my husband preached three times, and afterwards visited Haarlem, Leyden,
and the Hague (the residence of the Court and Government), at each of
which places he held several meetings. Those at the Hague were attended
by many both of the upper and the lower classes, but by none belonging
to the middle ranks of life. Before our departure from the Hague we
spent a few hours at Scheveling, a small sea-port on the Dutch coast;
and on June 13th left for Rotterdam, where Mr. Mueller spoke the same
evening at a Conference. The following evening he gave another address
at the Conference Hall, and on June 15th preached at one of the Reformed
Churches, to a large Congregation. This was his last service on the
Continent. During this long tour, there is the fullest reason to
believe, that God greatly blessed his labours at all the places that we
visited. On June 16th we left Rotterdam for England, via Brussels,
Calais, and Dover, and arrived in London on the 18th. On the 21st he
spoke at one of the Mildmay Conference meetings; on the 23rd gave an
address at the noon prayer meeting, and on Sunday (24th) preached in the
afternoon and evening at the Conference Hall to very large
congregations. These services brought the labours of his third
missionary tour to a close, and on June 25th we left London and returned
to Bristol.
FOURTH TOUR.
CANADA AND THE UNITED STATES.
_From August 18th, 1877, to July 8th, 1878._
After returning from the Continent, a few weeks were spent at the Orphan
Houses on Ashley Down, where everything was found to be going on well;
but, after much prayer, considering it to be the will of God we should
respond to the letter of invitation received at Amsterdam, and visit the
United States, on August 18th, 1877, we went to Liverpool, in order to
embark for Canada, having been strongly advised to take the shorter sea
voyage to Quebec instead of going to New York. On the morning of Sunday,
the 19th, Mr. Mueller, spoke at the Albion Hall, in the evening he
preached at Toxteth Tabernacle; and whilst we remained at Liverpool held
three other meetings.
On Thursday afternoon, August 23rd, we went on board the steamship
"Sardinian" (Allan Line) and sailed at 7 in the evening. The following
morning we touched at Moville, on the North coast of Ireland; and, after
waiting there a few hours, to take in the mails, steamed out into the
Atlantic. Our cabin, the chief officer's deck room, was tolerably
comfortable, and the voyage, though rough, was a favourable one upon the
whole. Off the Island of Newfoundland, the weather became cold, and the
progress of the vessel was retarded considerably by fogs; but on August
30th, the welcome cry of "land!" from the steerage passengers was heard,
and when the fog lifted, Belle Island on our right was in full view, at
a short distance only from the ship. On the evening of that day Mr.
Mueller held a meeting in the forecastle for the sailors and steerage
passengers, and spoke afterwards in the Chart Room to as many of the
cabin passengers as were able to attend. On the 31st we entered the Gulf
of St. Lawrence--460 miles in length--where a heavy sea was running, and
soon came in sight of the island of Anticosti, inhabited only (it is
said) by bears and wolves.
On the evening of that day, Mr. Mueller gave an address at a meeting in
the saloon, and early on the morning of Saturday, Sept. 1st, the mail
bags were landed at Rimouski, where a few passengers went on shore. The
remainder of the day was occupied in going up the River St. Lawrence. On
its northern bank, a long range of mountain district extends for many
miles; and on its southern side close to the river's brink, numbers of
white houses--the homes of French-Canadian settlers--are dotted along
the shore for a great distance. In the evening, as we drew near Quebec,
the "Sardinian" fired guns as a signal of her approach; and at
half-past eight we reached Point Louis, South Quebec, after a voyage of
nine days, six hours and a half, and anchored alongside the wharf. From
the landing-place a carriage conveyed us up a steep hill to the Hotel
St. Louis, where a number of letters awaited our arrival, containing a
warm welcome to America, and numerous invitations for my husband to
preach in the United States. On Sunday evening, Sept. 2nd, at the
Baptist Church, he preached for the first time in Canada, and the
following day at a Hall in the city held two other services. We had
happy interviews also with several Christian friends. An abundance of
work would have been ready for him at once at various places in Canada;
but as the letter of invitation, received at Amsterdam came from pastors
in the United States, it seemed right to go there first, and
particularly to Brooklyn, where Mr. Thwing resided.
