The Bee

It is very pleasant to watch the bees at their work, for they are quite as busy as the ants, and asthey are so much larger, it is more easy to see what they are doing. Every thing about themseems curious and beautiful; their waxen cells, their manner of gathering honey and storing itup, their neatness and order, all are admirable. They are perfectly harmless when left tothemselves; but if they are attacked, they fly around the person who disturbs them, in greatnumbers, and sometimes sting him very severely. David once said of his enemies, "Theycompassed me about like bees."

Honey is often spoken of in the Bible. When Jacob wished his sons to go down into Egypt asecond time to buy food, he said to them, "Take of the best fruits of the land in your vessels, andcarry down the man (Joseph) a present; a little balm and a little honey, spices and myrrh, nutsand almonds." God told the children of Israel that he would give them "a land flowing with milkand honey," meaning one that was beautiful and fertile, producing abundantly every thing thatwould be needed for their comfort. When David had been obliged to flee from Jerusalem toescape his wicked son Absalom, he was in great want of provisions for himself and hisfollowers. After a long and fatiguing march he reached a certain city; and there three rich menwho were friendly to him, sent "wheat, and barley, and flour, and parched corn, and beans, andhoney, and butter, and sheep, and cheese," besides beds for them to rest on; "for they said, Thepeople is hungry, and wary, and thirsty in the wilderness."

Perhaps no man ever loved the commandments of God more truly than king David. He says inthe Psalms, "How sweet are thy words unto my taste! yea, sweeter than honey to my mouth!" and again he says of God's judgments, "More are they to be desired than gold, yea, than muchfine gold; sweeter also than honey and the honey-comb."

Besides the bees that live in hives, there are many called wild bees, which live in the woods, andput their honey in the clefts of rocks, or in old trees and other similar places. In the fourteenthchapter of Judges you will find this story: There was a very strong man named Samson, and oncewhen he was travelling by himself in a lonely place, a young lion came roaring along in the verypath where he was going. Would you not have been afraid? I suppose Samson was, at first, for the lion was very strong and very hungry, and Samson had nothing in his hand to kill him with. But God gave him strength, and when the lion came up, Samson caught hold of him and tore himin pieces, as you would tear a piece of cloth. Then he left him dead on the ground. Sometimeafter he came back the same way, and thought he would look after the lion that he had killed. He soon found the skeleton, that is, the dry bones without any flesh on them; and when helooked at the parts of the dead lion he found that a swarm of bees had been there, and laid up agreat plenty of honey. So he took some of it in his hands to eat as he went along.

You can learn of the little bee to try to be useful, and to resolve in the words of the hymn which Idare say you have learned:

"In works of labor or of skill

"I would be busy too;

"For Satan finds some mischief still

"For idle hands to do.

"In books, or work, or healthful play,

"Let my first years be past;

"That I may give for every day

"Some good account at last."
 

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