A certain soldier was in the habit of cursing and swearing. Almost every time he opened his mouth to speak, he was sure to say a bad word. One of his comrades knew about this bad habit, and wanted the poor soldier to overcome it.

This comrade said to him one morning:

"My good friend, I will give you a shilling tonight if you do not curse or swear at all today."

The soldier willingly agreed to this, even though he was used to spouting out bad words with almost every sentence. But, by God’s grace and with effort on his part, the soldier happily succeeded. He did not use any bad language all day. That evening, he received the promised payment.

His companion then said to him:

"Since you have overcome your evil habit today for the sake of a little worldly gain, surely tomorrow, for God’s sake and for an eternal reward, you will take the same good resolution."

The soldier was ashamed of his past behavior. From that moment, he kept such control over his language that he was never again heard to say a bad word.