Читать книгу The Preaching Tours and Missionary Labours of George Müller of Bristol - Susannah Grace Sanger Müller - Страница 6

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After being occupied daily for a few weeks at the Orphan Houses on Ashley Down, and attending to business connected with the other branches of the Scriptural Knowledge Institution, besides ministering regularly at the three chapels in Bristol with which he is connected, as Mr. Müller had it particularly laid upon his heart to visit Switzerland and Germany, that he might labour in the gospel in those countries, on Aug. 16th, 1876, we went to Dover, crossed over to Calais the next morning, and proceeding to Boulogne, where we stayed one night, continued our journey afterwards to Paris, where we arrived on the 18th. During our stay in Paris he preached five times at the Congregational Chapel, Rue Royale, in English. Before our departure we visited Versailles and Charenton-le-Pont, and availed ourselves of every suitable opportunity upon these occasions of giving away little gospel books in French to the numerous Roman Catholics we met with. On the 28th we started for Dijon, remained there one night, and went on to Neuchâtel, Switzerland, on the 29th. There, during our short visit of one day, we took a drive to Chaumont, on the Jura, 3845 feet above the level of the sea, whence a magnificent general view of the Alps can be obtained, and reached Berne on the 31st.

On Sept. 1st Mr. Müller preached in German—for the first time after 31 years—at the Free Church, where, because the crowd was so great, notice was given that the next service would be held at the French Church, a much larger building, in which accordingly a service was conducted on the 2nd. On Sunday afternoon, Sept. 3rd, he addressed a mixed assembly of about 1,800, consisting of pastors, young men, Sunday School teachers, country women in their Swiss costumes, children, etc., at a large Hall called the Festhütte; and in the evening preached for the third time at the French Church, with very great help and power. On the afternoon of the 4th we went to Die Enge, a Hall on the side of a steep hill at Berne, where 150 brethren and sisters in the Lord had been invited by Col. von Büren to meet us. After walking about for a short time outside the building to gaze at the beauty of the distant Alps, lighted up by the glory of the setting sun, whose departing rays shed a lovely rose-coloured hue over their snowy summits, and hearing this remark: "Le bon Dieu l'a fait exprès pour vous donner plaisir," we partook of coffee with our friends in the Hall, who heartily welcomed us to Switzerland. Mr. Müller then gave a short address, and afterwards allowed the meeting to take a conversational turn, when he answered a number of important questions that were put to him. Whilst at Berne he addressed the girls and teachers one afternoon at Dr. Blösch's Orphan Institution, preached every evening until Sunday, the 10th—when he spoke at the Festhütte, at 3 p.m., to about 1,900 persons—and preached a farewell sermon at the French Church to nearly 2,000 in the evening. The Lord helped him wonderfully, many persons appeared to be greatly impressed, and it was a glorious meeting.

Having before him an immense amount of work, with the prospect of preaching evening after evening for several months to large audiences in the close, heated atmosphere of Churches, Halls, etc.; and desiring a few days of entire rest and relaxation before the short days and cold weather of winter should set in; we decided at this time upon a little excursion amongst the mountains, and accordingly on Sept. 11th started for Lucerne. At that town, which is in full view of Mont Pilatus, we passed one night, and the next morning went by steamer across the lake to Vitznau, at the foot of the Rigi. Thence we ascended the mountain—which is 5,905 feet above the level of the sea—by cog-wheel railway, and beheld from its summit a view unrivalled for extent and grandeur. The panorama of lake and mountain scenery was magnificent, the horizon presenting a circumference of 300 miles, and including in the prospect 13 lakes, the snowy masses of the Bernese Oberland, the grand range of the Jura from Geneva to Basle, and the mountains of the Black Forest in Germany.

A considerable quantity of snow lay upon the ground in the immediate neighbourhood of the Rigi Kulm, the cold was severe, and, as snow began to fall, we were glad to find shelter, near the top of the mountain, at an hotel. At half past 4 the next morning we rose and ascended the Rigi Kulm, whence splendid ranges of innumerable snowy mountain peaks and distant glaciers could be seen extending far and wide, to which, illuminated as they were by the bright beams of the rising sun, a gorgeous prismatic colouring was imparted; and there we stood for a considerable time, gazing round upon that grand, wild, solitary, silent region with an interest that could scarcely be exceeded.

