Chapter 15

A home missionary in Brooklyn, who has an enviable reputation for his entire consecration to the work of helping the poor, one day when engaged in his benevolent works, entered a restaurant, kept by a Christian friend, a man of like spirit with himself, who, in the course of conversation, related to him the following circumstances, illustrative of the power of prayer.

He had, on a certain day, cleared a large sum, part of which consisted of _Mexican dollars_. Returning home in high spirits, he felt as if he could go to sleep sweetly on this silver pillow. But a thought suddenly intruded, which gave a new turn to his feelings. It related to a poor woman in his neighborhood, the widow of a very dear friend of his, whom he knew to be in want. "Shall I take all this money to myself?" thought he. "Does not the Providence who gave it to me say, _No! Give some of it to the widow of your friend_."

With this impression he retired, as was his habit, quite early, but he could not sleep. The thought of the needy widow haunted him. "I will go to-morrow," said he to himself, "and see what I can do for her." But this good intention proved no opiate to his disturbed mind. "Possibly she or I may not live to see to-morrow." Something seemed to say _go now_. He tossed from side to side, but could not sleep. _Go now_ kept ringing in his ear. So at length the restless man had to dress himself and go.

At this late hour, not far from eleven, he sallied forth to find the widow. Seeing a dim light in the upper story where she resided, and following its lead, he crept softly along on the stairway, until he reached the room from which a low sound issued. The door was slightly ajar; through which he could hear the voice of prayer, scarcely audible, but deeply earnest. He dared hardly stir, lest he should disturb the praying widow. But he came on an errand, and he must accomplish it. But how? Recollecting at the moment, that he had in his pocket a few of the _Mexican dollars_, he gently pushed at the door, and it opened just wide enough for his purpose. So taking each piece of money between his fingers, he rolled it in along the carpet, and withdrew as noiselessly as he had ascended. Returning to his home, he fell asleep and slept soundly, as well he might, after this act.

The widow at length arose from her knees, and was struck on seeing the shining money lying about her floor. Where had these pieces of silver come from? Here was a mystery she could not solve. But she knew it was from the Lord, and that he had answered her prayer. So with tears of gratitude, she gave thanks to Him, "whose is the silver and the gold."

Shortly after this event, she attended prayer-meeting, where she felt constrained to make known this wonderful interposition in answer to prayer. The Christians present were as much astonished as herself. The silence which ensued was broken by a brother of that church, who rose and said, "What this good woman has told you, is strictly true. These dollars came from the Lord. They came in answer to her prayer." He then detailed the circumstances before related. "God deputed me to carry this money, and providentially I am here to night to testify to the fact that God hears and answers prayer."

It seems, from a subsequent statement, that this widow, owed a certain sum, that she was obliged to pay immediately, and having nothing in hand, she was pleading, that night, that her Heavenly Father would send her the needed amount.

THE SEWING GIRL RELIEVED JUST IN TIME.

A sick Scotch girl was found lying on a narrow bed in a close, uncomfortable room, her sobs audible to the missionary, when half-way up the stairs. Her story was short. When about, she earned three dollars and a half a week, at a business that was killing her. Of that, she paid three dollars for her board; leaving but the half-dollar for clothing or incidentals. But now--she had been lying there two weeks; six dollars were due for board, and still she was unable to rise, and, when she did, how could she ever pay the back indebtedness?

The woman with whom she lived, was too poor herself to give her the lost time, and, moreover, was one of the class whom struggle and battle hardens. The missionary came just in time to quell the poor girl's fears, and paid her debts; mind and body were set at rest, and, one or two Christian ladies being made acquainted with the case, attended to the comforts which hastened her recovery; and, when once more pursuing her avocation, her "mither's God" seemed very near, not as one afar off.

PRAYING FOR A HOME.

A young Southern girl, who had lost a position through five months' sickness, and found herself, at last, in the street and penniless, turned her steps to a daily prayer-meeting. She said her earliest impressions from her mother were, that the Lord never failed those who really put their trust in Him. She had sought work for food and shelter, though destitute of sufficient covering to keep her from trembling with cold, and, so far, sought in vain; but she was sure it was waiting for her somewhere, and she thought perhaps God's people could tell her where. She was right. A sweet-faced lady, who had listened, said she wanted some young girl who might help her a little when she left for her summer residence, and she had been waiting to find a child of pious parents. Bessie went home with her from that very meeting, and, in two weeks, came back, with bright eyes and warm, good clothing, to say good-by to the ladies who had spoken to her so kindly, and, in whose midst, she had found a second mother. They were to leave town the next day, and she asked permission to come to the meeting once more and tell what the Lord had done for her.

