PROVIDENCE AND POTATOES.
By H. L. Hastings
It is a blessed thing to trust in the good providence of God, but those who trust the most implicitly, also work the most faithfully. God giveth the increase; but Paul must not leave off planting nor Apollos watering on that account; they can do all this, and then have plenty left to trust in God for. The man who trusts in God to do what the Lord has told him to do himself, will find that there is some misunderstanding about matters somewhere. Faith and works should ever go together, and he who does his best is quite as trustful as he who is less faithful over the few things committed to him. It is related that the celebrated Welsh preacher, Christmas Evans, was once discussing the potato question with his thrifty, diligent wife, and perhaps in a playful, but still in a characteristic way, said to her: “Catherine, you never mind the potatoes; put your trust in Providence, and all will be well.” “I tell you what we’ll do, Christmas,” replied Catherine; “you go and sit down on the top of Moelly Gest, waiting for Providence, and I’ll go and hoe the potatoes; and we shall see to which of us Providence will come first!” Providence has a wonderful amount of interest in diligent, willing-hearted workers. Now Abraham, Moses, Gideon, David, Elisha, Daniel, Paul, Peter, Matthew, James, John, and others55whom the Lord chose, honored, and blessed, were very busy, active men, and were, in most instances, called to the work of God when busily engaged in secular pursuits,—keeping sheep, thrashing wheat, plowing the fields, guiding the State, receiving taxes, catching fish, mending nets, and such like active and useful occupations. From the midst of these labors, they were called to deliver nations, lead armies, utter prophecies, and save men. The Lord of the vineyard, it is true, employed men who were standing idle in the market-place, but they were not idling there,—they came seeking work, but no man had hired them, and they took the first work that was offered, and did not stop to higgle about the wages. The Lord seems to have a great liking for busy men. We should have to look long before we could find an elegant “gentleman of leisure” on the staff of the Captain of our salvation. Paul, to be sure, was an educated man, but he was also a tent-maker, and he was full of restless energy, persecuting the saints even to strange cities, when the Lord called him to his work. Pray much, but work with all your might. “Trust in the Lord, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed.”