438 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



May 15. 



want, or of having been able in tliis way to fur- 

 ther the cause of Christ I A professor, who was 

 called "the students" friend." because of his 

 helpful kindness, was one day walking with 

 one of his pupils when they came across the 

 shoes of a poor man wlio \v"as working in the 

 field near by. "Let us hide them, and have 

 some fun," said the student. " No! that 

 wouldn't do," replied his friend. "We must 

 never amuse ourselves at the expense of the 

 suffering of others. You are rich. Suppose 

 you put a crown piece in each of the shoes, and 

 then we will hide ourselves and see what the 

 poor man will do." This was done. Presently 

 the poor laborer came from the field, and, find- 

 ing his shoes, put his foot into one of thein. but. 

 feeling some hai'd substance there, quickly re- 

 moved it and took out the crown. Looking 

 about in surprise, and seeing no one. he put it in 

 his pocket. When he went to put on his other 

 shoe, he found the othei' ci'own. Tiiis was too 

 much for him. and he fell upon his kn(>es and 

 thanked God for the unknown giver who had 

 thus lightened his burdens, for now Mary, his 

 sick wife, could have the medicines she so much 

 needed, and his starving children could have 

 bread. The young man was deeply affected, 

 tears stood in his eyes. "Now." said tlie pro- 

 fessor, "are you not lietter pleased than if you 

 had played your inUMulet! trick?" "O dearest 

 sirl" answei'ed the youth, "yon have taught 

 me a lesson I shall never foi'get. I feel now the 

 truth of the woixls which I never before under- 

 stood— 'It is moi'e blessed to giv(> than to re- 

 ceive.' " We can not always stand by and see the 

 goodwedo; but {nxl knows, and his ministering 

 angels come at his bidding and touch our hearts 

 with joy. It is then that we feel the blessed- 

 ness of giving. It is then that we understand 

 what men mean wh'^n they tell us that it is a 

 lit. r K.ry io give. Men havci sometimes said, at 

 the close of life, that they would give all they 

 were worth if they only knew that they had 

 been the means of saving a single soul. Do not 

 wait, but give now, as the Lord has prosjiered 

 you. and you can know it. Every dollar you 

 give toward your own chui'ch conlribntes to 

 tliat end. When you iiave given ninety dollars 

 to foreign mission^, you have fui'ni^hed the 

 means of bi'inging oiu' soul into the kingdom. 

 Will not tlu! glory be yours? Give forty dollars 

 to sustain a Bible- reader one year, and who 

 can tell the number of souls you may save? 

 "A cup of cold water, given in the name of a 

 disciple, shall not lost> its reward." A little 

 child gave an abandoned woman a flower that 

 reminded herof home and brought her at length 

 to Chi'ist. You pray for the jnosperity of Zibn, 

 but "prepaid prayers" are the best.' Letters 

 in large numbers reach the dead-letter office 

 because they are not prepaid. Is not this the 

 reason why so many of our prayers go astray, 

 and we receive no answer back? It would 

 make a good i)i-overb. if it is not already one: 

 " He prays best who pays best." The wo- 

 man who cast in her two mites; Mary, who 

 anointed her Lord's feet; Sarah Hosmer, the 

 factory woman of Lowell, who five times gave 

 fifty dollars that Nestoria might have the gos- 

 p 'I, herself living in an attic: these are among 

 the number who have felt the blessedness of 

 giving, and whose prayers ilse like sweet in- 

 cens(^ unto God. • 



But what if you receive no return in kind. 

 and do not realize the blessedness of giving? Is 

 there no rewaid? To be sui-e. if yon give in 

 th(» right spirit, great will be the return, and 

 the reward of blessedness, in the woi'ld to come, 

 "(riving to tlu^ Lord," some one has said, "is 

 btit transporting your goods to a higher floor." 

 We sometimes speak of the "surprises of heav- 

 en." I believe the greatest surprise will be to 



find how much Christ esteems the little deed, 

 the little gift, in his name. " He that receivetli 

 you receiveth me." "Inasmuch as ye have 

 done it unto one of the least of these my breth- 

 ren, ye have done it unto me." A poor man. 

 passing homeward one night, pitied a poor sol- 

 dier shivering in his sentry-box because of the 

 int<'nse cold, and pulled off his overcoat and 

 gave it to him, and started home on a run. 

 When, not long after, the poor man lay upon 

 his death-l)ed, he had a vision of Jesus one 

 night. " Why I'" he exclaimed in surprise, "you 

 have my coat on," "Yes!" the Master replied, 

 "it is the coat yon lent me that cold night 

 when I was on duty and you passed by. I was 

 naked, and ye clothed me." Christ has refer- 

 ence to this future blessedness when he says: 

 " Wlien thou makest a feast, call the poor, the 

 maimed, the lame, the blind; and thou shalt 

 be blessed; for they can not recompense thee; 

 for thou shalt be recom])ensed at the resurrec- 

 tion of the just." Paul has reference to this 

 when he says to Timothy: "Charge them that 

 are rich in this world , , , . that they do 

 good, that they be rich in good works, ready to 

 distribute, willing to communicate, laying up 

 in store for themselves a good foundation 

 against the time to come, that they may lay 

 hold on eternal life." "They/)((i)e their re- 

 ward," Christ said of certain oiies; but it is true 

 of him who gives in the spirit of Christ, that his 

 greatest reward is to come. To use the words 

 of another. ■• If a man gives to have the repu- 

 tation of giving, he commonly gets that repu- 

 tation. He ought to be satisHed. He has given 

 for a certain reward, and has received it. He 

 has no more right to look for another reward 

 hereafter, than^ a man who sells a barrel of flour 

 for an agreed price has to look for a vote of 

 thanks or a pi'<'sent of honey from the family 

 using the flour. One thing or the otinn- — cash 

 or credit — when you make a sale. If you get 

 the cash, the account is balanced — closed. But 

 if you look for nothing now. and receive noth- 

 ing now, you may expect a return by and by. 

 There's all the difference here lietween selliiig 

 grain and planting grain. Selling grain for 

 cash, you get your return at once. Planting 

 grain, you look for your return in the harvest. 

 What you i)uiy out of sight of men. in your 

 quiet and trustful giving, God watches and 

 cares for. and will give an increase to. which 

 shall whiten the field before you." 



Ben Adam had a golden coin one day. 

 Which he put out at uiterest with "a Jew. 



Yeai' after year, awaiting- him, it lay. 

 Until the doubled coin two pieces grew. 



And these two. foui — soon, till people said, 

 "How rich Ben Adam is!" and bowed the servile 

 liead. 



But Selim iiad a golden coin that day, 

 Wliicli to a slrang-er asking- alms lie g-ave, 



WIk) went rejoicing- on liis unknown way. 

 Ben Selini died, too iKK)r to own a grave; 



But wlien liissoul i-eaclied lieaven, ang'els witli pride 

 Sliowed him tlie wealtli to wliicli liiscoin had nud- 

 ti plied. 



SOME KIND WORDS IN GOOD EARNEST. 



"ox Till-: FKNCK, KTC. 



Mr. Bno^:— We have just received our new number 

 of (iLKAMNOS. 1 liave i-ead youi' beautifid and 

 masterly article. '"Thou God seest me." 1 iie^er 

 i-ead an,\' thing- lilie tliose articles. 1 think perhai)s 

 you yoniself do not ai>preciate liow unique in liteia- 

 tiu-e they are. I also hope' you are taking- the pi-e- 

 eantion of saving- copies of nil of them. I j-hould 

 tliink tliey iiaixt In- called for, to be ))nblislied in hook 



