Chapter 22

A missionary in India, passing one day through the school room, observed a little boy engaged in prayer, and overheard him say, "O, Lord Jesus, I thank thee for sending big ship into my country and wicked men to steal me and bring me here, that I might hear about Thee and love Thee. And now, Lord Jesus, I have one great favor to ask Thee. Please to send wicked men with another big ship, and let them catch my father and my mother, and bring them to this country, that they may hear the missionaries preach and love Thee."

The missionary in a few days after saw him standing on the sea-shore, looking very intently as the ships came in. "What are you looking at, Tom?" "I am looking to see if Jesus Christ answers prayer."

For two years he was to be seen day after day watching the arrival of every ship. One day, as the missionary was viewing him, he observed him capering about and exhibiting the liveliest joy.

"Well, Tom, what gives you so much joy?" "_O, Jesus Christ answer prayer. Father and mother come in that ship_," which was actually the case.

A GOOD REASON FOR PRAYING.

A little girl about four years of age being asked, "Why do you pray to God?" replied: "Because I know He hears me, and I love to pray to Him."

"But how do you know He hears you?"

Putting her little hand to her heart, she said, "I know He does, because there is something _here_ that tells me so."

MY HEART TALKED.

A child six years old, in a Sunday school, said: "When we kneel down in the school-room to pray, it seems as if my heart talked."

WHY, SIR, I BEGGED.

A little boy, one of the Sunday school children in Jamaica, called upon the missionary and stated that he had lately been very ill, and in his sickness often wished his minister had been present to pray with him.

"But, Thomas," said the missionary, "I hope you prayed." "Oh, yes, sir." "Did you repeat the collect I taught you?" "I prayed." "Well, but how did you pray?" "Why, sir, I begged."

A LITTLE CHILD'S PRAYER FOR HEALING.

A very little child, who had but recently learned to talk, and the daughter of a Home missionary, had been for weeks troubled with a severe cough, which was very severe in its weakness upon her. At last her father said to her, "Daughter, ask Jesus, the good Lord, to heal you."

Putting up her little hands as she lay in bed, she said, "_Dear Jesus, will oo please to cure me, and do please tell papa what to give me_."

The father, who was listening, thought several times of "_syrup of ipecac_" but did not connect it immediately with the prayer. At last the thought came so often before him, that he felt, "Well, it will do no harm, perhaps this is what the Lord wants me to give her." He procured it, administered it, and in three hours the little child's cough had wholly ceased, and she was playing on the floor with the other children. A most singular feature is the fact that the same medicine was administered at other times and had no effect in relief.

* * * * *

THE BLESSEDNESS OF GIVING

"_Blessed is he that considereth the poor; the Lord will deliver him in time of trouble_."

"_Honor the Lord with thy substance, and with the first fruits of all thine increase, so shalt thy barns be filled with plenty_."

"_There is that scattereth and yet increaseth; and there is that withholdeth more than is meet, but it lendeth to poverty_."

"_The liberal soul shall be made fat, and he that watereth shall be watered also himself_."

"_He that hath pity upon the poor lendeth unto the Lord; and that which he hath given will He pay him again."_

"_Whoso stoppeth his ears at the cry of the poor, he also shall cry himself, but shall not be heard_."

"_He that hath a bountiful eye shall be blessed, for he giveth of his bread to the poor_."

"_He that putteth his trust in the Lord shall be made fat_."

"_He that giveth unto the poor shall not lack; but he that hideth his eye shall have many a curse_."

"_Cast thy bread upon the waters, for thou shall find it after many days_."

"_If thou draw out thy soul to the hungry, and satisfy the afflicted soul, the Lord shall guide thee continually, and satisfy thy soul in drought, and make fat thy bones. And thou shall be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water, whose waters fail not_."

"_He which soweth bountifully, shall reap also bountifully_."

"_Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, nor of necessity, for_

GOD LOVETH A CHEERFUL GIVER.

* * * * *

HOW THE LORD BLESSES THOSE "WHO GIVE LIBERALLY TO HIS CAUSE.

