“Ye have heard how it hath been said: ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth
for a tooth.’ But I say unto you that you resist not evil. But
whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other
also. And if any man will sue thee at the law, and take away thy coat,
let him have thy cloak also. And whosoever shall compel thee to go a
mile, go with him twain. Give to him that asketh thee, and to him that
would borrow of thee, turn not thou away.”
This Pharisee smugly assumed that he was authorized by the Deity to
explain away this scripture. And he did it, as the reader has heard it
done many a time.
The Pharisee was followed by a fat Scribe who tried to smile away what
the other fellow had tried to argue away. The fat one then called on
the assembly to bow, and exhorted the repentant to hold up their hands
to be prayed for.
I held up my hand. Was I not eating the bread of the mission? And then
I felt like a sinner anyway.
“Thank God,” said the fat one.
After a hymn, testimonies were called for. I felt the spirit move me,
but some one had the floor. Across the gulf she stood, an exceedingly
well-dressed and blindly devout sister. She glanced with a terrified
shrinking at the animals she hoped to benefit. She said:--
“There has been one great difficulty in my Christian life. It came with
seeking for the Spirit. Sometimes we think it has come with power, when
we are simply stirred by our own selfish desires. Our works will show
whether we are moved by the Spirit.”
I wanted to preach them a sermon on St. Francis. But how could I? There
was still a quarter in my own pocket. Meanwhile there rose a saint
with a pompadour and blocky jaws. He was distinctly inferior in social
position to a great part of the saints. It was probable he had given
that testimony many times. But he did not want the meeting to drag. He
spake in a loud voice: “I was saved from a drunkard’s life, in this
mission, eighteen years ago, and ever since, not by my own power, but
by the grace of God, I have been leading a God-fearing and money-making
life in this town.” That was his exact phrase, “a money-making life.”
His intention was good, but he should have been more tactful. The
Pharisee looked annoyed.