George Müller of Bristol, and His Witness to a Prayer-Hearing GodPierson, Arthur T. (Arthur Tappan)
Religion
George Müller of Bristol, and His Witness to a Prayer-Hearing God
Pierson, Arthur T. (Arthur Tappan)
Müller, George, 1805-1898; Orphanages -- Great Britain; Prayer
God plainly led to Stuttgart, where brethren had fallen into grievous
errors and needed again a helping hand. When the strong impression laid
hold of Mr. Muller, more than two months before his departure for the
Continent, that he was to return there for a season, he began definitely
to pray for means to go with, on May 3rd, and, within a _quarter hour_
after, five hundred pounds were received, the donor specifying that the
money was given for all expenses needful, "preparatory to, and attendant
upon" this proposed journey. The same goodness and mercy followed all
his steps while abroad. Provision was made, in God's own strange way,
for suitable lodgings in Stuttgart, at a time when the city was
exceptionally crowded, a wealthy retired surgeon, who had never before
rented apartments, being led to offer them. All Mr. Muller's labours
were attended with blessing: during part of the time he held as many as
eight meetings a week; and he was enabled to publish eleven tracts in
German, and judiciously to scatter over two hundred and twenty thousand
of them, as well as nearly four thousand of his Narrative, and yet evade
interference from the police.
One experience of this sojourn abroad should have special mention for
the lesson it suggests, both in charity for others' views and loving
adaptation to circumstances. A providential opening occurred to address
meetings of about one hundred and fifty members of the state church. In
his view the character of such assemblies was not wholly conformed to
the Scripture pattern, and hence did not altogether meet his approval;
but such opportunity was afforded to bear testimony for the truth's
sake, and to exhibit Christian unity upon essentials, for love's sake,
that he judged it of the Lord that he should enter this open door. Those
who knew Mr. Muller but little, but knew his positive convictions and
uncompromising loyalty to them, might suspect that he would have little
forbearance with even minor errors, and would not bend himself from his
stern attitude of inflexibility to accommodate himself to those who were
ensnared by them. But those who knew him better, saw that he held fast
the form of sound words with faith and love which are in Christ Jesus.
Like Paul, ever ready to be made all things to all men that by all means
he might save some, in his whole character and conduct nothing shone
more radiantly beautiful, than Love. He felt that he who would lift up
others must bow himself to lay hold on them; that to help brethren we
must bear with them, not insisting upon matters of minor importance as
though they were essential and fundamental. Hence his course, instead of
being needlessly repellant, was tenderly conciliatory; and it was a
conspicuous sign of grace that, while holding his own views of truth and
duty so positively and tenaciously, the intolerance of bigotry was so
displaced by the forbearance of charity that, when the Lord so led and
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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