Muller Preaching Tours A5

PREACHING TOURS AND Missionary Labours OF GEORGE MÜLLER (OF BRISTOL.) BY MRS. MÜLLER. 1883. LONDON: J. NISBET & CO., BERNERS STREET. TO BE HAD ALSO IN BRISTOL, AT THE BIBLE AND TRACT WAREHOUSE OF THE SCRIPTURAL KNOWLEDGE INSTITUTION FOR HOME AND ABROAD, NO. 34, PARK STREET; AND THROUGH ALL BOOKSELLERS. DRYDEN PRESS: J. DAVY AND SONS, 137, LONG ACRE, LONDON. ENTERED AT STATIONERS’ HALL. 2 INTRODUCTION. 1 Before the perusal of this book is entered upon, it seems 2 desirable that I should myself state to the reader, what led 3 me to undertake these missionary tours. It may be well to 4 refer also to the objects I had particularly in view in 5 connection with them; to mention how far the desired result 6 has been attained; and to notice a few other points relating 7 to these journeys. 8 9 During many years the thought occurred to me again and 10 again, that it might be the will of God I should seek to 11 benefit His children and the unconverted, not through my 12 publications only, but by ministering personally amongst 13 them in other places besides Bristol; but my position as 14 pastor of a large church, and as Director of a great 15 Institution, which seemed to require my constant presence, 16 for a long time put aside the thought. At last, however, 17 when staying in the Isle of Wight in the autumn of 1874, 18 finding that my preaching at Ventnor and Ryde had been 19 unusually blessed and valued, I judged, that, having very 20 efficient fellow labourers in the Church at Bristol, I could be 3 21 spared, and that my absence would not be particularly felt. 22 With reference to the work on Ashley Down, too, as Mr. 23 Wright had for many years been an able helper in 24 connection with it; as he had by that time been appointed 25 Co-Director of the Institution; and as I had laboured in word 26 and doctrine in Bristol (almost exclusively) for forty-three 27 years; it was laid upon my heart to go from city to city, and 28 from country to country, in order to benefit (if possible) 29 both the Church of Christ and the world at large, by my 30 ministry and experience. Accordingly, after much prayer 31 and waiting upon God, I decided upon devoting a very 32 considerable portion of my time habitually to this service, 33 as long as health and strength should be continued to me. 34 35 The objects I have in view in undertaking these tours are the 36 following:— 37 38 1. To preach the Gospel in the simplest way possible, that 39 persons may understand how the blessing, which sinners 40 receive through faith in Christ, is to be obtained. Many who 41 are really in earnest about their salvation, are nevertheless 42 without peace, because they rest upon their _feelings_. 4 43 They do not see that every one, who is convinced that he is 44 a lost sinner by nature, and confesses this before God, 45 passes sentence upon himself (so to speak), that, if he 46 depends solely on the perfect obedience of the Lord Jesus 47 unto death, even the death on the cross and upon His 48 substitutional sacrifice, he receives the forgiveness of all his 49 sins, _is_ justified the moment he believes in Jesus and shall 50 not perish, but have everlasting life. Rom. v. 1; Acts x. 43; 51 John iii. 16. 52 53 2. During my pastoral labours for many years I found, that 54 numbers of true children of God are without the knowledge 55 of their standing in Christ. They do not enter into the fact, 56 that they _have_ passed from death unto life, that they _are_ 57 regenerated, pardoned, justified, accepted in the Beloved, 58 and are no longer under condemnation. Now, having 59 entered into all this experimentally for more than half a 60 century myself, I desire (with the help of God) to bring 61 others also to an apprehension of these blessings; and how 62 greatly this service is needed, is obvious from the fact, that 63 there are great numbers of preachers of the Gospel and 64 pastors, who, being without the knowledge of their own 5 65 personal salvation, are, in consequence, entirely destitute of 66 any real peace and joy in the Lord. 67 68 3. Another object I aim at is, to bring Christians back to the 69 Holy Scriptures; to urge them to try everything by the word 70 of God, and to value that _only_, which will stand this test. 71 I endeavour therefore, to lead believers to become _lovers_ 72 of the Bible, by exhorting them to a daily, systematic, 73 consecutive reading and study of it; for I know from an 74 experience of more than half a century the blessedness of 75 doing this