1894 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



m 





('(Hint it nil Joy wlicii yi> f;ill into ni;iiiifi)l(l ti'iupta- 

 tioiis.— James" 1 :':.'. 



If I reraembcr correctly I have used the above 

 text before. In fad, it has been a marked and 

 singular text to me ever since I first found it. 

 We are so often exliorted to beware of the 

 tempter, and to pray that w(> nuiy not be led 

 into temptii'ion. that it sounds a little strange 

 hear the old veteran servant of Christ tell us to 

 to count it all ./"!/. In the new version the word 

 "divers"' is changed to " manifold." "(.'ount it 

 all joy. my bi'etliren, when ye fall into manifold 

 temptations." And the margin suggests that 

 the word "temptations" might be translated 

 "trials." "Count it all joy when ye fall into 

 many trials." If you asU for an explanation, 

 the very next veise suggests: "Knowing this, 

 that tlie trying of your faith worketh patience;" 

 and the new version puts it, " Knowing that 

 the proof of your faith worketh patience." 

 The idea seems to be, ihat we grow strong and 

 able and useful by being tried. INIy thoughts 

 were turned to this subject recently by some 

 experience of luy own. Sometimes I hdve 

 thought I would stop telling my experience; 

 but when 1 stop telling my trials that have 

 brought me to study my Bible more, and to 

 know my Savior more, then I stop getting let- 

 ters of encouragement. By the way, these 

 lett(>rs and words of encouragi^ment are more 

 helpful 10 me than you may imagine. While 

 at the recent Chicago convention, during a 

 recess quite a number gathered around me, 

 and some were inquiring if that was A. I. Root. 

 One old gentleman made me recall who he was 

 by referring to the correspondence of past years 

 we had had tpgether. Just as he was obliged 

 to go away, because so many others were 

 around, he put his head close to me and whis- 

 pered, " Brother Root. I am a better man for 

 having known you and for reading your writ- 

 ings in these past years." The remark was 

 iond enongh. however, so that somebody over- 

 heard it. 1 do not know but I took the liberty 

 of repeating it to the other friends, as it helped 

 us to get acquainted some. Well. I was quite 

 a little surprised when one after anothei' ex- 

 tended his hand, saying, "Brother Root. I too 

 can say that very same thing." And others 

 rejoined. "And I!"' "And 1!" And then we 

 had a big laugh all around. 



A few days ago one of the "big guns" in the 

 work of the Fanners' Instituti — one who has 

 labored in Ohio and many other States — came 

 to see me. and we were ovi r in the little giei-n- 

 hoiise just before train time. As he put out 

 liis hand in going away he s;iid something like 

 this: "i^idther Root, we irad Talnuiges ser- 

 mons almost every week, and they do u< good, 

 and wi- thank God for sncli a man asTalmage. 

 But I want to tell you. before parting, jii^t for 

 vour encouragement, you know, that we think 

 at our house that your sermons sonuMimes 

 come a little nearer home than even tliose of 

 the great preacher Talmage." 



Well. I have watched closely, and I have 

 read these kind words of encouragement from 

 men and women from afar olf. and I have tried 

 to let tlnnn guide me. liiat my work may be 

 still more helpful to you all; and. if I catch the 

 spirit aright. I am forced to believe that it is 

 God's wilMhat I should tell you of these con- 

 flicts tliat 1 have. 



.Inst now our nation is pretty full of sin and 

 crime. There are jealousies and hatred ram- 



liant in the land. There is disagreement and 

 bitterness. There is a wondi rful hick of the 

 spirit of Christ .lesus. What shall we rloV 

 Where is the remedy V When we feel ourselves 

 being driiwn into the meshes of Satan's net, 

 whercMs the remedy V Do we recognize in tlui 

 very otitset when we are getting tiius entrap- 

 ped? Do we kmni' when we are getting out of 

 the track— that straight and narrow track? 

 Yes. I think we do; and the l)est remedy tor sin 

 and crime is to foil and disappoint the prince 

 of darkness at the very outset. And now for 

 my little experiiMice of late. 



At this season of the year a good deal de- 

 volves upon me. A good deal of autliority 

 seems to b(! ves1< d in me; and while, as a gen- 

 eral rule, I succeed in keeping out of sight the 

 fact thnt I am "boss," if I choose to be. yet 

 notwithstanding I am strongly templed many 

 times to use thiit aulliority. You know my 

 teachings have been, at least ever since I have 

 b' come a Chi istiiin — to rule by gentleness and 

 love — at least, where it is possible so to do. 

 Y'ou know how often I have quoted, " Love ye 

 your enemies, and o good to those that hate 

 you." Why. I hiive repeated this text st) much 

 that / ought to be ashamed of giving way to 

 any feeling of sjjile or even vexation. Oh dear! 

 if some of these friends who have said such 

 kind things by word of mouth or by letter only 

 knew of the feelings that oftentimes sway me 

 to and fro. 1 am afraid they would lose conli- 

 dence and faith — in me, at least. And yet- 

 why, as sure as you live, the text we are talk- 

 ing' about says, "Count it all. /oy when ye are 

 strongly moved,"' or when you feel inclined to 

 do wrong. Of course, we are not to count it all 

 joy when we give iray to wrong impulses. 



Well, something displeased me. I did not 

 think much about it at the time, but some way 

 it got to running in my mind. I put it away; 

 but Satan whispered that, w here people were 

 bent or determined to rush into trouble it was 

 not particularly my affair. In my feeble health 

 Satan said (since I have not been able to tak(^ 

 any long rides on my wheel I confess I iiave 

 been getting a little under the weather)— well, 

 in my feeble health, as I was saying, Satan sug- 

 gested that peoi)le must take care of them- 

 selves, and that it was certainly not my busi- 

 ness to be looking after crcr!/l)ody. The temp- 

 tation held out was, mind you. not to throw so 

 much as even a straw in a certain person's way, 

 but simply to let him have his oirn way. Some- 

 times it is hard for peoph^ to learn that there 

 are sins of oinisslaii as well as sins of roj;inii.s- 

 slon: but surely one, who lias talked these 

 things over as much as I have ought not to 

 need any light or instruction in that line; and 

 I confess the idea was quite fascinating— to just 

 attend to mv own affairs— and there are many 

 of them (enoucrb to take every minute of my 

 time just tOMttenU to my own affairs)— and to 

 do every thing as well as I knew- how. and to 

 let o(/(CT people attend to tlnir own affairs. A 

 trilling matter, was it not? But I knew the 

 spirit was not a right one. It was far from 

 being a loving spirit— that is, from the spirit 

 that enjoins us to love even our enemies. Bui 

 the thing kept coming back and taking my 

 attention. A belter spirit suggested, as of 

 course it would, that community, and especial- 

 ly my good friends, would look a little surprised 

 and astonished. They might say, " Wliy, Mr. 

 Itoot. did you not know this was going on?" 

 Well, the evil one rejilied to this by saying I 

 need not know— whv should I? I could not be 

 expected to know iiboiit even/ tbiiur. But there 

 would be at least a little prevarication here. I 

 profess to be a Chri>iian. I profess to value my 

 peace with Clod more than all things else. But 

 there can not be any peace with (iod wiien you 



