Samuel Harris's Lawsuit, And How The Lord Settled It For Him.
"When Samuel Harris, of Virginia, began to preach, his soul was so
absorbed in the work, that he neglected to attend to the duties of this
life. Finding, upon a time, that it was absolutely necessary that he
should provide more grain for his family than he had raised upon his own
farm, he called upon a man who owed him a debt, and told him he would be
glad to receive the money.
"The man repl
"Harris said; 'I want the money to purchase wheat for my family; and as
you have raised a good crop of wheat, I will take that of you instead of
money, at a current price.'
"The man answered: 'I have other uses for my wheat, and cannot let you
have it.'
"'How then,' said Harris, 'do you intend to pay me?'
"'I never intend to pay you until you sue me,' replied the debtor, 'and
therefore you may begin your suit as soon as you please.'
"Mr. Harris left him, meditating. Said he to himself, 'What shall I do?
Must I leave preaching, and attend to a vexatious lawsuit? Perhaps a
thousand souls may perish in the meantime, for want of hearing of Jesus!
No; I will not. Well, what will you do for yourself? Why, this will I
do; I will sue him at the Court of Heaven.' Having resolved what he
would do, he turned aside into a wood, and on his knees laid the matter
before the Lord. Mr. Harris felt such an evidence of Divine favor,--he
felt, to use his own expressive language, that Jesus would become
bondsman for the man, and see that he was paid if he went on preaching.
Mr. Harris arose from prayer, resolved to hold the man no longer a
debtor, since Jesus had assumed the payment. He therefore wrote a
receipt in full of all accounts against the man, and dating it in the
woods, where he had prayed, signed it with his own name. Going the next
day by the man's house, on his way to meeting, he gave the receipt to a
servant, directing him to give it to his master. On his return from
meeting, the man hailed him, and demanded what he meant by the receipt
he had sent him in the morning.
"Mr. Harris replied: 'I mean just as I wrote.'
"'But you know, sir,' answered the debtor, 'I have never paid you.'
"'True,' said Mr. Harris, 'and I know you said that you never would
unless I sued you. But, sir, I sued you at the Court of Heaven, and
Jesus entered bail for you, and has agreed to pay me; I have therefore
given you a discharge!'
"'But I insist upon it,' said the man; 'matters shall not be left so.'
"'I am well satisfied,' answered Harris. 'Jesus will not fail me. I
leave you to settle the account with him at another day. Farewell.'
"This operated so effectually on the man's conscience, that in a few
days he _came and paid the debt_."
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Prayer.
An exact parallel instance to the foregoing is given in the experience of a correspondent of _The Christian_, which occurred in the latter part of November, 1864, while traveling with her aged father and two small girls: "We started from New Ha... Praying For A Bible.
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A young Southern girl, who had lost a position through five months' sickness, and found herself, at last, in the street and penniless, turned her steps to a daily prayer-meeting. She said her earliest impressions from her mother were, that the Lor... Praying For A Lost Pocket-book.
A contributor to _The Christian_ writes as follows: "A few months since I lost my pocket-book, containing money and papers of a large amount--more than I felt able to lose--and which I should feel the loss of, as I was owing at that time about t... Praying For A New Hat.
"Whatsoever thing ye ask in _My_ name"-- "For a long while I had been without money, and my need was very great. I wanted a new hat so much; and the question arose in my mind, 'What am I going to do about it?' As I had no human arm to depend... Praying For A Pastor.
"Several months ago I wrote asking you to pray for a feeble church in need of a pastor. Since then I am happy to say that this church has been blessed and we now have a pastor." ... Praying For A Sewing Machine.
"One day a lady friend said to me: 'Would you like some nice sewing, easy to do?' I answered, 'Yes.' 'Have you a sewing machine?' 'I have not, but am praying for one.' 'That is right; so you believe you will have it by praying for it?' I replied: ... Praying For Money For A Journey.
A lady, Miss E., residing in New Bedford, received a letter telling of the serious illness of her mother, in New York. Sick herself, from unremitted care of an invalid during eight years, poor as Elijah when his only grocers were the ravens, too o... Praying For Others.