A disciple of the Lord Jesus, poor in this world's goods, but rich in faith, became greatly perplexed in regard to the meaning of the forty-second verse of the fifth chapter of Matthew. The words are: "Give to him that asketh thee; and from him that would borrow of thee turn not thou away." After a season of prolonged mental inquiry, as to whether the language was to be regarded as literal or not, she suddenly paused and exclaimed: "It is easy enough to find out; test it and see."

It was Saturday. Her money, all but two dollars, had been expended in providing for the Sabbath. The amount left, which was absolutely needed for the following Monday, she put in her pocket, and went out.

On the street, a friend, whose husband had been for some time out of business, met her and stated their distresses, and asked if she could lend them _two dollars to last over the Sabbath_.

She was surprised. The test had come sooner than she expected, but, without hesitation, the money was "_lent to the Lord,"_ and the now penniless believer went home to wait and see.

Now mark the result. Monday came, and with it the needs to be supplied. While pondering what course to pursue, a knock was heard, and, on opening the door, a lady, with a bundle in her hand, inquired if she could do a little work for her. Replying in the affirmative, and naming the price, the lady took from her pocket-book two dollars, and handed it to her, saying: "It is more than you ask, but you might as well have it." "I was never more astonished," said this true disciple, "and literally shouted for joy. I had tested and proved that the promises of God are yea and amen in Christ Jesus. Glory to God. I have never doubted since; and though often in straits, I have always been delivered."

Would it not be well for Christians to "test" where they cannot understand? "Ye are my friends," said the blessed Lord, "if ye do whatsoever I command you." Obedience will solve difficulties that reasoning cannot unravel. Try and see.

DIVIDING WITH GOD.

A merchant, in answer to inquiries, refers back to a period when, he says, "In consecrating my life anew to God, aware of the ensnaring influences of riches, and the necessity of deciding on a plan of charity before wealth should bias my judgment, I adopted the following system:

"I decided to balance my accounts as nearly as I could, every month; and reserving such a portion of profits as might appear adequate to cover probable losses, to lay aside, by entry on a benevolent account, one-tenth of the remaining profits, great or small, as a fund for benevolent expenditure, supporting myself and family on the remaining nine-tenths. I further determined, that when at any time my net profits, that is, profits from which clerk-hire and store expenses had been deducted, should exceed $500 in a month, I would give twelve and a half per cent.; if over $700, fifteen per cent.; if over $900, seventeen and a half per cent.; if over $1,100, twenty per cent.; if over $1,300, twenty-two and a half per cent.; thus increasing the proportion of the whole as God should prosper, until at $1,500, I should give twenty-five per cent., or $375 a month. As capital was of the utmost importance to my success in business, I decided not to increase the foregoing scale until I had acquired a certain capital, after which I would give one-quarter of all net profits, great or small; and on the acquisition of another certain amount of capital, I decided to give half; and on acquiring what I determined would be a full sufficiency of capital, then to give the whole of my net profits.

"It is now several years since I adopted this plan, and under it I have acquired a handsome capital, and have been prospered beyond my most sanguine expectations. Although constantly giving, I have never yet touched the bottom of my fund, and have been repeatedly astonished to find what large drafts it would bear. True, during some months I have encountered a salutary trial of faith, when this rule has led me to lay by the tenth, while the remainder proved inadequate to my support; but the tide has soon turned, and with gratitude I have recognized a heavenly hand more than making good all past deficiencies."

PROSPERITY AND LIBERALITY.

A London correspondent of the _Western Christian Advocate_, writing some years ago of raising a fund for the extinction of debts on chapels, gives the following incident:

"A gentleman named Wilkes, who was promised a subscription of one thousand guineas to this fund, has a history so remarkable as to be worth relating across the Atlantic. Seven years ago he was a journeyman mechanic. Having invented and patented some kind of a crank or spindle used in the cotton manufacture, and needing capital to start himself in the business of making them, he made it a matter of earnest prayer that he might be directed to some one able and willing to assist him. In a singular and unexpected manner he fell in with an elderly Quaker, a perfect stranger, who accosted him with the strange inquiry: 'Friend, I should like to know if a little money would be of any service to thee.' Having satisfied himself as to Wilkes' genius and honesty, the Quaker at once advanced him the required amount. The praying mechanic started in business on his own account, and everything he has touched of late appeared to prosper.

