Ashtabula telegraph. (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1874-1880, 1878-01-04
knocl.sne Grace Into : nIan.
A BEEcHER STORY

At the last Plymouth church pray
er meeting Mr.. Beecher was speak
ing of what he termed the 'divine
spirit of forgiveness" and defined it
as s'the disposition to regard with
pity and kindliness those who at
tempt to wrong u.s." "Do you
mean.', asked Mr.. Halliday, ssthat
when we are abused we are to qnief
our assailants by kindliness?" "Weli,
ues-with limitations, " answered Mr..
Beecher. smiling; "but it's to be ex.
pected that a person to whom you
are giving such directions as these
must have some common sense.
daughter You must give general
Instructions to one who is setting out
on a dangerous journey, and he mus
he guided by common sense in look
ing out for special dangers.u Gone
other question" said DR.. Smith. as
there no occasion for such thing as
self-defenSe; are we never to strike
hack when struck" "Why, csrtain-
w." was the prompt reply. GA good
knocking down is the best means of
grace You could give some men.
There are some newspaper men in
New York who would be moved by
no other argument; if you should
spank them well once or twice a week
| think it would be the means of con-
vertino them before long.p
In illustration of this point, Mr.
Beecher told a story Of his Western
experience which he appeared to en-
iov fully as much as The listeners.
'tOld Ben Haven, one of thoes un-
selfish men who went out as minis
tiers among the first settlers of the
West, once told me of his experience
with a blacksmith who became very
angry at him because he had induc-
ed the blacksmith's wife to join the
church. The burly fellow threaten
ed that he would thrash the life out
of the minister the first chance he
had. Well, Ben Haven was singing
as he was riding along one morning
through the woods on one of those
narrow corduroy roads, which don't
allow one to turn off on either side.
when he saw the blacksmith. He
saw there was no use trying to avoid
the meetingS The blacksmith took
his horse by the birdie and asked,
'sYouf name is Haven, is it?" 'sYes =
''And you got my wife into your
cburch?n @Yes." "Well, stranger,
you've got to come off that horse.
There's going to be fight here, aud
one of ussis going to be whipped" +"
Ben tried to argue with him, but he
saw twas no use; and so he said lie
was sorry, hut il he must, he must.
So he tied his horse to a tree, and
they went at it. Sometimes he was
on top and the blacksmith was under,
and sometimes twas the other way.
Sometimes he gotlterribly pounded,
and sometimes the other man. Good
old Ben said he never had such a
time in bis life; and he was very sure
that nothing in the world sustained
him but the grace of God. Laugh
ter. He kept thinking. 1t won't do
for a minister of the gospel to get
whipped, laughterl and be thought
the sweetest sound he ever heard
was when the blacksmith cried
s'enough.n . But then he only let him
mp upon the condition that the next
prayer meeting be held in the village
the blacksmith should be there, and
90 forward to the anxious seat for
prayers. And the blacksmith kept
his word, and he afterward united
with Old Ben's church. "Now, :"
said Mr.. Beecher, emphatically, che
pounded che grace of God into that
man. Laughter. The infections
of pain is not necessarily inconsistent
with the spirit of forgiveness. l
don't think there can be any mistake
about that