"God of stillness and of motion,

Of the desert and the ocean,

Of the mountain, rock, and river,

Blessed be THY name for ever!"

At 10 o'clock we descended the mountain, embarked in a lake steamer at Vitznau for Fluellen and Altdorf, and remained at the latter place until Sept. 15th. On the morning of that day we started by diligence for Mont St. Gothard, slowly ascended a mountain Pass by an Alpine road that winds between stupendous precipices of enormous height, dark, frowning, and perpendicular; and after crossing the Pont du Diable, and changing carriages at Andermatt, drove on to the foot of the St. Gothard. From that point a gradual ascent of the mountain (by carriage) was commenced; the grand scenery and bold outline of the rocks becoming, as we advanced, more and more striking and conspicuous; but all was soon obscured by clouds and mists, and we alighted at the Hospice (situated at the top of the St. Gothard Pass, about 9,000 feet above the level of the sea) encompassed by a dense fog. In these regions above the clouds the cold was so intense, that we were thankful to accept the very poor accommodation afforded at the Hospice (a little inn intended principally for the reception of travellers on their way to and from Italy), and, in spite of the smoke from the cigars of some Italians that filled the only room with a fire in it which the house contained, were glad to be allowed to share it with them, and with any other travellers who happened to come in. At 10 we retired to our room, which was a very small one without a stove or fireplace, where the cold during the night was severe. The next morning (the 16th) we rose early, and, finding that clouds and fog still hung over the whole mountain region, concealing entirely the beauty of the grand scenery around, we got into the first diligence that stopped at the Hospice, and went down the mountain at a rapid pace to Andermatt. From there we returned to Altdorf, took the steamer to Lucerne, and went on by rail to Zürich, where we arrived in time for my husband to fulfil the engagements he had made in that town for the 17th. On the following afternoon (Sunday) he preached at the Anna Capelle to a large congregation, the Church being crowded to the utmost, and the staircases and doorways filled; and in the evening held a second meeting at the same place, which was also very numerously attended.

At Zürich he continued to conduct services every afternoon or evening until the 24th, when he addressed a large audience at the Methodist Episcopal Chapel in the morning, and preached in the afternoon at the Frau Münster—an immense Church—to about 1,900 persons. On Sept. 25th we went by lake steamer to Männedorf, and there were cordially welcomed by Mr. Zeller, successor to Dorothea Trudel, who conducted us to lodgings at a pretty cottage, with vines trained up against the walls, in which she used to live. After Mr. Müller had preached twice at Männedorf, and held two meetings at Wädenschwyl, a small town on the opposite side of the lake, we returned to Zürich; and on the evening of Sept. 29th he preached at Wytikon, a village four miles distant, where special arrangements for lighting the Church with lamps were necessary, because evening services were never held. During our two visits to Zürich he preached in that town and in the neighbourhood 18 times altogether.

On Oct. 1st we went to St. Gallen, and afterwards visited Hauptweil, Heinrichsbad (a small Sanatorium), Herisau, Heiden, Niederuzwyl, Mollis, Glarus, and Trogen, and on Oct. 23rd returned to Heiden. At all of these places he held meetings with great encouragement and success, except at Glarus, where the population is partly of an infidel character. Here some young men entered the Hall, evidently intending to disturb the meeting; but the service, nevertheless, was of a most solemn character. On the following evening the number of hearers at the same Hall was considerably larger, and the preacher was listened to with great attention.

From the grandeur and sublimity of their mountain scenery, Mollis, Glarus, and the whole neighbourhood for miles around, are wonderful localities. These are no places, one would think, for infidels; for here, if anywhere, the most careless even must be constrained to acknowledge that "the strength of the hills is His also." On Oct. 20th we went to Ragatz (situated in a picturesque spot on the Splugen Road, in the Valley of the Rhine), and on the following morning took a drive to Pfäffers-Bad, three miles distant, in the narrow deep gorge of the Tamina, between perpendicular cliffs of an amazing height, where, even during the summer months, the sun shines only from 10 o'clock till 4. The hot sulphur springs (temperature 94°) are reached by a road of planks at the bottom of the gorge, which has high precipices on each side of it, only wide enough apart for the Bath House to stand on the level ground between them. This Pfäffers-Bad is considered one of the most curious and remarkable spots throughout the whole of Switzerland.

