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 failed two years in succession--the

California emigration, and railroad and plank-road speculations had

almost drained the country of money. Frequently he would be told, that

if he could come after harvest they would buy his books, but that it was

impossible to do so then. His sales were daily decreasing, and he became

more and more disheartened, until one night, after a laborious day's

effort, he found that he had _only sold twenty-five cents' worth_! He

felt that he could not go on in this way any longer. He was wasting his

strength and time, and the money of the Society. On examination of the

state of his heart, he found that it had, gradually and almost

unconsciously, grown cold and departed far from Christ. He felt that he

had not prayed as he ought to have done, especially _he had neglected

each morning, and on his approach to each dwelling, to pray that then

and there God would guide him, and own and bless his efforts to sell

books._ He saw that probably here was at least a part of the cause why

his sales had become so small. Early the next morning, before any of the

family were up, he arose and retired to the adjoining woods, where he

had a long and precious season of communion with God. There he anew

dedicated himself and his all to the service of Christ. There, as under

the eye of the Master, he reviewed the time he had labored as a

colporteur, and prayed for forgiveness for the past and grace for the

future. There he told the Saviour all about his work, and asked him to

go with him that day, preparing the way and enabling him to succeed in

the work on which he had entered. The result was what might have been

expected. He went forth a new man; his heart was interested more deeply

in the truths which he was circulating--they were more precious than

ever to his own soul, and he could recommend his books, as he failed to

do when his heart was cold and prayerless. _That first day he sold more

books than during the whole week before._ In one instance, he sold

several dollars' worth in a family where, as he was afterwards told by

pious men in the neighborhood, the father was most bitterly opposed to

everything connected with true religion. God had prepared that man's

heart, so that he was ready to purchase quite a library for his family.

And in many families that met him that day with the usual salutation,

'no money,' he succeeded in disposing of more than one volume by sale.

As he went from family to family, lifting up his heart in prayer to God

for success in the particular object of his visit, God heard his prayers

and owned his efforts. And so, he assured me, it had been since;

whenever he had been _prayerful_--_prayerful for this particular

object_, and then had diligently and faithfully done his best, he had

invariably succeeded in doing even more than he expected."