Quoting Spurgeon 14
Quoted from “A Cheerful Giver Beloved of God” #835 MTP – A Merchant's vision.
“God loveth a cheerful giver.”-2 Corinthians 9:7.
And, last of all, we have need of a giving God, and therefore let us be cheerful givers. Remember that story which Mrs. Stowe has so well written. I am afraid I cannot tell it again, certainly not in her words, but it is something to this effect. There was a merchant, says she, who had prospered a great deal in business. He had built a house in the country, and he had enlarged it, and had laid out his grounds at great expense. When he went to his office he was called upon by a collector for some society, and he replied to his requests, “I really cannot afford to give anything; I have so many calls, I cannot do it.” Well, he was a man who had usually been very generous, and it touched his conscience a little afterwards to think that he should begin to stint in what he gave to his Lord. At night, when the wife and family had retired to rest, he sat by the fire-side meditating, and he said to himself, “I really do not know whether I was wise to build this house; it has brought a deal of expense; new furniture is wanted; I have been introduced into a new rank of society, expenses have increased, the girls want more for dress; everything is on a more lavish scale, and yet I have been stinting the Lord. I fear I have done amiss; I do not feel easy about it at all.” As he was so thinking it is supposed that he fell asleep, but if so it was well for him that he did so, for suddenly the door opened, and there came into the room a very meek and lowly stranger, who advancing to him said, “Sir, I have called upon you to ask your help for a society which sends the gospel to the heathen; they are perishing, perishing for lack of knowledge; you are wealthy, will you give me help to send them the word of life?” He said, “You must excuse me, really; my expenses are so great, and I must curtail; I am quite unable to give you anything; I must decline.” The stranger looked at him with a mournful glance and said, “Perhaps you think that the work is too far away, and you do not give because the money is to be sent beyond the seas; I will then tell you that there is a ragged school down a part of the city, near your house of business, and it is about to be shut up for want of funds, and there are the poor little ragged children, the Arabs of your streets, ignorant of the right way, will you give me a subscription to that object?” The merchant was a little vexed to be asked again, and he said, “Forbear to trouble me; I cannot afford it, I cannot give you anything.” The stranger brushed a tear from his eye, and he said, “Well, then, I must ask you at least for something for the Bible Society; that, you see, lies at the root of everything; it gives away the word of God, and surely if you cannot afford it for the Missionary Society, or the Ragged School, you will give it for the word of God itself.” “No,” he said, “I have told you I cannot do it,” and then-and then the aspect of the stranger seemed to change, and though he still was meek and lowly, yet withal his countenance became majestic. There was a glory in his face, and yet there were lines of grief, and he said, softly and very sternly, “Five years ago that little daughter of yours, with the fair ringlets, lay sick of the fever, and you prayed in the bitterness of your soul that the darling of your heart might not be taken from you, but that you might be spared that heavy stroke. Who heard that prayer, and gave you back your child?” The merchant covered his face with his hands, and felt ashamed. “Ten years ago,” said the same voice, “you were in great difficulties; bills were returned upon you; you were on the verge of bankruptcy; your hair seemed as if it would turn grey with care. To whom did you apply in the hour of trouble, and who heard you, and who found you friends who tided you over your difficulties when other houses were crashing, and wealthier men than you were failing on every side? Who did that for you? Once more,” said the stranger, “fifteen years ago you felt the burden of your sins, you went up and down the world wringing your hands with fear, and crying, ‘God have mercy upon me!’ your heart was overwhelmed within you; who in that hour spoke the forgiving word which cancelled all your sins? Who took all your iniquities upon himself?” The merchant sobbed aloud and trembled much, when the voice said, “If thou wilt never ask anything of me again I will never ask anything of thee.” The man fell on his face before the august visitant, and said, “Take all, my blessed Lord; forgive my shameful ingratitude to thee, and help me never in the future to deny thee anything.” Whether it were a dream or not, it is certain that that merchant became one of the Christian princes of America, and gave to the cause of Christ as few had ever done before.
