1SS5 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



long ahead. ^\'e don't know what the fu- 

 ture is. I should fear to make promises six 

 months ahead, whicli it may trouble us to 

 keep. Another thing, friend X. Y. Z., it 

 would be, at least to a small extent, encour- 

 aging you in adding to the debts you have 

 already. It is putting it off a long time 

 ahead, I know ; or, in other words, you have 

 a good while in which to make the money. 

 But this very thing I fear : A good many 

 who, like yourself, have become involved, 

 often seem to think if they can get an ac- 

 commodation for a long time it is all right ; 

 but when the long time has expired, nine 

 times out of ten they tind themselves just 

 as badly off, or worse, than when the debt 

 was coiitracted. You ha^•e come to me for 

 advice, and 1 have spoken my convictions 

 very plainly and fully. Dear friend, 1 woidd 

 not go in debt to tlie extent of one dollar, 

 even if you can have six months" time in 

 which to pay it, if I were situated just as 

 you are, and wanted to pay up my debts and 

 follow my Savior. The concluding part of 

 your letter is excellent, and the spirit of it 

 "is right. 



There is a part of your letter, back a little, 

 that I wisli to refer to. You say you are go- 

 ing to make restitution '" just as" fast as the 

 Lord will let you;"' that is, if he prospers 

 you, you will pay your debts ; but if he does 

 not, how can you V I know there are two ex- 

 tremes in both ways here. Unless the Lord 

 gives yon health and strength you can not 

 earn liny thing at all, so you are dependent 

 upon him. But we are all of us prone, I am 

 sure, to get into a way of thinking, when we 

 fail of doing what we know we ought to do, 

 to give up and content ourselves by saying, 

 '' Tlie Lord did not see fit to help me do 

 what 1 wanted to do," when the truth is, we 

 liave not made proper use of the blessings 

 already given us without stint. Those who 

 have once gone astray, and started back 

 again, are specially apt to get into this way 

 of reasoning. 1 believe it is very seldom that 

 (iod does not provide a way in such matters 

 as this, where the one who is striving to fol- 

 low him is in dead earnest in the matter. 

 ^V'hat I mean by ''dead earnest" is to be 

 self-sacrificing, careful, sober, and wise. In 

 our zeal to pay our debts we might overwork 

 ourselves, and thus defeat the object in view. 

 l)ut I do not think this oftens happens. 

 I'eople tell me I am overworked, a great 

 many times, and doubtless they think so ; 

 but it is not true. It i*^ true, however, that 

 I waste m\ strength and energies, often- 

 times, on things comparatively trifling and 

 unimportant, and then I can not do the im- 

 ])ortant work that ought to have taken the 

 place of these. 



Now, then, to the last ])oint before us. 

 How shall friend X. Y. Z. get a bee-journal, 

 or several bee-journals, when they Avould no 

 doubt be worth several times their cost to 

 liim V Candidly, dear friends, I do not know. 

 1 would give him Gleanings without charge, 

 most gladly and willingly, were it for his 

 best spiritual good that I did so. Yes, I 

 would give him a hundred copies if I were 

 sure it would result in building up Christ"s 

 kingdom. But my experience in gifts in this 

 way has not been pleasant. I can look l)ack 



through the years, and see a great many 

 times when Itried to make the path easier 

 for some poor sinner, by gifts of money or 

 other things that he had not earjied, that I 

 made it harder because I relieved him a little 

 from the responsibilities that God wanted 

 him to bear. I dare not do it any further. 

 I have asked God to give me money that I 

 might use it in saving soids. The money 

 has come sometimes bountifully, and I have 

 used it, as I thouglit, wisely ; but it has al- 

 most always done harm unless I used it as a 

 reward for fair and honest work. Friend X. 

 Y. Z. has not asked me for any gift, it is 

 true ; but this thing had to be considered : 

 What will be the best course for our boys 

 and girls— yes, for our sons and daughters, in 

 helping them to build a good Christian char- 

 acter ? My reply is, that I know of no way 

 but to let them eai'u tlie things they want, 

 by the sweat of their face— by the exercisn 

 of their minds and muscles. I said I did 

 not know of any way our friend could get a 

 bee-journal, under existing circumstances. 

 Wliat I meant was, that I did not know any 

 way except the one I tirst pointed out— get 

 the consent of his creditors before he uses 

 money belonging to them. I did not mean 

 to say that I would not trust him for 

 Gleanings for six months or a year, be- 

 cause I will gladly, if he wishes me to. 

 Yes, he need not pay for it for five years, if 

 he thinks best to do that way, after what I 

 have said. I meant simply this : If lie 

 wants my advice, and wants me to stand in 

 his shoes, to use a common expression, my 

 advice for him is, not to run in debt one 

 copper for any thing; get the consent of his 

 creditors in the way I have marked out, and 

 then pay cash down for every thing he buys, 

 or else go without it. The accumulation of 

 debt has made him enough trouble already. 

 Don"t have any more of it ; and if there are 

 other brothers or sisters situated in like cir- 

 cumstances, I say the same to them. Look 

 at it as you look at any other temptation 

 that Satan may hold before you. Say to him, 

 " No, sir; get thee behind "me, Satan," and 

 then make him get behind. Do the same 

 with other besetting sins, and ask God to 

 help you to do it; and if a happy, useful, 

 prosperous Christian life does not open up 

 before you, then I shall be much mistaken. 



Our text says,'" Thou slialt love thy neigh- 

 bor as thyself." Well, dear friend, sui)pose 

 you were owing a neighbor money wliich 

 you have promised him, and failed to get. 

 Suppose, too, lie needs it badly. You know 

 it is not unlikely that he may 'be failing in 

 his promises because you have failed in 

 yours. HiK good name must suffer because 

 he lias been forbearing and patientwith you. 

 Well, now, under such circumstances sup- 

 pose when you have some money that you 

 might pay him, you should, instead of hand- 

 ing it over to him, use it for something you 

 didn't like to give up yourself. Do you not 

 see how very far you would be from obeying 

 the spirit of the text V Do you not in reality 

 act as if the text read this way : " Thou 

 shalt love thyself better than thy neighbor, 

 and under all circumstances let self come 

 first when you are obliged to choose between 

 the two?" The spirit of the text is to the 



