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
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.'"
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Saved From The Hands Of A Desperado.
The following circumstance is communicated to us by a United States Surgeon: "After the close of the Mexican war, and in the year 1849, a train was sent out from San Antonio to establish military posts on the upper Rio Grande, particularly at E... Seeking Direction In Business.
A lady clerk employed in an apparently successful business was offered an opportunity in a new business, which, though much smaller and less successful than the first, yet had rich promise in it for the future. The salary promised was the same in ... Seeking Guidance Of The Lord.
A school teacher, without family or a special home, in New York City, asked the Lord for direction in finding a home, and prayed often that the way might be made so plain, she might acknowledge His hand, and understand His direction. Soon it tr... Shall Save The Sick.
"I was desperately ill. My physicians had done all in their power, without success--and yet I lived! For my father's sake, the hearts of hundreds waited the issue, and prayed for me! For his sake, the bells in the neighborhood were tied--the crier... Sight Restored.
"A violent humor came into my eyes, and for some months I was in danger of losing my sight. Both myself and my second daughter had it more or less for several years. "In answer to prayer, God healed her eyes and mine too, so that our sight was ... Snails In The Ark.
To many who with despondency protest that they have not faith enough, get along so slow, are too weak, &c, the following sharp retort of Hick will prove a bright lining to their dark cloud of failing, and lead them to plod on in prayer. "To a g... Spinal Disease Cured.
"There was a little girl in this place that had the cerebro-spinal-meningitis; several had died with this disease, and the physician had given her up to die. The weekly prayer-meeting met in town that night, and her parents wrote a note and sent i... Spiritual Strength.
"I feel your prayers; I think I know the day and the hour, for I felt strengthened with strength in my soul." ... Spurgeon's Prayer For Money.
Charles Spurgeon relates this incident connected with his ministry: "When the college, of which I am President, had been commenced, for a year or so all my means stayed; my purse was dried up, and I had no other means of carrying it on. In this ve... Striking Answer.
The following incidents are specially contributed to these pages by Rev. J.S. Bass, a Home Missionary of Brooklyn, N.Y.: "While living in Canada, my eldest daughter, then a girl of ten years of age, rather delicate and of feeble health, had a se... 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 d... Temptations Removed.
"Some months ago I asked your prayers for a son in college, amid great temptations. I desire to give thanks that those temptations have been removed." ... That $18.75.
A man who had led a very wicked life, was converted and hopefully saved. Previous to this time, a debt of $18.75 had not given him the slightest thought. After receiving a new heart, he distinctly heard God's command, "Pay what thou owest;" so cal... That Beautiful Christmas Gift. How The Lord Used It.
A lady and gentleman were walking up Madison avenue, New York City, from church, when incidentally the lady said, "We are trying to get up Christmas decorations and entertainment for our Mission School." "_Well, put my name down for anything you... That Wonderful $25. Another Evidence Of The Ever-present Spirit Of God.
The following incident is marvelous, as at the time of its occurrence neither party had ever been known to each other: In _New Haven, Conn._, lives a little invalid widow, almost helpless, with no one upon whom to rely for support, and only inde... The Aid Of The Lord In Business And Social Prosperity. The Wonderful
... The Appetite For Strong Drink Taken Away.
"Sometime ago I wrote to you for my husband. He was _a victim to strong drink_ at that time, but _blessed be God, he has not drank one drop for five months_." ... The Astonished Giver.
"A gentleman, not marching in the ranks of 'cheerful givers,' was urged to bestow five dollars toward the 'Fresh Air Fund.' 'He could not; business wretched; poor enough himself,' and all the well known line of excuses. The friend assured him, if ... The Bank Of Faith. God The Guardian Of The Poor.
Perhaps the providence of God in supplying the wants of the poor never was more closely watched and better described than has been done by the late William Huntington, formerly a minister in London, England, who, in a book with the quaint title of... 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 scatt... The Blind Can See.
