PROSPERITY.
1842-1843.
ABUNDANT SUPPLIES--RESTING ON THE WRITTEN WORD--"SEEKING AND
FINDING"--ERRONEOUS IMPRESSIONS REMOVED--PERSEVERING AND
PREVAILING PRAYER ANSWERED--"LENGTHENING THE CORDS AND
STRENGTHENING THE STAKES"--A FOURTH ORPHAN HOUSE.
June 3, 1842. For several days past I had not been particularly led to
pray for means for the orphans. Last evening, however, I did so, as we
had now again no money in hand, there having come in only ten pounds two
shillings twopence during the last five days; and in answer to my
request two pounds nineteen shillings sixpence came in this morning.
For several months succeeding the last date, means continued to
flow in, without interruption, as they were needed. There was no
excess of means, nor was there any lack. On Dec. 1, 1842, Mr.
Mueller writes:--
Nothing had come in, except five shillings for needlework. The laborers
had nothing to give, except one of them one shilling sixpence; yet this
little supplied the absolute need, which was only milk. We were unable
to take in the usual quantity of bread. Should it be said that the not
taking in the usual quantity of bread would at once prove to the bakers
that we are poor, my reply is, that that does not follow, because bread
has often been sent as a present, as may be seen in the list of
articles, given for the orphans, at the end of the printed Reports. But
perhaps it may be asked, Why do you not take the bread on credit? What
does it matter whether you pay immediately for it, or at the end of the
month, or the quarter, or the half year? Seeing that the Orphan Houses
are the work of the Lord, may you not trust in him that he will supply
you with means to pay the bills which you contract with the butcher,
baker, grocer, etc. as the things which you purchase are needful? My
reply is this: 1. If the work in which we are engaged is indeed the work
of God, then he whose work it is is surely able and willing to provide
the means for it. 2. But not only so, he will also provide the means _at
the time when they are needed_. I do not mean that he will provide them
when _we think_ that they are needed; but yet that when there is real
need, such as the necessaries of life being required, he will give them;
and on the same ground on which we suppose we do trust in God to help us
to pay the debt which we now contract, we may and ought to trust in the
Lord to supply us with what we require at present, so that there may be
no need for going into debt. 3. It is true, I might have goods on
credit, and to a very considerable amount; but, then, the result would
be, that the next time we were again in straits, the mind would
involuntarily be turned to further credit which I might have, instead of
being turned to the Lord, and thus faith, which is kept up and
strengthened only by being EXERCISED, would become weaker and weaker,
till at last, according to all human probability, I should find myself
deeply in debt and have no prospect of getting out of it. 4. Faith has
to do with the word of God,--rests upon the written word of God; but
there is no promise that he will pay our debts. The word says rather,
"Owe no man anything;" whilst there is the promise given to his
children, "I will never leave thee nor forsake thee," and, "Whosoever
believeth on him shall not be confounded." On this account we could not
say, _upon the ground of the Holy Scriptures_, Why do you not trust in
God that he will supply you with means to pay your debts which you
contract in his service for the necessities of the orphans? 5. The last
reason why we do not take goods on credit is this: The chief and primary
object of the work was not the temporal welfare of the children, nor
even their spiritual welfare, blessed and glorious as it is, and much
as, through grace, we seek after it and pray for it; but the first and
primary object of the work was, _to show before the whole world and the
whole church of Christ, that even in these last evil days the living God
is ready to prove himself as the living God, by being ever willing to
help, succor, comfort, and answer the prayers of those who trust in
him_: so that we need not go away from him to our fellow-men, or to the
ways of the world, seeing that he is both able and willing to supply us
with all we can need in his service.
