1899 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE 



disguise. The Christian doctors gave him 

 Christian treatment and Christian advice. He 

 did not suffer amputation, and perhaps many 

 would not know that he wcs a cripple. One 

 text that gave him great comfort at this time 

 was, "The Lord knoweth how to deliver the 

 godly out of temptation." But in answer to 

 this, Satan would keep putting in "But you 

 are not godly; you are not one of his." If I 

 am correct, these events happened some years 

 ago; but the writer says he thinks he could 

 hear these voices at any time, even now, if he 

 were to call them back; and this illustrates 

 once more how evil habits or bad associations 

 cling to a man all his life. I wrote, imploring 

 him, for God's sake, not to touch, taste, or 

 handle this thing any more. 



Now in regard to the latter of these two 

 texts. Spiritism, and, in fact, all other isms 

 (including the new ones), almost always start 

 out by claiming they are in full accord with 

 the Bible. Of course, they will tell you that 

 the Bible has always been misunderstood, and 

 that their doctrine is the first thing that has 

 ever come up that really took the Scriptures 

 just as they mean. Then they quote extracts 

 from the Bible, and make things appear ex- 

 ceedingly plain, honest, and right. It is in- 

 deed astonishing to see with what subtile in- 

 genuity Satan puts on an appearance of being 

 a good man. Why, he actually loves right- 

 eousness, and hales iniquity from the very bot- 

 tom of his heart. No wonder that young peo- 

 ple (and sometimes those who are old enough 

 to know better, also) are drawn into his 

 snares. But sooner or later you will run on 

 to something very much as our friend in his 

 touching story did. In Pilgrim's Progress 

 you will remember Christian was persuaded 

 there was a better path — not so many quag- 

 mires and difficulties to encounter. He found 

 the new path very plain and very plausible 

 for a time. Finally a great rock stood tower- 

 ing above his head; and when this rock began 

 to totter with hidden fires and rumblings he 

 was afraid. He told his deliverer he feared 

 the great rock would tumble down upon his 

 head; and then he retraced his steps and got 

 back into the straight and narrow path. So 

 it is with these new things. There may be 

 bad work with our established churches. Even 

 the dear Savior himself had one Judas in his 

 little company; but when somebody tries to 

 explain to you that there is a better way than 

 our orthodox churches, and a better rendering 

 of the Bible than our regular ministers of the 

 gospel understand, then you may be sure it is 

 Satan who has got hold of you, and that he 

 will, sooner or later, slip off his garment of 

 light, and betray the cloven hoof. How shall 

 we know when we are right ? do you ask ? 

 Consult your Bible, and kneel to God in pray- 

 er, just as our poor crippled friend did ; and 

 remember that the gospel of Christ Jesus nev- 

 er enjoined anybody to keep his religion all 

 to himself. Not only are we to hold fast to 

 our Bibles and to daily prayer, but we are com- 

 manded by the Scriptures to be on intimate 

 and friendly terms with our neighbors and 

 with our fellow-men. No man is safe who 

 does not confide to and be advised, at least to 



a certain extent, by his friends and neighbors. 

 I am satisfied, in fact, that it is really danger- 

 ous for anybody to have no intercourse or 

 counsel with his fellow-men. In troubles like 

 these, be sure to make some minister of the 

 gospel, say the pastor of the nearest church, 

 your friend and confidant. Your family phy- 

 sician, if he be a godly man, would come next; 

 and I do not know but I would make him a 

 friend and confidant — that is, to a certain ex- 

 tent — even if he did not happen to be all we 

 should like in the way of godliness and right- 

 eousness. May God help you, dear friend, to 

 beware of that great adversary to all humani- 

 ty, who really does go about as a roaring lion, 

 seeking whom he may devour. 



Before concluding this warning, permit me 

 to mention that, on one of my travels, I be- 

 came intimately acquainted with a man who, 

 I was told, was a great drinker. Just before 

 leaving him I broached the subject. He ad- 

 mitted it, and gave as an excuse that, years be- 

 fore, he became entangled with the spirits in 

 slate-writing. This I knew to be true, for I 

 knew of him. He said that nothing but drink 

 would drive them away, and that was why he 

 drank. In this case, if the remedy was not 

 worse than the disease, the disease must truly 

 have been a bad one. Should these words be 

 the means of holding out a kindly caution' to 

 any reader, young or old, to beware of this 

 thing that has entangled and broken down 

 thousands of some of our best intellects, then 

 I shall not have written in vain. 



ZION TABERNACLE AND LEAVES OF HEALING. 



Dr. Dowie seems to be getting beside him- 

 self. We notice by the Chicago Record that 

 he has recently been attacking Moody, and 

 calling him names after his fashion, and final- 

 ly wound up with a tirade of abuse against 

 his own people in Zion Tabernacle because 

 they did not hand over their tithes to Dowie 

 himself in a way he thinks they ought to do. 

 It almost seems as if Satan must be prompting 

 him when he- hurls epithets at everybody, 

 right and left, as he is hurling just now. The 

 only complaint that he has against Moody, so 

 far as I can gather, is that Moody has been 

 putting out a friendly hand toward the Roman 

 Catholic Church. And, by the way, some 

 very good Christian people have complained 

 because the Anti saloon League is joining 

 hands with the Roman Church in temperance 

 work. Perhaps these good people had better 

 remember what the Master said to his disciples 

 when one not a member of their own com- 

 pany was casting out devils. Jesus said, 

 " Forbid him not ; for there is no man which 

 shall do a miracle in my name, that can light- 

 ly speak evil of me. For he that is not against 

 us is on our part." 



I have just been reading your ' round up " of the 

 " heathen science " and electric frauds. You can not 

 hit them too hard. The Central Christian Advocate 

 still carries the Oxydonor and Electropoise adver- 

 tisements. C. F. Needham. 



Leavenworth, Kan , April 23. 



