Severe Financial Trials in Connection with the First Four Objects During Mr. Müll (part 3 of 3)

August 22nd. Legacy of the late Miss M. G. £1,000, to be divided equally between these four Objects. Day by day we ask God to help us with means for these Objects. Three times a week Mr. Wright and I have meetings for prayer with our helpers and fellow-labourers; and I pray besides this every day alone, as no doubt our fellow-labourers do: and the Lord shows to us continually, that we do not wait on Him in vain. The lady who left this £1,000, I knew not even by name; but God spoke to her heart for us.—August 27th. The new financial year has now been three months going on, and the Lord has been pleased to send us, within these three months, for these four Objects of the Institution, in all £2,056 15s. 10d. This sum has been received as the result of prayer.—August 31st. From Shropshire £50, with £20 for my own expenses.

September 4th. From a donor then in Ross-shire £40, with £10 for the Orphans.—September 7th. From a Berkshire donor, by coupons, £112 3s., with £21 5s. for the Orphans.

October 12th. From Sussex £20 for Missions.—October 16th. From Ottery St. Mary £90 for Missions.

November 5th. From Edinburgh £65 for Foreign Missions, £65 for the Orphans, £10 for Mr. Wright, and £10 for myself.—November 12th. From Scotland £50, with £50 for the Orphans, and £5 for myself.—November 13th. Anonymously £25 for Foreign Missions, and £25 for the Orphans.

November 26th. This new period has now lasted six months, and there has been received from May 27th to November 26th, 1894, for these four Objects, £3,587 18s. 6½d., and for the support of the Orphans, £9,971 7s. 4½d., in all, £13,559 5s. 11d. Will the reader please remember, that every shilling of this amount was obtained by prayer; that we called for no special meetings to make known our position; that we did not ask through religious periodicals that help might be sent to us; that we wrote no letters to wealthy friends of ours to aid us; God, and God alone, our never failing Friend and Helper, was besought by us to supply us with means; and this He did.

December 3rd. From Wales £100 for these Objects, £100 for the Orphans, and £50 for myself.—December 6th. From County Dublin £25 for Foreign Missions.—December 13th. From a Bristol donor £30 for these Objects, £30 for the Orphans, £20 for Mr. Wright, and £20 for myself.—December 21st. From Cambridge £47 5s. 6d.—December 26th. From Kent £50 for Foreign Missions, and £100 for the Orphans. From the neighbourhood of Blandford £50 for Foreign Missions.

January 1st. On this day I received from London £13, with £2 for myself.—January 17th. A shoemaker in Switzerland, with a little business, had saved up 500 francs for old age or sickness, but is now constrained by the love of Christ, who has been so kind and merciful to him for sixty-one years, to lay this little sum at His feet, being a widower, and having a son in business, his only child. He had weighed this step well and prayerfully, but remained of the same mind, to send me the whole sum, viz., £19 15s. 3d. This is a great sum for a little shoemaker in Switzerland; but in gratitude for what God has done for his soul he gladly gives the whole, desiring that his name should not be mentioned.

February 9th. From a greatly afflicted widow in Liverpool, who had sent me a little time since £10, and who now sends £20 more for Missions, being desirous that others should be brought to the knowledge of the Lord. This money is her savings; but she feels now constrained, in love to her Lord, to devote this money to Him.—February 12th. Received two five-pound notes anonymously, with these words: "Half for the Orphans and half for Missions. The only means of atonement for a piece of wicked folly, committed in youth, sixty years ago, all the parties, but the transgressor, being dead. Remember not the iniquities of my youth, often confessed with deep sorrow, looking to the cross, and Him nailed thereon." This is restitution money; a point not to be lost sight of. As the parties who were wronged were dead, the restitution is thus made to God. February 22nd. From a servant of the Lord Jesus, who, constrained by the love of Christ, seeks to lay up treasure in heaven, £500 for Missions.—February 27th. During the past nine months, in this new period, we have received for these first four Objects £5,545 7s. 2d., and for the support of the Orphans, £18,795 11s. 4½d.; in all, £24,340 18s. 6½d. The great point for the reader is, to remember, that every penny of this sum is the result of believing prayer.