From the beginning, when God put this service into my heart, I had
anticipated trials and straits; but knowing, as I did, the heart of God,
through the experience of several years previously, I also knew that he
would listen to the prayers of his child who trusts in him, and that he
would not leave him in the hour of need, but listen to his prayers, and
deliver him out of the difficulty, and that then, this being made known
in print for the benefit of both believers and unbelievers, others would
be led to trust in the Lord. We discern, therefore, more and more
clearly that it is for the church's benefit that we are put into these
straits, and if therefore in the hour of need we were to take goods on
credit, the first and primary object of the work would be completely
frustrated, and no heart would be further strengthened to trust in God;
nor would there be any longer that manifestation of the special and
particular providence of God which has hitherto been so abundantly shown
through this work, even in the eyes of unbelievers, whereby they have
been led to see _that there is after all reality in the things of God_,
and many, through these printed accounts, have been truly converted. For
these reasons, then, we consider it our precious privilege, as
heretofore, to continue to wait upon the Lord only, instead of taking
goods on credit, or borrowing money from some kind friends, when we are
in need. Nay, we purpose, as God shall give us grace, to look to him
only, though morning after morning we should have nothing in hand for
the work, yea, though from meal to meal we should have to look to him;
being fully assured that he who is now (1845) in the tenth year feeding
these many orphans, and who has never suffered them to want, and that he
who is now (1845) in the twelfth year carrying on the other parts of the
work, without any branch of it being stopped for want of means, will do
so for the future also. And here I do desire, in the deep consciousness
of my natural helplessness and dependence upon the Lord, to confess that
through the grace of God my soul has been in peace, though day after day
we have had to wait for our daily provisions upon the Lord; yea, though
even from meal to meal we have been required to do this.
Dec. 16. Nothing has come in. Three shillings fivepence, which one of
the laborers was able to give, was all we had. At six o'clock this
evening, our need being now very great, not only with reference to the
Orphan Houses, but also the day schools, etc., I gave myself, with two
of the laborers, to prayer. There needed some money to come in before
eight o'clock to-morrow morning, as there was none to take in milk for
breakfast (the children have oatmeal porridge with milk for breakfast),
to say nothing about the many other demands of to-morrow, being
Saturday. Our hearts were at peace, while asking the Lord, and assured
that our Father would supply our need. WE HAD SCARCELY RISEN FROM OUR
KNEES when I received a letter, containing a sovereign for the orphans,
half of which was from a young East India officer, and the other half
the produce of the sale of a piece of work which the sister who sent the
money had made for the benefit of the orphans. She wrote, "I love to
send these little gifts. They so often come in season." Truly, thus it
was at this time. About five minutes later I received from a brother the
promise of fifty pounds for the orphans, to be given during the next
week; and a quarter of an hour after that, about seven o'clock, a
brother gave me a sovereign, which an Irish sister in the Lord had left
this day, on her departure for Dublin, for the benefit of the orphans.
How sweet and precious to see thus so manifestly the willingness of the
Lord to answer the prayers of his needy children!
Dec. 19. Our need with reference to the school fund had been great
during the last three weeks, though we had received as much as the
teachers absolutely required. Now, however, it was very great, as one
brother especially needed to have several pounds within a day or two,
and three other teachers also required supplies. It had in addition to
this been much in my heart to send some money to several brethren who
labor in foreign lands, in dependence upon the Lord only for their
pecuniary supplies; but I had been kept from doing so for want of means.
On these accounts, therefore, I gave myself again especially to prayer
this morning, when, _within a quarter of an hour_ after I had risen
from my knees, I received the order for one hundred pounds, which I was
at liberty to use as need required.
REVIEW OF THE YEAR, 1842.
1. As to the church. There are 601 at present in communion; 73 have been
added during the past year, of whom 27 have been brought to the
knowledge of the Lord among us.
2. As to the supply of my temporal necessities, the Lord has been
pleased to send me L329, 16s.
Feb. 11, 1843. We had one pound fourteen shillings towards the expenses
of this day. But as this was not enough, I asked the Lord still further
for help, and, behold, this morning's post brought me a post-office
order for two pounds from Stafford, of which one pound seven shillings
sixpence is for the orphans. Thus we have three pounds one shilling
sixpence, which is quite enough for this day.
Admire with me, my dear reader, if you know the Lord, his seasonable
help. Why does this post-office order not come a few days sooner or
later? Because the Lord would help us by means of it, and therefore
influences the donor just then, and not sooner nor later, to send it.
Surely, all who know the Lord, and who have no interest in disowning it,
cannot but see his hand in a remarkable manner in this work. Nor will
the godly and simple-minded reader say, "There is no difference between
this way of proceeding, on the one hand, and going from individual to
individual, asking them for means, on the other hand; for the writing of
the Reports is just the same thing." My dear reader, there is a great
difference. Suppose that we are in need. Suppose that our poverty lasts
for some weeks, or even some months, together. Is there not, in that
case, a difference between asking the Lord only from day to day,
without speaking to any human being not connected directly with the work
about our poverty, on the one hand, and writing letters or making
personal application to benevolent individuals for assistance, on the
other hand? Truly, there is a great difference between these two modes.
