Many Thousands Sent for the Orphans in Answer to Prayer, 1874–1885 (part 1 of 3)
CHAPTER XVI
MANY THOUSANDS SENT FOR THE ORPHANS IN ANSWER TO PRAYER, 1874–1885
May 26th, 1874, to May 26th, 1875
MAY 26th. Instead of having at the beginning of the new period £14,726 2s. 5¾d. in hand, as was the case three years previously, we began with £4,057 12s. 9½d., which, though a considerable sum, was yet only sufficient for about seven or eight weeks for our Orphan work. My readers may remember that there was a time, which lasted above ten years, when my faith was greatly tried by the lowness of the funds of the Institution, and when, from August, 1838, to April, 1849, there was very rarely any considerable amount of means at my disposal. By the grace of God, however, I was enabled to trust in Him in the darkest days, and, with unshaken confidence, habitually to rely upon Him. Now in May, June, and July of 1874 the appearance was, that those days were coming again. I transcribe what I wrote in my journal under July 28th, 1874, and the following days, for the comfort of the reader, and that he may see how God honours those who honour Him, and be encouraged to look to God alone and to trust in Him under all circumstances, even the most trying.
THE FIVE NEW ORPHAN HOUSES AND SOME OF THEIR LITTLE INMATES.
July 28th. For the last three months the income for the various Objects of the Institution has been so little, in comparison with the expenses, that within these three months our balance in hand has decreased about £6,500. Moreover, for several years our expenses have been more than our income. This does not arise from the fact that our income has been decreased, but that our expenses have more and more increased, on account of the enlargement of the operations. Our income from May 26th, 1873, to May 26th, 1874, was as good as in any previous year, but the balance left was comparatively little. On May 26th, 1871, our balance in hand for the Orphans was £14,726 2s. 5¾d. On May 26th, 1872, the balance for the Orphans was £10,673 13s. 11d. On May 26th, 1873, the balance in hand for the Orphans was £7,570 15s. 11¼d. On May 26th, 1874, the balance for the Orphans was £4,057 12s. 9½d. Compare this with the balance for the support of the Orphans three years before, and it will be seen, that we had then about £10,700 more in hand. The balance had still further been reduced since May 26th, 1874, so that, instead of having then £4,057 12s. 9½d., we had now only £2,869 8s. 1¼d. left, an amount so small, as that, if the income is not much more than it has been for the last three months, we shall have in six weeks nothing at all left. But how did I feel? the reader may ask, under these circumstances. The answer is, calm and peaceful. It has for months appeared to me as if the Lord meant, by His dealings with us, to bring us back to that state of things, in which we were for more than ten years, from August, 1838, to April, 1849, when we had day by day, almost without interruption, to look to Him for our daily supplies, and, for a great part of the time, from meal to meal. The difficulties appeared to me indeed very great, as the Institution is now twenty times larger than it was then, and our purchases have to be made in a wholesale way; but, at the same time, I am comforted by the knowledge, that God is aware of all this, and that, if this way be for the glory of His name, and for the good of His Church and the unconverted world, I am, by His grace, willing to go this way, and to do it to the end of my course.
But God, our infinitely rich Treasurer, remains to us. It is this which gives me peace. Moreover, if it pleases Him, with a work requiring about £44,000 a year, to make me do again at the evening of my life, what I did from August, 1838, to April, 1849, I am not only prepared for it, but gladly again I would pass through all these trials of faith, with regard to means, if He only might be glorified, and His Church and the world be benefited. Often and often this last point has of late passed through my mind, and I have placed myself in the position of having no means at all left, and 2,100 persons, not only daily at the table, but with everything else, to be provided for, and all funds gone; 189 Missionaries to be assisted, and nothing whatever left; about one hundred schools, with about 9,000 scholars in them, to be entirely supported, and no means for them in hand; about four millions of Tracts and tens of thousands of copies of the Holy Scriptures yearly now to be sent out, and all the money expended. Invariably, however, with this probability before me, I have said to myself: God, who has raised up this work through me, God who has led me generally year after year to enlarge it, God who has supported this work now for more than forty years, will still help, and will not suffer me to be confounded, because I rely upon Him. I commit the whole work to Him, and He will provide me with what I need, in future also, though I know not whence the means are to come.
Thus I wrote in my journal on July 28th. The reader will now feel interested in learning how we fared under these circumstances. I therefore make further extracts from my journal.
