mosques, all over the Mohammedan world, are built accordingly, and not on meridian lines. It is often pathetic to hear a wayfarer or a Moslem who travels on an ocean steamer ask which is the proper direction to turn at the hour of prayer. To pray with one's back to Mecca would be unpardonable. Many Moslems carry a pocket-compass on their journeys to avoid all possible errors of this character. (Text.)—Samuel M. Zwemer, "The Moslem World."
(2455)
PRAYERS
Mr. Keppel in his book "Christmas in Art," tells this story:
I remember a touching little incident which
occurred in New York. My dear old mother,
who was a Methodist, had died, and our
kindly Irish cook prayed twice daily for the
repose of the old woman's soul. A Catholic
friend of the cook's told her that it was
wrong to pray for a deceased heretic, and
the cook carried the question to her father-*confessor.
The good priest's decision was
in this wise: "My daughter, I can not tell
you whether such prayers can do good to the
soul of a deceased heretic—but your prayers
will certainly do good to your own soul."
(2456)
Prayers Unanswered—See Faith, Stedfast.
PREACHING
Whitefield was just twenty-one when he
received deacon's orders, and he at once
leapt into fame as a preacher. "I intended
to make 150 sermons," he says, "and thought
I would set up with a good stock-in-trade."
As a matter of fact, this greatest of English
preachers only possest a single sermon when
he began his preaching career. In his
humility he put his first and solitary discourse
into the hands of a friendly clergyman,
to show how unprepared for the work
of the pulpit he was. The clergyman used
one-half of the sermon at his morning service,
and the other half at his evening service,
and returned it to its astonished author with
a guinea by way of payment.—W. H.
Fitchett, "Wesley and His Century."
(2457)
See Consecration; Education to be
Prized; Speech, Common.
Preaching, Call To—See Influence, Individual.
PREACHING CHRIST
Some man went to hear Spurgeon preach
one day, and when he came back to his
friend's house, his friend asked him: "What
do you think of Spurgeon?" He replied:
"Nothing at all." The friend in amazement
repeated his question, and again the answer
was: "I do not think anything of him at
all," and then he brushed away some moisture
in his eyes and added: "But I never can
forget his Savior."—Cortland Myers.
(2458)
Preaching, Fearless—See Fitness.
PREACHING FROM MANUSCRIPT
One year I invited the pastor of a great
church in Cincinnati, and he came, and he
spoke on Sunday morning. He pulled out
a forty-page manuscript and stood there and
read the gospel for a whole hour, and those
good country people never saw it done before,
and when they adjourned for dinner
they got under the trees and talked about
the proceedings. They said, "What do you
think of that letter from Cincinnati?" And
I never see a fellow pull his manuscript
now that I don't wonder where that letter
is from.—"Popular Lectures of Sam P.
Jones."
(2459)
PREACHING, GOSPEL
I have seen an advertisement reading thus:
"If the druggist says, 'We haven't Brown's
soap, but here is something just as good,'
don't take it! Go somewhere else." The
Church is in business, and Church attendance
is controlled by business principles. The
man who drops in wants the gospel, nothing
else will answer, and he can not be expected
to continue dropping in unless he gets
it.—David James Burrell.
(2460)
Preaching Occasions—See Opportunities Improved.
PREACHING, RESPONSIBILITY IN
Those who have inadequate views of their
responsibility in preparing to preach the gospel
ought to be impressively reminded of
their failure in this respect, as was a
moderate minister, who was a keen fisher,
when he said to Dr. Andrew Thompson: "I
wonder you spend so much time on your
sermons, with your ability and ready speech.
Many's the time I've written a sermon and
killed a salmon before breakfast." To which
saying Dr. Thompson replied, "Well, sir,
I'd rather have eaten your salmon than
listened to your sermon."
(2461)