I do not mean to say that it would be acting against the precepts of the
Lord to seek for help in his work by personal and individual application
to _believers_ (though it would be in direct opposition to his will to
apply to _unbelievers_, 2 Cor. vi. 14-18); but _I_ act in the way in
which I do for the benefit of the church at large, cheerfully bearing
the trials, and sometimes the deep trials, connected with this life of
faith (which however brings along with it also its precious joys), if by
any means a part at least of my fellow-believers might be led to see the
reality of dealing with God only, and that there is such a thing as the
child of God having power with God by prayer and faith. That the Lord
should use for so glorious a service one so vile, so unfaithful, so
altogether unworthy of the least notice as I am, I can only ascribe to
the riches of his condescending _grace_, in which he takes up the most
unlikely instruments, that the honor may be _manifestly_ his.
Should Satan seek to whisper into your ears, Perhaps the matter is made
known, after all, when there is need (as it has been once said about me
at a public meeting in a large town, that when we were in want I prayed
_publicly_ that the Lord would send help for the orphans, which is
entirely false); I say, should it be said that I took care that our
wants were made known, I reply: Whom did I ask for anything these many
years since the work has been going on? To whom did I make known our
wants, except to those who are closely connected with the work? Nay, so
far from wishing to make known our need, for the purpose of influencing
benevolent persons to contribute to the necessities of the Institution
under my care, I have even refused to let our circumstances be known,
after having been asked about them, when, on simply saying that we were
in need, I might have had considerable sums. Some instances of this have
been given in the former part of this Narrative. In such cases I refused
in order that the hand of God only might be manifest; for that, and not
the money, nor even the ability of continuing to carry on the work, is
my especial aim. And such self-possession has the Lord given me, that in
the times of the deepest poverty, whilst there was nothing at all in
hand, and whilst we had even from meal to meal to wait upon the Lord for
the necessities of more than one hundred persons, when a donation of
five pounds or ten pounds, or more, has been given to me, the donors
could not have read in my countenance whether we had much or nothing at
all in hand. But enough of this. I have made these few remarks, beloved
reader, lest by any means you should lose the blessing which might come
to your soul through reading the account of the Lord's faithfulness and
readiness to hear the prayers of his children.
March 8. On Oct. 25, 1842, I had a long conversation with a sister in
the Lord, who opened her heart to me. On leaving me I told her that my
house and my purse were hers, and that I should be glad if she would
have one purse with me. This I said because I judged that at some future
time it might prove a comfort to her in an hour of trial, having at the
same time, to judge from a circumstance which had occurred two days
before, every reason to believe that she had not five pounds of her own.
This sister, after I had said so, readily took me at my word, and said,
I shall be glad of it, adding presently that she had five hundred
pounds. The moment I heard that, I drew back, and said that had I known
that she had any money I should not have made her this offer, and then
gave her my reason why I had supposed she had no property at all. She
then assured me that she possessed five hundred pounds, and that she had
never seen it right to give up this money, else she would have done so;
but that, as God had put this sum into her hands without her seeking,
she thought it was a provision which the Lord had made for her. I
replied scarcely anything to this; but she asked me to pray for her with
reference to this matter. This whole conversation about the money
occupied but very few minutes, and it all took place after the sister
had risen and was on the point of leaving me. After she was gone, I
asked the Lord if he would be pleased to make this dear sister so happy
in himself; and enable her so to realize her true riches and inheritance
in the Lord Jesus, and the reality of her heavenly calling, that she
might be constrained by the love of Christ cheerfully to lay down this
five hundred pounds at his feet. From that time I repeated this my
request before the Lord _daily_, and often two, three, or four times a
day; _but not a single word or line passed between me and this sister on
the subject, nor did I even see her_; for I judged that it would be far
better that she retained this money, than that by persuasion she should
give it up, and afterwards perhaps regret the step she had taken, and
thereby more dishonor than honor be brought on the name of the Lord.
After I had thus for twenty-four days daily besought the Lord on behalf
of this sister, I found her one day, on returning home, at my house;
when she told me that she wished to see me alone. She then said to me
that from the time she had last conversed with me she had sought to
ascertain the Lord's will with reference to the five hundred pounds, and
had examined the Scriptures and prayed about it, and that she was now
assured that it was the will of the Lord she should give up this money.