On the morning of Sept. 4th, some friends took us in a carriage to see
the beautiful Falls of Montmorenci, nine miles distant, where the river
of that name, after leaping for miles over a rocky bed, rushes with
great velocity to the edge of the high rocks over which it falls, and
pours its snowy cataract 250 feet into the valley below. Quebec is
beautifully situated, and is a place of great historic interest. Near
the town are the "Plains of Abraham," and the spot where General Wolfe
fell. A monument erected to his memory and to that of Montcalm, stands
upon it. The Citadel, sometimes called the "Gibraltar of America," is a
fortress upon the summit of a very high rock, from which there is a
magnificent view of the St. Lawrence, and of the surrounding
neighbourhood. At 6 o'clock on the evening of the 4th, we went on board
a river steamer, and, after a favourable night passage, at 7 the next
morning, arrived at Montreal, where some brethren waiting on the
landing-stage asked us to remain; we did not, however, accept their kind
invitation, and at 9 o'clock started for Toronto, where, after a long
railway journey of 333 miles, we arrived at half-past 11 the same night.
On the 6th we went on, via Hamilton, to Niagara, and--having decided to
remain there till the next day--spent the afternoon in surveying the
wonders of the celebrated "Falls," situated on the River Niagara, a
strait connecting the floods of Lake Erie and Ontario.
The first distant view of them was rather disappointing; but a closer
inspection revealed their magnitude and grandeur to the full. "The
waters for which the Niagara (a name signifying Thunder of Waters) forms
an outlet cover an area of 150,000 square miles, floods so grand and
inexhaustible as to be totally unaffected by the loss of the hundreds of
millions of tons which they pour every hour through succeeding centuries
over rugged, perpendicular cliffs into the depths beneath."
After driving to a bridge just above the American Falls, we made a
partial circuit of Goat Island on foot, halting at all the chief points
of interest. A staircase on the right led first to Luna Island, where,
standing by a railing close to the edge of the precipice, we beheld the
vast, swift, overwhelming waters of the _American_ Falls, 169 feet high,
immediately beside us, rushing in a tremendous torrent right over the
brink, down into the fearful gulf below. "This, we thought, surpasses
everything; surely this must be the grandest Cataract in the world." But
it was not; for a few more steps brought us full upon the great Horse
Shoe Fall, on the Canadian side of the river, a mighty Cataract 150 feet
high, and 1,900 feet in breadth, where with overwhelming velocity and
force, "1,500 millions of cubic feet of water" (according to Professor
Lyell) rush every hour over the ledge of rocks, forming a huge, boiling
cauldron at the bottom of the cliffs. And then the "Rapids!" those
wondrous Rapids--which some think equal to the great Cataracts
themselves--especially attracted our attention. Just above the Falls,
the bed of the Niagara descends about 51 feet in three-quarters of a
mile, and there, over rough ridges of rock, great masses of stone and
large boulders, its waters surge and foam, in ten thousand fantastic
shapes, and in the wildest turmoil, as though frantically eager to rush
over the precipices into the abyss below. After seeing the "Rapids" we
crossed the river by the new Suspension Bridge, and returned to the
Clifton Hotel.
The next afternoon, at half-past 2, we left for New York, travelled in a
Pullman's sleeping-car all night, and at 7 on the morning of Sept. 8th
reached our destination, after a journey of 446 miles. From the terminus
a carriage conveyed us to Brooklyn, "the City of Churches," about seven
miles distant, where--at the Pierpoint House--we remained for six weeks.
On Sunday morning, Sept. 9th, at Dr. Talmage's Tabernacle (said to be
the largest church in the United States), in the absence of Dr. Talmage,
Mr. Mueller was most affectionately introduced to the audience by
Professor Thwing, who in the course of a short speech from the platform,
paused for a few moments, and shaking hands with him before the
assembled multitude welcomed him to the United States. Mr. Mueller then
addressed the congregation, and preached for three-quarters of an hour
with much help from the Lord. In the evening he spoke again at the
Tabernacle, and after the meeting, amongst the numbers who pressed
forward to greet us was a sister in Christ, one of the former Orphans
from Ashley Down, who has been married for many years.
