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Pulpit Anecdotes

Pulpit Anecdotes image
Parent Issue
Day
23
Month
January
Year
1874
Copyright
Public Domain
OCR Text

Dr. Guthrie, the celebrated Scotch minister, has lei't behind him a pleasant autobiography. It was written in the decline of his life, and vet has the freshness of superabundant animal spirits. Ho tells t-o capital stories which illustrate ecclesiastical life in Scotl.ind, and the quiet humor of Scotchmen. One is of Dr. Erskine, a great preacher in his day. "Dr. Erskine was remarkable for his simplicity of manner and gontle temper. He returned so often froin the pulpit minus his pocket-handkprchief, and could teil so little how or where it was lost, that Mrs. Erskine at last began to suspect that the handkerchief were stolen as he ascended the pulpit stairs by some of the old wives that lined it. So both to balk and deteot the culprit, she sewed iv corner of a handkerchief to one of the pockets of his coat tails. Half way up the stairs the good doctor feit a tug, whereupon he turned round to the old woman whose was the guilty hand, to say with great calmness and simplicity : 'No the day, honest woman, no the day ; Mrs. Erskine has sewed it in.'" Another is of Dr. tíuthrie's experience in examining a wituess in a church trial, who did net wish to teil all he knew. The. case was that of a minister charged ■with drunkenneas. " Besides other proofs of drunkenness having drawn this out of a witness, that the ministor, an one occasion, as he lolled over the side of the pulpit - being, in fact, unable to stand upright - said that he loved his people so much that he would carry them all to Heaven on his back, I asked him, ' Now, John when you heard him say so, what impression did so strange a speech make on you ï " Other8, tö the same question, as unwilling witnesses as John, had already said that tbough they would not say he was drunk at the time, they certainly thought so. " But John showed himself equal to the occasion. "'Weel,' he replied, ' Maister Guthrie, I'll just teil you what I thought. There was a great fat wife, you see, sitting in the seat before me, and thinks I, my lad if you set off to the Kingdom of Heaven with that wife on your baCk, my certie, you'll no be back for the rest o' us in a hurry!'" A swarthy Kentucky farmer, being asked if a daughter recently mairied was still living with him, replied : " No, sir, wben one of my girls swarms she must i hunt her own hive."

Article

Subjects
Old News
Michigan Argus