A Monk and the Highwayman

The illustration—This story comes down to us from monastery life. In a monastery in the south of France there dwelt a brotherhood of mendicant monks. One of their members was returning from a begging expedition with a well filled purse. He had almost reached the monastery when a highwayman leaped from a small thicket and showed a pistol.

The monk immediately passed over the purse. “Ah,” he gasped, “take it, take it!

But what a wigging I will get from the prior if he thinks I made no resistance. If you are a highwayman of the fine old school, you will do me a favor.” The thief, anxious to deserve the compli- ment, said, “Certainly. Anything you wish.

What is it?’ The monk replied, “I want to prove to the prior that I defended my- self heroically against your attack. Will you please shoot a few holes through this coat?” He pulled off the coat and threw it on the ground.

The thief courteously pointed his pistol and pulled the trigger. There was no report. ‘“‘What’s the matter?” asked the monk. Said the highwayman, “I must own that I pos- sess no such commodity as gunpowder.”

The monk said, “I 18 THE ILLUSTRATION must own that you are a queer highwayman. Then please slash the coat a little with your dirk.”

The thief replied, “I am also destitute of a knife. I have no weapon of any kind. I attack none but cowards and fools.”

“Is that so!” exclaimed the monk. “Then I guess I’m as good as you.

Come on.” And he fell on the thief and smote him hip and thigh. When he had beaten the thief into unconsciousness, he repossessed himself of the purse and went on his way to the monastery.

7. Something used to lead the mind from the known and ex- perienced to the unknown and imexperienced. The principle: The fact of God. ““{I-19] The illustration—A pastor relates this experience: “When I was in the University a classmate and I took the agency for a stereoscope and pictures.

We tried to sell them in several towns in Connecticut. We were canvassing a village that had one main street. He was taking one side and I the other. I finished my side first and stood talking with the man who lived in the last house.

We began to talk about this and that. Suddenly the Spirit seemed to say, “Talk with him about his soul.” When I turned the subject in that direction he said, “Oh I don’t believe in God at all.

There is no use of your talking about salvation to \ me for there is no God and nothing to be saved from.” We were standing right near his garden. It was one of the finest gardens I have ever seen. The seeds had been planted in an orderly way.

The ground had been carefully cultivated. There was not a weed in sight. The vegetables presented a thriving appearance. I said to him, “That is a very fine garden you have there.”

He replied, “Yes, it is. My neighbors rather envy me my garden, but it represents a lot of hard work and planning and care, They seem to think that you can plant seeds, half hoe the ground, let the weeds accumulate and then have a good garden, but you cannot get one that way.

That garden represents a lot of care on my part. I have spent many hours getting that garden into its present condition.” I said to him, “And yet you think that the great universe is to get along without anybody to care for it at all. No one is needed to expend any time or attention to the world in which we live and the stars and the other great heavenly bodies are to get along without anyone to look after them.”

He looked at me fixedly for a moment and then his face broke into a grin as he said, “Well, I guess you have got me there, all right.” Here you can see plainly the going from the known to {0G unknown. 8. Something concrete that is used to help us understand the abstract.

A principle: We have no right to pray unless we are willing to do our part in the answering of our prayer.