John Smith and His Conscience.
Time, any Friday, at 7:30 P. M. Conscience: Time for prayer meeting, John Smith.
Smith: Uh-huh.
Conscience: First bell's ringing, John.
Smith: Yep.
Conscience: Going, aren't you?
Smith: Got a headache.
Conscience: Came on all at once, didn't it, John?
Smith: Besides, I'm all tired out,
Conscience: Tired out doing the Lord's work, I suppose, John.
Smith: And I've enough letters to keep me all the evening. They ought to have been answered weeks ago.
Conscience: Not too tired to write letters, are you, John? And besides, if they've waited all these weeks, they can wait one day longer.
Smith: I wasn't interested in the last meeting.
Conscience: That was because you didn't take part, John.
Smith: Well, that's just it. I'd go if I didn't have to take part, if I could just sit and listen like most of the women.
Conscience: Everyone else would have just as good a right as you to do that, John; and then where'd the meeting be?
Smith: Well, there are too many meetings, anyway. Nothing but meetings, meetings, meetings!
Conscience: This is the only conference meeting the church has. Is once a week too often for Christians to talk about what they say is the main business of the world?
Smith: That's just it! They don't talk business. It's just glittering generalities. Now what's the topic tonight, for instance?
Conscience: "The Perseverance of the Saints."
Smith: Perseverance of the Saints! Nothing doing! That lets me out. If they'd talk about something I knew something about, I might go.
A Consultation.
The Prayer Meeting was evidently going into decline, and a number of physicians were called for a consultation.
Said Dr. Strikt, "Let no one come into the room that will not take part in some original away at every meeting."
Said Dr. Eezy, "Let down the bars; the pledge has been scaring away the really bright young people."
Said Dr. Theori, "Modern psychology shows that you are proceeding along lines that are radically wrong; what you need is a Greek-letter fraternity with a private theatrical annex."
Said Dr. Novvle, "Get out of the rut! Put something new and startling into every meeting."
Then spoke up Dr. True, who said earnestly, "Where two or three are met together in the name of Jesus Christ, He is in their midst; and where Jesus Christ is, the meeting is a great big success, and can never go into a decline, still less die."
The other doctors were silenced, the Prayer Meeting took Dr. True's advice, and began to pray more, and work more, and live more with Jesus Christ. It picked up at once, and is now a magnificent specimen of sturdy health.