20. Stealing From God

Stealing From God

INFIDEL’S SELF REBUKE.—An infidel, at one of his meetings, while disputing against God, received the applause of the whole company. All at once his conscience seemed to smite him, and he said to himself: “Good God! that a man who walks upright, who sees the wonderful works of God, and has the use of his senses, should use them in denying his Creator.”

DREAM OF DODDRIDGE.—It is said of Doddridge that in a dream of Heaven he was shown a gallery whose wall was covered with pictures showing the various wonderful escapes he had made from sudden death while upon earth, as though God would remind him of His care.

GRASS-GROWN PATHS.—Among some of the early African converts it was the custom for each to have a private spot for secret prayer. In the beginning of their Christian life, love and zeal lead them so often to these secret bethels that paths were worn to the places. But later on, as they became careless, one convert would say of another, “Grass is growing over his path.”

GORDON’S FIDELITY.—During Gordon’s first sojourn in the Soudan, he set apart a half-hour for communion with God, and just outside of his tent a handkerchief was placed as a reminder to all that he must not be molested at that time. The whole camp knew the meaning of that handkerchief, no foot dared to enter the tent thus guarded. No message, however pressing, was carried in. Whatever was the business it had to wait until the signal was removed, indicating that Gordon was ready to give heed to earthly concerns.

NEVER RICH ENOUGH.—An old man once asked a boy when a man was rich enough. The lad replied, “When he has 1,000 pounds.” “No.” “10,000.” “No.” “20,000.” “No.” “100, 000.” “No.” The lad gave it up, and begged the elder to inform him. He gravely answered. “When he has a little more than he has, and that is never.”

DREW NO INTEREST.—A man went to the hank, asking and receiving specie for bills to the amount of a thousand dollars. He had kept these bills just as he had received them more than twenty years. If he had deposited them in a savings bank, and allowed them to remain on interest, he might have drawn almost three times the amount at the end of this long interval.

GIVING TO GOD.—A merchant, at his own expense, 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 world and self, I did it on a grand scale, and at the most lavish expense. And when God by His grace called me out of darkness, I resolved that Christ and His cause should have more than I ever spent in the world. And as to giving so much, it is God who enables me to do it; for at my conversion I promised that I would give to His cause a fixed proportion of all that my business brought in to me; and every year since I made that promise it has brought me in about double what it did the year before, so that I easily can, as I do, double my gifts for His service.”

MOHAMMEDAN PUNISHMENT.—The Mohammedan law requires that the hand of the thief should be cut off. One of the Mohammedan traditions declare that every man who has cheated another will appear at the Judgment Day with whatever, he has stolen, attached to his neck.