myself, and also, what loss I experienced during 76 the first three years after my conversion, from not attending 77 to it. 78 79 4. Further, I aim at a removal of sectarianism, at promoting 80 brotherly love amongst true Christians; and with this object 81 in view go amongst all real believers, by whatever name 82 they are called, _provided_ they are sound in the foundation 83 truths of our holy faith. Though not agreeing at all, with 84 some of their opinions and practices, I nevertheless preach 85 amongst all, having seen for many years how greatly the 86 heart of the Lord Jesus must be grieved by the disunion that 6 87 exists among His own true disciples. On this account, 88 therefore, I have sought (in my feeble measure) to unite all 89 real believers; but, as this cannot be done, by standing aloof 90 from our brethren in Christ, until they see eye to eye with 91 us, in every point, I have gone amongst them, and have 92 united with them, in so far as nothing has been required of 93 me which I could not do with a good conscience. 94 95 5. As for more than half a century I have seen how very 96 little _real_ trust in the Living God there is (generally 97 speaking), even amongst true Christians, I have sought also 98 in these my missionary tours, particularly, to strengthen 99 their faith; because, in the course of my pastoral labours, the 100 blessed results of _real_ confidence in God on the one hand 101 have come to my knowledge, and the misery of distrusting 102 Him also on the other. 103 104 6. Both in my public ministry of the Word, and private 105 intercourse with Christians, I seek to lead my fellow 106 disciples to more real separation from the world and 107 deadness to it, and to promote heavenly mindedness in 108 them, according to the Scriptures. At the same time, 7 109 however, I warn them against _extravagances_ (such as 110 sinless perfection in the flesh), which are not to be found in 111 the Word of God. 112 113 7. As the Lord enables me, I give instruction also about the 114 true character of the present dispensation and the end 115 thereof, and strive to lead the Church of Christ to look for 116 His second coming as her great hope. 117 118 In these nine long missionary tours, I have gladly embraced 119 every opportunity also of having meetings with ministers 120 and pastors of Churches, both for the sake of encouraging 121 them in their service, and that I might benefit them through 122 my own experience of fifty-seven years in the ministry of 123 the Word. I have availed myself too of every opportunity of 124 addressing students in Universities, Theological Seminaries, 125 and Colleges, and have had opportunities likewise of 126 addressing 1,000 or 1,500 Christian workers at a time, and 127 of seeking to benefit them by my experience. This kind of 128 work I have now been able to do in twenty-two different 129 countries; for after having spent a considerable time in such 130 labour in England, Scotland, and Ireland, I was led in the 8 131 providence of God to Switzerland, Germany, Holland, 132 France, Spain, Italy, Canada, the United States, Egypt, 133 Palestine, Syria, Asia Minor, Turkey, Greece, Austria, 134 Hungary, Bohemia, Russia, and Russian Poland. 135 136 The reader may now be desirous of asking—”And what has 137 been the _result_ of all this service?” My reply is—The day 138 of the Lord alone will reveal it. Here on earth but little can 139 be known, comparatively, of the fruit of our labours; yet, as 140 far as I have been permitted to see, even _here_, there is 141 good reason to believe, that I have not been directed to _one 142 single_ place, regarding which there was not manifest 143 proof, that the Lord sent me there, on account of the visible 144 blessing which rested on my labours. 145 146 It may be desirable also to state, why an account of these 147 missionary tours has been published in _this form_, as 148 several of these journeys have already been referred to in 149 the Reports of the Scriptural Knowledge Institution. The 150 reason is, that, in the Reports a very brief account only of 151 them has been given, and that always in detached portions. 152 Now, as my dear wife has invariably accompanied me in 9 153 my travels, during the past eight years, and has kept a 154 journal regularly of my labours for the Lord, we judged that 155 a connected and much fuller account of them might be 156 given in a book, than could be published in any other 157 manner.

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