Sinclair Ferguson

Warfield tells in a little tiny essay he wrote, I think it's called, Is the Shorter Catechism Worthwhile?

And he tells this story that I think may come from the Civil War period, or depending on where you live from the war between the states.

And he tells this story about a man who was in a Midwestern city, which Warfield says was in a state of unrest.

And he's just walking down the street and there's a man coming towards him that he describes as, the way I would put it is, clearly this man had presence.

And as this man's walking down the street, people are kind of, they stop and stare at him.

There's just something about him.

And as the man comes towards him, you can imagine the scene, this man is thinking, you know, the last thing I should do here is stop and stare.

But as the man passes him by, he finds himself like a magnet drawn

to look back on him, assuming he'll see his back.

And to his horror, the man has actually turned round and is coming up to him.

And you can think, what's he going to say to me?

Taps him in the chest and he says to him, what is the chief end of man?

And relieved, this man says it's to glorify God and to enjoy him forever.

And the man says to him,

I knew you were a shorter catechism boy by your looks.

And the fellow says, you know, that's exactly what I was thinking about you.

Now, the power of that story to me lies, first of all, in the fact it was true.

Second, in the fact that we tend to laugh at it today and to think that's a fairy story.

And the reason for that is because we don't have what these men had.

and recognized in each other, that when that truth influences the way you think, therefore influences the way you feel, therefore influences the way you live, therefore influences the development of your character, Christians become people who have, there's a presence about them.