Ministers Behaving Badly. The Colonial Minister

A Presbyterian minister in one of the Australian goldfields of the 19th century was visited by a man who wanted his child baptized. The man sprinkled this request with many oaths and curses. The minister told him:
"I can baptize only the children of Christians, and it is evident you are not a Christian."
The gold-digger was enraged: "Either you will baptize my child or I'll give you a thrashing!" was the meaning of what he said, though he said it in a far more colourful manner.
"Well," the minister replied resolutely, "I can't baptize your child, so if you mean to thrash me you might as well do it now, and have it over."
The prospector agreed, and the fight began. In a couple of minutes the burly prospector was lying flat on his back gasping and the athlectic young minister was still standing. The prospector got up slowly and eyed this example of muscular Christianity.
"You're a better man than I thought you were," he admitted.
The man was influenced for good by the minister afterwards.

[Adapted from G. Reith 'Reminiscences of the United Free Church General Assembly' P. 69]