Deacon Goodsole,:  [(who always goes straight to the point).]

—­Mr. Laicus here needs a little touching up on that point, Doctor; and I am glad you are here to do it.  How as to that Bible class, Mr. Laicus, that I spoke to you about week before last?  There are four or five young men from the barrow factory in the Sabbath School now.  But they have no teacher.  I am sure if you could see your way clear to take that class you would very soon have as many more.  There are some thirty of them that rarely or never come to church.  And as for me, I can’t get at them.  They are mostly unbelievers.  Mr. Gear himself, the superintendent, is a regular out and out infidel.  And I never could do anything with unbelievers.

Laicus.: 

—­Deacon, I wish I could.  But I am very busy all through the week, and I really don’t see how I can take this work up on Sunday.  Beside it would require some week-day work in addition.

Dr. Argure.: 

—­No man can be too busy to serve the Lord, Mr. Laicus; certainly no professed disciple of the Lord.  The work of the church, Mr. Laicus, is before every other work in its transcendant importance.

Laicus.: 

—­I don’t know about that.  Seems to me, I have seen somewhere that if a man does not provide for his own family he is worse than an infidel.

Dr. Argure,:  [(putting this response away from him majestically).]

—­It is unfortunately too common an excuse even with professors of religion that they are too busy to serve in the work of the Lord.  There is for example the instance of Dr. Curall.  He was elected at my suggestion last summer as an elder in our church.  But he declined the office, which the apostle declares to be honorable, and of such a character that if it be well used they who employ it purchase to themselves a good degree.  Alas! that it should be so frequently so—­ ourselves first and Christ afterwards.

Laicus.: 

—­Is that quite fair Dr?  Must Dr. Curall be put down as refusing to follow the Master because he refuses to leave the duties of his profession which he is doing well, to take on those of a church office which he might do but poorly?  May not he who goes about healing the sick be following Christ as truly as he who preaches the Gospel to the poor?  Is the one to be accused of serving the world any more because of his fees than the other because of his salary?  Can an elder do any more to carry the Gospel of Christ to the sick bed and the house of mourning than a Christian physician, if he is faithful as a Christian?

Dr. Argure shook his head but made no response.

Deacon Goodsole.: 

—­That may do very well in the case of a doctor, Mr. Laicus.  But I don’t see how it applies in your case, or in that of farmer Faragon, or in that of Typsel the printer or in that of Sole the boot-maker, or in that of half a score of people I could name, who are doing nothing in the church except pay their pew rent.