After carefully loading his gun for the kind of game which seems
to require his immediate and special attention, the spiritual
gunner should be sure to take particularly good aim at it. A
good aim is an essential to success. The gunner who aims at
nothing in particular, who closes both eyes and fires at random,
will hit nothing in particular, unless it be by accident, and
will receive no commendation for his skill. In fact, he is
very apt to hit what he does not wish to hit, and what he will
do more harm than good by hitting. Again, in these days sin
and sinners--the game the spiritual gunner is after--are so
uncommonly lively that they must be hit on the wing, if hit
at all. The spiritual gunner must, therefore, learn to aim
accurately at “arm’s length,” and quickly. If he trusts to a
“dead rest” aim, the game will be very apt to get out of range
before his gun goes off, and his work and ammunition will both
be wasted--and that is not creditable to a gunner. Long-range
shooting should also be avoided, and the gunner should quietly
work his way as near as possible to his game and fire at the
shortest possible range. A well-loaded gun, fired at short-range
and with steady aim, will generally hit the mark and do
execution.--_The Evangelist._
(3041)
* * * * *
The spiritual gunner who has a reasonably fair appreciation
of his important and responsible business will not try to use
the same kind of gun for all kinds of game. He will adapt his
gun to the kind of game he has specially in view, and he will
always have in view game of some kind if he is anxious to become
“a mighty hunter before the Lord.” He will not bring out a
loaded Armstrong, or Columbiad, or Gatling for very small game
and reserve his smallest arms for game of the largest and most
dangerous kind if he wishes to bear home any trophies of his
working skill. Every professional gunner--every pulpit gunner
especially--who wishes to do efficient work will not only have
large guns and small guns ready loaded, where he can lay his
hands on them at once, but will know just when and how to use
each kind. He will also be careful not to use kicking guns and
overloaded guns, which always do a great deal more harm to
those behind them than they do to those just in front. A gun
that shoots straight ahead without much scattering, instead of
backward or sideways, that is well aimed, and that carries true
to its aim, is the only gun for the spiritual hunter, whether it
be large or small.--_The Evangelist._
(3042)