Said another, "I came here yesterday to ask you to pray for my sister. She has been sick some time, and then she lost her _sight_. I did not get an opportunity to present my request because so many took part; but I thought I would just take my sis... 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 tim... The Blind Restored To Sight.
Prayer was asked for a young lady who was wholly blind. A letter received soon after brought this joyful news: "In answer to your prayer for our niece, I must thankfully tell you, her eyes are so much better that the Doctor this morning told her... The Brother's Prayer.
A physician, who for many years practiced his profession in the State of California, was called once to see the child of Mr. Doak, of Calveras County, living on the road between San Andreas and Stockton, and not far from the mining town of Campo S... The Brown Towel.
The editor of _The Christian Woman_ tells the story of a poor woman who, in her anxiety to give to the Lord, could find nothing but a poor brown towel. "They must be very poor who have _nothing_ to give," said Mrs. Jarvis, as she deposited a pa... The Captain And The Quadrant.
A godly man, the master of an American ship, during one voyage found his ship bemisted for days, and he became rather anxious respecting her safety. He went down to his cabin and prayed. The thought struck him, if he had with confidence committed ... The Consumptive's Home.
In the United States there is a Parallel Record to George Mailer's Life of Faith and Trust, found in the history of the Consumptive's Home of Boston, Mass. It was established twelve years since by Doctor Cullis, who in the ardor of his faith and t... The Conversion Of Intimate Friends.
"Some time since, I sent request for prayer for the conversion of friends. Since then _three_ have united with the church." ... The Danish Girl's Blessing.
A very poor Danish girl, broken down in health, utterly unable longer to labor for her own support, was provided with the means, and urged to go to Denmark, as her friend felt sure there was some good in store for her there, meaning, more definite... The Daughter's Prayer.
The late Doctor Krummacher, chaplain to the king of Prussia, in referring to faith and prayer, writes as follows: "A little incident occurs to me which I can hardly withhold, on account of its simplicity and beauty. The mother of a little girl, ... 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 hear... The Desire Of The Heart Fulfilled.
"A few weeks since I sent a request for prayer in my behalf, asking you to pray God very earnestly that He would grant me the desire of my heart, for which I was praying almost unceasingly. _On the evening of the same day_ on which I supposed you ... The Enemies Of A God Fearing Nation.
"An answer to prayer," says Le Clerc, "may be seen by what happened on the coast of Holland in the year 1672. The Dutch expected an attack from their enemies by sea, and public prayers were ordered for their deliverance. It came to pass that when ... The Faith Life Of Mr. Zeller.
After the death of Dorothea Trudel, the work at Maennedorf, instituted by her, has been furthered and carried on by Mr. Samuel Zeller, who had been her associate. He has published two reports, which contain many instances of answers to prayer, sho... The Faith Of A Little Child.
An incident most beautiful was told in the Fulton Street prayer meeting by a converted Jew. "Journeying in the cars, I was attracted by two little girls, Jewesses. I asked them if they loved Jesus. To my surprise, they said they did. I found th... The Faith Of Dorothea Trudel.
The life of Dorothea Trudel has afforded some remarkable instances of answer to prayer; during the years 1850 to 1860, at the Swiss village of Maennedorf, near the Lake of Zurich, and that of Molltingen, were seen and witnessed, cases of cure in r... 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 ab... The God Who Supplied Elijah By A Raven Supplied Me With Fish.
One of the most beautiful instances ever known, which almost identically repeats the Bible over again, especially in the instance of Elijah as he was fed in an unseen way by the hand of God, is given in the life of Mr. Huntington. He was wholly un... The Great Physician.
"Nearly five years ago, after a decline of almost two years, I was brought very near to the grave. Medical aid availed nothing. I was fearfully emaciated, and my death was daily expected. A devoted mother and a sister, who had watched over me tend... The Greatest Of Physicians.