After she had told me this, I exhorted her to count well the cost, and
to do nothing rashly, lest she should regret the step she had taken,
and to wait at least a fortnight longer before she carried out her
intention. Thus we separated. On the eighteenth day after this
conversation I received the following letter:--
DEAR BROTHER:
I believe the Lord has not permitted you to grow weary of
remembering me, but that he has still enabled you to bear me
upon your heart in his presence. All is well with me, dear
brother. Your petitions have been heard and answered; I am happy
and at peace. The Lord has indeed manifested his tender care of
and his great love towards me in Jesus, in inclining my heart
cheerfully to lay _all_ I have hitherto called my own at his
feet. It is a high privilege.
I write in haste to ask you, as we have _now_ one purse, to
receive the money at a bank in Bristol. I will direct it to be
sent in my name, to be delivered into your hands, etc.
As this whole circumstance is related only for the profit of the reader,
and as I knew that the sister still had my letters on the subject in her
possession, I wrote to her, requesting her to send them to me, at the
time when I published the last account about the Orphan Houses, etc.,
and extracts of them were given in the last Report, in so far as they
might refer to the subject or tend to edification. These extracts are
here reprinted. My reply to the above was this:--
BRISTOL, DEC. 6, 1842.
MY DEAR SISTER:
Your letter found me in peace, and did not in the least surprise
me. Dealing with God is a reality. Saints have power with him
through Jesus. It is now forty-two days since you first
mentioned this matter to me. I cannot but admire the wisdom of
God and his love to you in allowing me to speak to you as I did
[_i. e._ offering her to have one purse with me, when I thought
she had no earthly possessions at all], that thus this great
privilege might be bestowed on you to give up this little sum
for him. Since that hour I have daily prayed for you, and often
thrice or more in the course of the day, that the Lord would
make you so happy in himself, and help you with such faith to
lay hold on all which he has given you in Jesus, that you might
be constrained by love cheerfully to lay down this little sum at
his feet. Thus I prayed again at six o'clock this morning for
you. Nor have I had the least doubt from the commencement that
the Lord did hear my prayer; yea, so fully have I been assured
that I had the petition, that again and again I have thanked him
that he had answered my prayer, before I saw you eighteen days
since, and before your letter came this morning. Moreover, I
have been fully assured, since you were last here, that he was
carrying on his work in your soul with reference to this matter,
and that no subtle suggestions of Satan, nor educational
prejudices, nor misinterpretations of the Scriptures, were able
to prevail; for I had asked the Lord by his Spirit to overcome
them in you, and that, if a brother's word should be needed, he
would be pleased to incline your heart to write to me; and as no
letter came, I felt fully confident you were going forward in
this matter in peace. When I had seen you this day six weeks,
and learned about this little sum, _I determined never to say or
write to you another word on the subject, but to leave you in
the hands of the Lord_. Thus I purposed again during the last
eighteen days; _for it was not the money given up_, that I cared
for in you, _but the money given up unto the Lord, and from
right motives_. On this very account I advised you to wait one
fortnight longer, though you had come to the conclusion; but
now, having done so, and seeing that you are fully purposed in
the Lord to be poor in this world indeed, that the more
abundantly you may enjoy his riches, his inexhaustible riches, I
change my advice. My word now, beloved sister, is this:
"Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might," and
"If ye know these things, happy are ye if ye do them." Delay
then no longer, even as also you have no desire to delay; and
the Lord will bless you abundantly in doing so, _inasmuch as you
do it unto him_. As you desire to intrust me with this money, I
do not refuse it, knowing many ways to lay it out for him, etc.
[Then only follows the direction how the money is to be paid
into my banker's hands.]
On Dec. 18, 1842, I received a reply to my letter, which answer was
begun to be written on Dec. 8th, but finished on the 16th. I give a few
extracts of the letter:--
Since I last saw you, dear brother, I have not had the slightest
doubt as to what I ought to do. The word of God has been so
clear to me on this head, that I have been kept resting on it,
and, in answer to your prayers, no temptation has been allowed
to _prevail_, indeed, I think I may add to _arise_. But I feel
that temptations _may_ come, and that I may in seasons of trial
not always have faith to be able to rejoice in this privilege.
My heart is so deceitful, and my faith so weak, that I shall
greatly need your prayers still. Will you, then, if the Lord
enables you, pray that I may never offend my Father by
regretting in the _least_ measure this act of obedience, which
he has by his grace inclined me to carry out? _Before I ever saw
you_ I had asked the Lord to make me willing to give this little
sum into your hands, if it were his will I should; but his time
to make me willing had not then come; even then I had in a
measure given it to you, having written a paper, desiring in
case I should fall asleep in Jesus, that you might get
possession of it. I had it signed by two witnesses, and I always
carried it about with me when I travelled, sealed, and directed
to you. When I wrote this, I little thought what grace the Lord
had in store for me. You will forgive my being thus tedious, but
I am sure you will praise the Lord with me for his gracious
dealings with me, etc.