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On a top floor in a street of tenements lives a colored woman one hundred and ten years old! Her son, a man over seventy, lost his wife, a neat, active Christian woman, very suddenly, and his aged mother was plunged in despairing grief. "Why, why ... Praying For Tea.
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A remarkable incident, showing how God makes the winds to obey him in obedience to the prayer of his righteous ones, and the expectations of their faith, occurred also in Samuel Hick's life, which is really an astonishing proof of God's supernatur... Praying In Fair Weather.
The ways in which God saves those whom he wishes to deliver from death, are sometimes too wonderful for our understanding. A certain ship was overtaken in a severe and prolonged storm at sea. She had a noble Christian man for a captain, and as goo... Praying To Stop The Wind And The Sailing Of A Vessel.
The late aged and venerable Rev. Dr. Cleaveland, of Boston, relates the following incident: "In a revival of religion in the church of which he was pastor, he was visited one morning by a member of his church, a widow, whose only son was a sail... President Finney's Prayer For Rain.
The following incident of the prayer of President Finney for rain, and its immediate answer, is furnished by Professor Cowles, the intimate friend of President Finney: "Somewhat more than twenty years ago, the village of Oberlin and its adjacen... Prosperity And Liberality.
A London correspondent of the _Western Christian Advocate_, writing some years ago of raising a fund for the extinction of debts on chapels, gives the following incident: "A gentleman named Wilkes, who was promised a subscription of one thousan... Raised Up From Death's Door.
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"Last March, I requested you to pray for a dear friend in Massachusetts, who was deprived of her reason through sickness and great trouble. _Give thanks unto God, she is fully restored."_ "Arise And Walk." "It will be just one year since ... Reclaimed.
"I must ask you to return thanks with me that your prayers have been answered. An intemperate brother has been reclaimed." ... Recovery From Dangerous Illness.
Dr. Newman Hall was once visiting, on his dying bed, John Cranfield, son of the great originator of ragged schools, under the ministry of Rowland Hill. "We were conversing on prayer. He said, 'A remarkable instance occurred in connection with m... Recovery From Insanity.
A most remarkable case of recovery from insanity is given by President William M. Brooks, of Tabor College, Iowa. "A young lady of my acquaintance, of a finished education, lost her reason in the Winter of 1871-2, and in August, 1872, was placed... Recovery From Paralysis.
"Between two and three years ago, the writer was struck down by paralysis, disabling entirely the limbs of the left side. In this apparently helpless state, I employed a man to take care of me, and felt that unless God should interpose, I must be ... Recovery From Spinal Disease.
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"At another time, being sorely pressed by a heartless creditor, and almost beside herself, she concluded to walk out and get free from the insupportable burden, by change of air and scene for two or three hours. Passing the house of a friend, just... Relief In Business.
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"I wrote you two months since, asking an interest in your prayers for a young man that experienced religion a year ago, but failed to confess Christ by uniting with the church. Your prayers have been answered. Last night my heart was made to rejoi... Remarkable Cures.
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I was riding on top of the Boulder Pass of the Rocky Mountains, in the summer of 1876, when a sudden storm of rain, wind, and furious tempest came up. There was no shelter from rocks, no trees or buildings to be seen--a lonely, wind-swept summit. ... Rescued In Peril.
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"One month since, I requested prayer specially for my own family. My oldest son, who was then sick, has been restored to his usual health. '_The prayer of faith hath indeed saved the sick_.'" ... Samuel Harris's Lawsuit, And How The Lord Settled It For Him.
"When Samuel Harris, of Virginia, began to preach, his soul was so absorbed in the work, that he neglected to attend to the duties of this life. Finding, upon a time, that it was absolutely necessary that he should provide more grain for his famil... Samuel Hick's Prayer For Rain.
Samuel Hick was one of the men of "_mighty faith_" in the Lord, and as a preacher among the Methodists of England. He was of great eminence for his happy spirit, remarkable trust, powerful and practical preaching, and unbounded liberality. Among t... Saved And Honored.
"Almost three years ago I asked you to pray for a young man that was wandering from God. Thank God, your and my prayers were answered. He is now an active Christian, a superintendent of the Sabbath school, and a most zealous member of the Young Me... Saved From A Life Of Degradation.
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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.
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"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.
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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.
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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...