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
In all this manifold work which Mr. Muller did he was, to the last,
self-oblivious. From the time when, in October, 1830, he had given up
all stated salary, as pastor and minister of the gospel, he had never
received any salary, stipend nor fixed income, of any sort, whether as a
pastor or as a director of the Scriptural Knowledge Institution. Both
principle and preference led him to wait only upon God for all personal
needs, as also for all the wants of his work. Nevertheless God put into
the hearts of His believing children in all parts of the world, not only
to send gifts in aid of the various branches of the work which Mr.
Muller superintended, but to forward to him money for his own uses, as
well as clothes, food, and other temporal supplies. He never
appropriated one penny which was not in some way indicated or designated
as for his own personal needs, and subject to his personal judgment. No
straits of individual or family want ever led him to use, even for a
time, what was sent to him for other ends. Generally gifts intended for
himself were wrapped up in paper with his name written thereon, or in
other equally distinct ways designated as meant for him. Thus as early
as 1874 his year's income reached upwards of twenty-one hundred pounds.
Few nonconformist ministers, and not one in twenty of the clergy of the
establishment, have any such income, which averages about six pounds for
every day in the year--and all this came from the Lord, simply in answer
to prayer, and without appeal of any sort to man or even the revelation
of personal needs. If we add legacies paid at the end of the year 1873,
Mr. Muller's entire income in about thirteen months exceeded thirty-one
hundred pounds. Of this he gave, out and out to the needy, and to the
work of God, the whole amount save about two hundred and fifty, expended
on personal and family wants; and thus started the year 1875 as poor as
he had begun forty-five years before; and if his personal expenses were
scrutinized it would be found that even what he ate and drank and wore
was with equal conscientiousness expended for the glory of God, so that
in a true sense we may say he spent nothing on himself.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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