HOW MUCH GOOD TWO DOLLARS DID.

A lady sent two dollars to a brave-hearted sister--who, by faith alone, and not by money, had gathered some sick and poor about her, and lived only by prayer--and a note of apology and half-contempt that it was such a miserable pittance. She received, in reply, the following little financial statement:

"My Dear Friend:--Remember the five loaves and two fishes, and listen to the message of your two dollars. This is the way I expended it:

Corned beef,. . . . . . . . . . . . . $0 80 Chop and egg for sick aunty,. . . . . . 13 Sweet potatoes, . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 White potatoes, . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Cabbage and bread,. . . . . . . . . . . 30 Tea, milk and sugar,. . . . . . . . . . 30 ----- $1 88

The balance bought the coal with which it was cooked, and _fifteen_ people were fed!"

SAVED FROM STARVATION.

On the second floor of a rear house lived a lady well known once as among the foremost members of a wealthy church. The first blow of adversity opened a wide passage for a succession of disasters. She passed through the whole sliding scale, until the missionary found her in the poor, dilapidated tenement where, for two days and nights, she had lain in bed to keep warm; or as nearly so as her scanty covering would admit.

It was Saturday, and the only food she had to keep her alive until Monday, was two soda biscuits! She had sold everything comfortable in the way of furniture; all her clothing but one respectable suit for the street, and the only thing remaining, that pointed to the history of better days, was a pair of gold eye-glasses, given her by her dying mother. Within a few months her dire necessity had often pointed to the glasses; but she could not see without them, nor could she sell the gold frames unless she had means to have the glass set in commoner ones. Moreover, the harpies who feed and thrive on the miseries of the poor, would in no case have given her more than twenty-five cents for them; and the short respite derived from that amount would not have compensated for the sacrifice. She had looked at them that morning; felt that starve she must and would, but that souvenir of her mother should never leave her. She went back to bed and prayed fervently that the Lord would show her some way of escape, or take her that day to himself. She slept an hour or two, and then awakened, strong in the conviction that he would show her some way before night, and though it was six o'clock P.M., before the missionary called, no doubt had arisen to trouble her mind; and as soon as he entered and introduced himself, she said--"You are a messenger from the Lord, sir; I have been expecting you."

GOD WITH US.

An old woman was taking home' some sewing the night before, and passing through a narrow and dark street, was knocked down by a runaway horse. Taken up senseless and unknown, she was carried into the house of a kind family who sent for a physician. It was not till next morning that she recovered consciousness, and was able to give her address. A messenger was at once dispatched to her husband, who was supposed to be wild with terror. He was truly thankful to hear from human lips of her whereabouts; but said he knew she was not dead, and he would see her in the morning; for the Lord had been with him all night and assured him of it. He had also kept the fire from going out; and now that she would be brought home in a few hours, he was ready to trust his Father, as he had been through the night. His hourly friend was Immanuel, God _with_ us; not God somewhere or other in infinite space.

A VESSEL SAVED.

A vessel was six months making the passage from Liverpool to Bermuda Island. Fogs enveloped it; winds sent it hither and thither; captain and mate lost their reckoning, lost their senses; and when, added to the rest, the vessel sprung a leak, gave up in despair. Crew and passengers were finally reduced to a few drops of water and one potato a day, and they merely waited death from starvation or drowning. All but one! One man; a minister, whose faith and belief in their final escape burned but brighter and brighter, as the others sank in the gloom of silent despair. A few days before they made the land, the leakage suddenly ceased; no one could account for it; but a week after their arrival, when the vessel had been condemned by the authorities as unsea-worthy, it was proposed to turn it bottom upward and see what stopped the leak. God seemed to have performed a miracle for them, when it was discovered that that end of the vessel was entirely covered with barnacles!

A REMARKABLE PRAYER CONCERNING A REMARKABLE TEXT.

