<TITLE>25. Par 261-273</TITLE>L-261 He opened my eyes, with His eye salve. His Spirit came down and warmed the Bible, His eye salve. I couldn't see It. I was just a local, Baptist pastor. But one day He sent His Spirit down, not the coon grease did He get hot, but He sent the Holy Spirit and fire! A little eye salve raked across my Bible--my Bibles... and I could see with my eye, I mean raked across my eyes so I could see my Bible. And I seen that, "He was the same yesterday, today, and forever. Let every man's word be a lie, and Mine be true. I stand at the door, and knock."

L-262   One more little story. Have we got time? [Congregation says, "Amen."--Ed.] Yeah, yeah, then I'll go, see.

L-263 There was an old darkie down there in the South. And, his pastor, I knew him, a nice old fellow. We called him Gabe. His name was Gabriel, and we just called him Gabe. He always, pastor and I, we--we went hunting, a whole lot. He was an old colored brother, and we went out hunting. And so old Gabe liked to hunt better than anybody I ever knowed, but he was a poor shot. So, one day his pastor and him went hunting.

L-264 And we could never get old Gabe to line up to church. He just wouldn't do it. He wouldn't come to church. He said, "Ah, I's don't go down there where the hypocrites is."

L-265 I said, "But, Gabe, as long as you stay out, they're bigger than you. You're hiding behind them, see." I said, "You are hiding behind them. You're smaller than they are; they do go down and make an effort, see."

L-266 And so he said, "I--I--I--I--I thinks a lot of you, Mr. Bill. But," said, "I--I--I--I know old Jones goes down there, and he ain't nothing; he shoots craps, and all that."

L-267 I said, "That's all right, Gabe. See, that's all right. But, remember, Jones has to answer for that; you don't have to, you see. If you just go..." I said, "You've got a good pastor."

L-268 "Oh, Pastor Jones is one of the finest man there is in the country!"

L-269 I said, "Let him be your example, if you can't look farther than that. Let him be your example."

L-270   So one day Brother Jones said, took old Gabe hunting, and said, "We got more rabbits and birds, that day, than we could hardly pack." And said, "Come in in the evening." Said, "Old Gabe was coming behind, and all loaded down, you know, like that." And his wife was a real, loyal Christian. She had a place right there, a Holy Ghost filled woman, and she always had her post of duty. So he was... Old Gabe was coming behind, you know. And Pastor Jones said he looked around, he could see, "Old Gabe kept looking over his shoulder, like that. The sun setting," said, "getting real low, getting cool." Said, "After a while," said he was walking along, said, "old Gabe come up. He had his shotgun barrel hanging full of rabbits and birds, and things." Said, "He tapped the pastor on the shoulder, and said, 'Pastor?'"
Said, turned around, said, "Yeah, Gabe, what's the matter?"

L-271 So he looked, and great big tears running off of his black cheeks, where his beard was turning gray. He says, "Pastor, I's been walking along this bank here, for about a half hour." Said, "I've been watching that sun go down." Said, "You know, these gray whiskers of mine, and my hair turning," said, "you know, my sun is setting too, pastor."

L-272 Said, "That's right, Gabe." And he just stopped and turned around, said, "What's the matter with you?"

L-273 He said, "My sun is setting, too." He said, "You know what?" Said, "I got to thinking," he said, "as I was walking along back there." He said, "You know," said, "the Lord must love me."
Said, "Sure, He does, Gabe."


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