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
cripture 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.



"In the country we had only one post daily; so when evening came on, and

it was nearly ten o'clock, I was not a little surprised at receiving a

letter. When I opened it, how my heart beat for joy when I read these

words from a comparative stranger: 'You will have many poor just now to

claim your pity and your help, may I beg you to dispense the enclosed

five pounds as you see fit? and I have ordered a box of soap to be sent

to you for the same purpose.' These boxes of soap are worth four pounds.

Thus did our gracious God send nine times as much as I gave for his

sake, before that day had closed."



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