At the end of this letter, which was finished on Dec. 16, the sister
tells me that unexpectedly a hindrance had arisen to her having
possession of the money, so that it was not likely it could be paid over
to me till about the end of January, 1843.
When this letter came, it would have been _naturally_ a great
disappointment to me, as the sister had told me in a previous letter
that the money should be paid into my hands, and as just at that time in
a variety of ways it was desirable that I should have considerable sums.
The Lord, however, enabled me to immediately lay hold on that word, "We
know that all things work together for good to them that love God," Rom.
viii. 28, and my soul was in peace, though we had only enough money in
hand to provide for one or at the most for two days the necessary
provisions in the Orphan Houses. It was but the next day, Dec. 19, 1842,
when I received one hundred pounds from A. B., and on Dec. 22, I
received fifty pounds from a brother in Bristol, besides other
donations; so that within one week after I had had grace to delight
myself in the will of God, he gave me about two hundred pounds, whereby
I was able to meet all the heavy expenses of replenishing the stores,
etc., on account of which I should _naturally_ have been tried in the
payment of the money being delayed.
In reply to the letter which I received from this sister on Dec. 18, I
wrote another on Dec. 31, 1842, of which I give an extract on this
subject:--
I have continued to pray for you, or rather the Lord has enabled
me every day once, twice, thrice, or even more, to remember you.
The burden of my prayer still has been, that he would be pleased
to make you very happy in himself, and enable you to enter into
the inheritance which awaits you; further, that you may not be
permitted in the least to regret the step which you have taken,
but rather consider it a privilege to be permitted to give this
little sum back to him who gave it to you, and who gave himself
for you. With reference to the delay, I cannot but rejoice. This
gives you abundant opportunity to ponder the matter, and
afterwards to state to any (who, judging as those who know not
how rich the saints are, might blame you) that you did not do
the thing in haste. I consider this delay to be for the
furtherance of the honor of the Lord. You know my advice to you,
to wait at least a fortnight. That you have seen much of your
unfaithfulness, etc., I consider to be an especial blessing
which the Lord has bestowed upon you, lest this step you have
taken should become a snare to you. Humblings last our whole
life. Jesus came not to save _painted_ but _real_ sinners; but
he _has_ saved us, and will surely make it manifest. I have a
passage laid on my heart for you; read the whole of it
carefully: 2 Cor. viii. 1-9, especially verse 9.
* * * * *
Day after day now passed away and the money did not come. The month of
January was come to an end, and February also, and the money had not
come. Thus more than one hundred and twenty days were gone by, whilst
day by day I brought my petition before the Lord that he would bless
this sister, keep her steadfast in her purpose, and intrust me with this
money for his work in my hands. Amidst it all my heart was assured,
judging from the earnestness which he had given me in prayer, and that I
had only desired this matter to the praise of his name, that in his own
time he would bring it about. _But I never wrote one single line to this
sister on the subject all this time._ At last, on the one hundred and
thirty-fourth day since I had _daily_ besought the Lord about this
matter, on March 8, 1843, I received a letter from the sister, informing
me that the five hundred pounds had been paid into the hands of my
bankers.
And now I only give a few lines of a letter which I received on July 3,
1844, from the sister who gave this donation, together with my letters
for which I had asked her, in order that I may show her state of mind on
the subject, after she had had it more than twenty months before her,
and after she had for sixteen months actually given up the money. She
writes thus: "I am thankful to say that I have never for one moment had
the slightest feeling of regret, but it is _wholly_ of the Lord's
abounding grace. I speak it to his praise."
