198 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTUKE. 



Apr. 



rare wisdom iu the suggestions from both 

 these boys? Are we not in danger of forget- 

 ting that when one comes out, or even joins 

 the church, he is only just started on tlie 

 right track? Do you remember what Jesus 

 said, in almost his last words, to the way- 

 ward Peter?— 



So when they had dined, Jesus saith to Simon 

 Peter, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me more 

 than these? He saith unto him, Tea, Lord; thou 

 knowest that I love thee. He saith unto him, Feed 

 my lambs.— John ^1:1.5. 



Now, my friends, I need not ask of you 

 whether you think It will be a good tliing 

 for all three of us to meet thus "together in 

 prayer (of course, all others are welcome to 

 come who choose), for the finger of God is so 

 plainly stamped on it that no one could 

 hardly err therein ; but the point I wish to 

 make is this: the new lives of these two, — 

 yes, of all three of us,— is simply the effect 

 of— 



Choose you this day whom ye will serve. 



If we remembei the choice we have made, 

 and hold to it, God only knows what may be 

 the ending of just these three lives. Sunday 

 evening, at our usual evening prayer-meet- 

 ing, I was looking round a little une^isily, be- 

 cause I did not see " D." in his accustomed 

 place. A few minutes more, and in he came 

 with one of his old associates, whom I should 

 not be surprised to hear had never been in 

 such a meeting before. " iSIay God bless the 

 boy!" I mentally ejaculated ; and methinks 

 I hear a prayer of similar import breatlied 

 from many a'heart away along the line of my 

 readers. Is it so? And are there not more 

 who will say to-day. and say it again at the 

 tirst opportunity, before your pastor and 

 friends, — ''As for me and my house, we will 

 serve the Lord"? 



It really seems as if God prompted my 

 good friend Uumford to send the following 

 lines to close up what I have been saying. 

 Read them, and see what you think about 

 it, dear reader: — 



rXDER HIS EYE. 



When 3-ou tliink, when you spe.ak, when you read, when you 



write, 

 When yoxi sing, when you w.illc, when you seek for delight, 

 To be liept from all evil at home and abroad, 

 Live always as under the eye of the Lord. 



Whatever you think, both in joy and in woe. 

 Think nothing you would not like Jesus to know; 

 AV'hatever you say in a whisper or dear. 

 Say nothing you'would not like Jesus to hear. 



Wliatever you read, though the page may allure, 

 Read nothing unless you are perfectly sure 

 Consternation would not be seen in your look 

 If Uod should say suddenly, ' • Show me that book. ' ' 



Whatever you write with haste or with heed, 

 Wiite nothing you would not like Jesus to le.ad; 

 Whatever you sing in the midst of your glees. 

 Sing nothing that God's listening ear would displease. 



Wherever you go, never go where vou fear 



To answer if God asks, •• Why are you here;" 



Whatever the pastime in wliicli yuu L-ii;;age. 



For the cheering of youth, or the solace <ir age. 



Turn away from each i)leasure you'd shrink from pursuing, 



Were God to look down and say, ■ • AVhat aic you doing;" 



Dear Friend:— I find the above in the Christian Ad- 

 vocate, and thinking it would be so well if we could 

 alt act it out, I believe it would be of much use to 

 set friends thinking, if you could find a corner iu 

 Our Homes for it. I. E. Rumford. 



Bakersfield, Cal., March. 1881. 



ALL YE THAT L.4.BOR, AND ARE HEAVY LADEN. 



I have a nice, almost a luxuriant, village home, 

 but yet I am bo awful discontented that life is a 



burden. I am not ignorant of the kind of medicine 

 you would prescribe— but— well, I have an extrava- 

 gant wife and family (especially the daughters.) 

 Without egotism, I can say that I am pleasant and 

 good-tempered. My greatest, anxious concern is, be- 

 cause my family arc so thoroughly absorbed in the 

 pleasures of this world. I dread the future, for I 

 would be a Christian but— but I am not. X. Y. Z. 



One is tempted, at first thought, to be al- 

 most indignant at a man who can write as 

 has this brother ; and yet, when we reflect 

 that, although we are not tempted by Satan 

 (and our lives made unhappy), in just the 

 way he is, there are a great many who are 

 discontented and unthankful, even when 

 surrounded and blessed by nil that should 

 make one's life happy. Shall we not rather 

 weep at the weakness of our fellows, than to 

 censure? Friend Z., your wife and daughters 

 may be somewhat at fault; but by far a 

 greater fault rests on your own shoulders, 

 and in fact the greater part of their fault 

 rests on you. You once had a faculty of 

 winning your wife, or she would not be your 

 wife now. Am I not correct? Again, the 

 very fact of a man's being the father of 

 grown-up sons and daughters should, in 

 Itself, be to him an unending thrill of joy. 

 They are alive and well ; can you not thank 

 God for that? You can win those daughters 

 over to your way of thinking, if you are only 

 half in the right, just as surely as you won 

 their mother in her youth. Would you listen 

 to a human being oh the face of the earth 

 who would speak unkind and uncharitable 

 things of them? and yet you have listened 

 to the prince of darkness. 



You say your greatest concern is for them, 

 fiiend Z. Let your greatest concern be for 

 yourself ; go down on your knees and say, 

 ''God have mercy on me a sinner;" get 

 these thoughts out of your head and heart, 

 as if it were a hideous leprosy, which it 

 really is, and then can you say, as did 

 David, — 



Then will I teach transgressors thy ways; and sin- 

 ners shall be converted unto thee.— Ps. 51:13. 



No wonder you are unhappy, my brother, 

 for so is every one who listens to the whis- 

 perings of Satan. Yeiy likely you are right, 

 in the main, and your wife and children 

 wrong ; but for all tliat, you are in the main 

 at fault. You are at fault, in that there has 

 not been a loving confidence and trust be- 

 tween yourself and every member of your 

 family. One who can not agree with his 

 own ilesh and blood can rarely agree with 

 himself, and hence the discord and discon- 

 tent. But how about the present? What 

 shall all those do who find themselves un- 

 happy and discontented, from other or like 

 causes? I can not tell just what is best and 

 wisest for friend Z. to do ; but God can, and 

 will. Tat the case entirely in his hands ; 

 plead with him and pray for those who are 

 going wrong, and there is no such tliing as 

 tail. Of course, one Avho puts his trust in 

 God does nothing under the impulse of the 

 moment, but is guided solely by the result of 

 the calm and deliberate decisions of his bet- 

 ter moments. There are moments of cool, 

 calm, deliberate wisdom, in the life of al- 

 most every one— moments when, unstirred 

 by passion, prejudice, or selfishness, his 



