7o4 



GLExVNINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Sept. 



I trust him," is what we need; and tlie 

 chapter from which our opening text is tak- 

 en will help us toward it. Some of us are 

 naturally timid and cowardly. I have some- 

 times been afraid that I should fail misera- 

 bly in living np to my own teachings were 

 I suddenly called npon to pass through such 

 a disaster as many of the friends and neigh- 

 bors have been called upon to pass through 

 in and around poor Charleston. In a recent 

 number of the tSundajj- School Times we lind 

 the following : 



"It is recorded of John Bunyan, that, once when 

 he was in prison, and uncertain whether he niig'ht 

 not soon be condemned to die, the thong-ht entered 

 his mind: 'Suppose God should withdraw himself at 

 the very last moment, fail to support me at tlie 

 Rallows, abandon me! ' Then ho says he resolved 

 thus: ']f God do not come in, I will leap off the lad- 

 der even blindfold into eternity, sink or swim, come 

 heaven, come hell! For it is my duty to stand to 

 his word whether he ever looks upon me or saves 

 me at the last, or not! ' " 



One is almost inclined to smile at the 

 above; and yet, my friends, does it not em- 

 body a wonderful truth V God has placed 

 ns here in this world, and paid us a great 

 compliment in making ns free— free to step 

 toward heaven or to step down to ruin. 

 Now, shall we not use this freedom to be 

 bold and brave for the right, no matter 

 what the consequences are V We are not 

 responsible for earthquakes; but we avc re- 

 sponsible for our behavior when God sees 

 lit in his infinite love and mercy to call us 

 to face death and the great unknown be- 

 yond . 



In conclusion, how much does it matter 

 whether we die now or die ten years later ? 

 I once visited a sick man, near to his death, 

 with my old pastor, whom I have before 

 mentioned. The man had (since his sick- 

 ness) made some i)rofession of religion, al- 

 though his whole life had been very intem- 

 perate and bad. The minister asked him if 

 he would like to have ns pray for him. 

 "Yes," he said, "and please pray that I 

 may get well." Now, then, suppose we had 

 so prayed, and that he had recovered, what 

 Avouldhe probably have done with ten years 

 more of life V Why, from the talk I liad 

 with him, and froiin what I knew of the 

 man, I felt sure it woidd have been ten 

 years more of drinking and wickedness ; at 

 least, I am safe in saying that the ten years 

 would have been of no sort of'benefit to him 

 or to anybody else. In such cases what are 

 a few years of life worth, or what does it 

 amount to V 



In a recent Sunday-school lesson we lind 

 the text, "If ye abide in me, and my words 

 abide in you, "ye shall ask what ye will, and 

 it shall be done unto you." No doubt a 

 great deal of discussion has arisen in regard 

 to this verse. May be I am not equal to the 

 task of liandling it; but, dear friends and 

 fellow -Christians, I feel sure of this, at 

 lenst : That those who are abiding in Christ 

 will never be found begging sitnply for an 

 easy life, or one of freedom from pain. I do 

 not mean to say that it is wrong to pray 

 that your life rnay be spared, or that (4od 

 may ease the pains that rack your body ; 

 l)ut is not such a prayer better when put 

 something like this? "Help me. O Lord, 

 to better understand the laws of health and 



the laws of life, that I may be able to see 

 wherein I have transgressed these laws, 

 that I be thus afflicted. And if my labors in 

 thy vineyards have heretofore been pleasing 

 in thy sight, and if it is consistent with thy 

 holy will that my life should be spared. I 

 pray thee to help me to arise from this bed 

 of suffering. Nevertheless, not my will, but 

 thiue, be done." When we ask God for any 

 of these things, we ought to be in such an 

 attitude of heart that we can sny, " Thine 

 be the praise iuid the glory "for ever. 

 Amen." Jf we are abiding in" Clirist, our 

 prMyer.s are not likely to be selfish or incon- 

 sistent; and if they are in the spirit of 

 Chi-ist, God will surely answer. 



While speaking of this sidiject of dreading 

 deatli.and longing f(n- lougi-r life, permit nie 

 to refer to an incideiit I may have men-. 

 tione<l before. I wish to speak of it be- 

 cause it contrasts so powerfully with what 

 the life of a Christian shoidd be": During a 

 steamboat accident on the Ohio River, great 

 numbers of people were throwa into the 

 water, and many were drowned. Bystand- 

 ers on the shore gave what aid they could ; 

 still many lives were lost in spite of them. 

 Well, during this scene of excitement big 

 strong men were seen to hurl or strike weak 

 women to get them off the planks where- 

 on they had a promise of being rescued, 

 in order that they might save their own 

 lives. Of course, it would not have been safe 

 for those men to land where the people could 

 get hold of them. They accordingly made for 

 the opposite shore, and escaped on planks and 

 ran off into the woods. 1 can readily imagine 

 that they were intemperate men— gamblers, 

 possibly, maybe highway robbers by profes- 

 sion. They did not propose to die, even 

 though a few helpless women did have have 

 to be murdered in order to save thaiv miser- 

 able lives. Contrast sucli a spirit witli that 

 of the self-sacrificing spirit of a Christian. 

 And beware, my friend, that nothing in 

 your life or actions should ever come, even 

 remotely, near to such a spirit. Our lives 

 belong to God. They are his to give and his 

 to take away. 



I must not omit mentioning a feature con- 

 nected with these losses of property and life 

 that seems to have something encouraging 

 in it. At the time of the great Chicago lire, 

 almost everybody was astonished to see the 

 alacrity with people north, south, east, and 

 west, rushed forward to aid the sufferers. 

 Chicago had but to make her wants known, 

 and food and clothing, as well as money, 

 poured in from all sides, until that great city 

 of destitute ones was obliged to say, " It is 

 enough." And this one thing, I am sure, 

 did more to bring about friendly feeling.s 

 and friendly relations among the people of 

 tlie different cities of the different States 

 than almost any other thing that could have 

 happened. So far as I have learned, the 

 same thing will be found true for the suffer- 

 ers at Cliarleston. Already the mayors of 

 the different cities, and the officers of the 

 government, who have it in their power to 

 send relief, are doing all that rapid com- 

 munication and quick transit can do. Who 

 l^nows but that this event may do more to- 

 ward restoring and establishing on a perma'^ 



