THE NEW ORPHAN HOUSES, ASHLEY DOWN.
A complaint having been received from a gentleman in October, 1845, that
some of the inhabitants of Wilson Street were inconvenienced by the
Orphan-Houses being in that street, Mr. Müller ultimately decided for
that and other reasons, after much prayerful meditation, to build an
Orphan-House elsewhere to accommodate 300 children, and commenced to ask
the Lord for means for so doing:--
"Jan. 31 [1846].--It is now 89 days since I have been daily waiting upon
God about the building of an Orphan-House. The time seems to me now near
when the Lord will give us a piece of ground, and I told the brethren
and sisters so this evening, after our usual Saturday evening prayer
meeting at the Orphan-Houses.
"Feb. 1.--A poor widow sent to-day 10s.
"Feb. 2.--To-day I heard of suitable and cheap land on Ashley Down.
"Feb. 3.--Saw the land. It is the most desirable of all I have
seen.--There was anonymously put in an Orphan-box at my house a
sovereign, in a piece of paper, on which was written, 'The New
Orphan-House.'
"Feb. 4.--This evening I called on the owner of the land on Ashley Down,
about which I had heard on the 2nd, but he was not at home. As I,
however, had been informed that I should find him at his house of
business, I went there, but did not find him there either, as he had
_just before_ left. I might have called again at his residence, at a
later hour having been informed by one of the servants that he would be
sure to be at home about eight o'clock; but I did not do so, judging
that there was the hand of God in my not finding him at either place:
and I judged it best therefore not to force the matter, but to 'let
patience have her perfect work.'
"Feb. 5.--Saw this morning the owner of the land. He told me that he
awoke at three o'clock this morning and could not sleep again till five.
While he was thus lying awake, his mind was all the time occupied about
the piece of land, respecting which inquiry had been made of him for the
building of an Orphan-House, at my request; and he determined that if I
should apply for it, he would not only let me have it, but for £120 per
acre, instead of £200; the price which he had previously asked for it.
How good is the Lord! The agreement was made this morning, and I
purchased a field of nearly seven acres, at £120 per acre.
"Observe the hand of God in my not finding the owner at home last
evening! The Lord meant to speak to His servant first about this matter,
during a sleepless night, and to lead him _fully_ to decide, before I
had seen him."
"BECAUSE OF HIS IMPORTUNITY."
"Nov. 19 [1846].--I am now led more and more to importune the Lord to send
me the means, which are requisite in order that I may be able to commence
the building. Because (1) it has been for some time past publicly stated
in print, that I allow it is not without ground that some of the
inhabitants of Wilson Street consider themselves inconvenienced by the
Orphan-Houses being in that street, and I long therefore to be able to
remove the Orphans from thence as soon as possible. (2) I become more and
more convinced, that it would be greatly for the benefit of the children,
both physically and morally, with God's blessing, to be in such a position
as they are intended to occupy, when the New Orphan-House shall have been
built. And (3) because the number of very poor and destitute Orphans,
that are waiting for admission, is so great, and there are constantly
fresh applications made. Now whilst, by God's grace, I would not wish
the building to be begun one single day sooner than is His will; and
whilst I firmly believe, that He will give me, in His own time every
shilling which I need; yet I also know, that He delights in being
earnestly entreated, and that He takes pleasure in the continuance in
prayer, and in the importuning Him, which so clearly is to be seen from
the parable of the widow and the unjust judge, Luke xviii. 1-8. For
these reasons I gave myself again particularly to prayer last evening,
that the Lord would send further means, being also especially led to do
so, in addition to the above reasons, because there had come in but
little comparatively, since the 29th of last month. This morning, between
five and six o'clock I prayed again, among other points, about the
Building Fund, and then had a long season for the reading of the word of
God. In the course of my reading I came to Mark xi. 24, 'What things
soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye
shall have them.' The importance of the truth contained in this portion
I have often felt and spoken about; but this morning I felt it again
most particularly, and, applying it to the New Orphan-House, said to the
Lord: 'Lord I believe that Thou wilt give me all I need for this work. I
am sure that I shall have all, because I believe that I receive in
answer to my prayer.' Thus, with the heart full of peace concerning this
work, I went on to the other part of the chapter, and to the next
chapter. After family prayer I had again my usual season for prayer with
regard to all the many parts of the work, and the various necessities
thereof, asking also blessings upon my fellow-labourers, upon the
circulation of Bibles and Tracts, and upon the precious souls in the
Adult School, the Sunday Schools, the Six Day Schools, and the four
Orphan-Houses. Amidst all the many things I again made my requests about
means for the Building. And now observe: About five minutes, after I had
risen from my knees, there was given to me a registered letter, containing
a cheque for £300, of which £280 are for the Building Fund, £10 for my
own personal expenses, and £10 for Brother Craik. The Lord's holy name
be praised for this precious encouragement, by which the Building Fund
is now increased to more than six thousand pounds."
