, 1885-10-11

@N 1865
was a halt hour to be consumed in EXPOSE
ton OF a text, and before an intelligent
audience. was consumed myself. My
ext some friends will recognize. 1t was,
AND feter followed aiar of, etc. l fol
lowed that ext a good deal farther of
nan Peter ever did his. | saw the audi
ence pitied me. 1t was decidedly. thin.
"hen reached fgbert $ room l threw
myself on the lounge and cried out my
vexa'ion. Alter the tears, resolved that
l "oulu never enter the pulpit again. In
the afternoon went and spoke to the
prisoners IN Carson penitentiary. | en-
Joyed speaking to the convicts, and that
service tended to comfort me. The
people insisted on my remaining with
them and tried again next
sunday with better success. stayed
with that people a number OF weeks. 1t
was their kind iorbearance and hearty
encouragement mat led me to determine
10 20 IN the ministry. l preached from
that same Text here a few nights since and
got along somewhat better than that first
Tune would really like to see the notes
l niade Tor that frst sermon, but they are
iost. l may say that those good people
pushed me INTO the ministry | could
tell you some good stories about my first
pastorate' as call my short stay IN Car
sou
Rev. ID. A. RAIDER, of the Methodist
church, with reference to his first sermon,
said, when asked about it;
| confess that | do not love to think of
1t, for to tell the truth, there was no ser
mon about it. | was in my uinteenth year,
and was attending school in Missouri. 1t
was generally understood by the president
and teachers of the institution and by
the preachers, that | expected TO make
the ministry my life work. This was only
Il few years after the civil war was over,
and there were still many neighborhoods
in that state in which there had been no
preaching Of any kind since before the
war. One Of these communities had en-
gagged the services of our pastor 20 hold a
meeting in their school house. The time
came and he could not FIJI his engage
ment, and was released from that one ON
condition that he would come in a month
and fulfill his promise. When the time
had arrived for the next appointment to
be filled, our pastor was unable to meet
tins one; so he came to our boarding house
and said to another young man who was
preparing for the ministry, and myself
y GU boys must 90 and fill that appoint
ment at Werdens school house for me; 1t
Is utterly impossible for me to go, and
they haven't heard preaching out there
for years, and you can succeed first rate.
You can go out Friday evening and re-
turn Monday, if you want to do so. >
Well we went. On the way out ! agreed
to conduct the evening meetings and my
brother was to conduct them in the fore
noon. | was green, but had too much
sense to try To preach. was well
enough satisfied without trying that
experiment. My companion was seven
years older and had good ability
for n OF his opportunities. He preached
well on Saturday, and that encouraged
him to try for larger things on Sunday.
The house was iull and he talked. He
told all he knew about his text. but he
saw no place to stop. In his bewilder-
ment he commenced where he hadstopped
and went back over the points he had
made, only he took them inversely from
the way he had presented them at iist
Still there was no place to stop, so he