Rensselaer Gazette, Volume 3, Number 23, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 28 September 1859 — Caungt in his own Trap. [ARTICLE]

Caungt in his own Trap.

Two ministers of the gospel were once conversing on extemporaneous preaching. “Well,” said the old divine, waxing warm, ‘•'you are ruining yourself by writing your sermons and reading them off. Your congregation cannot become interested in your preaching, and if you were called upon to preach unexpectedly, unless you could get hold of an old rermon, you would be completely confused..” The young divine used all his eloquence, but in vain, to convince the old gentleman that the written sermon expressed his own thoughts and feelings, and if called upon, he could preach extemporaneously. “As we are of the same faith,” said the young minister, “suppose you try next Sabbath morning. On ascending the pulpit yon can hand me a text from any part of the Bible, and I will convince you that .1 can preach without having looked at the text before I stood up. Likewise, I must be allowed the same privilege with you, and see who will make the best of it.” The idea seemed to delight the old gentleman, and iLwas immediately agreed upon. The following Sabbath, on mounting the pulpit, his senior brother handed him a slip of paper on which was written, “And the ass opened his mouth and spake,” from which he preached a glorious sermon,chaining the attention of his delighted hearers, and charming his old friend with his eloquence. In the afternoon the young brother, who was sitting below the pulpit, handed his slip. After rising and opening the Bible, the old man looked sadly around—"Am I not thine ass!” Pausing a few minutes, he ran his fingers through his hair, straightened his collar, blew his nose like the last trumpet, and read aloud, “Am I not thine ass!” Another pause, during which a deadly silence reigned. After reading a third time, “Am I not thine ass!” he looked over the pulpit at his friend, and, in a doleful voice, said: ‘‘Z think I am, brother.”