On Oct. 24th we left Heiden and went to Constance, where, on the evening of that day, Mr. Müller held a meeting at a large Hall of the Insel Hotel, which is situated on an island in the Boden See, or Lake of Constance. This hotel used formerly to be a Dominican Monastery, and the Hall, just referred to, was the Church originally belonging to the building. An old tower, connected with the Monastery, in which John Huss was imprisoned, is still standing close to the hotel. During our short stay at Constance, three other meetings were held (two of them in the town), and before our departure we visited the Council Chamber at the Merchants' Hall, in which the Council sat by whom Huss was tried and sentenced to be burned at the stake. The spot—now marked by a monument near the Brühl outside, where, in the year 1416, he and Jerome, of Prague, suffered martyrdom, is also one of the interesting places in this neighbourhood.

On Oct. 28th we went to Schaffhausen, visited the beautiful Falls of the Rhine, and on the 29th, at the Johannes Kirche (an immense building), Mr. Müller addressed a congregation of about 3,000. Upon four other occasions also he preached at the same Church, with great help from the Lord. From Schaffhausen, on Nov. 3rd, we proceeded to Winterthur, and after he had held two meetings there, left for Basle on the 4th. Here, during the fortnight we remained, he addressed very large congregations every evening, either at the great Hall of the Vereins Haus, at a Hall belonging to the Moravians, or at one of the Churches. He addressed the Theological Students of the University also, and spoke for an hour and a quarter to 85 Missionary Students and their Teachers. On the 15th, at Beugen, he held a meeting at an Institution for young men who were being trained for teachers; on the 16th addressed 65 Missionary Students at Creschona, and on the 17th preached at Lehrach. On Nov. 18th we went to Mülhausen, and afterwards visited Strasburg, Stuttgart, Kornthal, Ludwigsburg, Reutlingen, Ober-Urbach, Heilbronn, Carlsruhe, Gernsbach (in the neighbourhood of the Black Forest), Heidelberg, Mannheim, Frankfort on the Maine, Darmstadt, Bonn, Cologne, Düsseldorf, Mülheim, Gladbach, Reydt, Viersen, Crefeld, Duisburg, Essen, Elberfeld, and Barmen, at all of which places important, happy meetings—generally crowded to the very utmost—were held, both at Halls and in the Churches.

At Bonn Mr. Müller addressed the Theological Students of the University; and at Barmen, spoke to the Missionary Students at the Mission House. Mülheim an der Ruhr, Barmen, and Elberfeld were found by us the green spots (spiritually) of Germany, where it was refreshing to be—on account of the great measure of spiritual life that existed there. The details, however, of all these services are not given, because it is undesirable to make this narrative too long; but it may be interesting to mention that at Stuttgart he was honoured by an interview with the Queen of Wurtemberg, who sent for him to the palace and asked a number of questions about the Orphan Work in Bristol; and on Jan. 13th, 1877, at Darmstadt, he held a drawing-room meeting at the house of the Court preacher, Mr. Bender, giving (by particular request) a short account of his life and labours to a large company of gentlemen and ladies assembled there. Upon this occasion four drawing-rooms were thrown open, and Princess Karl, (mother of Prince Louis of Hesse, husband of the late Princess Alice of England) Princess von Battenburg, and several gentlemen and ladies connected with the Court were present. The two Princesses shook hands with us very kindly afterwards, and expressed much interest in the account which had been given.

On March 24th we left Barmen for Cassel, where, on Sunday morning, the 25th, at half past 9, Mr. Müller preached at the Brüder Kirche to about 500 people, and in the afternoon, at St. Martin's Kirche—the largest Church in the city—to only between 600 and 700, a circumstance which showed how low the state of spiritual life was at Cassel compared with that of Barmen, Elberfeld, and Mülheim, where the Churches were so thronged, that, even when the rain fell in torrents, they were not large enough to contain the people who crowded to the meetings, though many had to walk to them six, eight, or ten miles. The congregations, however, increased in size continually.

Whilst at Cassel we took a drive to the Palace of Wilhelmshöhe, four miles distant, situated in a beautiful park, surrounded by extensive grounds where, in 1870, after his ignominious defeat at Sedan, Napoleon III., the late Emperor of the French, was sent as a State prisoner by the present Emperor of Germany.

