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gleani:ngs in bee culture. 



855 



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I will Instruct thee and teach thee in the way 

 which thou shalt go: I will guide thee with mine 

 eye.— Psalm 33: 8. 



flHIS is a great promise that we have, 

 )f friends, and perhaps many a Christian 

 has been ineUned to doubt the prom- 

 ise, especially when he has seen what 

 poor work lie has made of trying to 

 lead a Christian life, when, as it seemed, he 

 was doing the very best he knew how. A 

 thought was suggested, that is a very hope- 

 ful one, at our last Sunday-evening prayer- 

 meeting. Our pastor gave xis for our sub- 

 ject, " Regrets."' At tirst it (lid not appear 

 very clear to me what was to be said about 

 regrets ; but in a little time after the meet- 

 ing started, the subject began to open and 

 unfold ; and as my mind began to run back 

 over my experience in trying to lead a Chris- 

 lian life, the thought began to unfold itself 

 to me, and to appear plain that regrets liad 

 ])layed a very iaiportant part, in my life at 

 least. They" had formed a sort of monitor, 

 or teacher, to guide me in the way (iod 

 would liave me to go. I have done very 

 many things to regret, since I have tried to 

 follow Christ; in fact, these regrets have 

 Ijeen so intense, many times, that it seemed 

 as tliough 1 would give almost any thing if 

 certain acts, or words spoken, could be "un- 

 done. Well, even if they can not be undone, 

 they can be set up as a sort of landmark, as 

 it were, to avoid similar mistakes in the fu- 

 ture ; and the way we feel after something 

 y.\e have said or done, is, as it seems to me, a 

 pretty safe guide as to the course we should 

 take in the future. A temptation presents 

 itself. We decide it may not be exactly the 

 thing a man ought to do, but still there is 

 mucli difference of opinion on the subject, 

 and who is to decide wh»^ther it is wrong or 

 not? You give way to the temptation, but 

 you do not feel happy about it. 



Before I made any profession of religion I 

 used to be so restless and uneasy on the Sab- 

 bath that 1 often tried to tind some way to 

 pass the day pleas;intly. SDinetimes I went 

 out into the woods ; Init after tlie day was 

 over, a kind of unsatisfied regret was all that 

 remained. I tried different tilings that gave 

 me pleasure during the week ; but on Sun- 

 day the relish was lacking, and at night I 

 was unsatisfied. Some ways of passing the 

 day left fewer regrets than others. Wlien I 

 stayed at home, and tried to interest tlie lit- 

 tle ones in wholesome instructions. I always 

 felt better after the day was over ; but wlien 

 I took up any \vork I always felt regrets aft- 

 er it, and tlie sight of work tluit liad been 

 done on God's day ever afterward brought 

 regrets. 



Mv restless nature demands some active 

 employment, even on Sunday. What shall 

 it be tliat will bring no regrets ? Have I 

 found it V Thank God, I have. My class in 

 Sunday-school, the work in the "jail, our 

 prayer-meetings, Sunday evenings at home, 

 etc. Do you see why V Because the Savior 

 said, " Itis lawful to do good on the Sabbath 

 day.'' 



A young friend was on<*e discussing the 



ballroom, and she had discovered this : That 

 the day after she had attended a dance she 

 invariably had a smaller opinion of herself 

 than she had had before she went. There 

 was nothing ennobling and elevating about 

 it. The eftect remaining was only a painful 

 and humiliating regret. Was not this regret 

 God's voice, in the language of our text? 



The subject has been frequently discussed, 

 as to whether it is a Christian's duty to at- 

 tend the weekly prayer-meetings, year in 

 and year out. 'Xow,'l can not decide for 

 others ; but whenever I have remained ab- 

 sent on accovuit of business, or something 

 that seemed to justify remaining at home, J 

 have always, so far as I can remember, re- 

 j gretted it. There have been a few times 

 I when, under the circumstances, it seemed 

 my duty to remain absent ; but in all those 

 I cases I could have so prepared my work that 

 ' an hour's absence would not have niattnially 

 j incionvenienced any one. After church time 

 I was past, the regret was that 1 did not take 

 more pains to arrange for an hour's absence. 

 Years ago, Mhen I was experimenting in 

 j making comb foundation l»y means of rolls, 

 j I found great trouble in dipping my sheets 

 of wax. One Thursday evening l.was at 

 I work at it, and it didn't succeed to suit me, 

 I so I jiuslipd my experiments on until after 

 dark, and it came prayer-meeting time. 



•• You will miss the prayer - meeting. 

 Amos, if you don't mind," suggested my 

 wife. But as the hour came I was just be- 

 ginning to get the hang of it, and the wax 

 was all melted, and a dauby mess it was too, 

 so I thought I couldn't stop there, and have 

 to make another trial of it, and 1 did not go. 

 I worked until ten o'clock, but did not get 

 any nice sheets, and went to bed with a 

 painful feeling, and a regret that I had 

 missed the meeting for the tirst time since 

 my conversion. I decided then, that next 

 time the prayer-meeting was to be the im- 

 portant matter, and my work or experiments 

 next in impoilance, instead of tirst. Years 

 have passed since then, but I feel just the 

 same still when 1 am kept away from these 

 meetings. 



We have been having quite a dry time 

 here. Our wells and cisterns were needing 

 rain. The Ohio Fish Comm'ss'oners have just 

 notified me that they would send me my 

 carp so as to reach here JSIonday evening. 

 On Saturday it began to rain, and the little 

 puddle in the deepest part of the carp-pond, 

 that I was afraid would not hold my fish 

 safely, began to deepen. Just before meet- 

 ing time (our weekly prayer-meeting for the 

 older folks is between two aiul three o'clock 

 on Saturday afternoon) I tiiought 1 would 

 take a turn down to the pond, and see how 

 it was filling up. It was filling uj) beauti- 

 fully; but to my consternation I discovered 

 ! a leak near the outlet. I had just time be- 

 fore me to get a little pail of V»ran and stir it 

 in the water, in hopes to sto]) it, but it did 

 no good. It needed a wheelbarrowful of 

 yellow clay, well tramped all around the 

 curb arranged for the overflow. If I stopped 

 to do that it would take the hour for prayer- 

 meeting. Former experience convinced me 

 that my only safe way was to be on the spot, 

 and direct how it was to be done, or it 