When I came home, last evening (July 27th), I found letters had arrived, which contained £193, among which there was one from a Missionary in Foreign lands, helped by the funds of this Institution, who, having come into the possession of some money by the death of a relative, sent £153 0s. 4d. for Foreign Missions. This morning, July 28th, came in £24 more, so that, when I met this afternoon with several of my helpers for prayer for means and various other matters, such as spiritual blessing upon the various Objects of the Institution, for more rain in this very dry season, the health of our fellowlabourers, etc., we had received since yesterday afternoon, altogether £217. We thanked God for it and asked for more. When the meeting for prayer was over, there was handed to me a letter from Scotland, containing £73 17s. 10d., and a paper with 13s. This was the immediate answer to prayer for more means. When I came home in the evening, I found £30 arrived from Reading, and £14 came in besides.
July 29th. This morning came in about £50 by the first delivery, and an Ottoman bond for £100 anonymously from Warwickshire, to be sold. On making up the account books for the past week, it was found that the income for the various Objects of the Institution, since the evening of the 22nd, has been £662 5s. 10½d., a proof that we do not wait on the Lord in vain, though even this is not nearly enough to meet the average expenses of one week.—August 5th. During the last week, since July 29th, there came in altogether £566.—August 11th. For more than three months we have had to haul water, one, two, or three carts having been daily needed for this purpose; for a long time three carts. We have day by day prayed for more rain. Now the Lord has answered fully our requests in this respect. Last Saturday, August 8th, we were able to take off the last cart.—August 12th. The income for this whole week, since August 5th, has been £897 15s. 6½d.
I have an object in view why I give to the reader these extracts from my journal, and for that purpose request him to read a little more, that he may see to what I refer.
August 29th. Income £28.—August 31st. Income £102.—September 1st. Income £140.—September 2nd. £200.—September 3rd. £333, of this sum came £100 from a clergyman.—September 4th. £100.—September 5th. £90.—September 7th. £250.—September 8th. £170. —September 9th. £180.—September 10th. £90 15s. 10d.—September 11th. £112 7s. 0½d.—September 12th. £85 2s. 6½d.—September 14th. £94 17s. 5½d. September 15th. £67 16s. 2d.—September 16th. Just after having again prayed for the payment of legacies which have been left, I had a legacy receipt sent for the payment of a legacy for £1,800. The income to-day is £106 2s. 2½d.—September 17th. Income to-day £136 13s. 1d.—September 18th. Income £1,845 7s., including the payment of the legacy for £1,800.—September 19th. £83 19s.—September 21st. £183 5s. 7d.—September 22nd. £16 12s. 10d.—September 23rd. Received in one donation £5,327 7s. 6d. This donor I never saw, though he had five or six times previously contributed £200 or £300 at a time. About two months afterwards he died. I have every reason to believe that he gave this money (which would have come to us by his Will) during his lifetime, in order that he might save the Institution the heavy legacy duty. Thus the Lord most abundantly helped us in our low state of funds. The total income for the various Objects of the Institution during this one month was £11,309 4s. 5¼d. See, dear reader, what God can do! All this was the result, not of an extraordinary effort made on our part, but simply the result of prayer and faith.
I have given these extracts from my journal to show the blessedness of waiting upon God. That, which came in from one prayer meeting to the other, which I had with some of my fellow-labourers, is recorded in the previous page. Besides this we received many answers to prayers for rain, for helpers in the work, for the restoration to health of the labourers in the work, and for the recovery of the children, also for spiritual blessing upon the various branches of the Institution, etc. One particular point I have especially in view in giving these extracts, is, to bring before the reader, that in April, May, June, and July, while the income for the funds of the Institution was so exceedingly small, my soul was, THROUGHOUT, without the least wavering, stayed upon God, believing that He, who had through me begun the Institution, enlarged it almost year after year, and upheld it for forty years in answer to prayer by faith, would do this still, and not suffer me to be confounded! I believed that He would help still, and supply the means; but I was willing, and THOROUGHLY in heart prepared, if necessary, to pass again through the same seasons of trial, through which I had passed from August, 1838, to April, 1849. The Lord be magnified for His kind help!
