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GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE 



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to tell us a little something about it. But 

 j)erhaps I am mistaken. It seems that God 

 lias not seen fit to reveal very much throuy;h 

 liis sacred word as to what happens just after 

 (ieath; and it may be that in like manner he 

 has not seen fit to reveal through instinct 

 what happens or becomes of us when this 

 f(»rm of life is ended. On pa^e 183, to which 

 friend Keck refers, I suo;(>ested that our 

 fathers and mothers are probably looking 

 down from their lieavenly home and wit- 

 nessing our stumblings, troubles, and tri- 

 umphs here in this woi'ld of ours. 



In regard to the (juotation from Psalms, I 

 had always understood it to mean that our 

 worldly thoughts and aspirations perish with* 

 this body of tlesh. 



In regard to the one from Ecclesiastes, 

 perhans I am not exactly orthodox right 

 here, out I think I shall have to confess that 

 I have never considered Solomon ("the 

 wisest of men"), especially in Ecclesiastes, 

 as very good authority. In fact, it com- 

 mences by saying, "all is vanity." Well, I 

 am not surprised. Any man with a thousand 

 wives, and every thino- else that money can 

 buy, would be very likely to get soured on 

 the world sooner or later. \\ here he says, 

 "Neither have they any moi'e a portion for 

 ever in any thing that is done under the 

 sun," I have always had a sort of feeling that 

 Solomon was not very good authority. 



The next quotation from the Psalms, I 

 should understand as reminding us that the 

 time to remember and give God thanks is be- 

 fore we come down to sickness and death. 



The quotation from Job I should under- 

 stand much in the same way. In the second 

 one of our texts, although I have given it a 

 place, I would again take the liberty of sug- 

 gesting that Job was mistaken. In the 38th 

 chapter the Lord replies to him in a way that 

 seems to me was a reproof. He says, "Who 

 is this thatdarkeneth counsel by words with- 

 out knowledge?" Again, in the same chap- 

 ter, verse 17, the Lord says, "Have the gates 

 of death been opened unto thee? or hast 

 thou seen the door of the shadow of death? "* 

 Perhaps I might say to friend Keck and oth- 

 ers, that, since I have expressed some views 

 on this subject, a great deal of literature has 

 been sent to me. I have spent considerable 

 time in examining it — more especially the 

 way in which this very thing is tnrown at us 

 by the enemies of Christianity. I do not 

 and never did believe in everlasting torture 

 by fire and brimstone or some other agency. 

 While I confess the teachings of the Bible 

 are in this respect hy no means clear to me, 

 I am abundantly satisfied that the patriarch 



•Friend K., in reeard to your closing quotation from 

 Timothy, perhaps some of our D. D.'s, if they see my 

 inswer, will think I am flounderintr in deep water: and 

 if you will excuse me I suirifost that may tie hoth of us 

 ,ire in the same boat. Now, Paul, in that r2th verse of 

 that same chapter, enjoins Timothy to "lay hold on 

 eternal life." I have supposed "eternal life" there 

 means immortality; and in the 16th verse, where it 

 :fads, "God only hath immortality," you do not eive 

 the whole of it. The rest of the sentence in connection 

 u ith this would imply to mc that God only has that 

 higher form of immortality "which no man can ap- 

 proach unto." 



Abraham was correct when he asked, "Shall 

 not the Judge of all the earth do right?" 

 When Jesus said to the thief on the cross, 

 "This day shaltthou be with me in paradise," 

 I can see no reason, even after I have read 

 pages of explanation, for understanding it 

 in any other way than that Jesus meant that 

 that very day (perhaps before the sun went 

 down) he would be with the thief in para- 

 dise. It has been explained to me several 

 times that paradise docs not inean heaven. 

 To this I reply, that if it shall ever be my 

 privilege to be with him who said to the 

 winds and the waves, "Peace, be still," tfiat 

 will be heaven for me. In the old Gospel 

 Hymns there is a hymn, 13, that was a great 

 favorite with my old father before he died, 

 and I want to quote here the first and last 

 verses: 



I know not the hour when my Lord will come 



To take me away to his own dear home; 



But I know that his presence will lighten the dflooni, 



And that will be glory for me. 



I know not the form of my mansion fair, 



I know not the name that I then shall bear; 



But I know that my Savior will welcome me there, 



And that will be heaven for me. 



And the concluding chorus, it seems to me, 

 sums it up better than human language has 

 ever done before. In fact, this hymn, with 

 the chorus, is one that I have often sung 

 over and over again when off by myself: 



And that will be heaven for me, 

 Oh! that will be heaven for me; 

 But I know that my Savior will welcome me there, 

 And that will be heaven for me. 



When I say this I have no quarrel or con- 

 troversy with anybody who understands it 

 otherwise. Let me digress a little right 

 here. 



Not very long ago I was told that many 

 theologians of the present day consider the 

 book of Genesis as only an allegory or para- 

 ble, and that quite a good many of the high- 

 er critics now take the ground that no such 

 persons as Adam and Eve ever lived, and 

 that the Bible did not intend us to take it as 

 a fact. I have heard sermons that seemed 

 to diift that way; but when it comes to sug- 

 gesting that no such person as Abraham 

 ever lived, I feel like getting up and leaving 

 the crowd that wastes the precious moments 

 (say at the Sunday-school) in any such un- 

 profitable discussion. Years ago I sought 

 in vain for comfort and rest in reading infi- 

 del books; but no peace or happiness came 

 to my soul until I read and accepted the 

 Bible as God's word. In considering this 

 matter I think of the couplet from the pen 

 of good old Dr. Watts: 



Is this vile world a friend to errace 

 To lead me on to God? 



And I would class all such discussions as 

 belonging to the " vile world " that the poet 

 had in mind when he wrote those words. 

 The suggestion that the Bible, or any part 

 of it, is not true, or is a piece of fiction, would 

 never "lead mean to God." Nor do I be- 

 lieve it would ever lead anybody else "on 

 to God." 



Now, after this digression let me say that 

 I prefer to believe Jesus did stand in para- 



