476 



Stirring address to our large Sunday-school; 

 and among other things he told of that inci- 

 dent of meeting your liumble servant in the 

 car on that eventful day. Please do not 

 think when I refer to these "happy sur- 

 prises" during my busy life that I wish to 

 boast of what I have done. It was not /. It 

 was the Lord Jesus Christ that took me, a 

 poor stumbling and blundering sinner, and 

 led me and pointed out the way for the 

 work he has had for nie to do. If you will 

 put your hand in his, and say, "Here, 

 Lord, am I, send me," he will use you in a 

 like manner to bless and help hujuanity. 

 In going back to a copy of Gleanings 

 printed in December, 1887, I am reminded 

 of the "baptism" I had received just an 

 hour or two before I i^lead so earnestly with 

 friend Hilton. I^et me make an extract 

 from Our Homes in that journal, page 951: 



I was ready to start home; but for certain reasons 

 I wished to purchase a ticket at first only to a 

 neighboring city, and I asked the agent how much 

 It was. He said #3.35. 1 gave him four paper dol- 

 lars. The train was ready to start, and he hurriedly 

 handed me a silver dollar, half a dollar, a dime, 

 and a nickel. In my haste I came pretty near not 

 counting it; but when I got the silver dollar in my 

 fingers, and held it up, it occurred to me that I 

 ought not to have a whole dollar back in change. 

 In other words, he had made a blunder. Now, £ 

 am ashamed to say it; taut I guess 1 had better 

 acknowledge that self suggested putting all the 

 change in my pocket, without telling him. I be- 

 lieve I have boasted several times that the "al- 

 mighty dollar " never tempted me from the path 

 of duty; but there I was, actually coveting that 

 bright round silver dollar that I knew was not my 

 own. I did not hold it in my fingers, I presume, a 

 whole second, but in that second, self (or Satan) 

 whispered, "You must have misunderstood him. 

 He probably said S2.35." Then came the thought, 

 " Why did he not give me back one of the paper 

 dollars I gave him ?" But self put in again, "There 

 Is not time to bother with it now, anyhow; besides, 

 it is 7ms business— not yours. You gave him the 

 money, and he gave you back what you ought to 

 have." Self seemed to get a little bolder here, and 

 added, "Your expenses on this long trip will be 

 larger, doubtless, rather than less than you had 

 calculated; better hurry up, or you will lose the 

 train." I can not tell even now, dear friends, why 

 such thoughts should have come into my mind. It 

 seems, as I think of it, that it was a remnant of that 

 old life before I belonged to Christ .lesus. Then I 

 used to have such temjitations, and I used to yield 

 to them, too, thinking, poor silly fellow ! that I was 

 adding to my stock of this world's goods. Why, it 

 made me fairly tremble as I reflected of a professor 

 of religion, and one who even presumes to point 

 out the way for others, listening to such sugges- 

 tions as the above. I do not know how long It took 

 for me to recoil with my whole nature, and bid 

 these evil thoughts be down and away, as I would 

 speak to some ill mannered cur that, with muddy 

 feet, might try to spring up and soil my clothes. I 

 said, mentally, "Get thee behind me, Satan; do 

 you suppose I am so silly as as to think I could be 

 happy with a dollar that is really not my own— a 

 dollar for which I have rendered no equivalent? 

 For shame !" 



I believe it was Moody who once said that no 

 man could be a Christian, with a single dollar in 

 his pocket that belonged to somebody else; and I 

 believe we should have better Christians if there 

 were more who felt convinced of this. If this be so, 

 you had better miss a hundred trains; nay, you 

 had better lose even your life, than to go off coolly 

 and deliberately with only a single dollar in your 

 pocket that is not justly your own. "What shall it 

 profit a man If he gain the whole world and lose 

 his own soul ?" 



" My friend, I gave you only four dollars," said I. 



He looked at me, somewhat embarrassed; and as 

 I showed him the change which he had given me 

 back, he took the dollar and colored a little to 

 think I had caught him, a ticket-agent, in such a 



Gleanings in Bee Culture 



blunder. I thought if he could forgive me, I could 

 forgive him; and I took great pleasure in remark- 

 ing to him that I did not want a dollar belonging 

 to anybody else; and with a good-natured smile I 

 suggested that "mistakes will happen," etc. He 

 caught my eye, and his face brightened. The 

 happy look that shone forth from my face seemed 

 to have touched his spirit just right; and who 

 knows but that the glimpse of sunlight went along 

 with him as well as along with me ? As I thought 

 It over, it occurred to me that possibly God was 

 trying me as he tried Abraham of old. Is it not 

 possible that he is waiting and watching for men 

 that he can trust ? Who knows but that he has: 

 been saying, "I have a great deal of work for Mr. 

 Root to do for me, and I want to be sure that he 

 can resist temptation "? You know he said to 

 Abraham, " For now I know that thou fearest God." 

 This trial, however, was but a preface to another. 



It woukl seem that the dear Savior thought 

 that the above test of my integrity was 

 hardly sufficient, for I had another oiie on 

 that same day. Read the following, a little 

 further along after the above extract: 



A few minutes more, and I was almost startled 

 when the agent of one of the great union ticket- 

 offices handed me tuo silver dollars more than I 

 ought to have. I felt glad in my heart, however, 

 to find there was not even the faintest trace of a 

 desire to keep them. If Satan made just a little 

 impression the other time, he didn't a bit here; 

 a id with it came the feeling, "This money all be- 

 longs to the Master, and not myself." So long as 

 he supplies me with all I want and all I need, why 

 should I covet any thing? Oh, the unsearchable 

 riches of those who have their whole trust in the 

 resources of Him who is Lord of all ! 



It was just after these two tests that I met 

 Mr. Hilton, as mentioned above. And, by 

 the way, let me call si)ecial attention to that 

 statement by D. L. bloody, that "no man 

 can be a Christian who is conscious of hav- 

 ing a single dollar in his pocket that belongs; 

 to somebody else." Remember what David 

 said: "Create in me a clean heart, O Lord, 

 and renew a right si)irit within me." And 

 then he adds, a little further on, ''Then 

 shall I be able to teach transgressors thy 

 way, and sinners shall be converted unto 

 thee." 



Neither I myself nor anybody else in this 

 whole wide world can lead our friends into 

 the unsearchable riches of a working Chris- 

 tian life until he has received that baptism 

 of the Holy Spirit that comes from being 

 honest, just, and fair, and cherishing love 

 toward all our fellow-men. I do not know 

 w'hose eyes are resting on these pages and 

 taking in the words that I write; but re- 

 member, dear sister and brother, that, just 

 as sure as you yield to the temptation to 

 grasp and hold fast to the things of this 

 world, beyond what is fairly and justly your 

 due, just so far will you cut yourself off 

 from the treasures laid \\\) in heaven. 



May the Lord be i)raised that such a man 

 as our friend Hilton was permitted to live 

 and bless, not only our circle of l>ee-keepers, 

 but the whole United States. And now, 

 dear friends, when the time comes for you 

 to go, M'ill the world be able to say consist- 

 ently about you what I have been saying 

 about our dear departed friend ? 



After the above was handed to the print- 

 ers we received a kind letter from Bro. York, 

 who ])aid him a brief visit a few hours be- 

 fore his death. From that letter I extract 

 the following : 



