But
there's something wrong somewhere. The minister's rather lost his head
over Sam Kimper, just because the wretch isn't back in his old ways
again, and he's got a new notion in his head about how the gospel ought
to be preached. New notions have been plenty enough ever since true
religion started; there's always some man or men thinking out things
for themselves and forgetting everything else on account of them. There
were meddlers of that kind back to the days of the apostles, and
goodness knows the history of the church is full of them. They've been
so set in their ways that no sort of discipline would cure them;
they've even had to be hanged or burned, to save the faith from being
knocked to pieces."
"But, brother Quickset," pleaded the other deacon, "every one knows our
pastor isn't that sort of a person. He is an intelligent, thoughtful,
unexcitable man, that--"
"That's just the kind that always makes the worst heretics," roared the
deacon. "Wasn't Servetus that kind of a person? And didn't Calvin have
to burn him at the stake? I tell you, deacon, it takes a good deal of
the horror out of those times when you have a case of the kind come
right up before your eyes."
"What? Somebody being burned?" exclaimed the other deacon, raising his
hands in horror.
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