THE following sketch is taken from an old copy of The Christian Treasury, which seems to have taken it from an American magazine:—
A few evenings ago, I was present at a tea-table where the conversation turned upon praying “before folks,” some of the party contending that where two travellers chance to lodge in the same room for a night, it would look pharisaical for one or the other to kneel down and “say his prayers” in the presence of the other; while the other party defended the propriety of it, and asserted it to be a duty. As an illustration, an incident was related, where two members of our Church—at home, good enough men in their neighbours’ esteem—both got into bed prayerless, for fear of praying before the other’s eyes. This conversation, which was very interesting, and in the course of which many striking illustrations were brought up to prove the healthy example of never neglecting prayer, led a minister present to relate the following anecdote, which I think worthy of preservation; and perhaps it may do some good:—
“When I was a young man,” said the minister, “I was a clerk in Boston. Two of my room-mates at my boarding-house were also clerks, about my own age, which was eighteen. The first Sabbath morning, during the three or four long hours that elapsed from getting up to bell-ringing for church, I felt a secret desire to get a Bible which my mother had given me, out of my trunk, and read in it. I was very anxious to get my Bible and read, but I was afraid to do so before my room-mates, who were reading some miscellaneous books. At length my conscience got the mastery, and I rose up and went to my trunk. I had half raised it, when the thought occurred to me that it might look like over-sanctity and pharisaical, so I shut my trunk and returned to the window. For twenty minutes I was miserably ill at ease; I felt I was doing wrong. I started a second time for my trunk, and had my hand upon the little Bible, when the fear of being laughed at conquered the better emotion, and I again dropped the top of the trunk. As I turned away from it, one of my room-mates, who observed my irresolute movements, said laughingly:—
“‘I say, —, what’s the matter? You seem as restless as a weathercock!’
“I replied by laughing in my turn; and then, conceiving the truth to be the best, frankly told them both what was the matter.
“To my surprise and delight, they both spoke up and averred that they both had Bibles in their trunks, and both had been secretly wishing to read in them, but were afraid to take them out, lest I should laugh at them.
“‘Then,’ said I, ‘let us agree to read them every Sabbath, and we shall have the laugh all on one side.’
“To this there was a hearty response, and the next moment the three Bibles were out; and I assure you we all felt happier all that day, for reading in them that morning.
“The following Sabbath, about ten o’clock, while we were each reading our chapters, two of our fellow boarders from another room came in. When they saw how we were engaged, they stared, and then exclaimed:—
‘What is all this? A conventicle?’
“In reply, I related to them exactly how the matter stood; my struggle to get my Bible from my trunk, and how we three, having found we had all been afraid of each other without cause, had now agreed to read every Sabbath.
“‘Not a bad idea,’ answered one of them. ‘You have more courage than I have. I have a Bible, too, but have not looked into it since I have been in Boston! But I’ll read it after this, since you’ve broken the ice.’
“The other then asked one of us to read aloud, and both sat and quietly listened till the bell rang for church.
“That evening, we three in the same room agreed to have a chapter read every night, by one or the other of us at nine o’clock; and we religiously adhered to our purpose. A few evenings after this resolution, four or five of the boarders (for there were sixteen clerks boarding in the house) happened to be in our room talking when the nine o’clock bell rang. One of my room-mates, looking at me, opened the Bible. The others looked inquiringly. I then explained our custom.
“‘We’ll all stay and listen,’ they said, almost unanimously.
“The result was, that without an exception, every one of the sixteen clerks spent his Sabbath morning in reading in the Bible; and the moral effect upon our household was of the highest character. I relate this incident,” concluded the minister, “to show what influence one person, even a youth, may exert for evil or good. No man should ever be afraid to do his duty. A hundred hearts may throb to act right, that only await a leader. I forgot to add that we were all called the ‘Bible clerks!’ All these youths are now useful and Christian men, and more than one is labouring in the ministry.”