Part 5 (1/2)
CAST OUT INTO THE STREET, YET NOT FORSAKEN.
A piteous wail was heard on the street one day, and a poor Scotchman crossed over to see the trouble. A widow and three children sat on their few articles of household furniture. Put in the street, when they could no longer find five dollars for the rent of the kennel in which, for six months, they had not lived, but existed. He had just received five dollars for a piece of work, and was hurrying home with it to his sick wife, crippled mother and two children. He thought of the piece of meat--a long untasted luxury--he meant to buy; of the tea his mother so much craved, and hesitated. Could he give these up? But the streaming eyes of the children, and the mute despair on the face of the mother, took down the scale. He ran several blocks and found an empty bas.e.m.e.nt; hired it for four dollars; enlisted the sympathy and help of a colored boy to carry the furniture; put up the stove, bought a bundle of wood, pail of coal, and some provisions with the other dollar; held a little prayer-meeting on the spot, and left with the benedictions of the distressed ones filling his ears. The recital of his adventure obliterated for the time all sense of their own desires, and they thanked G.o.d together that their loss had been the widow's gain. The next morning, while taking their frugal meal, a tea dealer, for whom this man had frequently put up shelves, came to say he was short-handed, and if the Scotchman was not very busy, he would give him a regular position in his establishment, at a better salary than he could hope to earn.
Meanwhile, hearing his wife was sick, he had brought her a couple pounds prime tea, and it occurred to him that venison steaks were a little out of the ordinary run of meat, and, as he had a quant.i.ty at home, he brought a couple. Thus the Lord answered the prayer of the poor, and repaid the generous giver who sacrificed his money for the Lord.
A PERSECUTOR PUNISHED BY THE LORD.
A most devout, hard-working and poorly paid man, was the object of constant persecution by a cross-grained, ugly, infidel neighbor. For three years the thing went on, till the Christian thought he must remove from the place. He could not do it without breaking up his humble home, for which he had worked night and day. He and his wife were in deep distress; told their plans to the Lord; asked Him to direct them to another home, and then went to a newspaper office to advertise their little place for sale. The editor was out, and they preferred to see him--would return home and call again to-morrow. The next morning the infidel was found dead in his bed, from a stroke of apoplexy.
HOW G.o.d ANSWERED MY PRAYER FOR $90.
”Suffice it, then, I was in debt. I was owing the large sum (large for a poor home missionary) of $90.00. Expecting soon to be called upon for the payment of it, and not seeing any way to meet it, _I went to the Lord with it_. Early in life I had made this resolution: that no man whom I was _owing_ should ever ask me for money, and I not pay him; but now, I could see no way out; and if, as I expected, it should be demanded, I was not in a condition to meet it. Such was my condition when, on a certain day, the demand came. I took the letter from the office at noon. What now was to be done? Again I took the case to the Lord, and asked Him to help me pay it, so that my word need not fail, or _his cause suffer reproach._ I first determined to pay a part; but, as no letter could be sent out that day, I awaited the results of the day following. From the northern mail, which first arrived, I took a letter containing an unexpected draft of $50 to my wife, from parties whom we did not know, and had never seen, nor they us. Within twenty minutes more I was presented with a _surprise_ of $40, from a people where I had preached for the six months past. Here was my $90, and, before the mail went out, I had my letter written and in the mail. Both were as unexpected as if they had come from heaven direct.”
FROM WEALTH, TO POVERTY.
A lady of superior culture and refinement, fell from opulence to extreme poverty, within four years. No less ready when at the bottom of fortune's ladder, than at the top, to do good as she had opportunity, she paid another poor woman's way to a neighboring State, where employment awaited her, and did it literally with her _last_ dollar-and a-half! Supposing herself the possessor of a ten cent note, over and above the twelve s.h.i.+llings, she went with her somewhat feeble protege over Jersey city ferry, and saw her safely in the cars. Starting back, she was dismayed to find no ten cents in her pocket-book, and, all too late, remembered having paid it for a quart of milk that morning; the sole breakfast of herself and daughter. Night was approaching--what to do she did not know. She had a plain, worn, old gold ring on her finger; she took it off, offered it to the ferry-master, who would not take it, though she told him she found her money gone and would redeem it next day. She went back in the ladies' room and told it to the Lord, beseeching his a.s.sistance. Just then, a girl pa.s.sing, jostled against her and knocked down her parasol. She picked it up, happened to turn it upside down, and out rolled a _five-cent nickel!_ The Lord, then, hears prayer for even _five cents_ to provide for the comfort and need of those whom He loves.