March 2nd. Received from Berkshire in coupons £133 18s. 7d. March 22nd. From a servant of the Lord Jesus, who, constrained by the love of Christ, seeks to lay up treasure in heaven, £500 for Foreign Missions.—April 26th. From a servant of the Lord Jesus, who, constrained by the love of Christ, seeks to lay up treasure in heaven, £1,000 for Foreign Missions, and £500 for the Orphans.

May 24th. From a poor widow in Liverpool, who had saved some money, and who had sent me of it £10 a few months since, then £20; and now sends another £20, that the gospel might be preached far and wide, that other sinners also might be blessed, as she has been blessed.

May 26th, 1895, to May 26th, 1896

When the financial year of the Institution commenced, we had a balance of £1,059 8s. 5¾d. in hand for the first four Objects.

July 6th. From Scotland £100, with £5 for my personal expenses.—July 11th. From the late Colonel J. B. £25 for Missions, and £50 for the Orphans.—July 22nd. Mr. Wright and I had the joy to-day of portioning out £979 for Missionaries. July 27th. From a clergyman near Wrington, £5 for Foreign Missions.—August 27th. Received from a gentleman farmer £43 1s., with the following letter:—

Dear Mr. Müller,

"Again it is my great privilege to send you a cheque, which please to use as you think best for the Lord, who, I trust, has put it into my heart to forward it to you. The amount, £43 1s., is the highest price realized this year for one of my sheep at the annual sale, and I have considered it to be the right thing to give to the Lord each year the value of the best sheep in the flock. Last year it was £42. How very nice, that it should be a little more this year (though the average of the sheep was just a few shillings less). May it please our gracious God, still to increase the value each succeeding year! It is a delight to give unto the Lord of His own; for I feel I am only a steward, entrusted with talents to use for His glory. I have read the Report with great pleasure. Many short sentences, put in by yourself, have often cheered and strengthened and proved a stimulus to me."

September 11th. From Berkshire £138 18s.—September 27th. From Edinburgh £65 for Foreign Missions, £65 for the Orphans, £10 for Mr. Wright, and £10 for myself.—September 28th. From a servant of the Lord Jesus, who, constrained by the love of Christ, seeks to lay up treasure in heaven, £184 13s. 6d. for Foreign Missions.—October 1st. Received £100 for Foreign Missions, and £5 for myself, from Scotland.—November 12th. From Scotland £100 for Foreign Missions, with £5 for myself.

December 11th. Legacy of the late Miss P. A. £717 16s. 2d., with £717 16s. 2d. for the support of the Orphans. The testatrix had taken a deep interest in this Institution for fifty-three years.—December 12th. From Cambridge £30, with £10 11s. 10d. for the Orphans, from a Christian gentleman, who for many years has taken a deep interest in this Institution.—December 16th. From Herts £75 for the Bible, Mission, and Tract Fund, £25 for the Orphans, and £5 for myself.—December 31st. From Paddington £20 for the Schools, £40 for Missions, £40 for the Orphans, and £10 for myself.

January 1st. The Old Year closed with many blessings, and the New Year brought many others. Of the donations which were received for these first four Objects of the Institution, I will only refer to the following. From Nottingham was received £15 for these Objects, £10 for the Orphans, and £5 for myself, from "Needy," and "Needy, Junior."—January 6th. From Scotland £7, with the following letter:—

Dear Mr. Müller,

"I enclose £7 towards the Missionary part of your work. This I made up my mind to give to the Lord during 1895, as a thankoffering for passing an examination about November. I saw that, in the ordinary course of things, I should not be able to lay all of this sum aside, and at first I thought, God will see that I cannot. I will give it as soon as I can in 1896. Afterwards I thought that, as I had promised it to God before a certain date, I ought to keep my word, and I began to pray and ask that God would send me the amount some way or other before the New Year. It almost seemed impossible; and on Friday, December 27th, I was fasting, asking God that He would give me what I needed to make up the amount, and to bless me during this year. On going to the office I found a cheque, sending me my allowance three weeks before it was duo. This had never been done before, and I did praise God for His faithfulness. Earlier on that day I had been definitely praying for the money in the name of Jesus, thanking beforehand for it, and it must have been God that caused my allowance to be sent so early. With best wishes, and hoping that you may yet be spared to the work till He comes,

"I am, a young brother in Christ, ——."