A clergyman, accustomed to preach regularly in his journey through Fleming Circuit, Kentucky, was preparing on one Saturday for the labors of the next day. He was then staying at the residence of a family named Bowers, from which he was to journey the next day five miles to preach at 11 A.M., at a church called Mt. Olivet. On this Saturday, as he relates the incident, as soon and as privately as practicable, I pored over the Bible in quest of a suitable subject for the next day at Mount Olivet, and strange to tell! not one passage in the whole Book, that afternoon and night, could I fix upon, as, in my estimation, suitable for the next day. There was one passage, (two or three clauses of which I had by some means got fixed in my memory), that early that afternoon appeared in my mind as though each word was written in CAPITAL LETTERS. I turned to the whole passage as soon as I could find it; Heb. 6: 4-6; and read, "For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened," etc., etc. I had previously studied that whole subject, as recorded in the original, and as disposed of by learned Commentators of different creeds. I had settled in my own mind the import of the passage. But it seemed unsuitable for me, not then three years old in the ministry, to attempt the settlement of a theological question, about which the best and most learned of modern days had differed. I therefore tried to dismiss it from my mind, and to find some passage more suitable for the coming morrow. But my constant effort proved unsuccessful; and the said passage in Hebrews often recurred to my mind. Thus passed my time till I had to go to bed, resolving to attempt an early settlement of the growing difficulty next morning. But the morning studies produced no change in the unsettled state of the question, what shall I preach from to-day? Thus matters remained until I reached Mount Olivet, and had to begin service without a text. But I concluded if a suitable text did not occur while singing, praying and reading some Scripture lesson, rather than have no text, I would take Heb. 6: 4-6. And, cornered in this dilemma, so I did, and used it as well as I could.

I then passed around the circuit as usual, and the fourth Saturday thereafter, I arrived again at Brother Bowers', preached, met the class, etc. Then, when all the class had left the room except their own family, Brother and Sister Bowers said to me, each manifesting intense feeling and interest, "Have you heard of the _strange_ thing that happened when you were here four weeks ago?" Said I, "No! what was it?" They said, "Did you see a man sitting in the house while you was preaching to-day?" describing his dress, looks, etc. I answered, "Yes." Said they, "Did you see a woman sitting over there," describing her? I said, "Yea." Said they, "They are husband and wife--their name is--(I have long since forgotten the name)--they are good members of the Presbyterian church, their children are members of our class, as you have called their names every time you have examined us. The man and his wife were here and heard you four weeks ago--they know our rules, and when those not of our church were dismissed, they left their children with us, as usual, and their parents started home. And, as they themselves tell us and others, as they went along, said the woman to her husband, 'Does not Mr. Akers preach to-morrow at Mount Olivet?' And he answered, 'I believe he does.' Said she, '_Well, if I thought he would take a certain text I would like very much to go and hear him._' Said her husband, '_What text_?' And she repeated the whole passage in _Hebrews_ 6:4-6. Said her husband, 'Well, I reckon he will take some subject that will be interesting, and if you say so we will not go to our own church to-morrow, we will go to Mount Olivet.' She answered, '_Agreed,_ and I do pray the Lord that he may take that text.' And she says, she continued to pray all that evening and next morning, until sitting in the church at Mount Olivet, she heard _you read out the said text, when she knew the Lord had answered her prayer_, and she could scarcely help from loud crying of thanks to God."

I then told Brother and Sister Bowers my troubles about that text, as above stated. The Lord answers prayer.

HOW SHE LEARNED TO LOVE THE BIBLE.

The Rev. Frederick G. Clark thus writes of an answer to prayer, from one who wanted to love the Bible more:

"Twenty-seven years ago, in the congregation of my first charge, was a lady whose love for the Bible was something remarkable. In the confidence of a pastoral visit, she told me of her joy in the divine word, and also recited the incidents of her experience in this regard. She had formerly read her Bible as so many do--a chapter now, and a halfchapter then, without much interest or profit. She was, even then, most interested in religious things. But her chief sources of spiritual strength were in such writings as those of Baxter, Payson and Robert Phillips. It was her custom to read the Bible from duty, and then turn to these uninspired volumes for the kindling of a higher devotion. For a good while this satisfied her; but, at length, she came to feel grieved about it. She thought it a dishonor to God's word that any book should be as interesting to her as the Bible. She tried to change this, but, at first, with little success. The Bible was still duty--Baxter was pleasure and spiritual elevation.

"_At length, she could bear it no longer; so she took the case to God, with strong crying. She told her Heavenly Father how grieved she was that any book should rival the Bible in her affections. She asked this one thing--and she renewed her prayer every day--that her first delight might be in reading the word of God_. I think it was some time before she felt that her request was granted. But, at length, the answer to her prayer was complete and marvelous. A strange light came over the sacred page. A fascination held her to her Bible. She discovered a depth, a meaning, a curiosity, a charm, which were all new and most wonderful. Sometimes, when she had finished reading her Bible for the night, and had closed the book and had moved towards her bed, she would go back again and enjoy the luxury of a few more verses.