"Hearing of a field in Ireland offered for sale, in which was a deserted mine, he went over to see it; bought the field for a small sum, recommenced working the mine, and it now turns out to yield abundance of excellent copper. For the year 1852, he promised to give the Missionary Society a _guinea a day_; but such abundance has poured in upon him during the year, that he felt that to be below his duty, and has, therefore, enlarged his subscription for the present year seven-fold. He is actually giving to that noble cause seven guineas daily, or upwards of $10,500 a year, during this year, 1853; in addition to which he has just given one thousand guineas to the fund above referred to." "It is pleasing to add," says the writer, "that this remarkable man retains the utmost simplicity."

Would that liberality and prosperity might ever go hand in hand. Often, as wealth increases liberality is starved out, and the rich give far less than the poor in proportion to their means and ability.

THE DEACON'S SINGING SCHOOL.

"I am going out to see if I can start a singing school," said a good man, as he stood buttoning up his overcoat, and muffling up his ears, one bitterly cold Winter night.

"A singing school," said his wife, "how will you do that?"

"I have heard of a widow around the corner a block or two who is in suffering circumstances. She has five little children, and two of them down sick, and has neither fire nor food. So Bennie Hope, the office boy tells me. I thought I would just step around and look into the case."

"Go, by all means," said his wife, "and lose no time. If they are in such need we can give some relief. But I cannot see what all this has to do with starting a singing school. But never mind, you need not stop to tell me now; go quickly and do all you can for the poor woman."

So out into the piercing cold of the wintry night went the husband, while the wife turned to the fireside and her sleeping babes, who, in their warm cribs, with the glow of health upon their cheeks, showed that they knew nothing of cold or pinching want. With a thankful spirit she thought of her blessings, as she sat down to her little pile of mending. Very busily and quietly she worked, puzzling all the time over what her husband could have meant by starting a singing school. A singing school and the widow--how queer! What possible connection could they have?

At last she grew tired of the puzzling thought, and said to herself, "I won't bother myself thinking about it any more. He will tell me all about it when he comes home. I only hope we may be able to help the poor widow and make her 'poor heart sing for joy.' There," she exclaimed, "can that be what he meant? The widow's heart singing for joy! Wouldn't that be a singing school? It must be; it is just like John. How funny that I should find it out!" and she laughed merrily at her lucky guess. Taking up her work again, she stitched away with a happy smile on her face, as she thought over again her husband's words, and followed him in imagination in his kind ministrations. By-and-by two shining tears dropped down, tears of pure joy, drawn from the deep wells of her love for her husband, of whom she thought she never felt so fond before. At the first sound of footsteps she sprang to open the door.

"Oh, John! did you start the singing school?"

"I reckon I did," said the husband, as soon as he could loose his wrappings; "but I want you to hunt up some flannels and things to help to keep it up."

"Oh, yes! I will; I know now what you mean. I have thought it all out. Making the widow's 'heart sing for joy' is your singing school. (Job. xxix:13.) What a precious work, John! 'Pure religion and undefiled is to visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction.' My own heart has been singing for joy all the evening because of your work, and I do not mean to let you do it alone. I want to draw out some of this wonderful music."

IT PAYS TO GIVE TO THE LORD.