During our visit to Brooklyn, Mr. Mueller held a great number of
meetings. On Sept. 12th he spoke at the Fulton Street prayer meeting,
New York, and besides his regular preaching, visited Orphan and other
Institutions, ministered amongst the Germans (of whom there are about
ten millions throughout the United States), and continued actively
engaged in the Lord's service until Sept. 20th, when we went by river
steamer up the Hudson, to the city of Hudson, and attended a Convention,
where be gave three addresses. On the 22nd we returned to Brooklyn, and
on the following morning and evening he preached at Plymouth Church. On
the 24th he spoke again at the Fulton Street prayer meeting, preached in
German at Newark on the 25th, addressed the German students of the
Theological Seminary at Bloomfield on the 26th, attended meetings for
pastors, whom he addressed, visited a Homoeopathic Institution,
preached at Williamsburg, East Brooklyn, on Oct. 7th, and continued day
after day to labour uninterruptedly, until Oct. 20th, when we went to
Boston, after he had spoken in public at Brooklyn and the other places
above mentioned 50 times.
At Boston Mr. Mueller began his work by speaking on Sunday morning, Oct.
21st, at Mr. Moody's Tabernacle--a large building which holds 7,000, but
where on this occasion, as rain fell heavily, the congregation was
comparatively small--and in the evening he preached at Park Street
Church. On Oct. 22nd he held a meeting at Berkeley Street Church, and
the next morning was called upon by an inquirer, a young man under deep
conviction of sin, who, having experienced an overwhelming consciousness
of his lost condition by nature, during the sermon of the previous
evening, was so affected that he could scarcely speak for weeping.
During our stay at Boston my husband held meetings also at Dr. Cullis's
Chapel; addressed the 350 young ladies at Wellesley College, 15 miles
from Boston; preached at the Clarendon Street Baptist Church, at Warren
Avenue Baptist Church, at Charlestown; spoke at Dr. Cullis's Faith
College; addressed 500 school teachers at Cambridge; preached at Dudley
Baptist Church, at Boston Highlands, at Clarendon Street Church; visited
Dr. Cullis's Institution for Consumptive patients, whom he addressed,
when Dr. C. remarked, "But for your example, all this would never have
been in existence"--and continued his labours until Nov. 3rd, on which
day we went to Newburyport.
There, on the morning of the 4th, at the Old Presbyterian
Church--founded by George Whitefield, and where he ministered--Mr.
Mueller spoke from Isaiah liii. 5, 6, and read out of the Bible which
belonged to that eminent servant of Christ, a circumstance noted with
interest by the hearers, as this Bible is not generally used. He
occupied a pulpit also which stands just above the spot where the
remains of Whitefield lie interred. In one corner of the Church a
handsome monument has been erected to his memory, and the vault is shown
in which his coffin rests; but when the lid was removed, the skull and a
few bones only could be seen of the celebrated man, whose voice once
reached the ears of tens of thousands, and whose eloquent appeals, in
years gone by, made careless, unconverted sinners tremble. The
following inscription is upon the monument:--"This Cenotaph is erected
with affectionate veneration to the memory of the Rev. George
Whitefield, born at Gloucester, England, Dec. 16th, 1714, educated at
Oxford University, ordained 1736. In a ministry of 34 years, he crossed
the Atlantic 13 times, and preached more than 18,000 sermons. As a
soldier of the cross, humble, devout, ardent, he put on the whole armour
of God, preferring the honour of Christ to his own interest, repose,
reputation, or life. As a Christian orator, his deep piety,
disinterested zeal, and vivid imagination, gave unexampled energy to his
look, action, and utterance. Bold, fervent, pungent, and popular in his
eloquence, no other uninspired man ever preached to so large assemblies,
or enforced the simple truths of the gospel by motives so persuasive and
awful, and with an influence so powerful on the hearts of his hearers.
He died of asthma Sept. 30th, 1770; solemnly exchanging a life of
unparalleled labours for his eternal rest."