October 17th. Received £500 (less legacy duty) as the legacy of the late L. H. S. Esq.—October 19th. From Tunbridge Wells £89 7s. 11d. for the support of seven Orphans. The kind donor sent about six years since the average expenses for the support of three Orphans, according to the number of his own children. After some time the Lord gave to him a fourth child, then a fifth, a sixth, and a seventh child, and, as the number of his own children increased, so he added, with each child, the average expenses for an additional Orphan, acting thus in the opposite way from the principles of the world. I state here, that out of the 2,261 Orphans, who were under our care from May 27th, 1874, to May 26th, 1875, eighty-six Orphans have been provided for by donors sending to me the average expenses for one year for one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, or even eleven Orphans.—October 30th. From Newcastle on-Tyne £100.
November 7th. From Ross-shire £100.—November 7th. Anonymously by post seven sets of artificial teeth, set in gold.—December 10th. From Leamington £100.—December 18th. From Scotland 2,189 yards of Winsey cloth and 302 yards of linen ditto.—December 22nd. From near London £290.
December 23rd. Received £10, with the following letter:—
"Enclosed I have sent you a cheque for £10 for the Orphans, as a thankoffering to the Almighty for the recovery of a stolen horse. After all worldly means seemed to have failed, I made a promise to the Almighty, that if I got the horse, I would give £10 to Mr. Müller's Orphans, and I am pleased to say, very shortly the horse came back to me."
From Berkshire £75 for the support of six Orphans for one year.—December 24th. From Leeds £40 for the support of three Orphans for one year, according to the number of the donor's children.—December 31st. From Clifton £150.
January 1st. The past year, during which the Lord had graciously helped us so manifestly with means for the Orphan work, ended with further considerable help on the last day, as £300 came in yesterday. This day the Lord has again sent us very many donations, like an earnest that He will during this year also be mindful of us.—January 2nd. Received this day £11 8s. 7d. from India, with the following letter:—
My dear Sir,
"I have the pleasure of enclosing £11 8s. 7d., the amount of an offertory in Christ Church, Simla, for the Ashley Down Orphanage, to be applied as you think best. I am sorry that the amount is so small. I wish that Professor H. and others, who think that prayer is mere waste of breath, would try how long they can support two thousand Orphans without asking any one—GOD OR MAN—for help."
January 16th. From Buckfastleigh £62 6s. 4d.—January 18th. A gold bracelet made of three guinea pieces, four half-guinea pieces, a seven-shilling piece, and an American gold dollar.—January 30th. Received four old five-shilling pieces, with the following letter:—
"I send you a box containing four old five-shilling pieces. Their history is this. Many years ago there was a wedding at a village church in Kent. After the party had returned home, the bridegroom gave the bride a handful of five-shilling pieces. She said, as they were her husband's first gift, she would not spend them. She kept them, and gave one to each of her grandchildren. My mother was her granddaughter, and these four descended to her. We naturally prize them very much; but if we kept them they would do no one any good, and we think they will, perhaps, be more acceptable to God, because they are dear to us. Please accept them for the benefit of the Orphans."
When the bridegroom gave these crown pieces, and the bride determined not to spend them, neither of them thought that a hundred years or more after, four of them would come forth, in answer to our prayers, to help providing for the Orphans. Numberless old coins, both of gold and silver, have we received within the last forty years for the benefit of the Orphans, which had long been hoarded up for some reason or other; also the greatest variety of jewellery, gold and silver watches, clothes, and numberless other articles for which year after year a considerable sum has been obtained. During the past year alone we realized by the sale of articles sent for that purpose £856 17s. 5d.
February 1st. Legacy of the late W. T., Esq., £500, less legacy duty.—February 19th. From Newcastle-on-Tyne £75.—March 2nd. This day was sent to me as a gift the script for 200 ten-pound shares in a limited liability company, fully paid up, of which the kind donor intends 150 for the benefit of the Orphans, or the other Objects of the Institution, as the need may be, and 50 for my own personal expenses. The kind donor is personally unknown to me. This is another striking proof of the willingness of the Lord to provide both for the work and my own requirements, simply in answer to prayer. March 4th. From Glasgow £51 0s. 3d. The donor of this amount sends me once a fortnight one penny in the pound of all his receipts, and sent now £50 extra.
April 5th. From Kidderminster £53 15s. 6d. From Buxton Five pieces of artificial teeth (four of them set in gold).—May 13th. Legacy of the late Mr. T., £200, less duty.—May 25th. Legacy of the late Mr. P., £150, less duty.
