h this woman, seeking to prevent her
from giving either from an unsanctified motive or in unhallowed haste,
without counting the cost. He would in such a case dishonour his Master
by accepting the gift, as though God were in need of our offerings.
Careful scrutiny, however, revealed no motives not pure and Christlike;
this woman had calmly and deliberately reached her decision. "The Lord
Jesus," she said, "has given His last drop of blood for me, and should I
not give Him this hundred pounds?" He who comes into contact with such
givers in his work for God finds therein a means of grace.

This striking incident lends a pathetic interest to the beginnings of
the orphan work, and still more as we further trace the story of this
humble needlewoman. She had been a habitual giver, but so unobtrusively
that, while she lived, not half a dozen people knew of either the legacy
or of this donation. Afterward, however, it came to the light that in
many cases she had quietly and most unostentatiously given food,
clothing, and like comforts to the deserving poor. Her gifts were so
disproportionate to her means that her little capital rapidly
diminished. Mr. Muller was naturally very reluctant to accept what she
brought, until he saw that the love of Christ constrained her. He could
then do no less than to receive her offering, in his Master's name,
while like the Master he exclaimed, "O woman, great is thy faith!"

Five features made her benevolence praiseworthy. First, all these deeds
of charity were done in secret and without any show; and she therefore
was kept humble, not puffed up with pride through human applause; her
personal habits of dress and diet remained as simple after her legacy as
before, and to the last she worked with her needle for her own support;
and, finally, while her _earnings_ were counted in shillings and pence,
her _givings_ were counted in sovereigns or five-pound notes, and in one
case by the hundred pounds. Her money was entirely gone, years before
she was called higher, but the faithful God never forgot His promise: "I
will never leave thee nor forsake thee." Never left to want, even after
bodily weakness forbade her longer to ply her needle, she asked no human
being for help, but in whatever straits made her appeal to God, and was
not only left to suffer no lack, but, in the midst of much bodily
suffering, her mouth was filled with holy song.

Mr. Muller records the _first bequest_ as from a dear lad w