The Preacher Who Turned Court Into a Prayer Meeting

In the early days of primitive Methodism, under the labors of one of the veteran missionaries, a notoriously bad character got converted. Quite in harmony with the customs of those times, he too began preaching. On one occasion he had a large crowd of people gathered by the wayside, and to these he preached furiously. An officious policeman came up and took the preacher into custody. The news spread like wild-fire that old Tom was locked up for preaching. Had it been said that it was for touching, no one would have doubted it; but his preaching gave quite a different character to the affair.

On the following morning the courtroom was crowded to witness the trial. The charge was read over, and the prisoner was asked what he had to say in reply. Now this man had been in that dock so often that he did not feel at all concerned; he seemed quite at home. Very quietly folding his arms, he addressed the magistrate to the following effect:

'Gentlemen, do you mean business?'

'Well, I do,' was the reply.

'Well, gentlemen, please excuse me; but if you mean business, allow me to say that of late a great change has come over me, and I never begin business without first praying about it; if you please, we'll pray.'

He did not wait to know whether they pleased or did, but with all the fervor of a new convert poured out his soul in prayer. All in the court and on the magistrates' bench were deeply moved, and some to tears. But he prayed rather long, and, good as it was, they thought he might now close; so the presiding magistrate said in an undertone: 'That will do; just stop him.'

The officer, shaking the preacher's sleeve, said 'Stop;' but he prayed away. Pulling his sleeve more vigorously, the officer said 'Stop, man, stop;' but he prayed with increasing fervor. One of the magistrates saw a preacher whom he knew in the body of the court, and, calling to him, said: 'Mr. Davis, you come and stop him.' But the dear old brother enjoyed this novel prayer-meeting too much to be induced to stop it; so he replied, loud enough for all to hear: 'Nay, nay; you started him, I can't stop him.'

However, our friend in the dock drew his devotions to a close, stood upon his feet, and, again folding his arms, said, with becoming meekness: 'Now, gentlemen, if you please, I am quite ready for business.'

The prisoner was ordered into an anteroom while the case was considered. One of the magistrates, moved to tears, said: 'We have often had this man before us, but never under such circumstances. If this is a sample of the work achieved by the labors of the Primitive Methodists, I wish them success wherever they go.' It did not take them long to decide that he had broken no law, and therefore they promptly acquitted him. 'Well, gentlemen,' said an officer of the court, 'shall we call him in and say he is acquitted?' 'What? what? call him in? No, never, or you'll have him on his knees returning thanks. Let him go out at a side door, and tell him he is fully at liberty to carry on his good work.'