 " Lamb of God," as we have it in our text, 

 and implored help. I said, " Lord, I am weak 

 and sinful. My record is bad. I have made 

 resolutions again and again ; but Satan has 

 brushed them away as if they were cobwebs. 

 I have nothing to plead in the way of my own 

 merit. I am a lost, helpless sinner without 

 the help of thy strong arm. Lord, help and 

 save. ' ' 



In an instant I felt my feet planted on the 

 solid rock. Poor and unworthy as I was, I 

 was not alone. In my dream the wondrous 

 truth burst upon me, of the great and inesti- 

 mable privilege it is to have Christ Jesus for 

 a friend and a helper ! It seemed to me then 

 as if nothing this world could furnish — no, 

 not even death itself — had any terrors, for Je- 

 sus promises to be not only with us through 

 life, but he promises to be our pilot and guide 

 through the dark valley of death. 



Those who have read Gleanings very long 

 know something about this turning-point in 

 my life. In mechanical work men often go 

 to great expense to get something solid and 

 substantial to tie to. When planting heavy 

 machinery they go away down into the ground 

 and build piles of heavy and expensive ma- 

 sonry, to get something solid. When erect- 

 ing buildings, or any sort of structure, men 

 look about for something solid on which to 

 fasten their ropes. Sometimes a large tree 

 holds a guy rope. If this tree, or whatever it 

 is, should give way, loss of property and loss 

 of life might ensue. Old experienced hands 

 in building bridges and other great structures 

 will never be satisfied unless they have some- 

 thing solid and substantial. During that old 

 life I had no substantial anchor. Worst of 

 all, I had lost confidence in undertaking to 

 break away, because I had failed, miserably 

 failed, every time. I did not know in that 

 old life, that this whole wide universe offered 

 any thing solid and secure when the poor weak 

 human will was found to be inefiicient. Yes, 

 let me say again in my rvaking moments, as I 

 said in my dream, it is a great and wonderful 

 privilege to any human being to feel that he 

 is permitted to reach out and grasp hold of 

 the strong arm of Him who created the world. 

 Nay, more than that : when there is not time, 

 and you have not the strength to reach out, 

 just breathe that little prayer, and He whom 



