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GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Sept. 



in prayer over whatever you do, and I know 

 you will do so in this case ; and if you are 

 willing to be led by the promptings "of that 

 still small voice, I am sure that lie will show 

 you your error, and that you will come out 

 all riglil eventually.'' 



I leave the matter right there, tnisting not 

 to the wisdom of the friend with whom I 

 Imve been talking, and one of two things is 

 pretty certain— that God will show mew^here 

 I have been mistaken, or he will show the 

 friend his error, and we shall eventually 

 think alike. This is one of the pleasant and 

 happy things of religion, where it is true and 

 sincere it brings mankind to think alike. Of 

 course, if we are following one master we 

 shall eventually be taking one path. 



Some years ago a friend whom I valued 

 greatly for many reasons, did not think as I 

 did. lie had been making the case before 

 us a subject of prayer, as I and many others 

 had been doing. In talking it over 1 was 

 one day a little astonished at his vehemence 

 in declaring that (iod could not tell him one 

 thing, and mvself and some others another 

 thing. I was tempted to smile a little at his 

 way of putting it. Think of it, dear fiiends; 

 is it indeed true, that God says one thing to 

 some of us and another thing to somebody 

 else? Even good men and w^omen are often 

 accused of doing things of this kind. A 

 physician gives one kind of advice to one pa- 

 tient, and another kind of advice to another. 

 because of the ditlVrcnt needs of his i)atients; 

 but one does not need to think of it long to 

 decide that the end he seeks is the same in 

 both cases — he wants his patient to get well. 

 Of course, this is plain enough ; but Chris- 

 tian people, as well as people of the world, 

 are often accused of being two-sided ; they 

 talk one thing to one set of hearers, and an- 

 other to another set of hearers. Politicians 

 are now being accused of being staunch tem- 

 perance men when among temperance peo- 

 ple; but when among those who do not be- 

 lieve in carrying temperance too far, their 

 ideas are more liberal. May be it is true ; 

 at any rate, we hope that when you, my 

 friend, are subject to similar temptations 

 because you are a candidate for some office, 

 you will be yourself under all circumstances 

 and occasions. 



But, to go back to our point, how is it 

 about God? Of course, he is above all hu- 

 man weaknesses—" the same yesterday, to- 

 day, and for ever,"' as we read in the last 

 chapter of Hebrews. If God is always the 

 same, and if he tells us who seek him for 

 counsel the same and (dirai/s the same thing, 

 why sliould there he so mu'cli disagreement ? 

 I thiidv it is a good deal as I have just said, 

 because we will not listen to him, or we will 

 not listen to reason ; and if I get a correct 

 view of it, religion is the most reasonable 

 thing this world contains. Where it will 

 not bear honest investigation, down with it 

 at once. When we look over the world, and 

 see how widely different Christian people 

 think and work on many points, we are in 

 danger of l:)eing stumbled ; we are in danger j 

 of beuig led to (piestion whether it can be i 

 God's voice that is leading ; and some of 

 these social problems, I grant, are very hard 

 to understand. There is one place of safety, ' 



however, and that is, to decide to let others 

 act according to the dictates of their own 

 conscience, while we do the same, and trust 

 God to bring us together eventually. 



In • talking with a good friend of 

 mine recently, who does not accept the 

 Bible, I thought I would see how many 

 points in religion we could meet on, on com- 

 mon garound. To my surprise I was able to 

 present it in such a way that he not only in- 

 dorsed, but, in most casps, heartily indorsed, 

 almost every essential point. My heart began 

 to bound with the feeling that it was possible 

 — nay, probable — that in God's sight we 

 stood side by side ; at least, as near so as was 

 needful for either of us to be among the 

 saved. Just at this point, however, he up- 

 set it by jumping off and talking up what he 

 called the '' damnation doctrine" and de- 

 manded to know what I thought about that. 

 I told him I felt sure we might skip that for 

 the time being. lie declared he would not 

 skip it, and went to telling what "we Chris- 

 tians" taught in regard to it. I told him 

 that I did not teach any thing of the sort, 

 Init he as often declared that I was not or- 

 thodox. 



I suppose, friends, that there are about as 

 many who object to following the teachings 

 of the Bible because of this matter of eternal 

 punishment, as for almost any other one 

 thing. Well, if the Bible as you understand 

 it does teach eternal punishment, it certain- 

 ly does not teach that it is for any except 

 those who are willfully and purposely wick- 

 ed beyond red('mi»tion. Suppose you should 

 declare llatly tliat you would not live in the 

 State of Ohio becaiise we hang men for mur- 

 der. 1 should tell you something as follows: 



" Why, look here, old friend, do you pro- 

 pose to "murder somebody? We don't hang 

 people for any crime other than murder, and 

 then it must "be willful and delilx'iate mur- 

 der. If you contemplate this, or even think 

 it probable that you may willfully and de- 

 liberately take somebody's life for the sake 

 of getting his money, I do not know how I 

 can help you." 



The doctrine of eternal punishment is a 

 terrible one, I grant, and so is the law that 

 hangs a man by the jieck until he is dead a 

 terrible one ; but it is teirible to evil-doers 

 only, and those who deliberately and from 

 choice choose evil. It seems to me that most 

 of the excuses and objections we meet with 

 in regard to Christianity and the Bible are 

 about like the illustration above. One who 

 proposes to do right, and who wishes to do 

 right, finds the way plain and simple ; lint 

 one who thinks he can reaji the rewards that 

 the Bible ])romises, and still cany all sorts of 

 bad and wicked thoughts and actions along 

 Avitli him will find it terrible, no doubt. 



You may be aware that I was for a num- 

 ber of years an opposer of Christianity and 

 the Bible. We are told in the sa<-red word, 

 " If any man will do his [God's] will, he shall 

 know of the doctrine, whether it be of God." 

 Now, 1 had not done the will of the Master, 

 and did not propose to. While in that frame 

 of mind I found the Bible unreasonable and 

 exacting. I saw no divine spirit shining 

 through its pages. There is a little verse in 

 the Kith chapter of ^Mattliew that reads ; 



