24 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Jaw. 



tires, never becomes discouraged at our repeat- 

 ed failures, if we only keep striving, and in 

 His loving kindness, He not only freely for- 

 gives the "past over and over again, but '-sev- 

 enty times seven" if need be. 



When one arrives at a point whei'e he begins 

 to think the world — including himself — is hoi- 

 low, deceitful and unsatisfactory, when he be- 

 gins to feel a longing for something better and 

 purer, does he not, begin to wonder for what 

 purpose he was craated, and to turn instinct- 

 ively to the Being who made him for light and 

 help ? I do not pretend to understand the dif- 

 ferent phases of the human mind, nor can I 

 account for the way in which we seem drawn 

 toward every thing that is mild and gentle, 

 when we begin to long for a purer life and pu- 

 rer motives. I only know that for months 

 life loomed up before me as a failure. There 

 was no mistaking; I was surely sinking back, 

 instead of going forward, and struggle as I 

 might, 1 only found myself still more helpless. 

 Worst of all, I was losing my energy, and 

 growing listless ; I cared less and less every 

 day, about paining or wounding others, and I 

 knew in my inmost soul that when I was real- 

 ly under way in the downward path, my course 

 would be quickly run. Weak and trembling, 

 discouraged and doubting, 1 alone by myself 

 offered up one simple earnest honest prayer to 

 the Being who made me, who cared for me (if 

 such there was), for help and guidance. Like 

 the voice of conscience when we are doing 

 what we know is wrong, only ten times louder 

 and stronger, the answer came at once clear 

 and distinct. 



"Obey, consent to be led as a little child and 

 your work shall be shown you, day by day." 



"But I am weak, I shall fail miserably as I 

 have heretofore," and as the duties that I 

 might be called upon to perform, and the 

 things that I might have to give up crossed 

 ray mental vision, I could only utter aloud, "I 

 can not ! Oh I can not." 



Then came the help and encouragement that 

 I would tell you of, for though no living soul 

 was near, 1 seemed in companionship of kind 

 and loving friends. Gentle accents seemed to 

 say, "You shall have strength given you that 

 you know not of, and when you feel that you 

 are falling, a strong arm shall iiphoUl you. 

 Only give up all, be humble, and obey." 



Nearly two years have passed since that 

 struggle and yielding up, and never in the 

 path of duty, has that promise failed me ; oft- 

 times, like the little one at the stairway, have 

 I beeu compelled to call, 



"Dear Saviour, are you still near?" 



Perhaps it is memory, that replies, "Lo, I am 

 with you always, even to the ends of the 

 earth." 



At times, trials come from unexpected di- 

 rections, and before I am aware of it, liard 

 feelings rise up, and I become conscious that 

 something is wrong, yet hardly know where 

 duty lies. 



"My Father! lam stumbling; I do wish to 

 do right, I am trying to obey. Wilt thou guide 

 and direct, and give me strength V" 



Do yon wonder that peace, calmness and a 

 clearer perception of right and wrong come 

 at such a time? 



Through almost all my life, has run one beset- 



ting sin ; one right hand sin perhaps it might 

 almost be called, and as surely as temptation 

 came in this direction, almost so sure was I In 

 fall. I might have beeu strong almost every 

 where else, but alas for this one weakness thai 

 threatened to cripple me for life. Now whei; 

 this change came that I have mentioned, I at 

 lirst feared this one weakness more than al; 

 others together, but strange to tell, in that 

 respect at least, I have beeu almost anothei 

 person, for all taste that way is gone as effect- 

 ually as if it never existed. After that one 

 simple prayer, an almost impenetrable waif 

 seems to have been raised up in that one <.l!- 

 rectiou. Those who have studied the workings 

 of the human soul, may perhaps say it was 

 the result of a powerful revulsion and sudden 

 change of purpose and feeling. This I grant., 

 but who but the divine author of the mind 

 and soul, has the power to thus create in us 

 new and better purposes 'i And will he not in 

 answer to every humble call, show us that we 

 have not been turned adrift helpless and alone, 

 but that a loving and kind solicitude for our 

 welfare, follows us through life ? 



Six years ago a young mason was laying 

 brick for this very building in wliich I now 

 write ; he was an excellent mechanic, but per- 

 haps the most blasphemous fellow I ever met., 

 in fact in his ordinary conversation he would 

 utter mingled obscenity and profauity, that 

 might make one's blood run cold. I gazed at 

 him in astonishment, inquired about him, but 

 was told he probably would never do any bet 

 ter. A few months after, some members of 

 the Young Mens' Christian Association in 

 some unaccountable way, made an appeal that 

 stirred his better nature and he was convert- 

 ed. He Avas at once a changed man. I knew 

 nothing of it until I met him in his own churcli. 

 a pleasant, quiet, kind, earnest Christian, his 

 wife with him, and instead of being with w 

 class of low lived roughs, he now went to 

 church every evening. Well dressed, intelli- 

 gent looking, humble and respectful, well 

 might his wife be proud of him. Can it be 

 possible for a human b(;ing to become so 

 changed ? was my thought as I took him by 

 the hand, and told him how glad I was to see 

 him among them. He told me all his old hab 

 its had been stripped oil" as if they had been a 

 garment. And as we became better acquaint 

 ed he told me of some of his struggles to kee]> 

 in the right path. One I will relate. He hail 

 been much addicted to the use of tobacco, 

 but thinking it wrong, he had broken off this 

 with other" bnd habits, yet tlie old taste 

 haiuitcd him, and would give him no peace. 

 .Aifter mouths of struggling, even his wife plead 

 with him ttj get some, and be tormented as he 

 had baeji no more; and he finally went back to 

 its use, feeling as ho told me, that he could 

 hardly bear the thought of undertaking to gi> 

 through such an ordeal again ; he felt that al- 

 though free in other respects, he must perhaps 

 be a slave to this fault all the rest of his life. 

 Time passed, and we had a winter that gave 

 masons very little work, in fact he finally was 

 obliged to cease paying his church dues, be- 

 cause he had no money. All this time he wa'* 

 paying lor the weed an amount that would 

 have done nicely for the weekly contribution 

 box. (!onscience was at work, and he finally 



