Soul Sold to Satan – Charles Spurgeon

THERE is a story told of a most eccentric minister, that walking out one morning he saw a man going to work, and said to him, “What a lovely morning! How grateful we ought to be to God for all his mercies!” The man said he did not know much about it. “Why,” said the minister, “I suppose you always pray to God for your wife and family—for your children—don’t you?” “No,” said he, “I do not know that I do.” “What,” said the minister, “do you never pray?” “No.” “Then I will give you half-a-crown if you will promise me you never will as long as you live.” “Oh,” says he, “I shall be very glad of half-a-crown to get me a drop of beer.” He took the half-crown, and promised never to pray as long as he lived. He went to his work, and when he had been digging for a little while, he thought to himself, “That’s a queer thing I have done this morning—a very strange thing—I’ve taken money and promised never to pray as long as I live.” He thought it over, and it made him feel wretched. He went home to his wife and told her of it.” “Well, John,” said she, “you may depend upon it it was the devil, you’ve sold yourself to the devil for half-a-crown.” This so bowed the poor wretch down that he did not know what to do with himself; this was all his thought, that he had sold himself to the devil for money, and would soon be carried off to Hell. He commenced attending places of worship, conscious that it was of no use, for he had sold himself to the devil, but he was really ill, bodily ill, through the fear and trembling which had come upon him. One night he recognized in the preacher the very man who had given him the half-crown, and probably the preacher recognized him, for the text was, “What shall it profit a man if he shall gain the whole world and lose his own soul?” The preacher remarked that he knew a man who had sold his soul for half-a-crown. The poor man rushed forward and said, “Take it back! take it back!” “You said you would never pray,” said the minister, “if I gave you half-a-crown; do you want to pray?” “Oh, yes, I would give the world to be allowed to pray.” That man was a great fool to sell his soul for half-a-crown, but some of you are a great deal bigger fools, for you never had the half-crown, and yet you do not pray, and I dare say never will, but will go down to Hell never having sought God.