On March 28th we left Cassel and went to Halle, viâ Eisenach, to visit the Wartburg (an old Castle standing on a steep hill, 1,355 feet in height, where Luther was concealed in 1521) and explored the interior of the building. The sitting-room, occupied by the great Reformer, when he translated the Scriptures into German, is shown to visitors. His chair also, and an old bedstead upon which he slept, are preserved as objects of interest. The Wartburg contains a small chapel likewise, and numerous valuable relics. At 9 in the evening we reached Halle. The next afternoon Mr. Müller spoke at the great Hall of Francke's Orphan Institution from Heb. xi. 4, and on March 30th gave an address on prayer at the same Hall, upon which occasion he made particular reference to the life and labours of Francke, because the example set by that devoted servant of Christ of founding an Orphan Institution, in dependence upon God alone for help, was a great encouragement to him when he began his Orphan Work in Bristol. Whilst at Halle we went through the Orphan Asylum, founded by Francke in 1698, and visited the different departments of the Institution. My husband called also upon his old friend Dr. Tholuck, Counsellor of the Upper Consistorium of Prussia, and Professor of Theology at the University of Halle, who was then living.

On March 31st we left Halle for Berlin, and on the way there went to Wittenberg, a fortified town on the Elbe, to visit the Schlosskirche, which contains the tombs of Luther and Melancthon. Here, too, we saw the Church doors upon which, on Oct. 31st, 1517, Luther's 95 Theses against the doctrine of Indulgencies were posted up, introducing the Reformation; and at an old Monastery were conducted to the room where he lived as an Augustine Monk, and shown the cup out of which he used to drink. In the market place is a great bronze statue of the Reformer, and another of Melancthon near it. We visited an Oak also, which marks the spot where, on Dec. 10th, 1520, Luther burned the Pope's bulls; saw the exterior of Melancthon's house; and afterwards, continuing our journey by rail, arrived at Berlin late the same evening. There, as long as we remained, Mr. Müller preached nearly every evening at one of the various places of worship in the city, and held meetings at St. Johannes Kirche, Old Moabit, the Erste Vereins Haus, the Christus Kirche, the Moravian Brethren's Hall, etc. On Sundays he preached regularly twice. The audiences generally were very large. On April 7th, Count Bismarck, (a cousin of Prince Bismarck), came a distance of 125 miles on purpose to see and hear him, because my husband's Narrative had been made a great blessing to his soul.

On the 21st we visited Potsdam, on the morning of the 23rd left Berlin, and in the afternoon arrived at Stettin, Pomerania, near the Baltic. Here Mr. Müller preached several times, and afterwards we visited Lübeck (one of the three great Hanse towns, about 200 miles from Stettin), Hanover, Bielefeld (in Westphalia), Soest (a very remarkable old Hanseatic town), and Ruhrort, at each of which places he preached also repeatedly. On May 16th we arrived at Nimeguen, Holland, where he held a meeting the same evening at the Dutch Reformed Church, and on the 17th visited an Orphan Institution for 450 children, seven miles from Nimeguen, established in consequence of the blessing which has rested upon the Ashley Down Orphan Houses, and carried on in the same spirit in which our own Institution is conducted. There he addressed the children with translation into Dutch, and we afterwards went through the various Departments of the Asylum. At Nimeguen, Mr. Müller continued to preach until May 21st, when we went by steamer to Arnheim (a beautiful town in Guelderland, on the banks of the Rhine), and afterwards visited Utrecht, at each of which places he held meetings repeatedly. On May 26th we reached Amsterdam, where he preached several times, either in German, or in German with translation into Dutch; and whilst there a letter arrived from the United States, signed by the Rev. E. P. Thwing, and four other pastors, earnestly inviting him to labour in America.

"Amsterdam is built upon piles driven through 50 or 60 feet of peat and sand, and is protected by dykes. Its numerous canals and 95 islands are spanned by 300 bridges. The diamond cutting industry of Amsterdam is the most celebrated in the world, and supports 10,000 workmen, 9,000 of whom are Jews. At Koster's the Kohinoor and other diamonds were cut."

On June 3rd we went to Zeist, an interesting Moravian settlement, where 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. Müller 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, viâ 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.

[A] In the following Narrative, passages which describe cities and places in Europe and America (marked as being quotations by inverted commas) have been taken either from "Appleton's Handbook of American Travel," from "Bradshaw's Continental Guide," or from one of "Murray's European Handbooks."