A Lesson of Faith by F. T.

Seventh-day Adventist Missionary Society · Oakland, Cal. · Aug 9, 1883

A Lesson of Faith

By F. T.

Written for the Signs of the Times. # A Lesson of Faith.

MR. W—— was a sea-captain; he had followed the sea for many years. On account of his wife's health, he gave up the sea-faring life, and retired to a cottage a few miles out from the city of New Bedford, Mass. He then followed the business of a carpenter and joiner. His wife was a religious woman and a member of the church. There was but one thing needed to complete her happiness, namely, that he also should profess religion and become interested in divine things. To this end she labored for many years.

Finally Mr. W—— yielded his heart, and commenced to observe the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus. He was, as many other men are, connected with certain secret societies, such as the Free Masons, and he also had had his life insured, that his wife might receive some support in case of his death. After he had made a profession of religion, he began to seriously consider the claims God had upon those that served him. One of the first things that troubled him was the tithing system. He felt that God had a claim upon all of his temporal blessings. God had given him life, and power to accumulate that which he possessed, and he reasoned with his wife as follows: Said he, "If I acknowledge God in all my ways I ought to give God that which he claims, one-tenth of all my increase." His wife was rejoiced at this, for it met her mind most fully. But after going this far he felt that God had a greater claim upon that which he possessed. He said that he had never given anything to the cause of God. Now, said he, if I begin right, I ought to give God a tithe of all I possess, for I have never given the Lord anything in my life. He felt that he had robbed God both in tithes and in offerings. His wife thought that that might be all right; "but," said she, "you know that Mr. A—— is owing us a debt which there is some doubt about our ever receiving. We will donate that to the Lord, which will be equivalent to a tithe of what we possess; perhaps the Lord will induce him to pay the debt if we will give it to the Lord as a tithe." But Mr. W—— thought that that was making a close bargain with the Lord. They had a certain amount of money lying in the bank, and out of that they could give the Lord a tithe, and he felt that they should do so; but still she felt that perhaps the Lord would move on the mind of Mr. A—— so that he would pay the debt, and they would give that to the Lord.

Thus they reasoned with each other for many weeks; he felt convicted that he ought to give a tithe out of that which he had, and then trust the Lord as to whether or not they should secure that which was uncertain; but he delayed to follow his convictions on account of his wife. Mr. W—— also felt convicted that instead of being connected with any secret society that included all classes of men, and leaning upon them for support in case of sickness, he ought to more fully lean upon God; that the union of Christian fellowship was the best and most sacred union that could exist upon the earth; and therefore he would disconnect himself from every organization where simply a selfish interest was the object. He felt the same about paying his annual dues toward a life insurance company. "Has not God taken care of us," said he, "thus far in our lives, and if we give our money to him and serve him, he will not throw around us a protection as he did his servant Job anciently? and do we need to have our life insured by any company which has not the cause of God in view?" But his wife, in all of these cases, as in the case of the tithing, thought that his propositions were all sound, but she would conclude with this: If you should happen to be sick it would be an excellent thing to have the support of some society, and if you should happen to die, a few hundred dollars would not come amiss. And so they postponed the time when he should take a stand, fully according to the conviction of his own conscience.

Thus the matter stood for many months; on her part it was simply a delay, waiting for a more favorable time when they would take their stand. Finally one morning after he had been to his work about three hours, he was brought home in a carriage, having fallen from a building. He had received an injury at the upper part of his spine, and his entire system below his head was paralyzed. He could not move hand or foot. A more severe blow could not have happened to Mrs. W——. They immediately telegraphed for the minister who had labored with them in by-gone days. He came to the house of affliction and found them in the situation described. He had been there but a short time before Mrs. W—— brought forward a sum of money that she had taken from the bank, and gave it to the minister to be appropriated to the cause of God. Said she, "I feel that God has been in earnest with me. I have kept my husband from giving to God that which belonged to him, and I wish to redeem the past."

