1802 



CLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



()27 



MTV tlioughts. SdiinMiiiu's \vi' say. "Oil if all 

 tlu' world wt-ri' honest!" ami of late a sjood 

 niany sccin to he fciiiafUahiy fond of dwcllinfj: 

 on tilt' (lislnmcstii of tlu- wofltl. Tlicy say. 

 '• Talk is dioap: but whi'ii a man gots a e'liancc, 

 soe how iinirkly ho l(Ms out tlio sccrot that the 

 almJKlity d»)llar is as dear to him as it is to the 

 rest of ns." Vou have ln'ard this soilof talk. 

 no doubt; and folks jeer at (hfistianity because 

 it claims that its toliowers are honest, or, at 

 least, more honest than people who make no 

 pfofession. Well, now, dear friend (I mean you 

 will) lack faith in a (Jod above, and in a here- 

 after for huniaiiity). I want yon to take a look 

 at this individual" who, ages "ago. uttered this 

 prayer. IVrhaps I can not prove to you that 

 tills prayer was utteretl while he was nUnic in 

 his vliisi'i. or away olY in the fields, under (5od"s 

 clear sky: but I know ihal iik my prayers have 

 been uttered under such circumstances. I know 

 it. because I have prayed in real earnest in just 

 that way. | 



Let us now consider a human being or indi- 

 vidual who. away ott' by himself, has honest 

 longings to be so upright and honest and true 

 that he can lift his heart to heaven and use 

 these words: " Let the words of my mouth and 

 the meditation of iny heart." While he breathes 

 these words he believef< that God hears them. 

 Why, there is not a bit of doubt of It. Whoever 

 used those words in prayer felt as certain of the 

 existence of the God above as he did of his own 

 existence. There are wonderful things in crea- 

 tion, and the most wonderful thing I know of 

 Is humanity. There is no humbug or mistake 

 about it. We are here in this world. All these 

 strange things about ourselves that we have 

 learned by experience are true. We are sinful, 

 we are erring, we are ignorant. Why. we strike 

 the boundary of our wisdom at almost every 

 move. Jdo not know; nobody knows — that is, 

 no person knows. God knows, but «'e do not. 

 He who created us, and framed the heavens 

 with its myriads of worlds, knows all about 

 these things. We are just getting a little 

 glimpse of electricity, and we are climbing 

 higher. Every day reveals new wonders. Why, 

 who could have supposed that all these things 

 were all round about us, right by our sides, for 

 ages past, and we did not know it? We were 

 too stupid. No, stupid is not the word. Hu- 

 manity has been in its infancy; and, for that 

 matter, it is in its infancy now. God knows, 

 but we do not. It seems to me that this con- 

 ception of liod is a right one. It is not all of it. 

 of course; for God made us. and he loiies us, 

 the creation of his own hands. He has great 

 plans in store for us, just as an earthly father 

 has plans in store for his chrldren. One of the 

 pleasant things in our neighborhood is to see 

 Ernest take his little boy, a year and a half old. 

 on his wheel. A dainty little seat, of nickel 

 and st«el, is made on the front part of the 

 machine. The little fellow claps his hands and 

 crows with delight when his father starts off 

 to show him something of the great world. He 

 is not a bit afraid, for his father's arms are 

 right beside him— each side of him, for that 

 matter; and if he knows (tny thing in this little 

 world, this short svorld of his, he knows of his 

 piipd's love. He looks up at hinf other wonder- 

 ingly, and he looks out upon the world wonder- 

 ingly: and he enjoys it all, because it speaks, 

 even to his little mind, of greater and more 

 wonderful things yet to be learned. Every d/iy 

 is a new experience. I verily believe every day 

 is to him a new deWjIit. The Bible teaches us 

 of God the Father; and so does this nmverse 

 about us teach us of God the Father. Why did 

 he take so much pains, and place us at the }iead 

 of it all, if he hadn't some loving plan for us? 

 Why, if it were not for humanity, for "our- 



selves and our neighbors." if yon choose, there 

 would be no (itidiiHcc to this gn-at play that Is 

 going on — the play on earth and the play in the 

 heavens— an i()irc(/.si;((/ play. What would you 

 tiiink of some people or somebody who would 

 get up some great show without any (>x|)ecta- 

 tion of having anybody to see it? Think of the 

 World's Exposition, if ourselves and our neigh- 

 bors, jiooc of us, wen^ expected togol \Vell, a 

 universe without people would be like that; 

 and we see the plan unfolding, exactly as little 

 Leland sees the plan unfolding. When that 

 litlli' nickel-i)lat(>d seat was purchased and first 

 exhibited to his infantile gaze, he hadn't much 

 comprehension of what it was for. But he 

 caught on very cpiickly, I tell you; and we 

 should be stupid and dull if we didn't catch on 

 in something the same way. Now for the 

 prayer— a prayer to Go(Z.. What follows? Why, 

 not only the words that are s[)oken, but the 

 very thoughts of this petitioner, he wishes to 

 be such as may be acceptable in the sight of 

 this great Ruler of the wide universe. What a 

 grand conception! Even if the text ended there, 

 it would be one of the most beautiful and in- 

 spiring of the whole Bible. But after these 

 wonderful words comes a confession of loving 

 faith. This individual, who has had disheart- 

 ening experiences, closes his petition with a few 

 brief words that of themselves reveal wonders 

 — "O Lord, my strength and my redeemer." 

 Already in life he has become so disgusted and 

 disheartened with his ouni strength, and with 

 his own wisdom, that he counts it as nothing 

 compared with the strength from on high. His 

 feeble human strength is not to be counted — 

 not even to be placed in the scale. All that is 

 worth counting or considering is the strength 

 that has been given again and again from the 

 great Father above — "My stremjih and my 

 redeemer." And that word "redeemer" holds 

 in itself another revelation. The one who 

 prays has been lost; but the Father has redeem- 

 ed him. and lifted him up. He has been bought 

 with a price; and I am sure that, as the words 

 come from his lips, they come lovingly. There 

 is music in the very word. Did you ever, my 

 friend, in your life speak somebody's name 

 again and again to yourself? Perhaps you 

 wrote it and tore the paper up and threw it 

 away. You loved to speak even the name of 

 the one so dear to your lieart; you loved to see 

 it written, and it gave your blood a new im- 

 pulse as it coursed through your veins. Well, 

 that is proper and right — it ought to be so. even 

 if it were the name of some poor mortal like 

 yourself. But when your faith is such that you 

 feel a thrill of joy as you utter the words of 

 prayer with something like the words of our 

 closing text, oh! I tell you, you are then on the 

 road from earth to heaven; nay, more: while 

 one foot stands on the earth, the other, 1 might 

 almost say, is in heaven already. 



How many times we lament that humanity 

 is so divided ! We lament that, while one pulls 

 one way, somebody else pulls in the opposite, 

 and so nothing is accomplished. Yes, the same 

 state of affairs is sometimes seen in churches, 

 and even in Sunday-schools; and you say. in 

 real discouragement. " Oh if people would only 

 be agreed — i f Christians would be agreed ! Why, 

 if all Christians in tlie world would pull all to- 

 gether in one direction, the millenium would 

 be here, almost, already." What shall be done 

 — what can be done to cure people from pulling 

 for self while they at the same time try to make 

 believe they are pulling for the common good 

 ofhumanity? Now. do you see the point? If you, 

 my friend, utter the words of my text as your 

 prayer, and I utter it as my prayer — an honest 

 prayer, you know — why. we shall be working 

 and praying in the same line. Our aspirations 