"A clergyman states, that soon after he dedicated himself to the service of Christ, he resolved, as Jacob did, 'Of all that thou shalt give me, I will surely give a tenth unto thee.' Of the first $500 he earned, he gave $130, and in such a way that it incited a wealthy friend to give several hundreds more, including a donation of $100 to this clergyman himself. For four years, the clergyman says, 'My expenses were small, my habits economical, and the only _luxury_ in which I indulged was the luxury of giving. In the two first of these years I was permitted to give $500.' 'On a review of my ministry of about sixteen years,' he adds, 'I find God has graciously permitted me to give to the cause of my Redeemer nearly $1,200, by which amount about forty life memberships have been created in various evangelical societies. During all these years God has prospered me; has given me almost uninterrupted health; has surrounded me with sweet domestic ties; and my congregation, by means in part perhaps of a steady example, have given _more in these sixteen years_ than in all their long previous history."

ANOTHER EXAMPLE OF BENEFICENCE.

"A liberal donor, in enclosing $100 to a sister institution, but strictly withholding his name, says, 'When I began business, it was with the intention and hope to become rich. A year afterward I became, as I trust, a Christian, and about the same time met with 'Cobb's Resolutions,' which I adopted. Some four or five years later, I read 'Normand Smith's Memoir,' and also Wesley's 'Sermon on the use of Money,' which led me to devote all my gains to benevolent uses, reserving to myself $5,000 while I remained unmarried, part of which I have bequeathed to relatives, and the remainder to benevolent societies. Up to this time--about sixteen years--by the grace of God--nothing else--I have given about $24,500 to benevolent purposes, and lent about $500 to those in need, which has not been returned; making in all about $25,000."

COMMENDABLE EXAMPLES.

The Methodist Missionary Society mention one of their donors who, for twenty years, has used the power given him of getting wealth, for his Lord, in which time he has been enabled to appropriate to benevolent purposes _more than thirty thousand dollars_, while operating with a capital of but five thousand dollars. Another business man of that denomination in Boston, during fifteen years, has appropriated _thirty-nine thousand dollars_.

SYSTEM IN GIVING.

A correspondent of the American Tract Society says, "It was their publications which induced me to appropriate statedly one-tenth of my income to the cause of the Lord. After acting upon that scale nearly two years, and finding that although _my donations greatly exceeded those of former years_, my affairs were not thereby involved in any embarrassment; but that, on the contrary, with increasing contributions to the leading objects of Christian benevolence and to general charity, came an _increased store and enlarging resources_, I concluded, with a heart throbbing with grateful emotions to my Creator, in view of his great love and kindness toward me, that I would increase the proportion."

LENDING TO THE LORD.

"A poor man, some of whose family were sick, lived near Deacon Murray, (referred to in the tract, 'Worth of a Dollar,') and occasionally called at his house for a supply of milk. One morning he came while the family were at breakfast. Mrs. Murray rose to wait upon him, but the deacon said to her, 'Wait till after breakfast.' She did so, and meanwhile the deacon made some inquiries of the man about his family and circumstances.

"After family worship the deacon invited him to go out to the barn with him. When they got into the yard, the deacon, pointing to one of the cows, exclaimed, 'There, take that cow, and drive her home.' The man thanked him heartily for the cow, and started for home; but the deacon was observed to stand in the attitude of deep thought until the man had gone some rods. He then looked up, and called out, 'Hey, bring that cow back.' The man looked around, and the deacon added, 'Let that cow come back, and you come back too.' He did so; and when he came into the yard again, the deacon said, 'There, now, take your pick out of the cows; _I a'n't going to lend to the Lord the poorest cow I've got_.'"

A STEWARD OF HIS LORD'S BOUNTY.

An aged benevolent friend in a western city, states some interesting facts respecting his own experience in giving systematically as the Lord prospered him. He says, "Our country and professors of religion in it have become 'rich and increased in goods,' but I fear that a due proportion is not returned to the Giver of every good.

"I commenced business in 1809 with $600, and united with the 'Northern Missionary Society No. 2,' which met monthly for prayer, and required the payment of two dollars a year from each member. That year I married, and the next united with the Christian church. No definite system of giving 'as the Lord had prospered' me, was fully made until the close of the year 1841. The previous fourteen years had been assiduously devoted to the interests of Sabbath-schools and the temperance enterprise, when I found both my physical and pecuniary energies diminished, the latter being less than $30,000.