In a "Memoir of his Life and Labours," published in the United States,
his biographer remarks that--"His out-of-door audiences consisted of
twenty, thirty, and forty thousand at a time, whose singing could be
heard two miles off, and Whitefield's own voice also could be heard at a
distance of a mile from where he stood. When exhorting Howell Harris
about his people in a letter, Whitefield wrote--"Show them in the map of
the Word, the kingdoms of the upper world, and the transcendent glories
of them; and assure them that all shall be theirs, if they believe on
Jesus Christ with their whole hearts. Press them to believe on Him
immediately. Intersperse prayers with your exhortations, and thereby
call down fire from heaven, even the fire of the Holy Ghost. Speak every
time, my dear brother, as though it were your last; weep out, if
possible, every argument; and, as it were, compel them to cry,--"Behold
how He loveth us!" The author of this Memoir further says--"Present duty
was the only thing that ever pressed hard upon him; past bitternesses he
quickly forgot; future troubles he left with God. He lived one day at a
time and lived it _thoroughly_; exhorting every one around, to follow
his Lord and Master."
On the afternoon of Nov. 4th, Mr. Mueller preached again at Whitefield's
Church. During our stay at Newburyport, he held three other meetings,
and on the evening of the 7th at the Baptist Church he gave a farewell
address. On the 8th we went to Amherst, where there is a College
containing 350 students, to whom and to other hearers from the town, my
husband spoke for an hour on the evening of that day. During our stay,
at the house of President Seelye, Principal of the Institution, the
following interesting account of a former College student (a Japanese)
was related to us. Whilst in his native country, many years ago, this
young man, becoming dissatisfied with his gods of wood and stone,
happened one day to meet with a Primer for children, written by a
missionary in the Japanese tongue, when his eyes lighted upon these
words:--"In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth." Genesis
i, 1. The thought, that there was a Being who had _created_ the material
universe around, the beautiful earth with all its wonders, and the
starry host in the spacious firmament above, struck him forcibly.
"_That_ God (thought he) is the Being _I_ will worship;" and for some
time he ignorantly, but sincerely, worshipped the God of Genesis i. At
length, ardently desiring to learn something more about the true God, he
determined to leave the country secretly, and to go to China, with the
hope of obtaining further light. At Shanghai a New Testament in the
Japanese language was given him, when, on opening the book, he
immediately caught sight of this verse:--"God so loved the world that He
gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth on Him should not
perish but have everlasting life." John iii. 16. "Whosoever?" (he
thought to himself) "that must mean _any_body, and as _I_ am somebody,
that must mean _me_." He studied his New Testament with the deepest
interest; _believed_ what he read, and, through the teaching of the Holy
Spirit, became a decided Christian. Desiring to be more fully instructed
in the truth, he determined to go to the United States, and sailed for
Boston in a ship belonging to a Christian merchant of that city, who,
on his arrival, became so much interested in the young convert, that he
sent him to school at Andover, where he remained three years. After
that, he studied for three years at Amherst College, and then returned
to Andover, where, at a Theological Seminary--as he intended to become a
minister of the gospel--his education was further carried on. Finally he
returned to Japan as a missionary, and was the means of bringing his
parents and brothers to a saving knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ. A
photograph of this young man was shown to us by President Seelye.
On Nov. 9th we took a drive to Mount Holyoke Seminary, South Hadley,
founded by Mary Lyon; a most interesting and important Institution,
where, in a large Hall, Mr. Mueller addressed the 225 lady students and
their 25 teachers. We afterwards walked through the beautiful and
extensive grounds connected with the Seminary, were conducted through
its various Departments, and visited Miss Lyon's grave. From Amherst, on
Nov. 10th, we went to Providence, Rhode Island, where my husband
preached four times to large, attentive audiences, and--at the request
of the President--addressed the Students of the University. After
leaving Providence we proceeded to New York. There he spoke for an hour
at the Bible Union meeting, preached at the Baptist Central Church, and
at the Hall of the Young Men's Christian Association addressed a very
large German congregation, including about 30 German ministers. On the
15th, at the Presbyterian Church, Orange, New Jersey, he addressed the
teachers of 22 different Sunday Schools with reference to their service,
when the building was crowded with an immense congregation; and on the
16th, preached at a Baptist Church, New York.
