:2r>4 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Apr. 



kind letters received, the following is writ- 

 ten in such an excellent Christian spirit 

 that I have thought best to give place to it 

 here. May God give us all the grace that 

 seems to dwell in the heart of brother 

 Whitney ! 



Dear Brother Root:— I have been pleased and edi- 

 fied many times, in reading your articles In 

 Gleakings, and wish you much success in your 

 good work. Your earnest and liberal efforts to les- 

 sen the use of tobacco are doing much good, for 

 which we have great reason to be thankful. Hav- 

 ing been some sixty years trying to serve our Lord 

 Christ, I am happy to find a comrade so efficient in 

 the good cause. You aie right iti urging us to con- 

 sult the will of God. and obey it in all things. Do- 

 ing that, we can safely and quietly leave all things 

 to his dispo.=al, assured that all shall be well. But 

 my object in the present writing is to call your at- 

 tention to one instance in which you do not seem to 

 be as clear as usual, and to try to help you out a 

 little in the Master's woi-k. 



In Gleanings, pages 18—20, we have a friendly 

 interchange of religious views between Mrs. Chad- 

 dock and yourself. On her part she represents 

 fairly the form of religious faith and worship iu 

 which (notwithstanding her disclaimer) it is evident 

 that her education began, many .vears before she 

 was born. I suppose your numerous cares and in- 

 tense activity in practical affairs have hindered 

 you from giving so much attention to the subjects 

 introduced as their importance really demands. 

 Now, I would not have you think that I am some 

 clergyman or professor of theology. I am only a 

 plain mechanic, with vei-y little chance for educa- 

 tion, and have worked hard for a living. But iu the 

 intervals of work I have studied religion; and I 

 thinking, perhaps, I can help you a little about the 

 theory of it, as you do me about the practice. 



The morality of the gospel is certainly the purest 

 and best that can be found on earth; and it is urg- 

 ed upon us with the highest concei%'abie sauctions. 

 But its morality is not, after all, its most peculiar 

 and distinctive characteristic. Other religions 

 claim and teach more or less of the same excel- 

 lence. There are plenty of religious systems that 

 would make a man stop swearing and beating his 

 wife, and yet may leave him with such a spirit of 

 selfishness that, if he should be admitted to the 

 New Jerusalem, the city would need an extra po- 

 lice force to px-otect the pavement of its streets. 

 They may go much further than this, and teach 

 him to be honest in his dealings, and to be as con- 

 scientious and devout as the Pharisee in Luke 18:11, 

 and yet not be a Christian. The doctrine of Christ 

 is, "Ye must be born again." That is, man is so 

 utterly lost and ruined by sin that no reformation 

 or good works or religious rites or offerings or ser- 

 vices can save him. Already dead in sin, he must 

 perish unless he shall receive a new divine life 

 from God. This doctrine is not readily received by 

 men, and they have devised many ways to discred- 

 it and evade it. All false religions and all corrupt 

 forms of what is called Christianity occupy them- 

 selves with scht mes to set it aside and substitute 

 something more acceptable, and many are ready to 

 follow them. Our Lord knew all this, and more. 

 He knew how liable words are to change their 

 meaning with the different opinions and customs of 

 men, and how liable a disagreeable doctrine would 

 be to be misunderstood and modified to suit the 



popular opinion, and so he did all that could be 

 done to guard against such a tendency. He re- 

 peated the statement on many occasions and in a 

 variety of forms in his own words, and in the words 

 of his apostles; and in addition to that he com- 

 manded that each convert should submit to a cer- 

 tain rite, or ordinance, which should represent by 

 action that he was dead and buried, and raised to a 

 new life— an act that could not well be misunder- 

 stood, nor change its meaning as words do, but 

 should in all times and places and tongues declare, 

 ■'The Christian is one who was dead and is alive 

 again." I know full well thi.t many men reject the 

 doctrine, and so reject or change the ordinance; 

 and that some do the latter, and still hold the doc- 

 trine, but that is their affair not mine. I am speak- 

 ing only to our text, " Fear God and keep his com- 

 mandments; " and to enable you the more readily 

 too see whether I have faithfully declared his com- 

 mandments on the subject of baptism I will ask you 

 to read Christ's commission in the last chapter of 

 Matthew and Mark, also the book of Acts, chapters 

 2, 8, 9, 10, 15, 16, 18, 22, 24 ; Romans 6 : 4; or, by the use 

 of a concordance, examine each reference bj- it- 

 self. B. Whitney. 

 Kahway, N. J., Jan. U, 1888. 



There is not very much daiigei' that any 

 human being will goto too great an extreme 

 in keeping tlie first coinmandinent. God 

 should be lirst and foremost: and to him. 

 and him only, are we to bow in reverence. 

 I do believe it is possible, however, for 

 one to dwell on this first commandment to 

 such an extent as to overlook or forget oth- 

 er duties and responsil)ilities. 1 knew one 

 individual who would neglect his work, and 

 go off and pray, when I think lie would have 

 honored Christ more by doing his work 

 faithfully and well, with his whole energy, 

 leaving his devotions, as a rule, for morning 

 or evening or noon time. 



In the same way, perhaps no one ever 

 went to too great a length in forbearing to 

 take God's name in vain, although I have 

 known some young men who took great 

 pride in the fact that they never used an 

 oath in their lives. In fact, they paraded 

 this virtue whenever opportunity offered. 

 So you see that even in this matter reason 

 and common sense should guide us. We 

 might be tempted to think, in the same liue, 

 that no one ever kept the Sabbath day too 

 holy. But most of us have seen instances 

 where one had a foolish regard for the Sab- 

 bath. Some years ago a small cyclone blew 

 down the trees and fences so that people 

 had hard work to get home from church. 

 One of our deacons stopped his carriage, 

 pulled off his coat, and pulled the cross-cut 

 saw until they could get the tree out of the 

 way so the biiggy could pass. AVhen they 

 got through they found the fences blowii 

 down to such an extent that stock was roam- 

 ing at large through the grain and crops. 

 He did not put on his coat. l)ut worked hard 

 to put up the fences and in putting the stock 

 into stables or pens all tliat Sunday after- 

 noon. Well, if it was right in that case to 

 work on Sunday to save property, why is it 

 not right to get' in grain when losses jiist as 

 great would happen by letting it stay out 

 exposed to the gtormV Yoix see, friends. 