Miss X. of Brooklyn, had suffered long and severely from a distressing tumor. One physician after another had plied his skill, but to no purpose; even the celebrated Doctor Simms of New York, corroborated their verdict, that there was no help for ... The Hardest Heart Yields At Last.
"Several years since your prayers were solicited in behalf of one who seemed given over to hardness of heart and reprobacy of mind. Since that time there has been some reform in his life. God only knows how far those prayers have been answered in ... The Healing Of Mary Theobald.
The following incident is related by her pastor, at Woburn, Mass., who, for three and a half years, was well acquainted with her physical condition, and who testified, in _The Congregationalist_, that no medicine, or physician's aid or advice, was... The Heart Of A Clergyman Turned From Thoughts Of Ambition.
"I sent a request to you for a young man, who was called, and eminently fitted for the ministry, but was tempted, by ambition, not to listen to the divine call, and obstacles had hedged his way somewhat. After I requested your prayers in his behal... The Heart Of Stone Relents.
Another consumptive in the neighborhood, was thoroughly an infidel. Mr. A. visited the house three times a week, and, at last, succeeded in overcoming his objections to a weekly prayer-meeting in his house. In his hearing, earnest supplication was... The Help Of The Lord In Little Things.
The Rev. Dr. Patton, of Chicago, in receiving many letters from clergymen, received one from Mr. F., a pastor in Massachusetts. In it he speaks of his unsuccessful search for a valuable knife, prized as a present from a friend, which he had lost... The History And Business Successes Of Liberal Givers.
Mr. Nathaniel R. Cobb, a merchant connected with the Baptist church in Boston, in 1821, at the age of twenty-three, drew up and subscribed the following covenant, to which he faithfully adhered till on his death-bed he praised God that by acting a... The Hopeless One Brought Home.
"A pastor related the incident of the conversion of a man who had disgraced his family, and all through drink. All the people in the village where he lived regarded him as a hopeless case. But he was prayed for, and one night in answer to an appea... The Horse Is His.
"The writer was preaching Sundays at a little country church, about 70 miles by rail from the institution where he attended. He went Saturday, returning on Monday. One Saturday the train ran off the track. All day long they worked at the wreck. At... The Hushed Tempest.
The following circumstance is communicated to _The Christian_ by a minister of the editor's acquaintance, as a memorial of God's care for the poor and needy who trust in him: It was about the year 1853, and near the middle of a Canadian Winter, ... The Lame Healed.
Rev. Charles G. Finney, during his life-time, was familiar with the circumstances connected with the remarkable healing of a sick lady in Oberlin, O., the wife of Rev. R.D. Miller, and these facts were vouched for as unquestionably authentic. Mr. ... The Liberal Farmer.
A farmer in one of the retired mountain towns of Massachusetts, began business in 1818, with six hundred dollars in debt. He began with the determination to pay the debt in six years, in equal installments, and to give all his net income if any re... The Life Of His Child Saved.
"My eldest daughter now living fell sick at about five or six months old, and was wasted to a skeleton. She had a doctor to attend her, but she got worse and worse. It seemed as if God intended to bereave us of her, for he brought her even to deat... The Little Boy Who Wanted His Sister To Read The Bible.
Rev. Mr. Spurgeon, of London, tells of the excellent faith of a little boy in one of the schools of Edinburgh, who had attended a prayer-meeting, and at the last said to his teacher who conducted it: "Teacher, I wish my sister could be got to re... The Lord Can Do It.
"In one of the mountainous towns--says _The Christian_--in the north- western part of Connecticut, there lived, some time since, an aged couple who had seen some eighty years of earthly pilgrimage, and who, in their declining days, enjoyed the car... The Lord Delivers From Bodily Sins.
"I had used tobacco from my childhood, and the love and use thereof grew upon me. I became convicted of its sinfulness, went to God and said, '_Destroy the appetite, and give me power over it_. Save me that I may glorify thee as a God of power for o... The Lord Did Not Forget The Potatoes.
