Three miles from where mother lived there was a large limestone meeting-house owned and occupied by what was then called "Old Side Presbyterians," called the Tuscarona meeting house. I attended their meetings when I could do no better, and in the year 1824, I being then 18 years of age, they organized a Sunday school, which was the first I ever heard of. It was conducted altogether different from what Sunday schools are now. It was used principally for the purpose of education of the poorer class of children, there being no school fund in those days. And because they could not get a sufficiency of teachers among their brethren, and I, being considered a moral, well-disposed boy, through much persuasion, agreed to serve them a year.

Their superintendent's name was George Wilson, a very learned man lately from Ireland, by profession a Covenanter, but there being none of that order there, he united with the Presbyterians. He professed to be a strong Predestinarian, and as I also believed that doctrine, I enjoyed his company and conversation very much, but there was one exception. The old man would open the school by reading a chapter, singing, and prayer, which, I suppose, was well enough, but he invariably in his prayer used the words which were not well enough, which were these: "O, Lord, write these children's names in the Lamb's book of life."

It looked to me then, and does yet, like solemn mockery. I felt an impression to talk to the old man about it, but then I thought that for me, an upstart of a boy, to reprove an old man, who had been a preacher in Ireland, would be impertinent, but as the impression grew stronger I said to him on our way home from school one evening, "Mr. Wilson, I wish to ask you a question, and I want you to answer it."

"Well," said he, "I will if I can."
"Well," said I, "When were the names of God's elect written in the Lamb's book of life?"
"Why," said he, "when the Book says they were."
"And when does the Book say they were?" said I.
"Why, from the foundation of the world," said he.
"Well, were any names written there since the foundation of the world!"
"No," said he, "Not a name."
"Then, sir," said I, "why do you pray the Lord to write these children's names there when you know, if they are not already there, they never will be."
The old man stopped, and with his head bowed down, said, "Well, it really does look inconsistent."

I then thought that I would not be annoyed anymore with that expression, but to my surprise, it was the same thing over again at the opening of the next school, and so continued as long as I was connected with the school. I said nothing further to the old man on that subject, for I thought that he, like Ephraim, was joined to his idols, and [I] let him alone (Hosea 4:17).  —Elder John Stipp, Primitive Monitor, 1890.

From the Bits and Pieces series (#542) by Elder Ralph Harris