THE BLIND RESTORED TO SIGHT.

At the age of twenty years, a lady in Winchester, Iowa, began to lose her health, and in a short time was confined to her bed. And she writes:--"In addition to this I lost the use of my eyes, and was blind and helpless, a greater portion of my time for five years.

"I enjoyed the blessing of prayer and trust some six months before feeling a liberty to pray for the healing of my body; fearing I should desire it without due submission to God's will. It was with _fear and trembling_ that I first made known this request. Though my pleadings in this direction were earnest, and often agonizing, yet I could say with a fervor as never before, 'Not my will, but thine be done.'

"About the end of November, or early in December, 1873, I realized that my faith was perfect, that I was ready _now_ to be healed, that my faith was momentarily waiting on God, resting without a doubt on the promises. From this time forward my faith remained fixed with but one exception. During the time between December, 1873, and July, 1874, I was healed to such an extent that I could walk some, and see more or less every day, though sometimes with only one of my eyes. A portion of this time I felt as though in a furnace of fire; but amid the flames I realized the presence of the Son of God, who said, '_have chosen thee in the furnace of affliction_.' This for a time seemed an answer to my petition, and so thought it my life-work to suffer; for a while my faith became inactive, and I almost ceased praying for my health. Though I felt submissive, yet somehow I was soon crying, and that most instinctively, 'Thou Son of David, have mercy on me.' After this, my faith did not waver. Oh, the lesson of patience I learned in thus _waiting_ on _God's_ good time. And with what comfort could I present my body an offering to Him, realizing that as soon as at all possible with His will, I should be healed; I had an assurance of this, but did not know whether it would be during life, or accomplished only at death.

"In this manner I waited before God until the morning of the 29th of July, when, without ecstasy of joy, or extra illumination, came a sense of the presence of Jesus, and a presentation of this gift, accompanied with these words: 'Here is the gift for which you have been praying; are you willing to receive it?'

"I at first felt the incoming of the Divine power at the parts diseased, steadily driving out the same, until death was swallowed up in victory. I at once arose from my bed, and proceeded to work about the house, to the great astonishment of my friends, some of whom thought me wild; but I continued my work, assuring them that Jesus had healed me. Realizing the scrutiny and doubt with which I was observed, I said to my father, 'What do you think?' He replied, 'It is supernatural power; no one can deny it.'

"My healing took place on Wednesday; on Saturday was persuaded to lie down, which I did, but found the bed was no place for me; thought of Peter's wife's mother, who 'arose and ministered to them; knew that to her, strength, as well as health, was instantly given, as in the case of the palsied man, who rose, took up his bed, and departed. I returned to my work, backing my experience with those in God's word, and since then have not lain down during the day time.

"My friends could not realize the completeness of the cure, until I read a full hour, and that by lamp-light, and until asked to desist, the first opportunity after being healed.

"A week from this time, I discharged the hired girl, taking charge of the household work, which I have continued with perfect ease. About four weeks after my healing, had occasion to walk four miles, which I did with little or no weariness. Let me add to the praise of God, that I have no disease whatever. Am able to do more hard work with less weariness, than at any other period in my life, and faith in the Lord is the balm that made me whole."

THE WIDOW'S SHOES.

A poor woman--a widow with an invalid son--a member of the church, could not attend church, or the neighborhood prayer-meetings, for the want of shoes. She asked the Lord for the shoes. That very day the village school-master called in to see her son. Meanwhile he noticed that the boy's mother had very poor shoes. He said nothing, but felt impressed, and inwardly resolved to purchase the poor woman a pair of shoes forthwith. He accordingly hired a horse, rode two miles on horseback to a shoe-store, bought the shoes, and requested them sent to the widow's cottage without delay. They proved a perfect fit; and that very night the overjoyed woman hurried to the prayer-meeting to announce that in answer to prayer the Lord had sent her the shoes.

The young school-master, who, I suspect, was my informant himself, now a venerable, white-haired man, heard the poor woman's testimony; and his pillow that night was wet with tears of gratitude and joy because God had used him thus to bless the poor widow, and to answer her prayers.

A REMARKABLE DREAM.