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 cove
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."
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Answers To Prayer From Its History, Records And Correspondence.
The following Incidents of Prayer and the remarkable Answers, have been obtained from the records of the Fulton Street Prayer Meeting in New York City. They include both facts which have been related by speakers in their daily meetings, or furnish... Answers To Prayer.
Dr. Newman Hall, minister of Surrey Chapel, London, gives the following instances of answers to prayer from his own experience: "The writer's brother, when superintendent of a Sunday School, felt a strong impulse, one Saturday evening, to call o... Are You There.
A mother, one morning, gave her two little ones books and toys to amuse them while she went up-stairs to attend to something. A half hour passed quietly away, and then one of the little ones went to the foot of the stairs, and in a timid voice cal... Ask And Ye Shall Receive.
"In 1874, through Providence, I became sore pressed to provide for myself and family; two of my children had just begun to learn to read. I was desirous to procure for them the 'N.---,' (a children's journal,) but I could not see how I was to pay ... Asking For Large Gifts.
Upon the 26th of September the record of the Home was as follows: "There is due on the first of next month, $2,450 interest on our property, and we are now within four days of the time, with not a dollar towards it. For several days I have been as... Asking The Lord To Help Him In His Lessons.
"A little boy was at school, he was diligent, and determined to succeed, but found that parsing was rather hard. "One day he went to his mamma for a little help in analyzing some sentences. She told him the proper manner of doing it, and he foll... Away From Home, But Not Away From God.
"Some weeks since I sent in a request for prayer for my sons who had fallen victims to intemperance and vice. My heart rejoices to-day in the hope that it has. "Two who left home, and had gone to distant cities to seek employment, have writte... Bad Habits Wholly Overcome.
"A physician of extended practice was converted and reclaimed while I had charge of the place in which he lived. He had acquired the habit of using large quantities of whiskey and brandy, and withal more or less given to licentiousness. Since that... Before They Call I Will Answer.
"The writer was once in great trouble to know what was duty. Urged by ministers and laymen in high standing to undertake a work not exactly in the line of the ministry, he hesitated. God's displeasure was feared, lest in doing what was desired 'si... Better Than We Expected.
"We asked your prayers; they have been answered. They were answered more and better than we had hoped or dreamed they could be." ... Bishop Simpson's Recovery.
Bishop Bowman gives the following instance from his own experience: "In the Fall of 1858, whilst visiting Indiana, I was at an annual conference where Bishop Janes presided. We received a telegram that Bishop Simpson was dying. Said Bishop Janes... Blessings Amid Calamities.
"The roof of one of our houses having caught fire from a spark from a neighbor's chimney, it was mostly destroyed; some of the furniture, and the whole home badly damaged by water. All hearts thanked the Lord the circumstances were no worse. In th... Bread To The Hungry.
"God was pleased to deprive me totally of my hearing in early boyhood. By the late war I lost all of my earthly possessions. I have a wife and family totally dependent on me for a support. A man employed to attend to my little manufacturing busine... Buying A Cow.
"Our father going away abroad, he sold one of our two cows, and took the proceeds with him. (He, the father, was a reckless spendthrift, idle, and fond of the public inn.) A rich neighbor directly offered to loan us money enough to buy another; th... 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 t... Casting All Your Care On Him.
"Once, soon after the death of my husband and the loss of all his large property, I had a bill of _fifty dollars_ to pay, and was notified two weeks beforehand that not a day's grace would be given. Besides what I was earning by my pen, I had due ... Chains Broken At Last.
"Long months, week by week, I have asked you to pray that my husband might be saved from the eternal doom of a drunkard. God has mercifully given him strength to break the fetters that bound him fast." ... Changing The Course One Point.
Walking across Palace Square in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, with an American ship-master, (says a correspondent of the _Watchman_) he invited me to accompany him to his hotel. While there he showed me a very large gold medal he had received from the B... Church Troubles Quelled.
"I might mention a dozen instances in which church troubles were gathering, and trials between members appeared certain, when all my tactics failed, and the wisdom of brethren was of no avail; my last resort was to ask God to send help and deliver... 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 do... Compound Interest.
_The Christian_ tells of a minister in Ohio, who in 1860 was engaged to statedly supply a congregation who were in arrears for a whole year's salary to their former pastor, and were only able to promise their 'supply' five dollars a Sunday till th... Concurrent Testimony Of The Value Of Prayer.
A request was published by the _Illustrated Christian Weekly,_ asking that all who could report positive facts as direct results of prayer, and thus, tend to show that _"God does answer prayer,"_ should communicate them. Very many were communicate... Consumption Instantly Healed.
