1891 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



17<i 



neod of a niacliiiiist I talked with him more 

 than I usually do, and his manner and appear- 

 ance pleased me so well that I set him at work. 

 He did not use tobacco nor iuul language, and 

 was not intemperate. His brief history illus- 

 trates the i)oint I iuive mentioned in my open- 

 ing remarks (that our temptations are unlike). 

 He seenu'd to be a steady, faithful man: but 

 before he had been with us many weeks I 

 lieai'd he was boi'rowing nuiney of the hands, 

 and getting into ilcht for things around town. 

 Then somebody said he was going to get mar- 

 I'ied, and bring his wife to our place. Well, 

 about a week ago he d'ul get married, and he 

 married a girl (or child i'atin>r) only fourteen 

 years old. In order to get a license he took 

 oath that she was of age, and he is now in our 

 county jail for perjury. Almost as soon as he 

 cann* among us, some of our hands found out 

 he was not a Christian: but he seemed so good 

 luitured, however, and willing to join iu every 

 thing good, that, before tli(> event mentioned 

 above, iie had united with one of oiir Medina 

 chui'clies. When I visited liiin in jail he was 

 bowed down with grief and shann\ He put his 

 head on my shoulder. an<l wei)t so he could 

 hardly si)eak. I told him he could give b(>tter 

 jjroof of his penitenc<'. if it were raiUy genuine, 

 b\' drojjping the past and turning in rca? ear- 

 iwst to Christ .J<'sns for \n'\\). I assured him 

 that the Bible promise, " Come unto me, all ye 

 that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give 

 yon rest." was ti'ue in every minute ])articnlar, 

 and that it was open to every hunuin being, un- 

 der all circumstances, and eKiiccidlly to the 

 sinner. But I told him there was no help from 

 Christ Jesns, nor from his friends here in Me- 

 dina, unless he told the honest s<iH(irc truth 

 from beginning to end. He ijromised most 

 earnestly to do so. He had been engaged to 

 the young woman for only three or four months, 

 and I asked him why he could not wait until 

 she was of proper age. He reidied that he 

 thought so much of her that he could not bear 

 to be away from hi'r, and that most of the 

 money he had borrowed w as to hire livery rigs 

 to go and see her. And yet at this time he had 

 ])(>en i^tying at least smnc attention to two or 

 more young women here in Medina. He said 

 he did not think of there lieing any thing par- 

 ticularly wrong about it. Now, boys, I w ant to 

 say a word to you right on this point. The 

 man or boy who is engaged to some giil or 

 woman should Ix^have himself toward all other 

 women exactly as if he were married. Of all 

 the solemn engagements in this world, none 

 should be held more solemn and sacred than 

 the pi'omise between two to become man and 

 wife. God sees as the world does not see: and 

 he who resists not evil in this line will surely 

 rei)ent it. " Whatsoexcr a man soweth, that 

 shall he also reap." The relation between man 

 and wife is sacred and holy, and the vengeance 

 of a just God will conn' down on the head of 

 him who trifles with this relation. Let me 

 whisper to my young friends of both sexes, to 

 be careful and cautious about making these en- 

 gagements, as perhai)S nothing else in this 

 world can so seriously aflfect one's whole life. 

 But after having once made it, let it be a sa- 

 cred and solemn comijact made before God. It 

 is a serious thing foi' anybody to triHe with 

 .such an engagement: but ten times nnire so to 

 the one who professes to be a Christian. 



I next spoke to onr young friend about his 

 habit of borrowing money from people on short 

 acquaintance. Let me put in a warning also, 

 in regard to foolish extravagance and its at- 

 tendant, getting into debt, or borrowing money. 

 Of course, there are circumstances whei'e it is 

 right and proper to borrow; but for one who is 

 supporting himself by daily wages, and who is 



liable to have his income suddenly cut off by 

 sickness or other vicissitude, to bori'ow mon(^y 

 for the purchase of things he could get along 

 without, is not only folly, but it is sinful: and 

 it is also wrong to lend money to such a one. 

 There are more or less of these shortsighted, 

 foolish individuals in every community, and 

 when pay-day or Saturday night comes', these 

 individuals are always wanting to borrow from 

 their comrades. Believ(> me when I tell yon it 

 is a Christian duty and a kindm\ss to such to 

 speak right out scpiai'dy, " No, sir. I liave no 

 right to lend you this money, and you have no 

 right to borrow it." Such a reproof is the kind- 

 est service you can do them. I kiujw it'is not 

 always taken as a kindness: but I can look 

 back now, and thank from the bottom of my 

 heart the friends of my boyhood who were 

 friendly euoiKjIi to refuse me, and to point out 

 to me the folly of my request. Now, do not 

 think unkindly of the one who refuses to lend 

 you money or to tiust you for goods. Very 

 likely he is not only the wisest but the very 

 best friend you have. 



I told this young friend I felt sui'e that this 

 was a bad habit that had grown upon him little 

 by little. I do not like to compare sins: but 

 giving way to such a temi)tation is perhaps 

 fully as damaging on community as either 

 sw<'aring, tobacco, or whisky. He declared to 

 me that he had never been guilty of this sin be- 

 foi-e he came to our town— that "he was sqnai-e 

 with the world, and owed no man except in 

 Medina: in shoit, that he had resisted the Dev- 

 il until he came among us. I could not believe 

 it all. Sins like these are invariably of slow 

 gi-owth. The seed must first be ' planted, 

 and the we(>ds allowed to grow for at least a 

 time before it icsults in open crime. He de- 

 clared to me most positively, when I asked him 

 the question i)oint blank, that he had never 

 been mai'ried in his life, and had never been en- 

 gaged, even, to any woman before his engage- 

 ment and make-believe marriage with this 

 child. I say "make-believe:" for he was ai'- 

 rested within a short time after the ceremony 

 was performed, and the girl was sent home to 

 her parents, with the information that she was 

 not a married woman at all— that the marriage 

 was null and void. I was greatly astonished to 

 hear, when he came to be examined, that he 

 has a wife living in an adjoining State. Now, 

 notwithstanding my eainest talk— notwith- 

 standing his earnest ijrotestations that he was 

 trusting in Christ Jesus, he had not he courage 

 to confess to me the whole truth. 



Although this young friend did not tell me so, 

 I am afraid he has not been resisting the Devil: 

 and the evil one did not come to him through to- 

 bacco nor strong drink, nor, perhaps, an uncon- 

 trollable temper. But for all that, the result was 

 just the same. O friends, I wish I could im- 

 press upon you the importance of resisting Sa- 

 tan's whispei'ings at the very outset; and be- 

 lieve nn'. I beg of you, wheni tell yon that he 

 M'f,// flee from you if you only hold 07 i. Don't 

 give up: don't become tired: don't say, " I can't 

 stand it any longer." These trials are the 

 turning-point between life and death. They 

 settle the (piestion h< tween light and darkness 

 — betw(M'n sorrow and joy, and grief and glad- 

 ness. These struggles with sin are for your 

 own good. They will woi-k out nlorious things 

 for you if you only overcome. You can not be 

 great and good, and \\ ise to hel]) others, unless 

 you resist and hold on. Stand steady and be 

 brave, until the evil one lets go his hold and 

 gives up and says. " That chajj is bound to be 

 good. He is so firmly planted on the rock 

 Christ Jesns that we might as well give him 

 up." And then, oh what joy comes to the jioor 

 l)ersecnted sinner when Satan flees away I 