[The expenditure for the Orphans from May 26th, 18th, to May 26th, 1875, was £23,522 6s. 10½d.]
May 26th, 1875, to May 26th, 1876
Though our faith has been exercised so greatly during this financial year, in that at one time there was so little in hand for the support of the Orphans, that the natural appearance was, that in a short time all the means for them would be gone; yet the Lord so abundantly helped us, as the result of prayer and faith, that we had more than twice as much at the end of the year, as when the year began, our balance in hand on May 26th being £8,406 13s. 11¾d.
June 3rd. Legacy of the late W. G. S., Esq., £1,342 7s. 3d.—June 4th. A legacy of £200 had been left by Miss M. B.; but of this amount, through circumstances, only £60 11s. 1d., when the legacy became due, could be paid. Now this day £139 8s. 11d. was paid to the Institution by G. S., Esq., to make up the full amount, of £200. Thus the kind stranger acted towards the work, without being under the least obligation so to do.—June 14th. Received £100 as the legacy of Lady H.
July 15th. From Wales £70, with £6 16s. for myself.—July 19th. From one of the Midland Counties £60.—July 23rd. From Reading two sets of artificial teeth and some gold springs.—July 24th. Left at my house four pieces of artificial teeth, three of them set in gold.—July 31st.
From a Bristol donor, who sets apart a certain part of his business for the Orphans, and has done so for many years, £65 18s.
August 2nd. From a lady who had kindly sent £500 in the early part of the year, £175, with £25 for myself, sent especially on account of the great additional expenses, occasioned by much sickness among the Orphans.—August 25th. Received from the Royal Hospital, Putney, 5s., with the following letter:—
Dear Mr. Müller,
"It is more than twenty-three years since I first wrote to you, and now I do it that you may have it when I have entered into rest. I enclose 5s. as my last donation, feeling truly thankful to our dear Lord for having enabled me to do some little for the dear Orphans. You need not acknowledge this, as there will be no one to receive the letter. Farewell, till we meet in glory."
This poor woman was habitually an invalid and sufferer, but for more than twenty years worked little things for the benefit of the Orphans, and, according to her means, being herself supported by the love of Christians, sent little donations. At last she was received for life into the Royal Hospital, Putney, and sent even from thence now and then small donations, till this came, which we received after she had fallen asleep in the Lord. Thus the Lord is pleased to lay this work even on the hearts of the very poor, and to send to us help through them.
September 1st. Received anonymously £100. Received September 11th from a considerable distance three valuable rings, three sets of gold buttons, a diamond cross, a cameo brooch, a brooch and earrings, a pair of gold ear-rings, a gold locket, two pairs of ear-rings, and a brooch and bracelet. Altogether a very valuable donation.
October 9th. Legacy of the late W. A. R., Esq., £332 16s. 3d. The kind testator was an entire stranger to me, which gives another proof how the Lord is pleased to help us in answer to prayer.—October 15th.
From Burnham £50. As the legacy of the late Mrs. J. £500.—October 19th. From the neighbourhood of Abingdon £50. From London £63 0s. 10d. for the support of five Orphans for one year.
November 13th. Legacy of the late Mrs. L. £1,756 4s. 4d. The kind testatrix was an entire stranger to me. I had not even heard of her name, until I received information about the legacy.—November 30th. From Tobago £6. The reader will observe that the means for the support of the Orphans do not come merely from various parts of England, nor even merely from parts of the United Kingdom; but almost from every part of the earth. There are few countries, from which we have not at so me time or other received donations. Our Heavenly Father has the hearts of all men at His disposal, and we give ourselves to prayer to Him, and He, in answer to our prayers, lays the necessities of this work on the hearts of His stewards; and thus it has come to pass, that we have now received from Him, in answer to prayer, more than seven hundred thousand pounds. Should any one question this statement, we reply, Whom did we ask for anything? Let the individuals come forward to prove that it is otherwise. But if this cannot be done, as it cannot, then, will not the reader see, how much power there is in believing prayer, and how much may be obtained through the exercise of faith? Though the real power of prayer is by certain individuals denied, yet the Orphan Houses on Ashley Down, erected at a cost of about one hundred and fifteen thousand pounds, without any one being asked for anything, but God only; and more than two thousand Orphans being yearly provided for at an expense of twenty-five thousand pounds or upwards, besides all the other departments of the Institution being provided for at the cost of seventeen or eighteen thousand pounds, without going to any one for help but to God; plainly shows that even in the latter part of the nineteenth century much may be obtained from our Heavenly Father, simply through prayer and faith.
