Year: 1861




goes to work, and seeks as far as is in it:
power, to make amends for every wrong
we have ever done. Is there a person
in the world, Capt. Ball, who can look
you in the face and say you have wrong.
ed him ?


He knew my weak point, added the
Captain. meant, however, to confess
: something which l supposed was known
! to everybody who knows me-my horse
: trade with Peter Simmons last spring.
Did you wrong Peter, said the minis
ter.


shaved him a little, said /.
How much ? said be, tell me honestly
what you think.


| let him have a ring-boned and wind
broken nag that ] had physiced up to
look pretty gay-worth for actual SER
vice, not over ten dollars, and got in re-
turn a sound steady beast worth sixty dol
lars and twenty-five dollars TO boot. So
honestly think, said |, that l shaved
him out of about seventy-fve dollars.


And with seventy-fve dollars in your
possession belonging to poor Peter Sim
mons, do you think you can commence a
life of Christian purity? Do you think
that Christ will hear your prayers for
pardon with stolen money in your pock-
ct said the minister.


/ 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, will not admit
the excuses which your selfshness in
vents.


But the rule which you apply will cut
off the heads of church members as well
as mine. There's Dea. Rich, he trades
horses and shaves when he can.


No matter, said he, whose head is cut
of-no matter what Deacon Rich does
You have to deal with your own soul, and
with the Lord. And tell you, wheth-
er you are out of the church or in it,
single dollar which you have unjustly or
knowingly taken from any man without
rendering him its full value to the best of
your ability-a single dollar, say, will
be like milestone hung upon your neck
to sink your soul into the sea of spiritual
death.


l couldn't stand that. The spirit of
! God used these words with terrible effect
upon my heart. l was greatly agitated.
The truth spoken by the pastor appealed
to my understanding with irresistible
power. went away, but couldn't rest.
So took seventy-fve dollars and went
to Peter and paid him making him
promise not to tell anybody, for | was
ashamed to have it known that | was
conscience-stricken and had paid back
money. Then l went to the minister and
told him what had done. He didn't
praise me as though: he would. He
took it as matter of course, and no more
merit in me than it is to wash my hands
before sit down to supper. On the con-
trary, he seemed to suspect that my hands
were not quite clean yet. He wanted to
know if had wronged anybody else be-
sides Peter. / wanted to say no, but my
conscience wouldn't let me. could have
told plumper lie than that once without
fiinching-yes,a and flattered my own heart
to believe the lie. / was discouraged.
l felt bitterly disheartened. 1t was, in
deed, so much harder being a Christian
than | supposed, that l regretted going
to talk with the minister at all. Like the
young man with great possessions, l was
on the point of going away sorrowful-I
but my heart burned within me, and | was
forced to speak.


In the way of business, said !, no
doubt have taken advantage here and
there, as everybody does, as church men,
bers themselves do when they can.


What everybody does, is no rule for
you and me, Captain Ball, said the min
lister. 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 justi-
fed in doing as the wolves do, even when
they appear in sleeps clothing.


felt the rebuke. Well, said /, there
is Deacon Rich, l think he paid me note
twice. The first time he paid it, we were
transacting other business, and by some
mistake the note was not destroyed. 1
found it among my papers afterwards. l
was a good deal excited, and lay awake
more than one night, thinking what
ought to do about it. The Deacon was
a hard man, considered, and took ad-