1881 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTUKE. 



45 



seems to be bearing good fruit. I can not 

 say tliat any one of you really burned up a 

 bad peck measure literally, because of these 

 talks ; but great numbers have written me 

 that they had started with fresh vigor in 

 serving the Lord, and some few have turned 

 right about, and are leading new lives. A 

 few days ago a good friend wrote he was not 

 a ]irofessor of religion, and did not attend 

 Sabbath-school ; but his letter seemed to 

 say he was not very far off from the king- 

 dom. I wrote him briefly, and, if I am cor- 

 rect, then kneeled down and prayed God to 

 move his heart, for I felt then vividly what 

 a tremendous undertaking it is to get a full- 

 grown man to relimiuish his stand and sub- 

 mit to be led as a little child. I know he 

 wields a strong influence in his vicinity, and 

 so I was more deeply anxious. Here is a 

 postal from him, right under my hand. 



Friend 2? lo?:— Between you and my children, I am 

 "boxed." As I was on my way to Sunday school 

 Sunday morning-, I said to my oldest girl, "The next 

 thing after goi ting me in'^o your Sunday-school will 

 be getting me into your church." She very coolly 

 replied, "If the church can stand you, I think you 

 might stand the church!" 1 said nothing more 

 then; but before the close I had to give five dollars 

 towards a Christmas tree; and now they want $5.00 

 more for a library. What will a library for say 140 

 scholars cost with you— say 3, 3, 4, or 500 volumes in 

 neat book case? L. M. Shumaker. 



North Danville, Pitts. Co., Va., Dec. 14, 18S0. 



May the Lord bless that "oldest girl," 

 friend S., and all the rest too, as well as the 

 whole school. I felt like shouting glory as I 

 read the card ; and were it not one of my 

 besetting sins to get extravagant, at times, I 

 do not kn'ow but that I should have done so. 

 I do not sell the things you mention, but I 

 have desired two of the best publishers I 

 know of to do the best they can for you. 

 The work that is opening before you may 

 take some of the treasure you have laid up 

 here on earth ; but when you are on your 

 dying bed, takin;^ your last leave of these 

 kind friends, with all these Sabbath-school 

 scholars gathered about you, a crown of 

 glory will be yours, and the companionship 

 of angels will be yours, as you cross the 

 dark river. " Inasmuch as you have done it 

 unto one of the least of these, you have done 

 it unto me." 



Every time I get a letter from the friend 

 who next writes, I fall to wondering why I 

 could ever have done any thing that should 

 merit such kind words as he writes ; but at 

 the bottom of the letter I always tind the 

 well-known signature of our friend Parshall ; 

 and when I reflect that liis life seems, through 

 God, to have been the fruit of these Home 

 Tapers, I feel like shouting glory again. 



Now a word to you, brother Root I How I wait and 

 look for the first of the month to hear you talk, and 

 how it encourages me, and I feel like grabbing you 

 by the hand every time I read Our Homes. My 

 brothers have forced on me the office of class-lead- 

 er, besides Sunday-school superintendent, and your 

 kind words does me worlds of good. May God bless 

 and keep you, is my prayer. After reading the last 

 Homes, which I did before breakfast, 1 opened my 



Bible, as you spoke of " in the middle," and read 

 the 91st Psalm. Oh what blessed comfort and prom- 

 ise we find in that psalm! Read it; and I should 

 like all the readers of Gleanings to read it and ap- 

 preciate it as I do. James Parshall. 

 Skidmore, Nodaway Co., Mo., Nov. 11, 1880. 



In regard to the matter of midnight assas- 

 sins: Here are two letters on the subject,— 

 one on one side, and another on the other:— 



Is it not a Christians duty to protect his house and 

 family? AVhosoever stealeth, murdereth. Would 

 you stand back and see your wife and children 

 bound, and perhaps gagged and abused by the burg- 

 lar to complete his spoil, and offer no resistance? I 

 should think that takes a coward. Do you think it 

 is a Christian's duty to suffer himself to be robbed 

 of his hard tellings, and perhaps bread, and offer no 

 resistance? I answer. No! And I will say that I 

 think it Is a Christian's duty to protect his wife and 

 family, by crippling the midnight prowler, as it is 

 a warning to others to lead a holier and better life, 

 and pray to the Lord God for their daily bread. 



Preston J. Kline. 



Coopersburg, Lehigh Co., Pa., Dec. 7, 1880. 



In reading Our Homes in the Dec. No., I was so 

 glad to see the letter of June 4th, from J. Sykes 

 Wilson, that I have wanted to write you on the sub- 

 ject of non-resistance, but circumstances prevented. 

 Now, you say, " What is the Christian to do when ho 

 finds some one with his hand in the pocket of our 

 trousers? Answer, any one." 



Suppose it was our own brother according to the 

 flesh, the one we love more than life; would we 

 shoot? would we strike? would we not pray, rather, 

 that he might not be found out? Would we not say, 

 Omybrtoher! this not only, but my life, is thine ; 

 come and get it If thou has need; but do not come in 

 that way? If we are disciples of Jesus, laboring for 

 the love of God to bless humanity, we will not care 

 who takes the money, so we can do them good. If 

 we recognize tnat all there is belongs to God, and he 

 causes the rain to descend upon the unjust as well 

 as the just, I am well satisfied that. In the case 

 above, we should pray to the Lord for instruction, 

 and for the conversion of the thief; and remember- 

 ing, "not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit," 

 we should depend entirely upon this Spirit; and if 

 the money was taken away, wait to see the object of 

 the Lord In permitting such things to happen. It 

 might be to try our faith; it might be to bring the 

 thief to Christ by the workings of conscience. 

 There are many ways of bringing sinners to the 

 Lord, and our ignorance should not presume to 

 question God's wisdom; and the example set by 

 Jesus, of living to do good and bless humanity in- 

 stead of making and keeping money, should be more 

 practically considered to-day. The teachings of 

 Jesus are practical to those who live to do the will of 

 God-, but they are impractical to those who seek 

 rather the riches of this world. ' 'Give unto him 

 who asketh of thee, and from him who would bor- 

 row, turn thou not away." Who would steal from 

 any one who practices that teaching? No one ! Still 

 comes the question. What shall a Christian do if 

 some one steals his money? I hold, a Christian can 

 not own any money; It is all the Lord's, and all he 

 has to do is to ask the Lord what to do with it; and 

 does he not promise to instruct us on all occasions? 

 I am afraid that if we are not careful we will be in 