They had a few cows and some poultry, and also raised vegetables, which brought them a little income; but it had seemed that the hand of God was against them. Nothing that they set their hand to prospered; their horse was lame, and could not be used; their cows were sick, and the milk could not be sold; and she felt that these things were permitted of God because she had not permitted her husband to do according to the conviction of his own conscience, and which she also believed was right. Now, even while he was helpless, she was willing to take the steps that she did not feel free to have him take while he was in health. He had often told her while in health that he feared God could not bless them, but his frown would be upon them if they did not do as his word required. The minister, thinking that she might be excited, and that the movement would not be according to her sound judgment after the excitement was over, thought that she had better retain that which she was about to give to the cause, till she had time to more fully consider the matter; that perhaps they would need all this in his sickness. She waited a reasonable length of time, but finally told him that her mind was fully made up; that he could do as he pleased about being an agent for her in appropriating it to the work of God, but if he did not do it, she would give it to some one else. The tithe was the Lord's, and the Lord should have it, and that she had caused her husband to hold it in his possession until she longed to be free from that which God declared was his.

They also had conversation upon the other points upon which he had been convicted before his sickness. The Free Masons, according to their profession, had come forward and helped him immediately. He was receiving from them favors which they seemed willing to bestow. And there was that insurance policy which, in case he should die, would be the means of bringing her a handsome little income; but under these circumstances, having a few weeks to deliberate over the matter, she concluded that let circumstances be what they might, they would trust God, who had cared for them in all their past lives; who numbered the hairs of their head and watched the fall of the sparrow. They could not read in the Scripture that God ever ordained such institutions to save his people from calamities which might befall them. So he finally severed his connection with the Masons. She also took the policy and returned it to the agent of the Life Insurance Company. The agent, being a friend of theirs, advised her not to do this, "for," said he, "your husband is sick and probably will not live, and in case of death you will receive the full amount of your policy." But her soul was burdened; her heart was full; and she felt that under any circumstances, whatever the result might be, she would go according to their convictions of duty when in health they calmly considered these things. She left the policy and thus relinquished all the claim which they had upon the company. Said Mrs. W——, "If my heart was ever light, it was light when I returned from the city. I felt that I had done all that I could. I had sought God's forgiveness for holding my husband back when he was anxious to move according to the convictions of his own conscience, and now I had taken every step to put away those sins and trust alone in the God of Israel. I went rejoicing from morn till night. Our captivity turned then and there. God smiled upon the labor of our hands, we were never so prospered temporally in all our lives before."

The blessing of God now came into the family. It seemed that the cows gave an unusual amount of milk; their hens laid more eggs than usual; their garden yielded the vegetables as never before. The man in their employ would carry to market one morning what it seemed that they had in the garden, and the next morning there would be as much more. It was thus during the season of vegetables. It was the same in every other respect; and yet Mr. W—— remained upon a sick bed.

One day when Mrs. W—— was riding out she met the insurance agent with whom she had previously left the policy. He beckoned her to stop and presented her with a draft of $500. Said he, "I returned your policy to the company; and told them that you relinquished all claim you had upon them. In a few days I received this amount as a present to you." It covered all they had ever paid the company, and she felt that the blessing of God not only gave her freedom when she returned the policy, but it had also returned to them the full amount that had been paid to the company. God raised them up friends who did for them every possible thing that would add to their comfort.

In looking over their accounts, one year from the time the accident took place, they found that their expense had been during the year not far from $2,000; but they also found that their income from that which they had sold was equal to their expense. It was a marvel to themselves and to their neighbors how that could be. They had paid a tithe on all that they had received. They had not consumed their principal, but that was still good. They felt that God had especially favored them.

When Mr. W—— had been well and was earning good wages, they only lived and supplied themselves. It took all his wages, with all the income that they could receive from their garden and from their cows to support them; but now he had not himself earned one penny; and they were obliged to employ a man to do the work out of doors, and a woman much of the time in the house; so that it had required much assistance during the year with an increased outlay of means, and notwithstanding this they had received from the sources before mentioned sufficient to support them. They and many others believed that God blessed them in doing right and trusting him.