“God loveth a cheerful giver.”-2 Corinthians 9:7.
And, last of all, we have need of a giving God, and therefore let us be cheerful givers. Remember that story which Mrs. Stowe has so well written. I am afraid I cannot tell it again, certainly not in her words, but it is something to this effect. There was a merchant, says she, who had prospered a great deal in business. He had built a house in the country, and he had enlarged it, and had laid out his grounds at great expense. When he went to his office he was called upon by a collector for some society, and he replied to his requests, “I really cannot afford to give anything; I have so many calls, I cannot do it.” Well, he was a man who had usually been very generous, and it touched his conscience a little afterwards to think that he should begin to stint in what he gave to his Lord. At night, when the wife and family had retired to rest, he sat by the fire-side meditating, and he said to himself, “I really do not know whether I was wise to build this house; it has brought a deal of expense; new furniture is wanted; I have been introduced into a new rank of society, expenses have increased, the girls want more for dress; everything is on a more lavish scale, and yet I have been stinting the Lord. I fear I have done amiss; I do not feel easy about it at all.” As he was so thinking it is supposed that he fell asleep, but if so it was well for him that he did so, for suddenly the door opened, and there came into the room a very meek and lowly stranger, who advancing to him said, “Sir, I have called upon you to ask your help for a society which sends the gospel to the heathen; they are perishing, perishing for lack of knowledge; you are wealthy, will you give me help to send them the word of life?” He said, “You must excuse me, really; my expenses are so great, and I must curtail; I am quite unable to give you anything; I must decline.” The stranger looked at him with a mournful glance and said, “Perhaps you think that the work is too far away, and you do not give because the money is to be sent beyond the seas; I will then tell you that there is a ragged school down a part of the city, near your house of business, and it is about to be shut up for want of funds, and there are the poor little ragged children, the Arabs of your streets, ignorant of the right way, will you give me a subscription to that object?” The merchant was a little vexed to be asked again, and he said, “Forbear to trouble me; I cannot afford it, I cannot give you anything.” The stranger brushed a tear from his eye, and he said, “Well, then, I must ask you at least for something for the Bible Society; that, you see, lies at the root of everything; it gives away the word of God, and surely if you cannot afford it for the Missionary Society, or the Ragged School, you will give it for the word of God itself.” “No,” he said, “I have told you I cannot do it,” and then-and then the aspect of the stranger seemed to change, and though he still was meek and lowly, yet withal his countenance became majestic. There was a glory in his face, and yet there were lines of grief, and he said, softly and very sternly, “Five years ago that little daughter of yours, with the fair ringlets, lay sick of the fever, and you prayed in the bitterness of your soul that the darling of your heart might not be taken from you, but that you might be spared that heavy stroke. Who heard that prayer, and gave you back your child?” The merchant covered his face with his hands, and felt ashamed. “Ten years ago,” said the same voice, “you were in great difficulties; bills were returned upon you; you were on the verge of bankruptcy; your hair seemed as if it would turn grey with care. To whom did you apply in the hour of trouble, and who heard you, and who found you friends who tided you over your difficulties when other houses were crashing, and wealthier men than you were failing on every side? Who did that for you? Once more,” said the stranger, “fifteen years ago you felt the burden of your sins, you went up and down the world wringing your hands with fear, and crying, ‘God have mercy upon me!’ your heart was overwhelmed within you; who in that hour spoke the forgiving word which cancelled all your sins? Who took all your iniquities upon himself?” The merchant sobbed aloud and trembled much, when the voice said, “If thou wilt never ask anything of me again I will never ask anything of thee.” The man fell on his face before the august visitant, and said, “Take all, my blessed Lord; forgive my shameful ingratitude to thee, and help me never in the future to deny thee anything.” Whether it were a dream or not, it is certain that that merchant became one of the Christian princes of America, and gave to the cause of Christ as few had ever done before.
posted by Gavin at 10:11 PM
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