December 15th. Received £6 6s. from one of the former Orphans, with the following letter:—
Dear Sir,
"I am anxious to redeem a vow made some years since by my dear departed wife, that she would give a certain proportion of some earnings for the support of the Orphans.—I can scarcely express my gratitude to you, dear Sir, for the fatherly interest you took in the matter of her personal salvation, as the wife of one of your Orphan boys. She never forgot the firm kindness with which you pressed home the one important question, 'Did she love the Saviour?' and, her having to respond to that, was a means of grace of which the influence was never lost. We saw many sorrows afterwards, but our God was more to us than our fears, and He has now enabled me to redeem her vow for the Orphans.—I would desire again to thank you, dear Sir, for the great interest you took in me, while under your care; and I often reflect on happy days, spent in New Orphan House No. 1. —You will be glad to know, that the Lord has been pleased to use me in His service. For nearly fourteen years I have been employed in preaching the gospel in dark villages in this neighbourhood; and for about seven years have been deacon of the Congregational Church here; and I have too the happiness of knowing, that, by His blessing upon my labours, some have been added to the Lord. This I say, as desiring alone to glorify His name, and because I feel it is right you should know, that He thus owns and crowns your labours for Him, by enabling those, whom you have rescued, to be the means of hastening His kingdom. Etc."
The writer of this letter, and his brother, were the first two Orphans received in the New Orphan House No. 1. His brother was brought to the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ, and, after having walked very consistently for a considerable time whilst under our care, was sent out. He has been a decided follower of the Lord Jesus Christ ever since, has been engaged for about eighteen years in the ministry of the Word, has been the instrument of leading not a few to the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ, and is now a clergyman in the Church of England. The writer, as has been seen, labours in a different sphere for the Lord, but has also been used by Him, in the winning of souls. These first-fruits of the removal of the Orphans to Ashley Down, and the building of the five large houses, have been followed by the conversion of many hundreds of Orphans, yea, by hundreds who have been already safely removed into the presence of the Lord. Thus, in the midst of difficulties, trials of faith and patience, and sometimes also disappointment with regard to some of the Orphans, we reap already abundantly even now; but the chief part of the harvest is yet awaiting us.
December 22nd. From the neighbourhood of London £290, with £10 for myself.
January 11th. "From a person in Yorkshire, who desires to be a faithful steward of the Lord's possessions," £500. When this donation came to hand, I did not in the least degree know the kind donor. This furnishes another proof, of how much may be obtained simply by waiting upon God, as day by day we do. January 12th. From believers, meeting at Sand Area Chapel, Kendal, £35 1s. 3d.—January 13th. From a Clifton donor, then at a considerable distance from thence, £150, with £10 for myself. January 26th. From Warwickshire £200.—February 2nd. From Yorkshire £126 1s. 8d., for the support of ten Orphans for one year.—March 20th. Received 10s., with the following letter from one of the former Orphans:—
Beloved Sir,
"Once more it is the privilege of one of your former Orphans to ask your acceptance of this small offering of thanksgiving to God for all His lovingkindness to me and mine.—I need hardly say, that, as each year passes away, my veneration for you, dear Sir, and love for the dear place, where I spent the best part of my childhood, increases, so also do I hope my gratitude to the Father of the fatherless, who put it in the heart of you, His honoured and beloved servant, to carry out such a noble scheme to the glory of God. How often, when tempted to indulge in the sin of unbelief, has the thought of my six years' sojourn on Ashley Down come across my mind like a gleam of sunshine. There, the clothes I wore, the food I ate, the bed I slept on, and the walls around me, were all in answer to believing prayer. What better prescription for any infidel, than to go to Ashley Down Orphan House and enquire into its working! Ay, and what better prescription for the doubting, wavering child of God!"
[The expenditure for the Orphans from May 26th, 1875, to May 26th, 1876, was £24,588 6s. 10¾d.]
May 18th. For the support of twenty-five Orphans for one year £315 4s. 2d.—May 25th. From Warwickshire £200.
May 26th, 1876, to May 26th, 1877
During this year also, the Lord was pleased to supply us again bountifully, in the riches of His grace, with all we needed for the support of the Orphans.