"At a meeting in the Chapel of the Consumptive's Home, held March 7, 1876, public prayer was offered for a young man in Florida, who was apparently gone in consumption; an interested friend had previously written him that prayer would be offered f... Cured Of Cancer.
A lady came to the Consumptive's Home with a cancer in the cheek, which had attained the size of a filbert. It had a very red and angry appearance. After prayer for her healing she went into the country, when some one remarked, 'E. thinks that fai... Cured Of Catarrh.
"I have been afflicted with catarrh for over twenty years. I had consulted many physicians and used many remedies--all failed to help me. In the Spring of 1874, I grew so much worse that life became a burden; I suffered from dizziness and great pr... Cured Of Epilepsy.
"I wrote you to aid me by your prayers, that my afflicted son, who was troubled with epilepsy, might be cured. Thanks be to the Heavenly Father, he is better." ... Cured Of Neuralgia.
A lady of East Cambridge writes, "For nineteen years I have been afflicted with neuralgia; added to this, of late years a combination of diseases has rendered life an intolerable burden, and baffled the skill of every physician to whom I have appl... Cured Of Severe Fits.
"Once again, one of my brothers had a fit brought on through fright. It was a most violent and painful attack, and we were greatly alarmed. This time, also, our father was out; and our mother said to us, I know this fearful illness, my children; i... Cured Of Spine Disease.
Dr. Cullis thus speaks of a signal answer to his prayer. "While at the home of L.R. in England, I was asked to pray with his daughter, who had spinal curvature. Subsequently L.R. writes, 'We. are full of thankfulness and praise about E. She is qui... Cured Of St. Vitas' Dance.
"Very early in childhood, I was seized with a nervous trouble, something like St. Vitus' Dance. As I grew older it did not pass off, but settled into a disease of the muscles. It became a terrible affliction. It was usually under my control, but I... Cured Of The Small-pox.
"Even when I had the small-pox, and became blind, no doctor was sent for, and no one was told of it. Our father was not at home (he, father, most unfortunately, was not a religious person); and when our mother asked him to come, telling him how il... Cured Of Tobacco Appetite.
"A little more than a year has elapsed since I left off the use of tobacco. This further time has more fully developed the thoroughness of the case spoken of and the completeness of the victory over an evil habit. I am filled with wonder, for I ex... Deliverance Of Daniel Loest.
John Daniel Loest, a celebrated German tradesman of Berlin, Germany, was, by the aid of the Lord, so prospered in his worldly circumstances, that by steady industry, he raised himself to rank with the most respectable tradesmen of Berlin, where he... 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,... Dr. Newman Hall's Testimonies To The Value Of Prayer.
Dr. Newman Hall, of London, in his wide experience has met with many incidents of answered prayer, and thus relates several: ... Drunkards Reformed.
"Return thanks to God for two men signing the pledge, about one month ago, who have been enabled to keep it through great temptation. _They were drunkards for over twenty years_. Their reformation was in answer to a praying mother's prayers, and t... Employment Found.
A man and wife were out of employment, and in very great trouble. Mr. H. (missionary) had added his efforts to theirs, and sedulously sought among the families he knew, for positions for them. After two weeks' fruitless endeavor, he said to the ma... Evil Averted.
A correspondent of the _Guide to Holiness_ says: "We remember a poor woman who had had a life of sore vicissitude which she bore with remarkable Christian cheerfulness; and after a time of the suspension of trial, a bad prospect came in sight. She... Exactly Eighty Dollars.--"they Are Safe That Trust In Thee."
A clergyman somewhat advanced in years recently related to a correspondent of _The Messenger_ an incident in his own life, which well illustrates the provident care of our heavenly Father over his children. "His first church was at V----, and, t... Experience Of A Saddler.
Normand Smith, a saddler of Hartford, Conn., after practicing for years an elevated system of benevolence, bequeathed in charity the sum of ... Extraordinary Care Of The Lord In Answer To Prayer.
"The scenes of the riots in New York, at the time of our civil war, are of national celebrity; but few, however, know that one of the most atrocious acts of cruelty attempted to be perpetrated by the malefactors, and which utterly failed of its pu... Faith Cured Her.
This incident was related by the lady herself in a public meeting in Boston, where it was heard by the sorrowing wife of an afflicted husband, whose statement is as follows: "I was first confined to my house with a violent cold. I lost my voice ... Faith In God's Liberality.
A clergyman, himself an exponent of God's bountiful dealings with men, was called upon in test of his own principles of giving to the Lord. Preaching, in the morning, a sermon on Foreign Missions, an unusually large contribution was taken up. In... Feneberg's Loan To The Lord.
"A poor man with an empty purse came one day to Michael Feneberg, the godly pastor of Seeg, in Bavaria, and begged three crowns, that he might finish his journey. It was all the money Feneberg had, but as he besought him so earnestly in the name o... Found Employment.