MR. MÜLLER'S FIRST ORPHAN-HOUSE.
"Jan. 25 [1847].--The season of the year is now approaching, when
building may be begun. Therefore with increased earnestness I have given
myself unto prayer, importuning the Lord that He would be pleased to
appear on our behalf, and speedily send the remainder of the amount
which is required, and I have increasingly, of late, felt that the time
is drawing near, when the Lord will give me all that which is requisite
for commencing the building. All the various arguments which I have
often brought before God, I brought also again this morning before Him.
It is now 14 months and 3 weeks since day by day I have uttered my
petitions to God on behalf of this work. I rose from my knees this
morning in full confidence, not only that God _could_, but also _would_,
send the means, and that soon. Never, during all these 14 months and 3
weeks, have I had the least doubt, that I should have all that which is
requisite.--And now, dear believing reader, rejoice and praise with me.
About an hour, after I had prayed thus, there was given to me the sum of
Two Thousand Pounds for the Building Fund. Thus I have received
altogether £9,285 3s. 9½d. towards this work.--I cannot describe the joy
I had in God when I received this donation. It must be known from
experience, in order to be felt. 447 days I have had day by day to wait
upon God, before the sum reached the above amount. How great is the
blessing which the soul obtains by _trusting in God_, and _by waiting
patiently_. Is it not manifest how precious it is to carry on God's work
in this way, even with regard to the obtaining of means?"
The total amount which came in for the Building Fund was £15,784 18s. 10d.
ORPHAN-HOUSES NOS. 2 & 3.
"March 12, 1862.--It was in November, 1850, that my mind became
exercised about enlarging the Orphan Work from 300 Orphans to 1000, and
subsequently to 1150; and it was in June, 1851, that this my purpose
became known, having kept it secret for more than seven months, whilst
day by day praying about it. From the end of November, 1850, to this
day, March 12, 1862, not one single day has been allowed to pass,
without this contemplated enlargement being brought before God in
prayer, and generally more than once a day. But only now, this day, the
New Orphan-House No. 3 was so far advanced, that it could be opened.
Observe then, first, esteemed Reader, how long it may be, before a full
answer to our prayers, even to thousands and tens of thousands of
prayers, is granted; yea, though those prayers may be believing prayers,
earnest prayers, and offered up in the name of the Lord Jesus, and
though we may only for the sake of the honour of our Lord desire the
answer: for I did, by the grace of God, without the least doubt and
wavering look for more than eleven years for the full answer; * * * and
I sought only in this matter the glory of God."
PRAYING THREE TIMES DAILY FOR HELPERS.
"As in the case of No. 2, so also in the case of the New Orphan-House
No. 3, I had daily prayed for the needed helpers and assistants for the
various departments. Before a stone was laid, I began to pray for this;
and, as the building progressed, I continued day by day to bring this
matter before God, feeling assured, that, as in everything else, so in
this particular also, He would graciously be pleased to appear on our
behalf and help us, as the whole work is intended for His honour and
glory.
