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 the old debt should be paid. At the
close of the year, only about two-thirds of this amount had been paid.
So it was not strange that their 'supply' soon found himself in arrears
amounted to sixteen dollars. This he could not pay, and as none of them
could be stopped without payment of arrearages; the debt must continue
to increase.
On New Year's day the minister was called to marry a couple, and gave
the fee, five dollars, to his wife saying, "I want you to get yourself a
dress with this." There was a kind of material much worn then, which she
had very much admired, a dress of which would cost four dollars. So she
went to the Mission periodical to find the address of the Mission
Secretary, thinking to send the extra dollar there. But as she glanced
over its pages and noticed the trials and straits of the missionaries,
and the embarrassment of the Board that year, her heart was touched and
she felt that they needed the money more than she did the dress, and
instead of the one she concluded to send the five dollars.
She went to her husband and read her letter to him. "O," said he, "I'm
afraid we are too poor to give so much." With a little feeling of
disappointment she said, "Well, give me the change and I will send what
I had intended at first." "No," said he, "you have given it, and I dare
not take it back."
And so with a prayer that God would accept and bless the gift she signed
her letter, "A Friend of Missions," thinking, as no one would know the
author, that was the last she would hear about it in this world.
The ladies of that congregation were accustomed to meet weekly at the
parsonage to sew for those in need. The next week a lady who was
visiting in the place came with her friends, and as she entered the
parlor she tossed a bundle into the lap of the minister's wife, saying,
"Mrs. ----, here is a present for you."
The present was a dress pattern of the same kind of material she had
intended to purchase. And as she thought to herself, "God has given me
this in place of what I have given," she was reminded of the words,
"Give, and it shall be given to you." But that was not the end.
A short time afterwards she received a letter from the Secretary of the
Board of Missions, enclosing a printed copy of her own letter, and
asking if she were the author of it; and added, "If so, a large-hearted
man in New York has authorized me to send you twenty-five dollars, with
a special request that you purchase a dress worth five dollars, and give
the rest to your husband and children." There was her five dollars back,
with four times as much more added to it.
More
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Almost Persuaded.
"Some weeks since I requested prayer for a member of this Institution who was 'almost persuaded' to be a Christian. Thanks to our Father, and to those who have offered prayer in her behalf, she has been _altogether persuaded_, and has united with ... Always Answered.
"Several times in years past I have asked for the prayers of this meeting, and always found them answered." ... An Extraordinary Life Of Faith And Trust.
For many centimes there has not been a more remarkable testimony of unfaltering trust in the faithfulness of God in supplying human wants, than is found in the life and labor of George Muller and his Orphan Home, in Bristol, England. His record is... An Infidel's Life Spared A Few Days.
"During the Summer of 1862, I became acquainted with a Mr. A----, who professed infidelity, and who was, I think, as near an atheist as any I ever met. I held several conversations with him on the subject of religion, but could not seem to make an... An Injured Leg Restored To Proper Length.
"Some months ago a young lady called, requesting to be prayed for. She simply told me that some years ago she was run over and her hip badly injured. I asked her if she could trust the Lord for healing. She replied, 'Yes.' I prayed, with her, and ... An Intemperate Husband Saved By Prayer.
"Some three weeks since, I asked you for my intemperate husband, that you would pray that he might be _willing to be saved. He has been made willing to give up the intoxicating cup,_ and says he has _not any desire_ for it. To God be all the prais... An Intemperate Young Man Reclaimed.
"Rejoice with me, and thank God for his gracious answer to prayer. The intemperate young man for whom I requested prayer some months ago, has turned away from his cups, and is earnestly striving to overcome his appetite for strong drink. He is com... An Old Lady Saved From Little Annoyances.
"Your prayers have been heard and answered in mercy. The old lady has not been quite so much annoyed. Thank God for some peace for the aged one, not able to bear what younger people can, that go out into the world and can find relief. I thank my h... An Old Man's Prayer.
"I feel also like mentioning another instance. I knew an old father in Israel, a minister of the gospel, who once in speaking with a brother minister, after a revival of religion in which five of his grandchildren had professed their faith in Chri... Another Deliverance.
"Tobacco was a great trouble to me; and I had tried a number of times to leave it off, but could not do so. One night as I was retiring to rest, I thought I would kneel by my bed and ask _Him_, who never refuses to answer prayer, to take from me t... Another Example Of Beneficence.
"A liberal donor, in enclosing $100 to a sister institution, but strictly withholding his name, says, 'When I began business, it was with the intention and hope to become rich. A year afterward I became, as I trust, a Christian, and about the same... Another Instance Of Superhuman Control Of The Locomotive, In Answer To
... Another Wonderful Record Of $25.
_A Christian minister_, living in Northern Indiana, was in want, and knelt in prayer again and again before his Father in heaven. His quarterly allowance had been withheld, and want stared him in the face. Constrained by urgent need, and shut up t... Answer To Prayer In All The Little Temporal Anxieties Of Life
The question having been asked, "Does God answer Prayer, in even all the little anxieties and cares of daily life." _The Illustrated Christian Weekly_, called in 1876, for testimonies of the surety of God in fulfilling his promise, and giving answ... Answer To Prayer In Temporal Matters.
A speaker said at one meeting, "God answers prayer in temporal matters. In a Western college, at a time when the last morsels of food had been eaten, and some had to go away from the table empty, four of the number retired to pray, and before they... Answered The Same Day.
"You received a letter yesterday. My husband rose for prayers the same night." ... 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." ...