Year: 1877

"No, don't


"You talk so little, SIR replied
the questioner, not little abashed,
that no one can find out what you do
mean


Il talked enough once" replied the
old man, rising to his feet, "for six
praying Christians" Thirty years
ago got my heart humbled, and my
tongue bridled; and ever since that
I've walked softly before God. l 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."


well sir, I'll tell you. I was
drawn into scheme just like this Of
yours, to up-root one of Gods SER
wants from the field in which he had
planted him. In my blindness, I
fancied it slight thing to remove one
Of the stars which Jesus holds in his
right hand, if thereby my ear
could be tickled by mere flowing
words, and the pews filled with those
who turned away from the simplicity
of the gospel-for | admit that I was
a dupe and q fool We hattered our
selves that we were doing Gods SER
vice when we drove the holy man
from the pulpit and his work, and
said we considered his work done in
B, where | then lived. We groan-
ed because there was no revival while
we were gossiping about and CRITICS.
ing HIM, instead of upholding his
hands by our efforts and our prayers,
| the very instruments 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 taunting him for his weak
ness, while we hung as a dead wei ight
to the wheels; he had not the spirit,
as we thought, and could not convert
men; so we haunted 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 We're broken, and our wayward
children converted; and | resolved at
a convenient season to visit my form
er pastor and confess my sin, and
thank him for his faithfrllness to my
way ward sons, which like buried seed
had not sprung up. But God denied
Inc that relief, that he might teach me
lesson that every child Of his ought
/ to learn-that he who toucheth one Of
his little ones toucheth the apple of
his eye


II heard my pastor was i'll, and TAX
ing my oldest son with me, set out on
TWENTY-FIVE mile ride to see him 1t
was evening when ] arrived, and his
wife, with the spirit any woman ought
| to exhibit toward one who had so
wronged her husband, denied me ad
mittance to his chamber. She said
| (and her words We're like arrows to my
SOUL he may be dying, and the sight
of your face may add to his anguish
Had it come this, I said to myself,
that the man whose labors had,
through Christ, brought me into his
fold, who had consoled my spirit in a
! terrible bereavement, and who had,
till designing men alienated US, been
to me brother-this man could not
die in peace with my face before him?
God pity mel | cried, what have |
done? l confessed my sins to that
meek woman, and implored her, for
Christ's sake, to let me kneel before
his dying servant, and receive his for
giveness.


What did l care then whether the
pews by the door were rented or not?
| would gladly have taken his whole
family to my home forever, as my
flesh and blood; but no such happiness
was in store for me.


CAS- | entered the room of the bless
ed warrior, whose armor was falling
from his limbs, he opened his languid
eyes and said Brother Lee. Brother
Lee I bent over him and sobbed out
my pastor Then, raising his white
hand, he said in deep, impressive
voice, touch not mine anointed, and
do my prophets no harm


"t spoke tenderly to him, and told
him | had come to confess my sin ano