"At last the time was near when the house could be opened, and the time
therefore near when the applications, which had been made in writing
during more than two years previously, should be considered, for the
filling up of the various posts. It now, however, was found that, whilst
there had been about 50 applications made for the various situations,
some places could not be filled up, because either the individuals, who
had applied for them, were married, or were, on examination, found
unsuitable. This was no small trial of faith; for day by day, for years,
had I asked God to help me in this particular, even as He had done in
the case of the New Orphan-House No. 2; I had also expected help,
confidently expected help: and yet now, when help _seemed_ needed, it
was wanting. What was now to be done, dear Reader? Would it have been
right to charge God with unfaithfulness? Would it have been right to
distrust Him? Would it have been right to say, it is useless to pray? By
no means. This, on the contrary, I did; I thanked God for all the help,
He had given me in connection with the whole of the enlargement; I
thanked Him for enabling me to overcome so many and such great
difficulties; I thanked Him for the helpers He had given me for No. 2; I
thanked Him, also, for the helpers He had given me already for No. 3;
and instead of distrusting God, I looked upon this delay of the full
answer to prayer, only as a trial of faith, and therefore resolved,
that, instead of praying _once_ a day with my dear wife about this
matter, as we had been doing day by day for years, we should now meet
daily _three_ times, to bring this before God. I also brought the matter
before the whole staff of my helpers in the work requesting their
prayers. Thus I have now continued for about four months longer in
prayer, day by day calling upon God three times on account of this
need, and the result has been, that one helper after the other has been
given, without the help coming _too_ late, or the work getting into
confusion; or the reception of the children being hindered; and I am
fully assured, that the few who are yet needed will also be found, when
they are _really_ required."
DIFFICULTIES REMOVED AFTER PRAYER AND PATIENCE.
Mr. Müller relates the following incidents in connection with the
purchase of the land for the Fourth and Fifth Orphan-Houses, after
receiving five thousand pounds for the Building Fund:
"I had now, through all that had come in since May 26th, 1864, including
this last-mentioned donation, above Twenty-Seven Thousand Pounds in
hand. I had patiently waited God's time. I had determined to do nothing,
until I had the full half of the sum needed for the two houses. But now,
having above Two Thousand Pounds beyond the half, I felt, after again
seeking counsel from God, quite happy, in taking steps for the purchase
of land.
"My eyes had been for years directed to a beautiful piece of land, only
separated by the turnpike road from the ground on which the New
Orphan-House No. 3 is erected. The land is about 18 acres, with a small
house and outhouses built on one end thereof. Hundreds of times had I
prayed, within the last years, that God for Jesus' sake would count me
worthy, to be allowed to erect on this ground two more Orphan-Houses;
and hundreds of times I had with a prayerful eye looked on this land,
yea, as it were, bedewed it with my prayers. I might have bought it
years ago; but that would have been going before the Lord. I had money
enough in hand to have paid for it years ago; but I desired patiently,
submissively, to wait God's own time, and for Him to mark it clearly and
distinctly that His time was come, and that I took the step according to
His will; for whatever I might apparently accomplish, if the work were
mine, and not the Lord's, I could expect no blessing. But now the Lord's
mind was clearly and distinctly made manifest. I had enough money in
hand to pay for the land and to build one house, and therefore I went
forward, after having still asked the Lord for guidance, and being
assured that it was His will I should take active steps. The first thing
I did was, to see the agent who acted for the owner of the land, and to
ask him, whether the land was for sale. He replied that it was, but that
it was let till March 25th, 1867. He said that he would write for the
price. Here a great difficulty at once presented itself, that the land
was let for two years and four months longer, whilst it appeared
desirable that I should be able to take possession of it in about six
months, viz., as soon as the conveyance could be made out, and the plans
be ready for the New Orphan-House No. 4, and arrangements be made with
contractors. But I was not discouraged by this difficulty; for I
expected, through prayer, to make happy and satisfactory arrangements
with the tenant, being willing to give him a fair compensation for
leaving before his time had expired. But, before I had time to see about
this, two other great difficulties presented themselves: the one was,
that the owner asked £7,000 for the land, which I judged to be
considerably more than its value; and the other, that I heard that the
Bristol Waterworks Company intended to make an additional reservoir for
their water, on this very land, and to get an Act of Parliament passed
to that effect.
