Hellfire and Damnation

A certain minister who was very fond of horseradish — the real thing, not the adulterated stuff that is half horseradish and half turnip — carried a bottle of it with him when he went on holiday. While he was eating dinner in a hotel restaurant, another diner at the next table said he was from a far away country and was curious about the bottle in front of the minister’s plate.

“Try some”, said the minister.

The stranger needed no second invitation. He placed some of the horseradish on his plate, and then put a heaped spoonful in his mouth. His face immediately turned red, his eyes bulged, and tears ran down his face. He swallowed convulsively two or three times, and grabbed a glass of water, which he immediately poured down his throat, followed by a second, and a third.

Looking reproachfully at the minister, the stranger said, “I have known many men of God who have preached hellfire and damnation, but you, sir, are the first I ever saw who carried a sample right along with him!”