"A correspondent of _Arthur's Magazine_ tells of a poor woman who had been washing for us, who said: 'Seems as if the Lord took very direct ways to reach people's feelings sometimes. Now, I was astonished once in my life. I lived away out West, on... The Lord Gave Double What Was Asked For.
"This morning and noon I called upon the Lord in prayer for the means to pay a bill of $100. By three P.M., a check was sent me of $200." ... The Lord Helps To Pay Debts.
The author of this incident is known to the editor of "Remarkable Providences," and speaking of it says: "_God never gave me exactly what I wanted. He always gave me more."_ "When I married I was a working man; I had not much money to spare. In ... The Lord Paid His Debt.
"It was the time of my returning from the north country. I observed that there were some small debts to be discharged. But the hand of God was fast closed; this continued for some time: and for all that time, I watched and observed narrowly. "A... The Lord Paid His Interest.
A most curious answer to prayer occurred in the experience of a home missionary in Brooklyn. It illustrates how God, in his trials of faith to see if His people do really cling to the promises, compels them to march right into the scene of danger,... The Lord Proved True.
"The Lord reigns," another exclaimed, "I have proved that during my long life! It has looked dark very often, and I have been in difficult places, but again and again the Lord has brought me through triumphantly. I have found the promise true." "T... The Lord Takes Away The Custom Of A Liquor Saloon.
At one time, the landlord rented the ground floor to a liquor seller. The loafers going in and out, especially on Sunday, were a great grief to Jennie and her saintly old father. They concluded to take it to the Lord together, and, said the old ma... The Lord Will Provide.
"A city missionary, one Saturday night, was going home with a basket of provisions on his arm. Meeting a policeman, he asked him if there had any families moved in the bounds of his beat during the week. He answered, 'Yes,' and, pointing to a buil... The Lord's Insurance Money.
A tradesman in New York had pledged to give to the Lord a certain portion of his business receipts as fast as they were collected. He called this _The Lord's insurance money_, for, said he, "so long as I give so long will the Lord help me and bles... The Lord's Return For Giving Unto The Poor.
"This afternoon a poor woman, whose history I have known for some time, and who has a sick husband over eighty years of age, called on me, stating that she had only a ten-cent loaf of bread for herself and her husband to eat since Wednesday, and t... The Lost Thimble.
"One day I lost my silver thimble, a gift from my mother when I was a young girl. I prized it _very highly_. I looked everywhere, long and faithfully. The tears would come, at the best, it had been so long a constant companion. I gave up the searc... The Mysterious Leadings Of Providence.
The following incidents are contributed to the book by a prominent clergyman: "A period, ever memorable in the life of the writer, occurred in the Autumn of 1832, while attending a protracted meeting of more than ordinary interest and power, he... The Necessity Of Asking God's Blessing Every Day, Upon Your Daily Work.
"A colporteur in the Wabash valley became quite discouraged and was almost ready to give up his work, on account of the smallness of his sales. On every side, his ears were filled with complaints of 'hard times;' the wheat crop had partially fai... The New Coat That Fitted Exactly.
"A few years since, a young preacher in the State of Massachusetts, who was laboring in a field which yielded no great pecuniary returns, had laid aside the sum of fifteen dollars from his scanty income, with which to purchase himself a coat, of w... The Persecutor's Fate.
Dr. Eugenio Kincaid, the Burman missionary, states, that among the first converts in Ava were two men who had held respectable offices about the palace. Some time after they had been baptized, a neighbor determined to report them to government, an... The Power Of The Holy Spirit
"About two years ago we requested your prayers for the Holy Spirit upon a revival work then in progress in our church." _The Lord answered us_ by giving us _over four score souls."_ ... The Prayer In The Woods.
A friend relates the following incident, as received from the lips of a poor afflicted, crippled orphan boy, whose own experience is a practical illustration of the words: "When my father and my mother forsake me, then the Lord will take me up." P...