A poor Christian family were in distress.  The husband, during a long and painful sickness, had borne his trials for months with cheerful Christian resignation; “but, on this day,” said a City Missionary, “I found them, for the first time, in tears.  The cause I soon learned was the want of means to pay the rent of their little home, which would come due on the following Monday, and must be paid then, or they would have to leave and go they knew not where.  The amount needed, fifteen dollars, and the amount in hand but fifty cents; the future all dark, and no hope of recovery from sickness, and no hope of being able to meet their expenses—­it might be of a long sickness and want—­what could I do for them?  If theirs had been the only case of like wants that day, I no doubt could have gone to a few friends and have collected the amount.  But that would not do them the good I felt they needed.  But I felt sure of a better way to get it, and lead them to trust in the Lord, and glorify God and not man.

“On the wall, at the foot of the sick man’s bed, I had hung, but a short time previous, one of those precious silent comforters, a scroll of Scripture texts, printed in large type, and a different prayer for every day in the month.  On the page before us for that day, after calling their attention to it, I read the following words:  ’And all things whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer believing, ye shall receive.’  Matt. 21:22.  ’Again I say unto you, that if two of you shall agree on earth as touching anything that they shall ask, it shall be done for them.  Matt. 18:9; remarking, ’Are not those precious promises?  Your fears, dear brother and sister, are that you will not be able to pay the rent on Monday, and may be turned out into the street, unless you get the means to pay the rent; are they not?’ ‘That is so,’ said they.  ’There are two ways:  one, to try to get some one to lend you the amount until you can pay, if the landlord will not wait; another, to go and beg for it.’  I have learned a better way, and wish I could lead you to do the same.  Do as David did.  Have you ever gone to the Lord as directed above, and found in Him, as David did, a very present help in time of trouble?  Would not your faith and confidence in God’s word and in his kind, overruling providence be more strengthened, if, in going to Him now and making known your present troubles and wants, He should in a way, without your making known your wants to any other person, on Monday enable you to pay all?’ The answer was, ‘We should.’

“After prayer and encouragement to do so, I left them, with the promise to call the following Tuesday.  Doing so, I was met at the door by the wife with a countenance full of joy. ’Oh, brother, we could not wait until you came, to tell you the wonderful answer to our prayer.  On Monday, the very day that we had to pay the rent, one gentleman came and handed my husband five