Part 6 (2/2)
A Basket of Fragments
The fame of ”Little Abe” was not confined to his own Circuit, it spread aes and towns for ht after to preach anniversary and other sermons, and wherever he went the people felt he was ”a man sent from God” There are sohtful day they had with him in the Lord's house His text was, ”My God shall supply all your need” He read these words, and then clapped his hands together, while his face beamed with smiles ”Well,”
said he, ”do you want me to praach ony after that? what can onybody say after Paul spakes? He says everything with once opening his maath; with one scratch of his wonderful pen, he writes more than I could spake in a lifetoime, if I were left to mysen, 'My God shall supply all your need' Friends, there's nowt left, yo've gotton all in that, ivery thing yo' need, and I reckon you'r weel off”
Froot away into his subject, explaining, illustrating, and applying his text in a way that war the want of faith which characterized some professors: ”Bless yo',” he said, ”sooiner than aar God would see His faithful children want, He would row on ash-trees” And then he exclaimed, ”Don't yo' believe these words? Ah, 'tis nowt unless yo' believe; youth'
dumplins and smackin' your lips on th' apples, but if you doan't believe, yo'll say it's a dream Wake up, and believe naa, and you'll foind your s”
”DISH-CLOTH”
I have said that soant, and when the following is related, ree withwho ive the penitent sinner, Abe said, ”Yo' womenfolk know haa to wesh a pie-dish, I reckon? Yo'll tak' th' dish and put it into th' hot waiter, and then tak' dish-cloth and rub it raand and raand, insoide and aatsoide, till it's clean, and then yo'll wipe it wi' a clean towel, and mak' it look just loike a bron new dish; and that's haa th' Lord does wi' a poor sinner: He gies hie into th'
Gospel fountain, weshes all his sins away, and brings hiht the figure in a etically, ”Maa th' Lord tak' th' dishcloth and wipe soht!” ”Amen,” exclaimed ”the Bishop”
”TASTE AND TRY”
Abe's reood,” etc, were very characteristic ”David was nooan a bad man to deal with; he didn't try to deceive onybody and mak' them believe a lie, like th' devil does; he says, yo' ht to satisfy yo' particular talk; yo' loike to taste th' butter and cheese afore you buy, and if it's gooid, you say, 'I'll tak' a pund o'
that;' naa, then, coooid! He's as fresh as th'dew, and sweet as new cream,” and then with a quaint look he would add, ”and there's a deal more on Him than you often foind on your ion could be tested in tays;--you can taste it yoursen, and you can see it in others See what it has done for your neighbours--how it has changed th' lion into a la sot into a sober and happy ue and purified th' heart o' th' blaspheiving, see!--”See that the Lord is good!” Then raising his voice and reaching out his arm he would exclaim, ”There's noan so bloind as those that weant see! but remember, yo' weant always be able to play th' bloind man, God will crack a thunderbolt close to your ear soment before yo', and then ill yo' say?”
His only ai them to decision for Christ; that was the reward he coveted, nothingto Jesus, and he was happy He would stay all night by a penitent, and never leave until he knew the poor soul was safe in the kingdo, dark journey hos to his mind When his as done, and another soul safe in the are preacher would take his stick, or, as he sometimes called it, his pony, and set off home, where ht, but with his soul full of that peace which only a y at the feet of his Divine Master
”WHO'S BEEN HERE?”
”Little Abe” used everything that came to hand in order to s upon his hearers Zeal for the work, and a devout bias to his s, wherein perhaps others would never have discovered any
He was in one of his serainst the devil, lest he should gain an entrance to their hearts and spoil the work of God ”Naa,” said he, ”I'll tell yo' soarden; we had a little patch of graand by aar haase; well, they set to wark,up th' soil, threw aat th' stones and rubbish, raked it over and marked it aat into beds, and planted flaars, and you may depend t'
lads wor praad o' their wark; for hts and ht By-and-bye, flaars cas caarden; weren't they praad naa, and so wor I Onelad went aat to look at th' garden a minute, and th' first words he said wor, 'Who's been here? Who's been here?'
Aat I went, and I wor raight grieved to see all th' garden spoilt, flaars broken off, little beds trampled aat o' shape, and th' wark of months all undone I saw in a ht and done all th' et in,'
said th' lad, 'th' fence was all roight and safe?' But I said, 'Did ta fasten th' gate last noight?' He looked at th' gate and said, 'I don't knaw, father' Ah, that wor it, there wor his foot-tracks through th'
gateway Ah, friends, the devil is like an owd ass, goin' skulking and shuffling abaat in th' dark when other folks are in bed sleeping, and he is always trying to get into th' Lord's garden and spoil th' flaars; yo' may mend th' fence as ate, he'll be in and undo all th' good wark in your hearts Shut th'
gate, and fasten it; nail it up, raather than let th' owd cuddy get in; he hates everything that is good in nature and grace; he'll spoil th'
best wark of God in a single noight; th' track of his owd hoof means mischief, and one of his kicks would lame onybody; keep th' devil aat o' th' heart, fence it raand with prayer; watch against th' ene oods are in peace”
(Luke xi 21)