Newport weekly independent., 1902-08-15
The busy bee improves each shin

Inc busy pee improves each Shln- ing hour, but as he skins from flower to flower, slipping the honey from Ma ture's dainty cup, he gives rich re- turn in the fructifying pollen which his velvety sides deposit in the heart of the blossom. The beautiful recip- rocal relation which one part of Ma ture sustains to another is little un- derstood by the surface-living world It's vision is limited to the present moment, and the future is ruthlessly robbed in order to realize immediate gain. Suppose the little bee should selfishly say: ''I will carry no pollen to wonder flower. I'll sip the honey it has in store, but never bit of en- riching pollen will I give in return: The little flower would die alone. No seed would fall into the ground to bring forth future plant and flower, and then from where would next sea- sons supply of honey be drawn? No man can live unto himself alone and live as God intended He should live. The man whose horizon is narrowed down to the limits of this world may grasp the wealth of a Rockefeller, may win the financial and commercial power of a Morgan, may receive the plaudits and honor of the world, and have such poverty of soul as to ren- der it impossible to minister unto others single real blessing.
 The Abundance of God.-Our text takes us into the presence of Jesus. He has just called His disciples into active service and, having placed the eternal riches of Heaven at their dis posal, He bids them go forth, saying: Freely ye have received, freely give" They were to give out with as bountiful a hand as God had given to them, and like the widows cruise of oil, which failed not, their giving was that the source of supply would never fail. Their relations to mankind aft CT receiving their great commission was to be adjusted upon Divine equation, which made the giving ex- actly balance the receiving, and their receiving of the riches of Heaven equal the degree to which they be-
  ciples to have an adequate conception of the wonderful mission upon which they were about to enter, they needs must be given glimpse into Gods treasure box and understand it's in- exhaustible riches, and they must be- lieve and understand that everything was at their disposal.
 Tha aUapt of oorfoir rioh man commissioned to purchase in Flu rope rare paintings and statuary for the rich mans new home, was not prepared for the performance of his t"sk until he had seen the bank book Of his employer and knew just how much money was at his disposal. The l servant of Jesus Christ is not ready to undertake the Divine commission, to which everyone is called, until he has allowed his spiritual vision to be quickened and he has looked into the treasure house of God, where are to be found gifts for mankind, both | temporal and spiritual, and has heard the Lord say, as He does say to you and to me: Freely ye have re- ceived, freely give" Gods Word re- veals to us the ineXhaustible riche S of Heaven. It tells us ''that every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of Lights"
 Think of it! All at your command as you give in the name of the Lord and are guided in the giving by Gods l to e | pearls before swine, neither must we | give the children's meat to the dogs. But we must give freely as God shows us the need, because freely have we received, and there is no linn it to the supply.
 | The eighth verse of IT. Corinthians, to which we have already referred, gives us hint of the riches of God, which we may obtain so as to bestow upon others. Listen: God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work" This reveals to us what was implied by Jesus words, when He said: Freely ye have received and shows what the equipment of the disciples was for the mission to which | they had been called.
 The Gospel of Giving.-The "all grace" of God bestowed upon them in cluded the healing of the sick, the rais- ing of the dead, the cleansing of lepers and the casting out of devils, as specia1 equipment for the peculiar needs o1 the time and the purpose of their mis- sion. True it is that the grace of God may not include such gifts to-day, but 1 you may he sure all the grace needfn]