July 1st. On account of the residue of the estate of Mr. T. M. left by his Will to the Orphans £1,500.—July 5th. Legacy of the late Miss P. £1,000, less duty.—July 17th. Legacy of the late Miss C. R. B. £306 4s. Legacy of the late T. P., Esq., £150.—July 24th. By sale of gold and silver articles, dentist gold, and diamonds £120.—August 16th. As the remainder of the legacy of the late Mr. T. M. £594 6s. 10d. I never saw Mr. T. M., yet received from him, through his Will, and by donations in his lifetime, for the benefit of the Orphans, altogether about £8,000.
October 2nd. As "God's Tenth" from Torquay £40.—October 28th. Received £5, with the following letter:—
Dear Sir,
"Sometime ago we marked off our books a very old debt of £11 12s. 6d., which we had every reason to believe we should never receive.
We had tried our utmost to get the debt paid, without success. It so happened that a few weeks ago I bought your last Report, and have been much refreshed by the perusal; and a week ago, on turning over the pages of one of the ledgers, I came across the name of the above debtor. I at once thought, I will ask the Lord to send that in, and, if it comes, £5 shall go to Mr. Müller's Orphans. I, therefore, wrote a letter to the man in the most simple terms, asking him to remit the amount, and posted it with an earnest prayer to the Lord. This morning, to the utmost amazement of our cashier, a cheque has come to hand. Be good enough to accept £5 of it for the Lord's direct service in your hands. I cannot say, how much this has encouraged me.
"I remain, yours faithfully, ——."
November 6th. Received £303 14s. 5d. as the legacy of the late B. A. D., Esq.—November 7th. Legacy of the late J. T., Esq., £194 14s., less duty.—November 15th. Received 15s., with the following letter:—
My dear Mr. Müller,
"Twenty-eight years ago, while at school in Devonshire, another boy and I took some money out of a box, into which we were required to put fines for certain misdemeanours. This money was to have been forwarded to you for the work among the Orphans. Since then many and varied have been my experiences, temporal and spiritual: the latter including even the extremes of Ritualism, confession to a priest (so-called), etc. During the course of this latter, I had occasion to confess the above sin, and was told by the priest to make restitution by sending you the money. My object in writing to you now is, to tell you, that what the voice of man failed to do, the voice of God (speaking by His servant) has done. In other words, having now been brought to trust in the precious Saviour (and not in His pardon handed down through a fellow-sinner), I have been led to see, that it is right to send you this money. I may just say, that the means God has used, to bring me to a decision on this matter, is a sermon I heard this morning from Mr. A. He preached powerfully from the case of Zaccheus, and spoke strongly of the necessity of reparation for any wrong done before conversion to God. The wrong I had done you (or rather the poor little Orphans) became powerfully impressed upon my mind, and although the amount is but a small one, that does not of course affect the principle of the thing. Be kind enough, therefore, beloved brother in Jesus, to accept this exceedingly tardy but genuine reparation for wrong done so long ago."
ORPHAN GIRLS IN SCHOOL.
The matter referred to in this letter is of deep importance. To the utmost of our power reparation is to be made. Should the transgressor not have strength enough to do it, giving his name, it would be better to do it anonymously than not at all, or to use a friend, to act on his behalf.
December 16th. Received £114 9s. for the support of nine Orphans for one year, with £10 10s. for myself. Legacy of the late Mrs. T. £373 19s. 2d.—December 21st. The first annual instalment on account of the legacy of the late G. W., Esq., £200.
January 1st. Legacy of the late Miss P., of Ireland £2,000 new 3 per cent Government Stock, less legacy duty. I had not even heard the name of this lady, till I received the information about this legacy being left.—February 6th. Received £300 (less duty), as the legacy of the late Miss H. E. C.—February 7th. From Yorkshire £200.—April 27th. From Yorkshire £200.—May 24th. From the neighbourhood of Manchester £100.—May 26th. From S. S. £100.
[The expenditure for the Orphans from May 26th, 1876, to May 26th, 1877, was £24,337 9s. 8½d. The balance in hand on May 26th, 1877, was £10,936.]
May 26th, 1877, to May 26th, 1878
June 7th. From a servant of the Lord Jesus in Ireland £1 14s. 7d. While he dines with his family, a box is handed round each time, in which each member of the family places something according to ability, as a token of gratitude to God for the present meal, and in sympathy with the Orphans who need to be provided for. From time to time these contributions have now been sent us for about two years.
