Effort
Illustration★★★Special, A worthy Methodist, burning with a desire to do good and save souls, seeing a man on the road before him, hastened to make up to him, that he might deal with him about his soul. Ignorant of these good intentions, the other, taking him for a footpad, did all he could to throw him out, but in vain. At length the Methodist runs him down, confirming his worst fears—as they now stood face to face—with the startling question, ‘Are you prepared to die?” At this awful question, down goes the poor man on his knees, to offer the other all his money if he will but spare his life, happy, as the supposed footpad raised him, to find out his mistake. Guthrie.
— Guthrie
Guthrie.
The point
A zealous Methodists abrupt question, are you prepared to die, is mistaken for a robbery threat, comically showing how alarming blunt evangelism can be.