"God has answered our united prayers, and given employment to his child." ... From Bad Habits.
A victim of licentiousness and sensuousness, who often, amid his sinful pleasures, had the memory of Christian parents before him, felt his was indeed a life of shame. But the downward steps had destroyed his will, his self-control, his manliness,... 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 n... Give And It Shall Be Given.
"'Cheerful giving,' writes an aged minister, 'is what enriches the giver and brings down a blessing from above. A poor clergyman attended one of Zion's festivals in a distant city. The railroad company supplied him with a return ticket, and though... Give Us This Day Our Daily Bread.
"The _American Messenger_ tells the story of Johnny Hall, a poor boy. His mother worked hard for their daily bread. 'Please give me something to eat; I am very hungry,' he said one evening. His mother let the work upon which she was sewing fall fr... Given Up By Man, But Rescued By The Great Physician.
"The writer was himself raised up by prayer, from the gates of death, offered by the heart and lips of one who is now a sufferer. _Two of the most skillful physicians in the land had given me up_." ... Given Up.
"Our pastor, after four months' sickness, preached to us last evening the most solemn sermon I ever heard, and says he was raised up in answer to prayer. The physicians gave him up several times, and say they have never known such an instance of r... Giving Blessed.
A merchant of St. Petersburg, at his own cost, supported several native missionaries in India, and gave liberally to the cause of Christ at home. On being asked how he could afford to do it, he replied: "Before my conversion, when I served the w... Giving Her Last Dollar To The Lord.
A poor woman, sitting in a little church, heard the minister make an urgent appeal for money enough to pay a debt of two hundred dollars, contracted by the church the previous Winter. She had one dollar in her pocket; half drew it out; thought of ... Giving Her Last Money To The Lord.
"'The first money the Lord gives me I will send to you,' were the last words I said to my old father, as I stood waiting for the train to bear me to distant friends. So the weeks passed on, but I remembered my promise and waited patiently for the ... Go To The Post-office.
A correspondent of "_The Guiding Hand_" relates this incident: "In the year 18--, having a brother living in the city of R., I went to see him. Going to the store where he had been at work, I found that the firm had suspended, and that he was th... God Always Answers Believing Prayer.
"Your prayers asked on several occasions have all been graciously answered. Return thanks unto the Lord that sendeth mercy." ... God Cared For Me.
At a meeting a young man in broken English, said: "If any man ought to believe in prayer, I ought to. My friends turned me out of my home, because I was seeking for Christ. I was too much Christian my landlady said. I told her I wished I was all C... God Careth For You.
"Nearly forty years ago I was given up by the doctors for a dying man from consumption. I had a wife and five children dependent on me, and for many months was unable to provide for them by my own labors. All our earthly resources were gone, and o... God Keeps Hold Of The Other Hand.
A little boy with his mother was returning from a visit; the night was very dark, and little could be seen ahead. She led her little boy, by the hand, who trustingly walked by her side. He had only just begun to learn and remember the stories of t... God Knows The Bottom Of The Barrel.
"Mother, I think God always hears when we scrape the bottom of the barrel," said a little boy to his mother one day. His mother was poor. They often used up their last stick of wood and their last bit of bread before they could tell where the next... God Never Failed Her.
An aged colored woman, lived that life of faith which shines brighter and brighter unto the perfect day. Born a slave, on Long Island, she was never taught to read, never enjoyed any social privileges; but the God of the widow of Sarepta, who had ... God Paid The Rent - Answer To Prayer.
A poor Christian family were in distress. The husband, during a long and painful sickness, had borne his trials for months with cheerful Christian resignation; "but, on this day," said a City Missionary, "I found them, for the first time, in tears... God Saved A Family Mercifully.
One morning a Christian farmer, in Rhode Island, put two bushels of rye in his wagon and started to the mill to get it ground. On his way to the mill he had to drive over a bridge that had no railings to the sides of it. When he reached the middle... God Sent Supplies.
"When I had been three weeks out of employment, I found a new place, and after pawning all my best clothes to pay expenses, when the cart set us down at the new home on Monday morning, I had the total sum of _ten pence half-penny left,_ to provide... God Sent The Bag Of Flour.
In about the year 1830, in Central New York, there was a time of great scarcity of provisions. Grain was very high, and difficult to be obtained at any price; and, of course, families of limited means were very much straitened. In one family, the ... God Takes Away The Snow.
"In the Winter the Lord sent a very deep snow, which lay a considerable time on the ground. We were brought into great straits, as our wheat was now of no use to us, and we could obtain no wood, the landlady saying that as the snow was likely to l...