"Pause here for a few moments, esteemed Reader. You have seen, how the
Lord brought me so far, with regard to pecuniary means, that I felt now
warranted to go forward; and I may further add, that I was brought to
this point as the result of thousands of times praying regarding this
object; and that there were, also, many hundreds of children waiting for
admission; and yet, after the Lord Himself so manifestly had appeared on
our behalf, by the donation of £5,000, He allows this apparent
death-blow to come upon the whole. But thus I have found it hundreds of
times since I have known the Lord. The difficulties, which He is pleased
to allow to arise, are only allowed, under such circumstances, for the
exercise of our faith and patience; and more prayer, more patience, and
the exercise of faith, will remove the difficulties. Now, as I knew the
Lord, these difficulties were no insurmountable difficulties to me, for
I put my trust in Him, according to that word: "The Lord also will be a
refuge for the oppressed, a refuge in times of trouble. And they that
know Thy name will put their trust in Thee: for Thou, Lord, hast not
forsaken them that seek Thee." (Psalm ix. 9, 10). I gave myself,
therefore, earnestly to prayer concerning all these three especial
difficulties which had arisen regarding the land. I prayed several times
daily about the matter, and used the following means: 1. I saw the
Acting Committee of the Directors of the Bristol Waterworks Company
regarding their intended reservoir on the land, which I was about to
purchase, and stated to them, what I had seen in print concerning their
intentions. They courteously stated to me, that only a small portion of
the land would be required, not enough to interfere with my purpose; and
that, if it could be avoided, even this small portion should not be
taken. 2. This being settled, I now saw the tenant, after many prayers;
for I desired, as a Christian, that if this land were bought, it should
be done under amicable circumstances with regard to him. At the first
interview, I stated my intentions to him, at the same time expressing my
desire that the matter should be settled pleasantly with regard to
himself. He said that he would consider the matter, and desired a few
days for that purpose. After a week I saw him again, and he then kindly
stated, that, as the land was wanted for such an object, he would not
stand in the way; but that, as he had laid out a good deal on the house
and land, he expected a compensation for leaving it before his time was
up. As I, of course, was quite willing to give a _fair_ and _reasonable_
compensation, I considered this a very precious answer to prayer. 3. I
now entered upon the third difficulty, the price of the land. I knew
well how much the land was worth to the Orphan Institution; but its
value to the Institution was not the market value. I gave myself,
therefore, day by day to prayer, that the Lord would constrain the owner
to accept a considerably lower sum than he had asked; I also pointed out
to him why it was not worth as much as he asked. At last he consented to
take £5,500 instead of £7,000, and I accepted the offer; for I knew that
by the level character of the land we should save a considerable sum for
the two houses, and that by the new sewer, which only a few months
before had been completed, running along under the turnpike road near
the field, we should be considerably benefited. In addition to these two
points I had to take into the account, that we can have gas from
Bristol, as in the three houses already in operation. And lastly, the
most important point of all, the nearness of this piece of land to the
other three houses, so that all could easily be under the same direction
and superintendence. In fact, no other piece of land, near or far off,
would present so much advantage to us, as this spot, which the Lord thus
so very kindly had given to us. All being now settled, I proceeded to
have the land conveyed to the same trustees who stood trustees for the
New Orphan-Houses No. 1, No. 2, and No. 3.--I have thus minutely dwelt
on these various matters for the encouragement of the reader, that he
may not be discouraged by difficulties, however great and many and
varied, but give himself to prayer, trusting in the Lord for help, yea,
expecting help, which, in His own time and way, He will surely grant."
ORPHAN-HOUSES NOS. 4 & 5.
"March 5, 1874.--Both houses, No. 4 and No. 5, have now been for years
in operation, No. 4 since Nov. 1868 and No. 5 since the beginning of the
year 1870, and above 1,200 Orphans have been already received into them,
and month after month more are received, as the Orphans are sent out
from them as apprentices or servants. Moreover all the expenses in
connection with their being built, fitted up and furnished were met to
the full, as the demands arose, and, after all had been paid, there was
left a balance of several thousand pounds, which is being used for
keeping the houses in repair. See, esteemed Reader, how abundantly God
answered our prayers, and how plain it is, that we were not mistaken,
after we had patiently and prayerfully sought to ascertain His will. Be
encouraged, therefore, yet further and further to confide in the Living
God."