XXVIII. They Might be a Success.

There is, just now, considerable inquiry by some portions of the Methodist family, how to make their class-meetings a success—how make them more spiritual—how get the members to attend them.

I have a recipe which answers the above, and proves a success in all cases. In order to get a perfect understanding of the idea, I will relate a circumstance: When a boy I learned to hunt bees. The country was new, and bees were often found in hollow trees—frequently with a large amount of honey. In order to find where the bees lived, I took a box about ten inches long, six wide, and six deep, with a glass cover. I would place in this box about one pound of honey. I would then catch a bee from off some flower, and put him in the box with the honey, then put the box in some clear place where the sun could shine upon it. When the bee had filled himself with the honey, he would fly away to the tree where he lived, always going in a straight line. He would soon deposit, and return, bringing several more bees with him. These would fill themselves and fly away to the tree, deposit, and return, with perhaps an increase of fifty bees. By some process the bees would communicate the fact that they had found honey, so on every return trip their numbers rapidly increased, until it seemed the whole hive was after the honey.

Now, let a class-leader find the honey—get it in his own soul—the honey of perfect love—the real thing—not a guess so affair, but a positive holiness; holiness that comes by a perfect consecration, with a clear endorsement of the Holy Ghost; holiness that shines as clear as the sun at noonday; opposed to all pomp and display; arrayed against the devil and all his works; that is dead to the world and alive to God; holiness that has love divine in every element, running through every vein, and fibre, and muscle of his spiritual and intellectual being. This will be the real honey. Yea, sweeter than honey and the honey-comb. Then you will talk salvation—not simply about salvation,—you will talk it. The real honey will flow out in your words, and songs of praise, as water flowed from the smitten rock. A hallowed influence will attend you everywhere. “The wilderness and the solitary place shall be glad” for you; “and the desert shall rejoice and blossom as the rose. It shall blossom abundantly, and rejoice with singing.” Then your members will be charmed with your godly conversation. They will come to class to hear you talk of Jesus’ wondrous saving power—how he saves you from sin and sinning. And while you talk the fire will burn. They will catch the flame and carry the glad tidings to others, and they to others, until the whole church will be on fire with God’s love. This recipe is exceedingly good for ministers of the gospel, and in fact for everybody. Try it.