1887 



gleani:ngs in bee cultuue. 



o<)5 



J^YgELF WD m ]^EI6FB0^g. 



The servant of the Lord must not strive; but be 

 g'entle unlo all men, apt to teach, patient.— II. TiiM. 

 3:24. 



J' IJELIEVE we are, us a rule, in the habit 

 [ of underestimating our neighbors ; that 

 I is, we consider ourselves about right, 

 ■ but we see ///e/;- faults and failings very 

 plainly. 1 don't believe we have chari- 

 ty enoughl I don't believe that, as a geiier- 

 al thing, we pay enough attention to their 

 good ([ualities and lovable traits — at least, I 

 know that is the case with myself; but if 

 there is any thing hopeful in tlie fact that 1 

 am beginning to see my own faults lately, 

 as I never saw them iVefore, 1 think I may 

 take courage. A few days ago I undertook 

 to remonstrate a little with my wife in re- 

 gard to something she had said. She instant- 

 ly replied that I was guilty of the very same 

 thing ; namely, hasty and thoughtless words. 

 I told her she must not take me as a pat- 

 tern. Her reply was, that I never need ex- 

 pect her to do any better than I did. It 

 was said a good deal in jest ; but it has 

 troubled me since ; that is, I have felt troub- 

 led to think that my example is not better. 

 I am not only a professing Christian myself, 

 but I take upon myself the responsibility of 

 teaching. Many look up to me as a spiritu- 

 al teacher: and I tell you, my friends, it is 

 important that one who undertakes to be a 

 servant of the Lord be gentle unto all men. 



i^ow, although our neighbors are, as a 

 rule, good people, and people who mean to 

 obey the laws of the land, if not the laws of 

 (tOcI, there are some exceptions. Some- 

 times we have neighbors who are very bad. 

 What shall we do with them ? "Let them 

 severely alone," some may answer ; but the 

 Bible does not say so. On the ctmtrary, it 

 says we are to take an enemy and heap coals 

 of "tire upon his head. It says we are to love 

 Itad people, and do good to those who hate 

 us. Well. I believe I have a good many 

 times shown considerable grace in loving my 

 enemies, and in doing good to those who 

 hate me. Suppose, now, for instance, yon 

 liave a neighbor who is guilty of crime. 

 What shall you do in this case ?" The world 

 says. ''Have him promptly arrested; '' and 

 the Bible says, also, that a good many times 

 the welfare of this very neighbor demands 

 that he be arrested and punished accord- 

 ing to law. We ought to be very, very care- 

 ful however. I think, in such matters.' If it 

 is really true, that you have a neighlior who 

 has repeatedly transgressed the laws, and 

 proposes to transgress them right straight 

 along, presuming on the good nature or 

 easy way of those about him, no doulit he 

 should be taught a lesson by promi)t punish- 

 ment. A servant of the Lord, however, 

 should be very sure that he is right in decid- 

 ing tlie law is the last alternative. 



In our county jail I meet, every week, 

 those who have committed crime. I sit 

 down beside them, and. by friendly talk, 

 get accpiainted ; and they, as a general 

 tiling, tell me plainly all a1)0ut the matter, 

 making due allowance, of course, for the 

 different standpoints from which we see 



things. Some of my good friends have 

 censured me sever;'ly for going near these 

 men — for showing sympathy or kindness 

 for those who have behaved "themselves so 

 badly; and 1 have sometimes thought there 

 may be such a tiling as treating a criminal 

 so as to encourage him in thinking his of- 

 fense is a very light one— that he has been 

 wronged and injured— that the laws, and 

 the otilcers of the law, are too severe. My 

 disposition, perhaps, would lead me to l)e 

 weak in this respect. It is very hard for me 

 to be severe and stern AvhenI am talking 

 with somebody pleasantly and iiuietly. 

 When indignation tills my i)reast, however, 

 I get harsh enough and stern enough, as 

 everybody knows who knows me at all. In 

 writing this last sentence that little prayer 

 wells up, ''Lord, help;" and I tell you 

 there is need of that prayer often. AVell, as 

 I have said, a good many have wondered 

 sometimes that I have patience, and could 

 condescend to be pleasant and affable with 

 those who are guilty of terrible and despica- 

 ble crimes. Well, I go in to see tliose peo- 

 ple, not as a judge, and not as one who is 

 called upon to decide in any way whatever 

 as to who is right or who is wrong. I go, 

 simply as a s]iiritual adviser, and I go with 

 the word of God in my hand, holding up 

 Christ the Savior, to all, guilty or innocent. 

 I feel that the Lord has called me to this 

 kind of work, and I am happy in doing it. 

 I believe these men are better men, even if 

 they do not become Christians, because of 

 the talks we have had together; because of 

 the i)ortions of Scripture I have read and 

 applied witli them ; b;'cause of the Gospel 

 Ilymns we have sung together. 



With all these years of practice in this 

 line, you would naturally suppose me to be 

 the proper person to talk with a criminal, 

 out of jail as well as in jail. If a man 

 should steal one of my horses, and I should 

 catch him in the very act, you would natu- 

 rally expect me to behave myself according 

 to the teachings of the tex't ; that, even 

 though I made haste to recover ray proper- 

 ty, and make him give up his criminal in- 

 tentions, I would be gentle and patient. 

 My friends, I ought to be, I know ; but I am 

 afraid it would turn out a good deal as my 

 good wife intimated. I ani afraid I should 

 not want anybody to pattern after me just 

 about that time. "Perhaps yon ask, '' Broth- 

 er Root, what ought a Christian man to do, 

 if he finds somebody in the middle of the 

 night, attempting to get away with his best 

 horse V " And this is the question that con- 

 fronts me this bright summer morning. 

 Most of you would say. '• If he had any 

 thing to shoot him witli, he ought to shoot 

 the horse-thief — that is. unless he gave him- 

 self up at once." Well, perhaps he ought 

 to shoot the thief, rather than let him get 

 away with the stolen property ; but 1 think 

 it will be a good deal better for vie not to 

 have any thing aiound to shoot with, at 

 such times. If I could shoot a man, with a 

 prayer in my heart for him at the time, may 

 be it would be the thing to do; but I am 

 afraid that Satan would ]>ut in a word, and, 

 before I knew it, he would have the man- 

 agement of pretty much the whole affair. 



