1883 



(JLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



265 



Those who, although they make blunders, 

 are constantly looking to God for guidance, 

 also hold themselves in readiness every min- 

 ivte to ohey the very minute he may call or di- 

 rect. We find in history, not only sacred 

 but profane, that men are made great by 

 trials. Joseph, you will remember, had a 

 regular series of calamities, or whatever you 

 would call them ; yet we, with the story right 

 before us, have no difficulty in seeing that 

 these great trials were right, and working 

 for his good; or, what is still more impor- 

 tant, for tlie good of the people. Jose))h 

 was a cheerful, willing, patient, and obedi- 

 ent servant. His only wish in life was to 

 please God. Again, we see the same tiling 

 illustrated in the life of David. In liis boy- 

 hood he was all tiiat one could admire ; yet 

 God wisely saw best to send him trials, and 

 great trials. 



The proof of David's greatness is. that he 

 bore those trials so uncomplainingly ; that 

 although bound down with cares and sorrow 

 and trouble and great burdens, he raised liis 

 heart to God, and looked to him, and trusted 

 him through it all. Now, friends, the mea- 

 sure of our greatness is in our ability to bear 

 trials, and still trust God. While saying 

 this I would again call attention to my re- 

 marks of last month, to the effect that our 

 troubles are of two kinds : The one kind 

 that we bring on us by our own sinfulness, 

 or, if you choose, our own foolishness. 

 From the former we have nothii:g to fear, 

 because our Savior has promised to stand 

 between us and all harm from all such 

 causes. From the latter we have every 

 thing to fear ;. but even in troubles of this 

 kind we have this to cheer us— God is always 

 willing to forgive those who are truly peni- 

 tent. 



Another point comes in here : During the 

 time of Joseph, David, and Paul, both civi- 

 lization as well as true religion were at a 

 low state. Persecution was the rule, and 

 good, strong, faithful Christians were not 

 scattered through every community, to come 

 forward bravely and valiantly to take the 

 part of those who were suffering for Christ's 

 sake, as is the case nowadays. I have talked 

 to you before about those who have much 

 to say about a hard, grasping, unfeeling, and 

 ungrateful world. My friends, it is not so. 

 The world is not hard and unfeeling. We 

 can rejoice that it is rather the other way. 

 Willing, faithful servants of Christ, our 

 Lord and Master, are found on every hand. 

 If you have met with nothing but abuse 

 from the world, it is surely because you 

 have been selfish and abusive yourself. 

 Through humanity you should see God ; 

 and if you have never seen the image of the 

 Savior, it is because your heart is perverse 

 and wicked. Many of you who read these 

 pages know my past history pretty well. 

 You know my trials and difficulties, as well 

 as my joys and successes. T\Iany of the 

 trials have come through my own perversity. 

 Perhaps some of them have been sent by 

 the loving vSavior because he would have me 

 grow wise and strong. New trials are com- 

 ing now. it would seem. How shall I bear 

 them ? If my heart is wicked, and my plans 

 are selfish ones, the end will surely be failure, 



disaster, and perhaps ruin. If, in my own 

 peculiar way, I have been trying to serve 

 God and my fellow-men, and am still trying 

 so to do, no great harm or calamity will 

 come. If my purpose is right in God's sight, 

 it will also be right in the eyes of all good 

 men and women, and friends will not be 

 lacking. Did you ever think of this ? You 

 will always have friends, and plenty of them, 

 when you deserve them. When you don't 

 have t'riends, and good, faithful ones in 

 abundance, the probability is, it is because 

 you, by your own foolish acts, have forfeited 

 all right to them. In this way it is, I think, 

 that the promise is, in a measure, fulfilled, 

 that all things shall work together for good 

 to those that love God. Is it not a happy 

 thought, friends, that we are not only to 

 have God with us, the love of a Savior, but 

 that we are to have earthly friends with us, 

 even at our last moments? Human sympa- 

 thy and companionship, how much is it 

 worth ! Have you ever felt the need of it, 

 dear friends ? Have you ever seen the time 

 when you could feel thoroughly what it is to 

 have somebody come and stand beside you 

 and say,^ 



Whither thou gocst, I will go; and where thou 

 lodg-est. I will lodg-e: thy people shall be my people, 

 and thy God my God? 



A lawyer once said to me, that the best 

 man in the community might have circum- 

 stances so much against him as to cause 

 his arrest, anrl that he might even be put in 

 prison when perfectly innocent. I can hard- 

 ly think this possible in the present state of 

 society. We all know people, at least I 

 hope we do, whom it would be almost impos- 

 sible to arrest, no matter what the circum- 

 stances might be, for the simple reason that 

 public opinion would stand between them 

 and any charge that could be made. Are 

 you one of these people V If not, could you 

 not be one ? 



One of our young bee-keepers has some- 

 thing that comes in here so well with what 

 I have been saying that I wish to give it 

 here :— 



Success is no chance product, no fortuitous golden 

 shower, but the natural issue of well-directed exer- 

 tion. The admission of this principle is necessary 

 to vindicate the character of successful men. Kea- 

 son and Scripture alike, teach that a connection has 

 been established by our Creator between the exer- 

 cise of our faculties and the attainment or the vari- 

 ous objects of human desires, and that industry, pru- 

 dence, knowledge, and perseverance, have a certain 

 definite value in the business of the world. What 

 right has any one to say, " There is no use in my try- 

 ing to be a successful bee-keeper, for I never get 

 any profit, and it is all expense"? Now, are you 

 sure that you have done your part? You may lack 

 the all-important part, and that is perseverance, 

 though this connection between the use of means 

 and the attainment of success is not, when properly 

 viewed, inconsistent with the doctrine of Holy Writ, 

 which teaches us that God sometimes, for wise and 

 special purposes, disappoints our best efforts. All 

 the events of time are made subservient to the ends 

 of a moral government. The race is not always to 

 the swift, nor the battle to the strong. In order to 

 try our faith, wean us from an undue attachment to 

 temporal things, and purify our hearts for hallowed 