On March 31, 1843, I called at the Orphan Houses to make certain
arrangements, and one of the sisters told me by the way that she had
been asked by Miss G., who with her father occupied the house No. 4
Wilson Street, to let me know that they wished to give up their house,
if I would like to take it; but she had replied that it was of no use
to tell me about it, for she was sure that I had no thought of opening
another Orphan House. When I came home, this matter greatly occupied my
mind. I could not but ask the Lord again and again whether he would have
me to open another Orphan House, and whether the time was now come that
I should serve him still more extensively in this way. The more I
pondered the matter, the more it appeared to me that this was the hand
of God moving me onwards in this service. The following remarkable
combination of circumstances struck me in particular: 1. There are more
applications made for the admission of orphans, especially of late, than
we are at all able to meet, though we fill the houses as much as the
health of the children and of the laborers will possibly admit. 2. If I
did take another house for orphans, it would be most desirable it should
be in the same street where the other three are, as thus the labor is
less, and in times of great need we are near together for prayer, the
distribution of the money, etc. But since the third Orphan House was
opened, in Nov. 1837, there never has been one of the larger houses in
the street to be let. 3. There are about fifteen children in the Infant
Orphan House, whom it would have been well some time ago to have removed
to the house for the older girls, had there been room; but when a
vacancy happened to occur in that house, there were generally several
waiting to fill it up, so that unintentionally the female children in
the Infant Orphan House remained where they were; but this is not well,
nor is it according to my original intention; for the infants were
intended only to be left till they are seven years old, and then to be
removed to the houses for older boys and girls. This my original plan
could be executed better for the future, and at once for the present,
were I to open another Orphan House. 4. I know two sisters who seem
suitable laborers for this fourth Orphan House, and who have a desire
thus to be engaged. 5. There are three hundred pounds remaining of the
five hundred pounds which I so lately received. This money may be used
for the furnishing and fitting up of a new Orphan House. So much money I
have never had in hand at any one time during the last five years. This
seemed to me a remarkable thing, in connection with the four other
reasons. 6. The establishing of a fourth Orphan House, which would
increase our expenses several hundred pounds a year, would be, after we
have gone for five years almost uninterruptedly through trials of faith,
a plain proof that I have not regretted this service, and that I am not
tired of this precious way of depending upon the Lord from day to day;
and thus the faith of other children of God might be strengthened.
But most important, yea, decidedly conclusive as these points were, yet
they did not convince me that I ought to go forward in this service, if
the Spirit's leadings were not in connection with them. I therefore gave
myself to prayer. I prayed day after day, _without saying anything to
any human being_. I prayed two and twenty days without even mentioning
it to my dear wife. On that very day, when I did mention it to her, and
on which I had come to the conclusion, after three weeks' prayer and
consideration in the fear of God, to establish another Orphan House, I
received from A. B. fifty pounds. What a striking confirmation that the
Lord will help, though the necessities should increase more and more. At
last, on the twenty-fourth day, having been now for several days fully
assured that God would have me go forward in this service, I went to
inquire whether Mr. and Miss G. still wished to give up the house. But
here I found an apparent hindrance. Having heard no wish expressed on my
part to take the house, and the sister in the Orphan Houses, with whom
Miss G. had communicated, not having given her the least reason to think
that I should do so, Mr. and Miss G. had altered their plans, and now
purposed to remain in the house. However, I was to call again in a week,
when I should receive an answer. I was not in the least discomforted by
this obstacle. "Lord, if _thou_ hast no need of another Orphan House,
_I_ have none," was the burden of my prayer. I was willing to do God's
will, yea, to delight myself in his will. And just on this very ground,
because I knew I sought not my own honor, but the Lord's; because I knew
I was not serving myself, but the Lord, in this thing; and because I
knew that with so much calm, quiet, prayerful, self-questioning
consideration I had gone about this business, and had only after many
days, during which I had been thus waiting upon the Lord, come to the
conclusion that it was the will of God I should go forward in this
service. For these reasons I felt sure, notwithstanding what Mr. and
Miss G. had told me, that I should have the house. I also especially
judged that thus it would be, _because I was quite in peace_ when I
heard of the obstacle; a plain proof that I was not in self-will going
on in this matter, but according to the leading of the Holy Ghost; for
if according to my natural mind I had sought to enlarge the work, I
should have been excited and uncomfortable when I met with this
obstacle. After a week I called again on Mr. G. And now see how God had
wrought! On the same day on which I had seen Mr. G., he went out and met
with a suitable house, so that when I came the second time, he was
willing to let me have the one which he then occupied in Wilson Street;
and as the owner accepted me as a tenant, all the difficulties were
removed, so that after the 1st of June we began fitting up the house,
and in July the first orphans were received.
Mr. M. having been invited by several Christians in Germany to visit
that, his native land, and to labor there for the promulgation of
scriptural truth and the advancement of religion, as well as to publish
a German translation of his Narrative, felt that it was his duty to
accede to the request. In answer to prayer, he received ample means for
his journey, for the support of the orphans during his absence, and for
the publication of the Narrative. He left Bristol on the 9th of August,
1843, and returned on March 6, 1844. During the journey he was greatly
aided by Providence in the purposes of his mission, and saw much fruit
of his labors.