1884 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



569 



and yet it was only iintil comparatively to- 

 ward the close of liis life that it was made 

 known to him in fnll his coming suflering-s 

 (tn the cross. Now, we have the }»rouiise of 

 becoming joint heirs witii Christisee Konians 

 8: 17): that is, onr exiierience will lie like his; 

 and the conditions are, that we di-ink at this 

 fonntain whei'e he drank; that our pleasures 

 in life he imiocent and harmless ones. If 

 the thing that we feel incliued to do should 

 not he hurtful in itself, but we feel pretty 

 sure it would set a bad example, droji it, anil 

 look out for something that will rather con- 

 duce to biinging forward Christ's kingdom, 

 instead of in any way hindeiing it. 



.lesus did n(»t tell the woman of lier sinful 

 life until she said, " Sir, give me of this wa- 

 tei-, that I thirst not;"' and 1 Itelieve it is 

 true, that (iod does not reveal to us the eon- 

 dition of our hearts until we come to him; 

 in fact, the sinner will not listen, nor heed 

 the voice of conscience, nntil his attitude of 

 heart be, "Have mercy on me a sinner.'" 

 When she asked for the water of life, then 

 he could tell her of her bad record. She ac- 

 cepted the reproof, and accepted his words; 

 for she replied, " Sir' I perceive that thou 

 art a prophet."" Then he unfolded to her 

 the way of life. lie told her that they who 

 worship ( Jod must worship him in spirit and 

 in truth; and he tinally told her. when she 

 spoke about the coming Messlas. '' I that 

 speak unto thee am lie."' We do not learn 

 what she said then; perhaps she said noth- 

 ing; but we do know this, that she left her 

 watei--pot and went her way into the city. 

 She had turned away from the world, and in 

 her zeal had even left her ordinary employ- 

 ment. When she came into the' city she 

 spoke to the men after this wise: " Come 

 and see a man winch told me all things that 

 ever I did. Is not this the Christ?"" Per- 

 haps she could not have chosen a better way 

 to bring humanity to him. We all of us 

 know how to get to work to inlluence our 

 fellow-men when we are really in earnest 

 and really anxious. We are accustomed to 

 say of those around us, many times, that 

 they are peculiar, and must be approached 

 in the right Avay. Sometimes we think our 

 neighbors stubborn, and that it is no use to 

 try to do any thing for their spiritual wel- 

 fare. IJut, dear friends, when we get really 

 in earnest, and anxious, Ave almost always 

 lind out a way. Iler heart was full of ser- 

 vice for the Master. She had tasted of those 

 waters, and ;dl else in life was to her now 

 insipid and unsatisfyino;. So it will be with 

 us, friends, when we will let go of the world 

 and lay hold of Jesus. 



I have once or twice spoken of a > oung 

 man whom I found in our jail, and wlio had 

 turned away from his old life, and com- 

 menced to serve the Savior. He went with 

 me to a mission Sabbath-school, and in his 

 own uncultivated way he talked to a group 

 of boys, some of them his old comrades, per- 

 haps." and told tiiem,as best he could, of this 

 water of life. After the scholars had all left 

 the old red schoolhouse. and gone to their 

 homes, he looked up to me witli shining eyes. 

 and. said he, '• Mr. Hoot. I shall go cra/y if 

 you keep me in tins work." Wlien asked 

 iiow so. he reiilied that it was because the 



work made him so happy. You see. friends, 

 he had just begun to drink at that fomitain 

 that Christ was telling about. He was for- 

 getting self, and giving his life for his old 

 companions, just as Christ gave his life foi- 

 us. And so sellishness and seltish pvu'snits 

 give no abiding comfort or satisfaction. It 

 is wheiT we see tliis great world of humanity 

 before us, and it is when we feel their need 

 of a Savior, and. losing sight of every thing- 

 else, start out to tell men of this Savior, that 

 we begin to drink of that satisfying water- 

 just as the woman at the well went back to 

 "her native town and told her sinriile story. 

 No iloubt but that she liad, in former times, 

 been a stuniblingblock. and had turned many 

 a well-disposed one out of the iiaththat lead's 

 to eternal life, liut, now all was t'hanged. 

 She did not ass\nne more wisdom than com- 

 mon people possess, and she was not dog- 

 matic in imparting her news, but she said, 

 " Is not this the Christy "" 



Frieiuls, I need this little talk to-day; and 

 while T am going over it I have more than 

 once wondeied if some friend did not feel 

 like saying, "^ Brother Koot, are you drinking 

 of this' water? Do all the transactions of the 

 past summer wherein we have dealt and 

 corresponded together, indicate that you 

 have been going constantly to thatfountain, 

 and drinking of that water that the Savior 

 can give?"" I am afraid, dear friends, they 

 do not. The thought has come up before me 

 many a time of these monthly Home Papers, 

 and I have sometimes felt "a little anxiety 

 when I looked forward to them, just as "I 

 think of the blessing that I must ask at the 

 table, or of the family prayers at night; 

 when I am tempted strongly to give Avay to 

 an impatient spirit. I feel sad and sorrowful 

 Avhen I look back and realize that I have 

 been so extremely human, and may be 

 worldly, after haviiig made such public pro- 

 fession as I have made and am doing. And 

 yet. (iod knows I think 1 am willing to give 

 of my time, and of my substance and means, 

 when I am satisfied that, by so doing, it Avill 

 further liis kingdom. Yoii Mho have known 

 me long have probably seen me go to both 

 extremes. I have sometimes shown sellish- 

 ness; and, again, in my zeal to do the Mas- 

 ter"s will, regardless of what it cost me, I 

 have been too lavish with the means tJod has 

 given me, for I have sometimes handed over 

 money where it did harm, and harmed the 

 Savior's cause, as I verily believe. But I 

 tried to do right, and 1 tried to put away 

 selfislniess, and I tried to remember that I 

 had already proven there is no comfort or 

 satisfactioii or happiness in drinking at any 

 other fountain than the one that furnishes 

 the water that Jesus gives. 



Our corresiMUulence is now too great a 

 burden for any single human being, and 

 failing health has many times reminded me, 

 that, if I would be of lise to my fellow-men. 

 and if I would continuetobe able to labor for 

 the Master, my i)owers nnist be husbanded. 

 During the ])asl six months, more kind let- 

 ters have been passed b\ unanswered than 

 ever befoi-e; and it was not because 1 wear- 

 ied of them, but because I was obliged to 

 choose between duties, and take those most 

 important. So do not think, dear friends, 



