A prominent preacher and author once required the services of a doctor. On the recommendation of a friend, he called for one with a very good record of expertise, but was known not to often attend church. He proved very satisfactory to the preacher, but for some reason could not be induced to give a price for his services. Finally, the preacher began to become alarmed at the amount that the bill might take from his modest income, and asked, “See here, sir, I must know how much I owe you.”

After some urging, the physician replied, “Well, I’ll tell you what I’ll do. They say you’re a pretty good preacher, and I am known to be a pretty good doctor, so I’ll make this bargain with you. I’ll do all I can to keep you out of heaven, and you do all you can to keep me out of hell, and it won’t cost either of us a cent. Deal?”