Читать книгу The Preaching Tours and Missionary Labours of George Müller (of Bristol) - Susannah Grace Sanger Müller - Страница 7

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On August 14th, 1875, we went to London on our second tour, of which, for the sake of brevity, it may be desirable to give a very short sketch only.

On the 15th my husband preached in the afternoon and evening at the Mildmay Conference Hall, when on the latter occasion he addressed about 3,000 persons from 1st Peter i. 8; and during the 15 days we were in London he preached 14 times altogether. Whilst there, he held several meetings also at the Mildmay Conference Hall for the benefit of young converts. Messrs. Moody and Sankey, after their long service in England, Scotland, and Ireland, had by that time returned to the United States; and as these devoted servants of Christ, whose labours were so abundantly blessed in the conversion of sinners, were unable to remain long in the places they visited, Mr. Müller had it especially laid upon his heart to preach in the large cities where they laboured, in order that, through his long experience in the ministry of the Word, he might help young converts, and instruct them more than (from want of time) these brethren had been able to do.

On August 30th we went to Stafford, on our way to Windermere and the Lake District in the north of England, where a few days were spent; and on Sept. 11th reached Kilmarnock, Scotland, at which town Mr. Müller preached morning and evening on the 12th. At Saltcoats he spoke on the 16th for an hour and a quarter at a Conference, and preached altogether seven times at Kilmarnock in the Churches of that town.

On Sept. 20th we went to Dundee, where on the 21st he spoke at the Conference Hall in the morning to about 1,200 people, and in the evening addressed 2,000 in the same place. On the 23rd he gave an address at a public breakfast, spoke at the Conference Hall again in the afternoon, and held a third meeting in the evening. On Sept. 29th, at St. Peter's, where McCheyne laboured, he preached from Psalm ciii. 3-5; held a meeting on the 30th at the Free Memorial Church, preached on the evening of Oct. 3rd at Kinnaird Hall to about 3,000 hearers, and during the 15 days we were at Dundee, spoke 17 times in public altogether. After leaving Dundee and visiting Dalkeith, on Oct. 9th we went to Perth, where Mr. Müller preached five times, and on the 13th proceeded to Glasgow, in which city, at the Convention, he gave two addresses, on the 14th, on the power of the Spirit, speaking on the first occasion to about 5,000 people, and afterwards (by request) on the same subject to an overflow meeting of 1,200.

On the evening of the 17th, at the Prince of Wales Theatre, Glasgow, he addressed an assembly of 3,000 from 1st Cor. xv. 1-2, when, at the inquirers' meeting which followed this service, it was found that 20 persons were impressed, and that one individual had found peace in Christ. Upon four subsequent occasions he preached at the same Theatre; and on the evening of Nov. 3rd addressed a congregation of 1,000 at Kirkentilloch, including eight or ten ministers who were present. On the 9th he spoke to 1,600 Sunday School and other Christian teachers at Glasgow for an hour and a quarter, preached at Queen's Park Free Church on the 10th, and on the 14th spoke at the Marble Hall from Ex. xii. 1-12. On Nov. 17th he held a meeting for young men at Queen's Park Free Church, and on the 18th, at the noon prayer meeting, spoke for the last time at Glasgow. During our visit of 36 days, Mr. Müller spoke 38 times in public altogether, with much help from the Lord, and there is reason to believe that great blessing resulted from his ministry.

Our tour through Scotland would have been continued at that time, but having received an earnest invitation to attend a Convention at Dublin, fixed for the end of November, on the afternoon of the 19th we left Glasgow for Greenock, and went by steamer to Dublin, where, after a favourable night passage, we arrived on the 20th. On the 21st my husband spoke in the morning at Merrion Hall, and preached in the evening at the same place to a congregation of about 2,000.

On the 23rd he spoke (by request) at the Christian Convention to an assembly of 400, consisting of ministers only, on "What is holiness, and how is it attained?" and in the afternoon addressed 2,000 persons at the same place on "Faith which worketh by love." On Nov. 25th he spoke again at the Convention, gave an address at the noon prayer meeting also on the 26th, and immediately after closing it, gave it over again (by particular request) to an overflow meeting assembled at the United Presbyterian Church close by. On Dec. 3rd he preached at the Metropolitan Hall; and at the Exhibition Palace, on the afternoon of Sunday, the 5th, addressed the largest congregation he had in Dublin—2,500 persons, at least, being present. During the 20 days we were there, he spoke in public 21 times altogether.