This letter shows to the reader how much may be obtained through believing, expecting prayer, even at the close of the nineteenth century.—January 22nd. As the income of late had been little, in comparison with the expenses, I besought the Lord particularly, that He would be pleased to send us larger donations, by new or former donors, or by the payment of legacies. Now this morning I received £137 from Scotland from a person who works on the railroad, and who sends his all, which had been laid aside for a day of need.

Dear Mr. Müller,

"It is with much pleasure that my wife and I enclose £137 to you, to help on the work of faith and labour of love, that our Lord has these many years laid on your heart. And truly, from what we have read of your testimony of simple faith and trust in the living God, in fully supplying all your need, we have been led to encourage your faith in God, by giving the little we have laid aside for an evil day; and your testimony has been blessed to us in leading us out to a fuller trust in God, who has so richly supplied our need in the past; and we would not like our Lord to find what belongs to Him lying idly by, when He comes. May the blessing of our God rest graciously upon you in His work. Pray for us.

"Yours faithfully in Christ, ——."

See, esteemed reader, how much those men, who are far from rich, may do for the work of God, if their heart is filled with love to Him. Though the Church of God is but the little flock, in comparison with the world, and though the believers generally are of the poorer classes, yet, if the means the poor Church possesses wore laid down at the feet of the Lord Jesus, ten or twenty times more could be accomplished than is now done.—January 25th. From Wales £100 for these four Objects, £100 for the support of the Orphans, and £50 for myself.

March 3rd. As the legacy of the late Miss F. R. N. £165 10s. 5d. for Missions.—March 7th. From Berkshire, in coupons and a Dividend Warrant, £119 12s. 9d.—March 16th. Mr. Wright received from the Orphans on his birthday, and left at his disposal, £8 10s. 6d., which he placed to Foreign Missions.

April 10th. Day after day, and week after week, the income has been very little, about the fourth part of our expenses, so that our balance in hand was all but entirely spent. Under these circumstances nothing remained to be done but more prayer, more exercise of faith, and patiently waiting God's time for help. Thus I gave myself particularly to prayer yesterday, and the first two deliveries brought £104 1s. for the Orphans and the other Objects. Of this amount came £50, with the following letter:—

Dear Mr. Müller,

"I have for years desired to make a gift to the work of the Lord in your hands of £50, and I am enabled this day to do so. I have great pleasure in enclosing you cheque for that amount, to be used at your discretion in the Lord's work."

In the afternoon I received 100 dollars more from America. April 23rd. From New Zealand £50.—April 27th. From the neighbourhood of Bristol £60 for Foreign Missions, with £20 for Mr. Wright, and £20 for myself.

May 4th. From New Zealand £20 4s. for Foreign Missions, with £1 1s. for myself.—May 18th. With 2 Cor. 9:15, £7 10s.

May 26th, 1896, to May 26th, 1897

When the financial year of the Institution commenced, we had the balance of £46 15s. in hand for the first four Objects of the Institution; a balance so small, that it was only enough for the average expenses of two days, according to the previous year. We had just a foretaste in this of what the whole year has been to us, even constant trial of faith. Yet, by the grace of God, as we really know God, we looked to Him, and He has upheld this Institution for another year.

June 2nd. From the widow of a former Missionary £2 10s. for Foreign Missions, and £2 10s. for Missions to the Jews.—June 15th. From a servant of the Lord Jesus, who, constrained by the love of Christ, seeks to lay up treasure in heaven, £30 for Foreign Missions. —June 22nd. From the same donor, for Foreign Missions £20.—June 25th. From Scotland £100, with £5 for myself.

July 6th. From Fishponds £50, with £50 for the Orphans.—July 31st. From Sunderland, from "a donor who had long loved the Institution, whom the Lord has taken to Himself," £50.

August 3rd. From the neighbourhood of Melton Mowbray £100.—August 5th. From Shropshire £20 for the first four Objects of the Institution, £30 for the support of the Orphans, £10 for Mr. Wright, and £20 for myself.

September 4th. From Berkshire £97 12s. 8d., with £21 5s. 4d. for the Orphans.—September 28th. From the neighbourhood of Bristol £60 for Foreign Missions, with £20 for Mr. Wright, and £20 for myself. From the Orphans on Ashley Down, Bristol, £14 16s. for Missions to the heathen.—September 30th. From Westmoreland, 10s., with this statement: "I have felt the Lord speaking to me to-day, to send 10s. to you for the furtherance of His work." Our need has been great, very, very great, almost during the whole of the past year. We do nothing under these circumstances, but give ourselves to prayer, and to pray more frequently for help; and thus God speaks to His stewards for us, as in this case.

