PREFACE.

Origin and Design of the WorK.-One of the best means which I have found to fasten moral and religious truths on the popular mind, is to present them clothed in tangible forms, as in anecdotes, historical sketches, and kindred illustrations. They do much, when riguly used, to enlist attention, convince the judgment, and persuade the heart. I have often seen the truth of the proverb, "One fact is worth a ship-load of arguments." As we might naturally suppose, an example of virtue is more forcible than a precept, because men are more ready to imitate than they are to obey. And citing an instance of the effects of sin, often tells more loudly than a lecture against it; because men more readily imagine fallacy in our logic than falsehood in our statements, and give more deference to the doings of God than to the sayings of man. Besides, in most men, the perceptive predominate over the reflective faculties; hence, fact and incident which strike the former, are more easily remembered than trains of reasoning which appeal to the latter.

The great moral uses of such illustrations in the family and social circle, in the Sabbath school and the pulpit, have not only been proved in my own experience, but I find that the experience of many others is similar to mine. To supply, therefore, their wants and my own, I have devoted much time and pains for two or three years past, to the preparation of the present work.

CHARACTER OF THE WORK.-The anecdotes, incidents, and historical sketches, here assembled, are moral and religious; a wider range of subjects would have made the work too costly and cumbersome. A large and interesting class of materials, embracing anecdotes used in the way of simile or comparison, striking analogies, parables, and the like, have been omitted on the same account: I intend before long to publish them in a separate volume.

Many of the anecdotes here presented, are, of course, adapted rather to the fireside, the Sabbath school, and the platform, than to the pulpit: what are adapted to the latter, and what are not, the preacher qualified for his office, is qualified to decide.

A large portion of the anecdotes of this volume have been more or less abridged, and many partly or wholly re-written; thus, the number embraced in such a volume is far more extensive, and the truths they prove or exemplify, are, I trust, rendered more clear and distinct to the mind. All strictly sectarian anecdotes have been avoided. The writer has introduced no anecdotes which he considered of doubtful or apocryphal character. But in most cases he has not deemed it important to give the original authorities. As a general thing, anecdotes rather secure credence by being true to nature, than by being vouched for by this or that witness, unless he be a person whom we greatly confide in.

SOURCES AND EXTENT OF THE WORK.-In preparing this volume, I have gone over nearly all former collections published in this country and Great Britain, (amounting to scores of volumes,) and have taken from them all the moral and religious portions of much interest or value. To the twelve volumes published by the London Religious Tract Society, I am, however, as much indebted as to all the rest. This excellent series was edited by the Rev. Dr. Belcher, now pastor of a church in Philadelphia; and I may gratefully add that I have received from him some valuable suggestions and friendly encouragement in the pre paration of this work.

In addition to the above collections, I have examined the files of the religious journals of our more prominent evangelical denominations; such as the New-York Observer, New-York Evangelist, Christian Advocate and Journal, Churchman, Protestant Churchman, Christian Intelligencer, Boston Recorder, Christian Watchman, Christian Reflector, Millennial Harbinger, and others which it is needless to mention. Magazines, biographies, and similar works have likewise been consulted. New anecdotes have also been furnished by clergymen and others.

This work, therefore, contains nearly all the best anecdotes of the kind to be found in previous collections, and several hundred others, original and selected.

ARRANGEMENT, CLASSIFICATION, AND INDEXES.-All anecdotal works which I have met with, two or three excepted, are of a very miscellaneous and jumbled character, and very deficient in their indexes. Thus they are of very little use as books of reference. Unless a person has a very tenacious memory, and has read them carefully, it often costs more time to find some half-forgotten anecdote than it is worth. One great effort of the writer in this work has been to obviate these difficulties; to prepare a book which could be referred to with the greatest possible facility, in the illustration and pointing of truth.

Accordingly, the main topics or subjects follow each other in alphabetical order; and when the subject is extensive, and the facts numerous, they are placed under those analytical divisions and subdivisions of the subject which they illustrate. In addition to this, copious topical and Scriptural indexes will be found at the end of the work. Each division of anecdotes is numbered, 1, 2, 3, &c.; and each anecdote is marked by the letters of the alphabet, (a), (b), (c), &c. In the Index, anecdotes are referred to in whole classes, by the above-mentioned figures, or a particular anecdote is referred to by joining both figure and letter; thus, 20a, 30b, 40d, &c. With a little practice, therefore, it will be easy for one but partially acquainted with the contents of the book, to find facts in a moment on any topic or Scripture, which the facts can illustrate.

In closing, I would very gratefully acknowledge my obligations to the Rev. Francis Smith, of Providence, R. I., and the Rev. O. B. Judd, of this city, for the valuable assistance which I have received from them in the prosecution of my labors.

New-York, January 14, 1848.

K. ARVINE.

CYCLOPEDIA

OF

MORAL AND RELIGIOUS ANECDOTES.

ABSTINENCE, TOTAL, FROM INTOXICATING DRINKS.

