196 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Apk. 



You all agree to the first, I am sure. There 

 is not one among you all who would think 

 of disputing the wisdom of such advice, 

 even if he were not in his calmest moments. 

 Have I put it too strongly? Well, how 

 about mercy'? I am sure you would all say 

 the same in regard to this, if the mercy were 

 to be shown you, after you had transgressed 

 in some way. Well, just apply the first a 

 little to it, and we shall probably all agree in 

 all of it, pretty nearly. In regard to walk- 

 ing humbly before God, T presume that in 

 this, too, almost everybody will think it at 

 least a very good idea for their neighbors so 

 to do ; and so applying the first, we all come 

 round to about the same point. 



Well, if all mankind believe about the 

 same thing in regard to all the great essen- 

 tials, why is there so much trouble and mis- 

 understanding, to say nothing about the 

 crime in the world? The men who came to 

 steal friend Baird's turkeys [see p. 97, Feb. 

 No.], very likely believed just about the 

 same as our liiend did w^ho was calling to 

 them out of the window. Suppose these 

 men could have been quietly captured in the 

 act, and brought into the house ; wliat would 

 they have had to say in extenuation of their 

 course? Would they have said that, as they 

 understood it, it was right, and fair for them 

 to go in the night and take the turkeys 

 friend B. had raised witli care and trouble? 

 Would they have been likely to have pleaded 

 ignorance of the laws of man or God? Not 

 at all, for we all know w^hat is right and just, 

 alas ! but too well. Their trouble and your 

 discontent, my friend, is from the ' same 

 common cause ; we know what is right, but 

 we do not follow after that knowledge. It is 

 not lack of wisdom ; it is only because we 

 choose evil rather than good. 



Now, holding the points that have been 

 made, let us take up another, that I have 

 talked of to you before, many times. Sup- 

 pose you have an alarm clock, to waken you 

 in the morning ; but because yon don't feel 

 like it, you pay no regard to its faithful sum- 

 mons. You all know that you very soon get 

 into a habit of not hearing it at all. If any 

 of these calls to duty are disregarded, we 

 soon cease to heed them. Well, now, there 

 is a queer element in sin that makes him 

 Avho sins bitter and uncharitable toward 

 those who obey, or ai'e striving to obey. If 

 you have a neighbor who gets up early, and 

 you don't, you are almost sure to think he 

 has some purpose in so doing that is not a 

 good one. If you have yielded to your feel- 

 insrs in doing "that which is wrong, and your 

 neighbor is striving and praying for a pure 

 heart, nine times out of ten you will call him 

 a hypocrite, and take pleasure in railing 

 about hypocrites as a class. Who has not 

 heard bad men talk about the corruption of 

 our ministers, condemning them as a class? 

 I have told you something of how my class 

 of saloon-keepers in the jail talked. They 

 fairly got np on their feet, and gesticulated 

 in the vehemence of their denunciations, and 

 yet none of the clergy had been in any way 

 instrumental in causing their imprisonment. 

 I have heard that animals with the hydro- 

 phobia become mad at the sight of water, 

 and hence the name, signifying "water- 



madness." Well, one who has chosen Satan 

 for his father ; one wdio is deliberately com- 

 mitting voluntary sin day after day, is 

 crazed, almost at the sight of a Bible, or at 

 the mention of ministers, or any other ser- 

 vants of Christ our Savior. Lost w'omen 

 often show^ this in a remarkable degree. 

 They would l)urn every Bible in the land if 

 it were in their power. This attitude of 

 heart is, of course, while they have chosen 

 evil, and have most emphatically rejected, 

 and are at enmity with, the spirit of Christ's 

 teachings. Even 'their actions seem to say, — 



What have we to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of 

 God? art thou come hither to torment us before the 

 tinie?-MATT. 8: 2y. 



Well, is it possible for such ones, steeped 

 in sin, to accept Christ, even if they wished? 

 Can one who is in the bonds of Satan believe 

 in Christ or the Bible if he tries so to do? 

 You see, of course, he can not, and hold to 

 his sinful life or ways. The only thing to 

 be done is to be remodeled, made over new, 

 or, as Jesus terms it, "■ Ye must be born 

 again." " But I do not believe in the Bible," 

 says the poor crime-stained brother or sis- 

 ter ; " I have tried to believe, but I can not." 

 I am sure, my friends, the point is clear be- 

 fore you. The talk about belief is simple 

 folly and hollow mo(;kery. There is no need 

 of wasting time and talk about what you be- 

 lieve, or what you do not ; the great impor- 

 tant point is, to obc)/. As long as the indi- 

 vidual does not obey, and does not propose 

 to, we can not expect him to profess any 

 honest belief. Do yoit see how^ beautifully 

 Christ's words come in here?— 



If any man will do his will, he shall know of the 

 doctrine, whether it be of God, or whether I speak 

 of myself.— John 7: IT. 



Note also what Paul says,— 



For the preaching of the cross is to them that per- 

 ish, foolishness; bat unto us which are saved, it is 

 the power of God.— Cor. 1: 18. 



Do you not see that, at least to a certain 

 extent, even our beliefs are subject to our 

 control and our will power? In your calmer 

 and letter moments, you decided" it was best 

 for you to get up earlier in the morning, and 

 in spite of the clamoring of inclinations, you 

 literally put yourself to bed, and took your- 

 self up. You put your weak and tired body 

 to bed, because it "was the best and safest 

 place for it. Instead of serving wrong and 

 weak inclinations, you, like a wise and good 

 ruler, chose wisely for your weak body. 



Now^ our text says, •' Choose you this day 

 wiiom ye will serve." It does "not say any 

 thing about beliefs. You decided about 

 your earthly body, and for its best welfare 

 and safety. Have you yet decided in the 

 same way for your 'immorJal soul? Where 

 will you put yourself when you lie down for 

 that last sleep? Whom are you going to 

 serve? Take the New Testament nnd read 

 Christ's sermon on the mount. Read his 

 sayings and teachings all through. As you 

 read, ask yourself how it would probably'an- 

 swer,— what would be the effect on your 

 life, — if you should decide to serve him; or, 

 if you choose, to lay out your life in accord- 

 ance with ills teachings? No matter about 

 beliefs now ; just candidly sum up what the 

 result %vould be to make such a life your 



