18S6 



GLEAXINGS IX BEE CULTURE. 



831 



0aR pepEg. 



Tho cup which my Father hath given me, shall I 

 not drink it?— John 18: 11. 



'Pi^YERY human being, at some time in 

 'L'^) ]iis life, is compelled to recognize that 

 1^ there is a great unknown world, some- 

 -^^ where behind the scenes, as it were — a 

 world of wliich we know comparative- 

 ly notliing. Some unknown power presides 

 in this world, not only calling into existence 

 ])huit and animal life, but liolding in his 

 liand a system of worlds like ours, and 

 wielding them for some purpose of his own. 

 This uiikiiown power has called «.<; into ex- 

 istence, for, as it would seem, some all-wise 

 purpose of his own. I believe that most 

 earnest, candid thinkers, also believe that, at 

 death, we are ushered into the presence of 

 this great Ueing ; but it is indeed true, that 

 no one has yet come back from the confines 

 of the grave to tell us what is beyond. We 

 may sometimes catch glimpses of it from 

 the testimony of loved "ones when on the 

 borders of the unknown land. 15ut all we 

 get is indeed only a glimpse. I presume 

 many of my readers have often expressed in 

 their hearts a wish that (tod would speak to 

 us and tell us plainly what are his wishes in 

 certain matters. "" Oh that I knew exactly 

 what (;od the Father would have me do in 

 this emergency!" is a prayer that has often 

 welled up from my heart, and 1 presume 

 ffom the hearts of others. 1 ha^e been told 

 that a young man once wrote a letter to 

 Darwin, asking him if he believed that God 

 had ever made any revelation to the chil- 

 dren of men; and, "if I remember correctly, 

 Darwin's reply was to the effect that he 

 could not discover that any such revelation 

 liad ever been made. I presume likely Dar- 

 Avin meant that there was nothing in the 

 realm of science or natural history to indi- 

 cate that God had thought fit to break down 

 the barrier that separates us from tliis un- 

 known world, and stand face to face Avith 

 the objects of liis own creation. AV4iether 

 or not Darwin meant to ignore the testimo- 

 ny of the Holy Scriptures, 1 do not know, 

 and I do not projjose to discuss the point: 

 just here. 



Well, now, my friends, should God see fit 

 in this present nineteenth century to send a 

 message or a messenger to earth, how would 

 he do it? And if a' messenger were sent, 

 how would he make his appearance, and 

 what sort of appearance would he present? 

 Queen Victoria often sends messages to the 

 President of the United States, and may be 

 she sometimes sends messengers. If so, I 

 suppose thev come with much pomp and 

 ceremony. They are introduced by digni- 

 taries, and accompanied, probably, "by evi- 

 dences of wealth, refinement, and ciilttue. 

 I believe, however, that the world is not so 

 much given to goi-geous display now as it 

 used to be hundreds of years ago. Kings 

 and queens are human — exceedingly human, 

 sometimes. They are weak and faulty and 

 erring; they make mistakes; they show 

 fortli lumiaii passions, likes and dislikes. If 

 God should send a message to this world, he 

 would make no mistake. Ilis jnessoigei- 



would probably be without fault or blemish. 

 The question might come up, then. To whom 

 would he probably appear? We here in 

 America would think it proper and fitting 

 that he should first pay his attention to the 

 President, or to the chief rulers of our land. 

 Perhaps, however, some would think it fitting 

 to come first before tiod's ministering serv- 

 ants, the clergy, and make known to them 

 his wishes in "regard to his people. If so. 

 what ministers oV what denomination would 

 be first honored by his great presence? Per- 

 haps I am handlirig this subject awkwardly. 

 I should not l)e a bit surprised if you 

 thought so. for it is a subject too greatfor 

 me. It is a subject too great for anybody. 

 The mere attempt makes me feel my utter 

 nothingness. Hut I do feel as if I had a 

 right, however, to feel satisfied of this: That 

 he would come ov send his messenger in 

 such a way as to do the most good to the 

 greatest number. How would he manage to 

 obtain a hearing in this l)usy world of ours? 

 He might arrest the attention of the peojile 

 by a series of earthquakes, or mighty tluin- 

 derings. liut after having arrested their at- 

 tention, would he do most good in that way? 

 If we are going to win our children to right- 

 eousness we must come to them with gentle 

 words of love, or we shall be in danger of 

 driving them away and utterly failing in what 

 we wisli to do. A father might appall and 

 terrify a child by exhibitions of his enormous 

 strengtli ; Init some of us know by experi- 

 ence that "■ enormous strength '' often 

 amounts to but little with a child. Some 

 quite small children will assert their rights, 

 and give exhibitions of a free will. Their 

 disposition is to do as they please, in spite 

 of all the strengtli that can be brought for- 

 ward. JNIany a parent who is not a Chris- 

 tian has perhaps decided in his own heart 

 that it is not by might nor l»y jiower, but by 

 a gentle and loving si)irit, that he brings his 

 child up in the ways of wisdom and paths of 

 truth. 



In the above I have been speaking as a 

 people might speak who have had no knowl- 

 edge nor conception of the IJible: or, if you 

 chbo.se. a people who itpwre the l^ible. t^ut 

 you will notice that the deduction seems to 

 be that, even if tiod himself should send a 

 messenger to us, very likely the wisest course 

 would be to adopt very much the plan that 

 we are told he did follow, in the New Testa- 

 ment. The one whom he sent, and whom 

 he saw fit to clothe with power, came into 

 the world as you and I did. He lived the 

 life of a little child ; he grew up as a tender 

 plant ; we are nowhere told that there was 

 any thing particularly comely in his appear- 

 ance ; nobody praised liis l)eauty, so far as I 

 know. As lie grew older he was despised 

 and rejected of men. His own l)rothers, in 

 fact, disliked him. Finally he was a man of 

 sorrows and acquainted witli grief. One of 

 the infidel writers says he went through the 

 world a disappointed man. succeeding in 

 gathering only a small handful of humble 

 followers. He did not go near kings nor 

 princes ; he made no display, except the 

 miracles which he performed to prove to 

 mankind that he was sent by God the Father. 

 Thf3c minu'les tlu'mselyes, however, were 