July 31st. Legacy of the late G. H., Esq., £500. This gentleman, who kindly left the legacy, was an entire stranger to me. Legacy of the late Mr. H. J. O. £206 6s. 6d.
August 28th. Received £1, with the following letter from one of the former Orphan boys, who, many years since, was apprenticed, and who, several years ago, finished his apprenticeship:—
Dear and honoured Sir,
"I beg to thank you very much for a copy of this year's Report, which I received a day or two since. Please accept the enclosed £1, and apply it to the Object for which it is most needed. I thankfully take another opportunity of acknowledging the goodness of God to me in the past, first by placing me in the Orphan Home, afterwards by leading me to Himself, and then in His guidance ever since I left the Home. I have, indeed, special cause for gratitude to Him, and I trust I may be enabled to live to His praise in my future life. Please accept my kindest wishes for the prosperity of the Institution, and for the spiritual welfare of you and yours.
"I am, dear Sir, your obedient Orphan, ——."
September 12th. From the workmen employed at Easton, Whitehall, and Hanham Collieries, £5, as a thankoffering for being preserved from fatal accidents during the past twelve months. September 29th. Received £11 12s. 6d., with the following letter:—
Dear Mr. Müller,
"I send for the Orphans a cheque for £11 12s. 6d. It is the amount of a claim which I could not recover by legal process, and had repeatedly made application for, without success. Seeing in your last Report, under date October 28th, 1876 (page 496), the account of the recovery of £11 12s. 6d., I resolved to apply for the amount of my claim (as above) with the secret intention of sending it, if recovered, to the Orphans. Accordingly I sent the particulars in writing under an envelope, addressed 'private,' and without a word of application; and by the very next post I received a cheque for the amount, with the debtor's compliments and a stamped envelope for my acknowledgment in return; so that the whole amount came without the loss of a single penny. The coincidence of the same amount (£11 12s. 6d.) in each case appears most extraordinary, but I vouch for the precise accuracy of this statement.
"I remain, Yours faithfully and respectfully, ——."
The following letter is from one of the former Orphan boys, articled to a branch postmaster, as a telegraph clerk:—
Dear and honoured Sir,
"It is a very great pleasure to be able to write to you and thank you for all you have done for me during the eight yearsI was under your kind and fatherly care in the dear Orphan Home. I am glad to tell you it was in the Orphan House I learnt to love my dear Saviour. I am still rejoicing in Him, and I have taken a firm grasp of His kind, loving hand, which, by God's grace, I hope never to let go. I thank you very much for the nice, comfortable situation as a telegraph clerk, in which I have been placed I have such a kind Christian master and mistress, and they do all they can to make me happy."
October 12th. Legacy of the late Mrs. H. £1,000.—October 19th. Legacy of the late Mr. B., of Philadelphia, U.S.A., 5,000 dollars = £1,002 0s. 1d. Mr. B. insured his life for 5,000 dollars in the year 1868, with the intention that the amount should be paid for the benefit of the Orphans on Ashley Down. The testator died on November 20th, 1874; but I had never heard the least about this. On my arrival in the United States of America I was preaching on September 10th, 1877, in Dr. Budington's Church in Brooklyn, when a slip of paper was handed to me, on which it was stated, that if I would apply at such and such a place in Philadelphia, I might obtain this legacy of 5,000 dollars. I did so, and after some time obtained in full the amount. Thus my being led of the Lord to labour for a season in the United States in word and doctrine, was also used as a means of obtaining the payment of this legacy. This was not all. In New York, in Brooklyn, in Philadelphia, in Baltimore, and in other cities in the United States, I had the joy of seeing Orphans, who had been brought up under my care, some of whom had walked in the ways of the Lord for a number of years, and one of them for about thirty. I saw also a gentleman, who told me the following deeply interesting facts, which a few days afterwards he had printed, and sent me. I give the narrative verbatim, as it will interest the Christian reader.
REMARKABLE USEFULNESS OF ONE OF MR. MÜLLER'S ORPHANS
Lindale, Modoc County, California, October 7th, 1877.
To the Editor of the 'Witness.'
"The report of Mr. Müller's addresses in Dr. Budington's Church, as given in a late copy of the Witness, calls to my mind some pleasant remembrances.