Not being able conveniently to remain longer in Ireland, in consequence of having accepted invitations for other places, on Dec. 10th we left Dublin, and went, viâ Kingstown and Holyhead, to Leamington, Warwickshire, where Mr. Müller preached many times to crowds of hearers at the Public Hall, the Wesleyan Church, the Albert Hall, the Congregational Church, and at other places. He preached once at Warwick also, once at Kenilworth, twice at Coventry, once at Rugby, on Jan. 4th, 1876, and gave a farewell address at the Public Hall Leamington, from Ephes. vi. 10-18, the next evening. During our stay at Leamington of 27 days, including the services just mentioned, and expositions of the Scriptures to visitors at the Arboretum, a large Hydropathic Establishment in the town, he held 46 meetings altogether.

On Jan. 7th we went to Liverpool, as he had been requested to preach for a time at the great Victoria Hall there, erected for Messrs. Moody and Sankey. On the 8th he gave an address at the opening of a small Institution, spoke at the Albion Hall on Sunday, the 9th, and on the evening of that day preached from Psalm xxiii., at the great Victoria Hall, to between 6,000 and 7,000 hearers. During our stay at Liverpool he spoke many times at the Victoria Hall, on Sundays, at the daily noon prayer meetings, and at 7 o'clock every evening to very large audiences, until Jan. 18th, when we went to the Conference at York, where he gave addresses upon different subjects at three meetings, each of which lasted about three-quarters of an hour. On Jan. 22nd we returned to Liverpool, where he continued to hold services at the Albion and Victoria Halls; on Feb. 6th he preached at Toxteth Tabernacle, and continued to speak in public until the 14th. During the 35 days we were at Liverpool, and the 3 in York, he spoke at 48 meetings altogether. Whilst engaged in these services he was greatly helped by the Lord, and believers and young converts thanked him repeatedly for the blessing his ministry had been to them. At the Victoria Hall one of the orphans, formerly under his care—the commander of a merchant vessel—was converted the very first evening through his preaching.

On Feb. 15th we went to Kendal, where, on the 16th, he addressed about 800 people at the Friends' Meeting House, and held three other meetings in the town, including two at the Sand Area Chapel. On Feb. 21st we left for Carlisle, and here, on the evening of the 22nd, Mr. Müller addressed 400 men and women, the work people of Messrs. Cann. The next day we started for Annan, Scotland, a little town of 3,000 inhabitants, at which place, on the 23rd, he preached at the United Presbyterian Church to about 600 hearers. On Feb. 24th we went on to Edinburgh, where the General Assembly Hall of the Free Church was at once kindly placed at his disposal, that he might hold as many meetings in it as he pleased. In this beautiful Hall every Sunday evening, and at the Noon meetings, he addressed very large congregations during the six weeks that we remained in Edinburgh. Besides these services, he preached at St. George's Free Church, at North Leith Free Church three times, at Dr. Chalmers's Memorial Church, at Bristol Street Baptist Church, Barclay Free Church, etc., and held 53 meetings altogether. On April 6th we went to Arbroath, at which place, and at Montrose, he preached eight times; and at Aberdeen, where we arrived on April 16th, in 21 days he preached 31 times. In Edinburgh and at Aberdeen he had also two meetings, at which he addressed a number of ministers for upwards of an hour; and at the Free Church College, Edinburgh, spoke to the Theological Students for about the same time.

On May 10th he held a meeting at the Free Church, Ballater; on the 12th preached at Crathie Free Church, near Balmoral Castle; and after he had held three other services at Crathie, we went by stage coach to Bræmar, where he preached once at the National, and once at the Free Church. On our return to Crathie, two more meetings were also held there. Whilst at this village, we became acquainted with a Christian housekeeper living at Balmoral Castle, who kindly conducted us one afternoon through the Queen's residence in Scotland; and, a short time before we left Crathie, Her Majesty arrived at the Castle, whom we saw driving out occasionally, accompanied by the Princess Beatrice.

After our departure from Crathie we went to Inverness, where Mr. Müller preached many times, and remained there until May 31st, when we set off for Wick, about 15 miles from John O'Groat's House, in the extreme North of Scotland. During our short stay at Wick, on the morning of June 1st we took a drive to Canisbury, the parish in which John O'Groat's House is situated, and walked upon the sea-shore, from which the Orkney Islands can be seen. At 2 in the afternoon Mr. Müller preached at Canisbury Free Church, where the country people flocked in great numbers from their little farms and cottages, three, four, and five miles off to hear him; and after the service, at 4 o'clock we returned to Wick, where he held a meeting in the evening.

On June 3rd we went back to Inverness, and here he resumed his labours until the 8th, when, in consequence of the death of an aged lady residing at Reading, Berkshire, who had made him her executor, we were obliged rather suddenly to leave; but during our two visits to this town, including the services at Wick and Canisbury, he preached 24 times altogether.

From Inverness we went—viâ Edinburgh and London, to Reading, where he preached 13 times, and thence proceeded to London. There, during the 10 days we remained, he spoke ten times in public. These services brought his second preaching tour to a close, and, on July 5th, we returned to Bristol.