108 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Feb. 1. 



bread nor water. Both statements were prac- 

 tically untrue. They ha'd bread and water 

 both, more than they deserved. In fact, they 

 admitted it, in the next sentence, " Our soul 

 loatheth this light bread." No doubt God knew 

 it was best to put them on a restricted diet. He 

 had tried giving them meat, even quails, until 

 the supply was almost without limit. But it 

 did not seem to stop their chronic grumbling 

 very much. Finally their dissatisfaction came 

 to such a point that it was next to anarchy. In 

 fact, I do not know but it was anarchy outright; 

 and it was not only anarchy against Moses and 

 against the law, but it was anarchy against 

 God. By the way. is not all anarchy against 

 God as well as against the laws of our land? 

 The anarchist commences by defying God — 

 usually by rejecting the very idea of an over- 

 ruling Providence. 



The way of the transgressor is hard, and 

 away back in oldi-n times it was hard. Pun- 

 ishment came. The next verse reads: 



And the Lord sent fiery serpents among- the people, 

 and they bit the people; and much people of Israel 

 died 



The fiery serpents were the reward for their 

 ingratitude and unreasonable complaining. 

 The serpents bit the people, and we are told 

 that much people died. A great many times, 

 when this thing gets a going, this rebellion 

 against God's providences, nothing but severe 

 measures will stamp it out; and even nowadays 

 you see people boldly defiant. They will even 

 challenge God to punishment; but sometimes 

 the punishment comes, even as the fiery ser- 

 pents did. I have seen men. when they got into 

 i"ail, defy God and the laws of our land. I have 

 eard them say they would as soon be in jail as 

 anywhere else — that thi-y could stand it as long 

 as the authorities could afford to board and 

 lodge them. But steady confinement, week in 

 and week out. finally begins to tell. The over- 

 bearing stubbornness gives way. Sometimes 

 these friends say they do not care if they are 

 shut up away from society — that society is a 

 lot of hypocrites any way. But nature— the 

 laws that are implanted in us — in due time 

 makes them hunger for companionship, and 

 they accordingly welcome me, even if I do talk 

 plain, and point out the cause of their misfoi'- 

 tunes. This peopl.^ too, became humble and 

 obedient. Let us read the next verse: 



Therefore tlie people came to Moses and said, We 

 have sinned, for we have spoken ag-alnst the Lord, 

 and against thee; pra> unto tlie Lord, that he take 

 away tlie serpents from us. And Moses prayed for 

 tlie people. 



We do not know just how penitent they were; 

 but their words sound frank and honest.' They 

 admitted their sin. acknowledging that they 

 had sinned in speaking against the Lord and 

 against Moses. Then they begged, in a proper 

 spirit, that Moses would beseech the Lord that 

 the serpents might be taken away. Moses was 

 always ready to forgive and to forget. He prays 

 accordingly. But the offense was an old one. 

 They had again and again fallen into the same 

 sinful fashion; and the probability is, that 

 their penitent spirit will last only a little 

 while. The Lord deemed it proper that they 

 should be tested. Instead of taking the fiery 

 serpents away at onc(>, In; directed Closes to 

 give them an object-lesson that would teach 

 them, or test both their faith and fidelity at one 

 and the same time. Moses was directed to 

 make a seri)ent of brass, and hold it upon high. 

 Let us read the eighth verse: 



And tlie Lord said unto Moses, Make thee a fiery 

 serpent, and set it upon a pole; and it sliall come to 

 pass, that every one that is bitten, wlien lie looketh 

 upon it, sliall live. 



The serpents were allowed to harass the peo- 



ple just as they did before. But a remedy was 

 jDrovided that acted so quickly there was no 

 need of any suft'ering of any account. The ser- 

 pent was evidently held up so high that every 

 person in the camp could get a glimpse of it in 

 time, if he took even a little pains; and in some 

 miraculous way it was so ordained that one had 

 only to look and live. In fact, it turned out ex- 

 actly as Moses announced. The l{ible does not 

 tell us in plain words that there were those too 

 contrary or with too little faith to even look and 

 live; but we may readily conjecture that such 

 there were; and this plan of testing had the 

 effect of sifting out or sorting out the rebellious 

 element. They were soon dead, and out of tin- 

 way of tempting others. And in the present 

 age the nations of the earth have again and 

 again come to the conclusion that there is no 

 other way to protect human life properly, and 

 human comfoi't. but absolutely to jjut to death 

 those who will probably never be any better. 

 Public good and public safety seem to demand 

 it; and we find it necessary, for the safety of 

 our people, that they may not be murdered, to 

 decide that it is dangerous to let these extreme 

 criminals go about and set an example before 

 others. Example is contagious; aiiorc^!/ is con- 

 tagious. If a mad dog appears on our streets, 

 the people at large with one consent decide it 

 must be put to death. It may have been a good 

 dog heretofore. And suppose there is a possi- 

 bility it might be cured. We can not afford to 

 take the risk, nor trifle with any thing so terri- 

 ble and dangerous. 



During the latter pai't of this nineteenth cen- 

 tury a new danger is beginning to threaten so- 

 ciety. There are men so terribly ugly and vin- 

 dictive that, for the sake of spiting those they 

 hate, they will throw away their own lives in 

 order tliat they may destroy somebody who 

 seems to be universally respected and beloved 

 by the great majority at large. The assassina- 

 tion of our ju'esidents comes right in this line. 

 Very likely the only safeguard against the more 

 frequent recurrence of such things is, that the 

 offenders be promptly put to death. Even if 

 they are crazy, or partly crazv, I do not know 

 but the public good derruinds their removal 

 that their fate may be a lesson and warning to 

 others who are similarly crazy. 



There are very few references in the Bible to 

 this little incident. We are told, however, that 

 this brazen serpent, after it had served its office, 

 was preserved by the children of Israel for sev- 

 eral centuries, till the time of Hezekiah. 

 Strange enough, however, even a thing so sa- 

 cred became in time a snare to them. These 

 silly Israelites got into a fashion of worshiping 

 the serpent instead of the God who directed 

 that it should be made. The faithful and in- 

 corruptible king, Hezekiah, however, destroyed 

 it totally. 



bloody used to give us a most stirring exhor- 

 tation in regard to this story I have told you. 

 When he was in Cleveland, doing a great work, 

 som<> of the unbelievers wanted to argue with 

 him. They asked him to give up his meetings, 

 and discuss theology. He told them he had no 

 time for any "discussion " that did not bring 

 souls from darkness to light. .Said he, " Friends, 

 my time is all occupied, as you will see if you 

 simply look on, in bringing hope, iiappiness. 

 and peace to those who are suffering and dying 

 as a consequence of sin. You ask me to stop 

 and discuss." He then told the story of the 

 brazen serpent. "Now," said he, "suppose 

 somebody in the olden time refused to look at 

 the fiery serpent because he could not under- 

 stand how a look could save one's life. His 

 friiuids and neighbors might say, ' Why, look 

 and see. See those around you who have been 

 cured and are being cured.' " Well, I have just 