"During the war I spent some time at Washington, N.C., as agent of the Christian Commission. Having been informed that there was a band of earnest Christian seamen on board of the gunboat 'Louisiana,' then guarding the town, I improved the earliest opportunity to visit the vessel. On being introduced to them by one of the officers, the young men gathered about me, and spoke of the great joy they found in the service of Christ. Their whole conversation was religious. With no marks of fanatical enthusiasm, they seemed literally filled with Christian zeal. The interest I felt in them at the first introduction was greatly enhanced on learning from one of their number, by name W——, that he was one of Mr. Müller's Orphans. (I had previously read Mr. Müller's book, The Life of Trust, and was greatly interested in the Bristol Asylum.)
"W—— I found to be the leading spirit, and the recognized head of this little Bethel church. He, it was, who some months before, when the cloud of impending battle was hanging over the ship's company, was one night pacing the deck with a comrade, when their conversation took a religious turn. Mutually impressed, they agreed to meet the following night in the 'chain locker' for prayer. This was the beginning of one of the most remarkable series of meetings of which I have ever had any knowledge. The 'chain locker' prayer meetings were continued with increasing interest and attendance for about twenty months without the intermission of a single night. At a stated hour every day the whole company (the exact number of converts I am unable to state, but they were many) met to read God's Word, and to exchange views upon it, W—— being the chief interpreter. He alone of the whole group had any previous knowledge of the Bible. Up to the age of fourteen years and a half he had been faithfully taught at the Orphan Asylum.
"At another stated hour of the day, W——, with some selected helpers, met the coloured sailors belonging to the ship, and taught them reading, writing, etc. W—— seemed to me, through several months of intimate acquaintance, to be a product of Mr. Müller's faith. The calm confidence in God; the method in his whole manner of life; the persistence of purpose, and the quiet, spiritual power, which so characterize the founder of the Bristol Asylum, were, in an eminent degree, characteristics of my young friend. An incident illustrates the quality above mentioned. On one occasion he, with two other sailors, was detailed to make an awning for the ship, the work to be performed in a sail-loft on shore. The two associates were very rough, wicked men, and to sit down in their company, and be compelled for two weeks to listen to their lewd and profane conversation, was to W—— no light affliction. At the time he spoke of it with great depression. It was to him a providence he could not understand. But God had a purpose. His manner with his unconverted shipmates was commonly characterized by extreme reticence, so, during his stay in the sail-loft, he took scarce any part in their conversation; but it happened that a single sentence dropped from his lips by which the Spirit of God carried conviction home to the hearts of both his comrades. Before the two weeks were ended he led both of the men to my office for Christian counsel and prayer. Both came to trust that God, of whom they had been living in utter disregard, and almost utter ignorance. In three months from his conversion one of these men had read the Bible through from Genesis to Revelation. If Mr. Müller were able to trace the work which, under God, the Bristol Orphan Asylum has accomplished in the world, he might well exclaim, 'What hath God wrought!' For some years I have lost sight of my friend W——. If this should meet his eve, I would be glad to hear from him.
"J. R. HAMMOND."
After my having preached the first time in Calvary Presbyterian Church, San Francisco. California, on April 26th, 1878, Mr. W——, who has a respectable situation in that city, introduced himself to me. I had not seen him for about twenty years. He holds fast the Lord Jesus, and is a happy Christian; and, as he told me, is even happier now than during the American civil war, to which the preceding narrative refers. It was a real joy to me to meet this former Orphan, about 6,500 miles from Bristol. I have to state, that thousands of similar instances of blessing have been the result of our labours. While on a preaching tour in England, Scotland, and Ireland, I met converted Orphans in every one of the large cities in which I preached, and sometimes ten or fifteen at once, who, after the service, came to shake hands with me, some of whom had left the Orphan Houses more than ten or fifteen years, and are now fathers or mothers of families. Thus we reap in a small degree even now; but how vast will be the harvest in eternity! Nothing has so abundantly shown to me the blessed results of my labours in connection with the Scriptural Knowledge Institution as going from city to city, and from country to country, on my preaching tours. In every-city in England, Scotland, and Ireland where I preached, I had testimony from the mouth of multitudes of the great blessing which they have received through reading the Reports of the Institution, or the Narrative of the Lord's Dealings with me. The same I found to be the case in the sixty-eight cities where I preached in Switzerland, the German Empire, and in Holland, also in all the many cities in the United States, where I have been preaching.