October 17th. From Demerara £514 19s. for Christian brethren in China.—November 9th. From Edinburgh £65 for Missions, £65 for the Orphans, £10 for Mr. Wright, and £10 for myself.—November 10th. From Scotland £100 for Missions to the heathen, and £5 for myself.

December 10th. From Cambridge £35 19s. The donor, who is in business, having a desire to contribute to the support of this Institution, set apart for it the profit he might have on the sale of a certain article. This donation is the result of one year; but often it has amounted even to £80 or £90.—December 30th. From Paddington £60, with £40 for the Orphans, and £10 for myself.

January 1st. From "Needy" £18 for Missions, £20 for the Orphans, and £5 for myself.—January 5th. From Rickmansworth, for Missions to the heathen, £100.—January 16th. From Canada £30. Will the reader please to observe that we receive donations from all parts of the world. From India, the Straits of Malacca, China, Japan, Demerara, Essequibo, Berbice, New Zealand, South Australia, Tasmania, New South Wales, the United States, Canada, South Africa, North Africa, Central Africa, from Egypt, Ceylon, and from all the many countries of the Continent of Europe; but not one of thirty or forty of the donors is personally known to me. And how comes all this? God speaks to His stewards for us: and thus we are helped. If all the children of God made better use of prayer and faith, how much time and how much money would they save in seeking to secure means, and how very much annoyance they would thus escape.—January 27th. From Scotland £100, with £5 for myself.—February 11th. From a servant of the Lord Jesus, who, constrained by the love of Christ, seeks to lay up treasure in heaven, £200 for Foreign Missions.—February 19th. From Greenwich £40, with £10 for the Orphans.—February 20th. With 2 Cor. 9:15, £7 10s.

April 30th. From Bromley £20 for Missions.—May 19th. From Swanton, Ohio, £40 16s. 10d., and £20 8s. 4d.

May 26th, 1897, to May 26th, 1898

The reader is particularly requested to remember, that every donation that is referred to with regard to these Objects, or the Orphan work, is a direct answer to prayer. In the measure that this will be kept in mind, the reading of this record will be profitable spiritually or otherwise.

The balance in hand on the first day of another financial year of the Institution was £31 0s, 7¼d., a sum so small, that trust in the living God was indeed called for, at the very beginning of the year; and thus it has been day by day. For two years now uninterruptedly, day by day, faith, prayer, and patience have been called for. We have been however sustained, the Institution goes on, and is still used by the Lord.—May 31st. From Edinburgh £65 for Foreign Missions, £65 for the support of the Orphans, £10 for Mr. Wright, and £10 for myself.

July 1st. From Sussex for Missions, £21.—July 8th. From a servant of the Lord Jesus, who, constrained by the love of Christ, seeks to lay up treasure in heaven, £100.—July 12th. From Hereford £40, with £5 for Mr. Wright, and £5 for myself. July 13th. From Scotland £100 for Missions to the heathen, and £5 for myself.—July 23rd. With 2 Cor. 9:15, £10.

August 14th. From a servant of the Lord Jesus, who, constrained by the love of Christ, seeks to lay up treasure in heaven, £152 8s. 9d.—August 24th. From Wales £65, with £100 for the Orphans, £10 for Mr. Wright, and £25 for myself.

September 7th. From a servant of the Lord Jesus, who, constrained by the love of Christ, seeks to lay up treasure in heaven, £121 16s. 2½d.—September 21st. From the neighbourhood of Birmingham £20, with £10 for the Orphans.—September 23rd. From a servant of the Lord Jesus, who, constrained by the love of Christ, seeks to lay up treasure in heaven, £25 9s. 6d. for Missions to the heathen.

* September 25th. From Scotland £100, with £5 for myself. September 27th. Received 2s. 11d. from E. S., an Orphan under our care, who yesterday, after some months' illness (with consumption), died in the Lord. This dear child's mother died of the same disease. E. S., before her decease, expressed the wish that "dear Mr. Müller should have all her money on his birthday." I took it for Missions to the heathen.