On Nov. 17th, we left for Jersey City--at which place, as well as at
Elizabeth and Morristown, several important meetings were held--and on
the 24th, went on to Philadelphia. There my husband began work the next
day, and, during our stay, preached many times to crowded congregations.
On the evening of Nov. 26th, a meeting for Christian workers was held at
Chambers' Presbyterian Church, when he addressed about 1,400 brethren
and sisters in Christ for an hour and a half, with great help from the
Lord, and on the morning of Dec. 3rd (by invitation) attended a meeting
of pastors at one of the Methodist Episcopal Churches, where, at their
request, he addressed about 500 ministers of various denominations, who
had assembled to hear him. Upon this occasion he spoke to them for an
hour and 20 minutes on 15 different points connected with their service
for the Lord, and considered this meeting one of the most precious
opportunities of witnessing for Christ ever afforded to him in his whole
life. Numbers of these brethren pressed round him afterwards, expressed
their thanks, and cordially invited him to preach in their churches. In
a very short time also, he received an invitation to address the
_Episcopal_ ministers on the following Monday morning. On the 4th Dec.
he preached at the Scott Methodist Episcopal Church from 1st Tim. i. 15,
16, with great power, when the people appeared to be deeply impressed;
and on the afternoon of Sunday, Dec. 9th, spoke at the Hall of a Sunday
School, built by a Christian gentleman at a cost of 150,000 dollars.
This school (probably the largest in the world) is generally attended by
2,200 children; but, on this occasion, the younger ones having been
dismissed, 1,500 only were present. As about 1,500 other hearers,
however, were there, he had altogether a congregation of 3,000. The
arrangements connected with this Sunday School were the most perfect we
have ever seen, and the Hall, where the school is held, is a very large
beautiful building. Before our departure from Philadelphia, Mr. Mueller
preached at Haddonfield, New Jersey, on Dec. 6th and at German Town, on
the 7th, to a very large audience, at the great Hall of the Young Men's
Christian Association. On Monday, Dec. 10th, he attended the united
meeting of Episcopal ministers already referred to, when he addressed
them for an hour, on ten weighty points connected with their service; 48
were present. At All Saints Episcopal Church, on the evening of Dec.
14th, he preached from the 103rd Psalm, when the church was filled with
hearers. No clerical gown was put on, and a few collects only were read
by the minister at the commencement of the service.
On Dec. 15th, we left Philadelphia for Baltimore, where, the next
morning (Sunday, 16th), he preached at the largest Methodist Episcopal
Church, which was crowded, the aisles, etc., being thronged; and in the
evening held a meeting at the First Presbyterian Church, when this
building also was filled--many had to stand, and others to go away for
want of room. During the whole of our stay at Baltimore, my husband
continued to labour uninterruptedly, preaching night after night to
immense audiences; but as a minute account of his work in the various
cities we visited, throughout our long tour, would take up too much
space, a few particulars only of his ministry at the most important
places can be given. On Dec. 21st, he spoke at a State Convention, in
the presence of about 150 gentlemen connected with jails, reformatories,
etc., who had assembled to consider this subject--"Is religious
instruction an agent necessary for the reformation of prisoners?"--a
question which was answered by him most decidedly in the affirmative.
On Dec. 22nd we went by rail to Annapolis, 21 miles from Baltimore, and
by steamer afterwards down the Severn out into the Bay of Chesapeake,
which is the largest Bay in the United States. On our return to
Baltimore by water, we got into important conversation with some German
infidels, and were glad to have opportunities of giving little books
and tracts to them as well as to other passengers on board the steamer.
On Dec. 25th, Mr. Mueller preached at the Independent Methodist Church,
and continued to labour at Baltimore until the 29th, when we went to
Washington. There, on the morning of Sunday, the 30th, he preached at
the Congregational Church--the largest in the city--and in the afternoon
at 3 o'clock at Lincoln Hall. On the evening of Dec. 31st, at Dr.
Sunderland's Church, he spoke from Psalm ciii. 3-5, with particular
reference to the close of the year, when he addressed his hearers with
great solemnity, earnestness, and power.