News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1894-09-20
DEACON LEES EXPERIENCE.

Deacon Lee, who was a kindly, 81
lent, faithful, gracious man, was one
day waited upon by a restless, ambi-
tious, worldly church member, who
was laboring to create uneasiness in
the church and especially to drive
away the minister.
The deacon came in to meet his Wis
itor, who, after the usual greetings,
began to lament the low state OF reli-
gion, and inquired as to the reason
why there had been no revival for the
last two or three years.
"Now, what do you think is the
cause of things being dull here?"
The deacon was not ready to give
his opinion and after a little thought
frankly answered, 81 don't know"
"Do you think the churches are
alive to the work before them ?"
"No, l don't"
A twinkle was seen in the eye of the
troubler in Zion, and, taking courage,
he asked, "Do you think Mr.. B q
very extraordinary man ?"
"No, l don't"
"Do you think his sermons, in their
eyes, are held anything wonderfully
great %
"No, l don't"
"Then don't you think we had bet
ter dismiss this man and hire an
other %
The old deacon started, as if shot
with an arrow, and, in tone louder
than his wont, shouted
"No, | don't p
"You talk so little, sir" replied the
questioner, not little abashed, chat
no one can find out what you do
mean"
81 talked enough once," replied the
old man, rising to his feet, 'fOr six
praying Christians. Thirty years
ago l got my heart humbled and my
tongue bridled, and ever since that
I've walked softly before God. then
made VOWS, solemn as eternity, and
don't tempt me to break them"
The troubler was startled at the
earnestness of the hitherto silent, i'm
movable man, and asked
"What happened to you thirty
years ago ?"
swell, sir, I'll tell you. | was
drawn into a scheme just like this of
yours, to uproot one of Gods SER
wants from the field in which He had
planted him. In my blindness, | fan
ced it a little thing to remove one of
the stars which Jesus holds in His
right hand, if thereby my ear could
be tickled by more flowing words,
and the pews filled with those who
turned away from the simplicity OF
the Gospel. and the men that led
me-for / admit that | was dupe
and fool-fattered ourselves that
we were doing God q service when we
drove that holy man from the pulpit
and his work, and said we considered
his work done in b, where | then
lived. We groaned because there was
no revival while we were gossiping
about and criticising and crushing
him, instead of unfolding his hands
by our efforts and our prayers, the
very instrument at whose hand we
harshly demanded the blessings.
"Well, sir, he could not drag on the
chariot of salvation with half doz-
en- of us haunting him for his weak
ness, while we hung as dead weight
to the wheels; he had not the spirit,
as we thought, and could not convert
men; so we hunted him like a deer,
till, worn and bleeding, he fled into a
covert to die.
Scarcely had he gone, when God
came in among us by His Spirit, to
show that He had blessed the labors
of His dear rejected servant. Our
own hearts were broken, and our
hayward children converted and |
resolved, at convenient season, to
visit my former pastor and confess
my sin, and thank him for his faith
fitness to my hayward sons, which
like long buried seed had now sprung
up. But God denied me that relief
that He might teach me q lesson that
every child of his ought to learn
that he who toucheth one of His little
ones, toucheth the apple of His eye.
81 heard my pastor was i'll, and
taking my oldest son with me, SET
out on a twenty-five mile ride to SEE
him. 1t was evening when l arrived
and his wife, with the spirit which
any woman ought to exhibit toward
eae who hadso wronged her husband
douied me admittance to his cham
Der. She said land her words were
like arrows to my souD He may b.
dying, and the sight of your fac,
might add to his anguish Had il
como to this, | said to myself, thai
tho man whose labors had, through
Christ, brought me into his fold. who
had consoled my spirit in a terrible
bereavement, and who had, until de
signing men had alienated us, beer
to me a brother-that this man coul(
not die in peace with my face befor
-him. God pity meP | cried 'wha
have l done:' | confessed my sins tt
that meek woman, and implored her
for Christ's sake, to let me kneel be
fore His dying servant and receive
his forgiveness.
"What did / care then whether tn,
pews by the door were rented or not