1. The Pecuniary Advantage of Total Abstinence.

I

a total abstinence society, the following statement was made by a working coach painter, who was called on in his turn (a) "THERE GOES A TEETO- to speak on the subject of temperance. TALER!"-A drunkard assailed a He said he had made a few calculations Washingtonian, but could only say, which he wished to communicate, with "There goes a teetotaler!" The gentle- the view of showing the pecuniary beneman waited until the crowd had collected, fit he had derived during the four years and then, turning upon the drunkard, he had been a teetotal member. Presaid, "There stands a drunkard!—vious to that time he had been in the Three years ago he had a sum of $800, practice of spending, on an average, in now he cannot produce a penny. intoxicating drink, fivepence per day, or know he cannot. I challenge him to do £7 12s. 1d. per annum, and which in it, for if he had a penny he would be at four years would amount to £30 8s. 4d. a public house. There stands a drunk- He would now show how this sum had ard, and here stands a teetotaler, with a been expended during the four years he purse full of money, honestly earned had abstained from all intoxicating and carefully kept. There stands a drinks. First, it had enabled him to drunkard-Three years ago he had a allow an aged father £3 5s. per annum watch, a coat, shoes, and decent clothes; towards rent, or in four years, £13. now he has nothing but rags upon him, Secondly, he had entered a benefit sohis watch is gone, and his shoes afford ciety, and paid one shilling and sevenfree passage to the water. There stands pence per week, or £4 2s. 4d. per ana drunkard; and here stands a teetotaler, num, or £16 9s. 4d. for the four years. with a good hat, good shoes, good clothes, For this payment he secured the followand a good watch, all paid for. Yes, ing advantages: in case of his being dishere stands a teetotaler! And now, my abled from doing his accustomed work by friends, which has the best of it?" The illness or accident, the society will pay bystanders testified their approval of the him eighteen shillings per week, until teetotaler by loud shouts, while the crest- restored to health: in case of death, his fallen drunkard slunk away, happy to widow or rightful heir is entitled to a escape further castigation. bonus of £9, besides half the amount paid into the society by the deceased up to the time of his death, with the inter

(b) A SAVING OF FIVEPENCE A DAY.-At a meeting, in Birmingham, of

est due thereon. Thirdly, it left him four shillings and ninepence per annum, or nineteen shillings for the four years, to be expended in temperance periodicals. It might further be added, that when the sum of £54 had been paid into the society's funds, no further payment would be required, and the contributor would be entitled to all the benefits before enumerated; medicine and medical attendance were included in the arrangement. Reader, how much may be done with fivepence a day!

(c) THE BAD LUMP.-The following incident we relate on the authority of the old sailor, who delivered a temperance lecture on board a steamboat running between New York and New Haven.

"Do you think I will? Well, then so be it. I will not violate my pledge, for look here, landlord, (pulling out a great purse, with a hundred dollars in silver shining through the interstices,) that is my lump which has been growing for so many months, and, as you say, is all in consequence of signing the pledge. This is what you would have had, if I

ger one than that for 999 years, I will not go to drinking again!"

(d) THE WAY TO PAY RENT. -A blacksmith in the city of Philadel phia, was complaining to his iron merchant that such was the scarcity of money that he could not pay his rent. The mer. chant then asked him how much rum he used in his family, in the course of the day. Upon his answering this question. the merchant made a calculation, and showed him that his rum amounted to more money in the year than his houserent. The calculation so astonished the mechanic, that he determined from that day to buy and drink no spirits of any kind. In the course of the ensuing year he paid his rent and bought a new suit of clothes out of the savings of his

Having found a man who was divested of all decent clothing, and in a wretched state of health in consequence of drinking, he induced him, amidst the discouragements of the tavern-keep-had not signed it; and if I have a biger, at whose house he had found him, to sign the temperance pledge for one year. The landlord prophesied that he would not keep the pledge a year, or that if he did he would never renew it. As the year was coming to a close, the old sailor called upon the man, and secured his signature again. He signed it for 999 years, with the privilege of a life lease afterward! When the day arrived upon which his first pledge expired, he roguishly went to visit his old friend the tavern-keeper. "There he comes," (said the eager rum-seller,) "he will have a great spree now to pay for his long abstinence." When he arrived at the tavern, he complained of a bad feeling at his stomach, and of various evils, among which was a bad lump on one side, which had been grow-temperance. He persisted in it through ing for a number of months. "Ah," said the landlord, "did I not tell you it would kill you to break off drinking so suddenly? I wonder you have lived as long as you have.-Come, what will you take?" and suiting the action to the word, he placed a decanter before him.

the course of his life, and the consequence was competence and respectability.

2 Total Abstinence the only Safe Ground.

2.

(a) THE LAST OF THE MOHEGANS.-The Mohegans were an ex

"But," said the visitor, "I have sign-cellent tribe of Indians, who lived about ed the pledge again for 999 years, with the privilege of a life lease after it!" "What a fool!" said the landlord;

Norwich, Ct. They had a long line of kings in the family of Uncas. One of the last was Zachary; but he was a