October 5th. From Leicestershire £100 for Foreign Missions. October 13th. From near Burton-on-Trent £50, with £50 for the Orphans. The donor wrote: "It has been laid on my heart to remit you the enclosed cheque, value £100. Whilst I was lying awake this morning meditating of Him, my thoughts were directed to this, and I made haste and delayed not to obey His commandment. You may be just now needing help." True indeed were these words. We were greatly needing help, but we told no one but our Heavenly Father, and He spoke for us to His obedient child.—October 29th. From Glasgow £20 for Missions to India, with £5 for sufferers from famine in India. This £25 came from an anonymous donor, who, while not indifferent to the bodily needs of the heathen, appears rightly to estimate their far greater and deeper spiritual need.

November 6th. From Oxfordshire, from one of "God's Stewards," £20 for Missions, and £20 9s. 5d. for the Orphans. November 20th. From Scotland £100, with £5 for myself. November 22nd. From the Cape of Good Hope £20 for Missions to the heathen.

December 2nd. From New Zealand £50 for Foreign Missions, with a letter from which I extract the following: "Some years ago, after carefully reading portions of your books, we felt that it was our duty to set aside 10 per cent of our profits to use in the Lord's work. The first year, as you will find, we sent you £3—this year £150. Even looking at the matter from a grovelling worldly point of view, it is the best investment we ever made." This donation was received at a time of the greatest need.—December 9th. After another week's continuance in prayer and patient expectant waiting upon God, our hearts were refreshed and our faith encouraged, by receiving, by one postal delivery, the following three donations, viz., from Bournemouth £100 for Foreign Missions, with £200 for the Orphans; from near Havant £100 for Missions, and £100 for the Orphans; and from Illinois, U.S.A., £20 for Missions to the heathen. The joy that such a deliverance brings to children of God who are really confiding in His love and power and faithfulness is indescribable. But, in order to this, there must be no looking "this way and that way," but a simple staying of the soul upon the living God, who sees and hears and knows, and, in His own time and way, will surely come down to deliver those who trust in Him.

January 1st. From Nottingham £20, with £15 for the Orphans, and £5 for myself.—January 5th. From Paddington, from a kind donor who has thus helped us for many years, £60, with £40 for the Orphans, and £10 for myself.—February 18th. From Honiton £5 for Foreign Missions, £2 for Home Missions, £90 for the Orphans, and £3 for myself.

[March 10th. On the morning of this day Mr. Müller passed peacefully away; particulars of his death will be given in Chapter XX.]

March 15th. From Ferryside £5, with the following letter: "The enclosed £5 was given me by my beloved sainted mother, and was very precious to me as her last gift. I was on the point of sending it to dear Mr. Müller on Friday, when I heard he had fallen asleep in Jesus the day before. I now send it to you in loving memory of my dear mother and of dear Mr. Müller, for whom I had the deepest regard and veneration. Please use it as the Lord directs you, though I incline to its being used to spread His Holy Word. Most sincerely do I sympathize with you in your irreparable loss, and shall always pray that the Lord will give you the like strong faith to carry on the work in His hands."—March 22nd. From New Zealand £50 for Missions, and £100 for Orphans.—March 23rd. From Bristol, with 2 Cor. 9:15, £450, towards the cost of rebuilding the Schoolroom at Purton, Glos.

March 25th. From Bristol £10 for labourers in the gospel in Italy, £10 for Missions, £10 for the Orphans, with £10 towards Mr. Müller's funeral expenses, and £10 for myself.—March 30th. From the North of Ireland £13 for Missions, with £2 for the Orphans.—March 31st. From Switzerland 500 francs for Foreign Missions, and 500 francs for the Orphans.—April 12th. From Edinburgh £70 for Foreign Missions, £70 for the Orphans, with £10 for myself.—April 21st. From Brooklyn, U.S.A., £20.—April 20th. From Scotland £50, with £50 for the Orphans, and £5 for myself.

May 2nd. From near Manchester £10 for Missions, £10 for the Orphans, with £10 for myself.—May 6th. From Oxfordshire £20 for Missions, and £19 for the Orphans.—May 9th. From New Zealand £20 for Foreign Missions, £1 5s. for the Orphans, and £1 1s. for myself.—May 10th. From Bristol £100 for Missions, and £100 for the Orphans.