A PRAYER FOR FIFTY DOLLARS.
A clergyman writes _The Christian_ as follows:
”The Winter of 1872 I spent in missionary work, carrying the glad tidings of the kingdom of G.o.d into new fields in the 'regions beyond.'
With my devoted wife, I labored ardently for the salvation of men 'from the wrath to come.' We were full of comfort to be thus engaged, though without pledge from man for support, or promised salary for preaching.
”In spite of our rigid economy, I had contracted some debts for the necessaries of life. I have since learned to go without what the Lord does not provide means to pay for at once. I needed the money to pay the debts, and felt impressed to pray for fifty dollars. I said to my wife: '_I am going to pray for fifty dollars_.' 'Well,' said she, 'I will join you;' and we bowed before G.o.d and told Him our needs, and unitedly asked Him for fifty dollars; so that we might not bring ourselves or the truth we preached, into reproach, by being unable to pay debts. We were agreed in asking, and thus claiming the promise: 'If two of you shall agree as touching anything that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven.' (Matt, xviii. 19). We had the a.s.surance that money would come; but from whence we did not know, nor care, for we knew the 'silver and gold' are the Lord's, as well as the 'cattle upon a thousand hills,' and he could easily cause some one to give or send us the money.
”We felt full of peace; for we knew it was for G.o.d's glory to answer that prayer. No one outside of the family knew we were praying for money. We did not go around among our friends and tell them we were praying for fifty dollars, in hopes that they would take it upon themselves to answer the prayer. We told none but the G.o.d whom we serve.
”Some little time pa.s.sed, and no money came, but we did not lose our faith or a.s.surance. One morning, at family prayer, I was led out to pray that we might see the Lord's working in our behalf that day, and I rose from my knees with perfect confidence that our hearts would be made to rejoice in G.o.d that day. When I came in to my dinner I asked my wife if any one had brought our mail from the post-office. She said, 'Yes, there are some papers on your table.' 'What!' said I, with surprise, 'no letters?' I saw a peculiar expression on her countenance, and I asked no more questions, but sat down to the dinner table and turned over my plate, and there saw a letter she had put beneath it; and as soon as I saw the hand-writing I felt, there is money in this, though, of all sources, this was from the one least expected. I opened the letter, and there was a draft for _fifty dollars, 'a gift to aid in preaching the Gospel.'_ If I ever recognized the hand of G.o.d in anything, I did in this; and if there was ever a time of devout thanksgiving to G.o.d, and a humbling of self before Him in my house, it was that day. Since then, it has been easier to trust in Him than before. He has said, 'I will never leave thee nor forsake thee.' He has also said, through his apostles, 'Be careful for nothing; but in everything, by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known unto G.o.d.'”
CONCURRENT TESTIMONY OF THE VALUE OF PRAYER.
A request was published by the _Ill.u.s.trated Christian Weekly,_ asking that all who could report positive facts as direct results of prayer, and thus, tend to show that _”G.o.d does answer prayer,”_ should communicate them. Very many were communicated, regarding all trials and troubles of the heart, and daily temporal or spiritual life. No one can question they are authentic to the highest degree; they should silence the skeptic, and convince the worldly of the presence of the mysterious power and wonderful Spirit of G.o.d, which tempers the hearts and lives of men and controls them as He wills.
A WORLDLY MAN SURRENDERS.
A clergyman says, ”I was very anxious for the building of a mission chapel to accommodate a flouris.h.i.+ng mission-school that had been organized under my pastorate. Knowing that a certain physician of the city was possessed of abundant means and had a praying Christian mother, though he had long since given up going to church, I resolved to call upon him. Before starting from my study I knelt down and asked G.o.d to prosper me in my appeal. Upon going out of my parsonage the physician was in the act of pa.s.sing in his carriage. I hailed him, explained to him my desire, and the result was not only a contribution of money as large as the largest, but a gift of a lot for the chapel worth several hundred dollars.”
A SERVANT'S PRAYER FOR A GOOD HOME.