Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1882-02-24

eraoe With Peter Simmonds last Spring.
/ did you wrong Peter 2" said the min
lister.
! i shaved him little" said I.
! How much?' said he. ''Tell me hon.
estly what you Think
II let him have wind-broken and ring
boned nag that bad physicked up to look
pretty gay-worth for actual service not
over ten dollars, and got in return sound
! steady beast, worth sixty dollars, and
twenty-five dollars to boot. So l honestly
think" said L, that shaved him out of
seventy five dollars"
And with seventy-fve dollars in your
possession belonging to poor Peter Sim
monds do you think you can commence
the life of Christian purity :? Do you think
that Christ will hear your prayers for par
don ?" said the miDister.
II said something about trade is a
trade. and men must look out for them
selves when they swap horses but he cut
me Short
"Your own SOUL" said he, twill not ad-
NIT the excuses which your selfshness in
vents.''
"But the rule you apply" said I, Twill
cut off the heads of church members as
we'll as mine. There's Deacon Rich, he
trades horses and shaves when he cam
''No excuse" said he, "whose head it
cuts of-no matter what Deacon Rich
does. You have to deal with your own
soul and with your Lord. And [ tell you,
whether you are out Of the church or in it,
single dollar which you have unjustly or
knowingly taken from any man, without
rendering him it's full value to the best of
your ability-a single dollar I say-will be
like milestone hung about your neck to
sink your soul into the sea of spiritual
death.''
II couldn't stand that. The spirit of God
used those words with terrible effect upon
my heart. The truth spoken by the pas
tor appealed to the understanding with
irresistible power I went away but I
couldn' t rest. So I took seventy-ive dol
lars and went to Peter and paid him,
making him promise net to tell anybody,
for I was ashamed to have it known that
was conscience smitten, and had paid
back the money. Then 1 went to the min
lister and told him what had done. He
didn't praise me as I thought ne would
He took it as matter of course, and as if
it was no more merit in me than it was to
wash my hands before [ sat down to sup
per. On the contrary he seemed to sus-
pect that my hands were not quite clean
yet. He wanted to know if had wronged
anybody else besides Peter. tried to say
no. but my conscience wouldn't let me. 1
could have told him plumper lie than
that once without finching-yes, and fiat
tered my own heart to believe the lie. 1
was discouraged; I felt bitterly disheart-
ened. 1t was indeed so much harder to
be Christian than I supposed that I re-
GREETED going to talk to the minister at
all. Like the young man who had pos
sessions was on the point of going away
sorrowful. But my heart burned within
me, and was forced to speak.
I'm the way of business" said [, mo
uOdUU L udFO UdhVA al touUdSO uClO chuu
there, as everybody does-as church mem
bers themselves do when they CAM
"What everyone does is no rule for you
and me, Captain. 1t is to be Christians
in the fullest sense-not simply to be
church members-that we must strive
with all our hearts. The fact of being in
the fold does not make the lamb; there are
wolves in the fold, alas! but we are by no
means justified in doing as the wolves do,
even when they: appear in sleeps cloth
ing"
II felt the rebuke. Well, said I, there
is Deacon Rich, think he paid me note
twice. The first time he paid it we were
transacting business, and by some means
the note wasn' It destroyed. was deal
excited, and lay awake more than one
night thinking what ought to do about
it. The deacon was hard man, I con-
sidered, and took advantage of people when
he could. He had driven more than one
hard bargain with me-"
The Beacon, who was present, and
uodlu oHCo0 nlluoluuo w ulluSCll, WluCou
and coughed uneasily. Captain Ball went
on. without appearing to notice him.
$780," said to the minister, II conclud-
ed would serve the deacon as he would
probably have served me under similar cir
cumstances. I kept the note by me a
good while, and when I thought the par
ticulars of our settlement had slipped his
mind, said to him one day that maybe
he would take up that note, which had
been due considerable time. He was
surprised and looked excited and angry
said he had paid, and held out stoutly for
some time, but there was the note, There
was no proof that it had ever been paid, (
and he finally took out his pocket book, and
with some pretty hard words paid it over
again; with interest,""
"And now" said the minister, ''what
a re you going to do about lt?''
Il suppose" said 1, ''the money must |
be paid now.'
$50 went down to the deacon the next
day, told him on reflection was conviuc-
ed he was right and was wrong about
the payment of the note, and returned
him the money-one hundred and thirty |
five dollars-and good deal to his aston
The Deacon coughed and wiped his
forehead.
Il hoped then all was right" continued
Capt. Ball, II tried to satisfy my consci-
ence that it was ALL But was afraid to !
go back to the minister, he has such way
of stirring up the conscience, and finding
mud at the bottom when we fatter our
selves that because it is out Of sight there
is no impurity there. And I knew that as
long as l dreaded to see the minister
must be wrong; and, on look
ing carefully into my heart, I found the
little matter of mortgage which 1 fore