The Lancaster ledger. [volume] (Lancaster, S.C.) 1852-1905, 1864-01-13
More Blessed to Give; or, the odd
and the New Man."

| narrator:
"I knew man who, until past the
meridian Of lie, manifested in all his
transactions meat, miserly Split, money
was his God. lie was proverbialIy a
+ mean man. Between forty and fifty
years of age he became subjsc: Of soy
ereign grace. His eyes were opened to
see with great distinctness the truth Of
these words: "a man. life consisleth
not in the abundance Of the things which
he posses,etb." In a word, he was truly
converted. At the period Of which
speak he was wealthy farmer, on one
Of our prairies. lie uniisd with the peo
plo OF God. lie confessed and most G.ep
ly dep!ored the sin of covetousness. he
promised with Divine help 20 live no lon.
ger unto himself. He was sincere in bis
promises and his purposes. Little did
the poor man know himself the power
OF habit, Of temptation, or the couflrci he
fore him between the 'Old' and the New
man.
"As was then in the Meth odist Church
IN the country, aud i., TO some extsnt the
custom at this day, the minister ip charge
was in The habit Of receiving his dues in
provisions, etc. Soon after 'old covetous'
united with the class, the preacher got
out OF met; 80 he harnessed up, and rode
over TO Bro. C.'s house.
"Good morning, Bro. c."
"Good morning glad to see you
won't you light"
mo thank you. VITA says We are out
Of meat, and thought
(Old msn) )-"Out Of meat arc yer
(Ne~ nan)-"WslI rm glad to hear il 4;
ii will do me good to supply you. Go to
my smokehouse yondsr and take tho bes,
ham you find, mind and lake the big
ges,."
On went the preacher, and soon re
turned bearing ham eishing twenty
pounds. lie passed on 10 his wagon.
Now came the conflict.
(Oid man in his heart, solos) "You
old fool; that ham weighs twenty pounds!
Hams are scarce; worth one shilling per
pound" New man solos "God loveth
the cheerful givsr. What shall i, prof,
a man, though he gain the whole world
aud lose his own soul 4 o, God forgive
me! Get thee behind me, Sa,sn.'-
Here, Mr.. -, come back come back =
Nov" said he, "go again to my smoke
house, aud this time get two hams. Get
the very best, mind you get rousers"
Soon he returned, bearing forty pounds
more Of the precious meat thsn cam.
over the poor man agsiL the spirit oi
covetousnsss.
(Oid man) "WeII, you are q fool !
You will die in the poor house ye, =
Forty six Pounds, worth $s. Eight DOL
lars gone slick 'p.sx
(Nsw msn) "Hon6r the Lord with
thy Substance. Give and it shall be given
to you" "Rejoice not against me, o,
mine enemy though fall. shall rise
again. Though | walk through the val
ley Of the shadow Of death. ! will fear no
evil. Oh, am in the valley"
Psor man he was, and, like Bunysn's
Christian, he shea:hsd his sword and
cried TO Him who was "sbIs aud willing"
lord save mes
lNew mas)-"Here Mr.. -, come
back come back J" Nov bis manly
form tremblsdl The water stood in his
eyes, and then, like . little child, he wep,
and sobbsd as he told his minister of the
warfare within. "Aud now, Mr. Devil"
said he, III you don't quit this business,
III give away every ham I've got in the
smoke house"
Then Apollyon spread his wings and
left him for season.
Reader, did you ever know such
mani All this may be Greek to you.--
II so. just turn. TO Cor. 2, IL, and you
will learn \ simple lesson. ] personally
knew the man when he boarded every.
thing. know him now, and honor to
his "new nature" and TO the Saviour he
loved building churches, profuss in bis
benevolsnee. "given to hospitality" o,
how does such = man "presch the Word ?
Talk Of great prsacbers The tongue Of
the eloquent. One such living example
Of the power Of the Cross is as high above
mere pulpit eloquence as we can well
conceive,