"After days and nights of close examination into my affairs, with meditation and prayer, I promised the Lord of all, I would try at the close of every year to see what was the value of my property, and the one-quarter of the increase I would return to him in such way as my judgment, aided by his word and providence, might direct.

"For more than fifteen years I have lived up to this resolve, and though most of the time I have been unable to attend to active business, the investments I have made have more than quadrupled the value of my property, and in that time enabled me to return to Him 'from whom all blessings flow,' $11,739.61."

THE FIVE-DOLLAR GOLD PIECE.

"'A friend,' says a venerable clergyman, Rev. Mr. H----, 'at a time when gold was scarce, made me a present of a five-dollar gold piece. I resolved not to spend it, and for a long time carried it in my pocket as a token of friendship. In riding about the country, I one day fell in with an acquaintance, who presented a subscription-book for the erection of a church in a destitute place.

"'I can do nothing for you, Mr. B----,' said I; 'my heart is in this good undertaking, but my pocket is entirely empty; having no money, you must excuse me.'

"'Oh, certainly,' said he; 'all right, sir. We know you always give when it is in your power.'

"We parted; and after I had proceeded some distance, I bethought me of the piece of gold in my vest pocket. 'What,' said I to myself, 'I told that man I had no money, when I had by me all the time this gold pocket-piece. This was an untruth, and I have done wrong.' I kept reproaching myself in this way until I stopped, and took from my pocket the five-dollar piece.

"'Of what use,' said I, 'is this piece of money, stowed away so nicely in my pocket?' I made up my mind to turn back, and rode as fast as I could until I overtook Mr. B----, to whom I gave the coin, and resumed my journey.

"A few days after, I stopped at the house of a lady, who treated me very hospitably, for which I could make no return, except in thanks and Christian counsel. When I took leave, she slipped into my vest pocket a little folded paper, which she told me to give to my wife. I supposed it was some trifle for the children, and thought no more of it until I reached home. I handed it to my wife, who opened it, and to my astonishment _it was a five-dollar gold piece, the identical pocket-piece I had parted with but a few days before_. I knew it was the same, for I had made a mark upon it; how this had been brought about was a mystery, but that the hand of the Lord was in it I could not doubt. 'See,' said I to my wife; 'I thought I _gave_ that money, but I only _lent_ it; how soon has the Lord returned it! Never again will I doubt his word.'

"I afterward learned that Mr. B---- had paid over the coin to the husband of the lady at whose house I staid, along with some other money, in payment for lumber, and he had given it to his wife.

"Take my advice, and when appealed to for aid, fear not to give of your poverty; depend upon it the Lord will not let you lose by it, if you wish to do good. If you wish to prosper, 'Give, and it shall be given unto you; for with the same measure that ye mete, it shall be measured to you again.' 'Trust in the Lord, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed.'"

A NEW YEAR'S INCIDENT.

"One New Year's day I was going out to visit some of my poorer neighbors, and thought I would take a sovereign to a certain widow who had seen days of competence and comfort. I went to look in my drawer, and was so sorry to find I had but one sovereign left in my bank for the poor, and my allowance would not be due for two or three weeks. I had nearly closed the drawer upon the solitary sovereign, when this passage of Scripture flashed so vividly into my mind, 'The Lord is able to give thee much more than this,' (2 Chron. xxv: 9.) that I again opened the drawer, took the money, and entered the carriage which was waiting for me. When I arrived at Mrs. A.'s, and with many good wishes for the New Year, offered her the sovereign, I shall never forget her face of surprised joy. The tears ran down her cheeks while she took my hands and said, 'May the God of the widow and fatherless bless you; we had not one penny in the house, nor a morsel of bread; it is he who has heard my prayers, and sent you again and again to supply my need.' You who pray for and visit the poor, and enjoy the blessedness of relieving their temporal wants and of speaking to them of Jesus, you will understand the gladness of heart with which I returned home.