Chapter 17

This humble statement from the experience of one who has tried and proven the Lord in little things, as well as large, conveys to the Christian that world of practical instruction which is contained in the precepts of the Bible, viz: to _encourage all to cast their cares on God_; and teaches them the lessons of their dependence upon Him for their daily supplies.

The meaning of the Lord's blessing upon the work of Mr. Muller, is to make it a standing example and illustration to be adopted in every Christian home. "_How God supplies our needs, how he rewards faith, how he cares for those who trust in Him. How he can as well take care of his children to-day as he did in the days of the Prophets, and how surely he fulfills his promise, even when the trial brings us to the extremities of circumstances seemingly impossible_."

Mr. Muller's experience is remarkable, not because the Lord has made his an exceptional case for the bestowal of blessings, but because of the _remarkable, unwavering and persevering application of his faith_, by the man himself.

His faith began with small degrees, and small hopes. It was painfully tried. But it clung hopefully, and never failed to gain a triumph. Each trial only increased its tenacity, and brought him greater humility, for it opened his own heart to a sense of his own powerlessness, and this faith has grown with work and trial, till its strength is beyond all precedent.

The lessons which the Lord wishes each one to take from it, is this: "_Be your faith little or weak, never give it up; apply my promises to all your needs, and expect their fulfillment. Little things are as sacred as great things_."

In the journal kept by Mr. Muller during his many years of experience, he has preserved many incidents of answer to prayer in small matters, of which we quote the following from his book. "_The Power of Faith and Prayer_."

1. "One of the orphan boys needed to be apprenticed. I knew of no suitable believing master who would take an indoor apprentice. I gave myself to prayer, and brought the matter daily before the Lord. At last, though I had to pray about the matter from May 21 to September, the Lord granted my request, and I found a suitable place for him.

2. I asked the Lord that he would be pleased to deliver a certain sister in the Lord from the great spiritual depression under which she was suffering, and after three days the Lord granted my request.

3. I asked the Lord daily in his mercy to keep a sister in the Lord from insanity, who was then apparently on the border of it. I have now to record his praise, after nearly four years have passed away, that the Lord has kept her from it.

4. During this year has occurred the conversion of one of the greatest sinners that I had ever heard of in all my service for the Lord. Repeatedly I fell on my knees with his wife, and asked the Lord for his conversion, when she came to me in the deepest distress of soul, on account of the most barbarous and cruel treatment that she had received from him in his bitter enmity against her for the Lord's sake. And now the awful persecutor is converted.

5. It pleased the Lord to try my faith in a way in which before, it had not been tried. My beloved daughter was taken ill on June 20. This illness, at first a low fever, turned to typhus, _and July 3 there seemed no hope of her recovery_.

Now was the trial of faith, but faith triumphed. My wife and I were enabled to give her up into the hands of the Lord. He sustained us both exceedingly.

She continued very ill till about July 20, when restoration began. On August 18, she was so far restored that she could be removed to Clevedon for change of air. It was then 59 days since she was taken ill.

6. The heating apparatus of our Orphan Home unexpectedly gave out. It was the commencement of Winter. To repair the leak was a questionable matter. To put in a new boiler would in all probability take many weeks. Workmen were sent for to make repairs. But on the day fixed for repairs a _bleak north wind set in_."

Now came cold weather, the fire must be put out, the repairs could not be put off. Gladly would I have paid one hundred pounds if thereby the difficulty could have been overcome, and the children not be exposed to suffer for many days from living in cold rooms.

At last I determined on falling entirely into the hands of God, who is very merciful and of tender compassion. I now asked the Lord for two things, viz.: "That He would be pleased to change the _north wind into a south wind_, and that he would give the workmen a mind to work.

Well, the memorable day came. The evening before, the bleak north wind blew still; but on the Wednesday the south wind blew _exactly as I had prayed_. The weather was so mild that no fire was needed.

About half-past eight in the evening, the principal of the firm whence the boiler-makers came, arrived to see how the work was going on, and whether he could in any way speed the matter.

The principal went with me to see his men; to the foreman of whom he said: "The men will work late this evening, and come very early again to-morrow."

"_We would rather_," said the leader, "_work all night_."

Then remembered I the second part of my prayer, that God would give the men a mind to work. By morning the repair was accomplished, the leak was stopped, and in thirty hours the fire was again in the boiler; _and all the time the south wind blew so mildly that there was not the least need of a fire_.

7. In the year 1865, the scarlet fever broke out in several of the Orphan Homes. In one of which were four hundred girls, and in the other four hundred and fifty. It appeared among the infants. The cases increased more and more. But we betook ourselves to God in prayer. Day by day we called upon Him regarding this trial, and generally two or three times a day. At last, when the infirmary rooms were filled, and some other rooms that could be spared for the occasion, to keep the sick children from the rest, and when we had no other rooms to spare, at least not without inconvenience, it pleased the Lord to answer our prayers, and in mercy stay the disease. The disease was very general in the town of Bristol, and many children died in consequence. _But not one in the Orphan Home died. All recovered_.

At another date, the whooping-cough also broke out among the four hundred and fifty girls of our Home, and though many were dying in the towns of the same disease, yet all in the Orphan Home recovered except one little girl who had very weak lungs, a constitutional tendency to consumption.

8. In the early part of one Summer, it was found that we had several boys ready to be apprenticed, but there were no applications made by masters for apprentices. This was no small difficulty, as the master must be also willing to receive the apprentice into his own family. We again gave ourselves to _prayer_, instead of _advertising_. Some weeks passed, but the difficulty remained. We continued in prayer, and then one application was made for an apprentice, and from the time we first began, we have been able to find places for eighteen boys."

THE CONSUMPTIVE'S HOME.

In the United States there is a Parallel Record to George Mailer's Life of Faith and Trust, found in the history of the Consumptive's Home of Boston, Mass. It was established twelve years since by Doctor Cullis, who in the ardor of his faith and trust gave himself to the work of the Lord, by ministering in _Jesus' Name_, to the poor consumptives who were unable to provide for themselves. Doctor Cullis is a man of humility, and devoted to his life work, and has been most abundantly blessed by the Lord in his field. To the honor and glory of our Heavenly Father, he has never been forsaken by Him.

The Institution began twelve years ago, in small quarters. Now it embraces a very large gathering of useful enterprises: _A Consumptive's Home, Children's Home, Grove Hall Church, Tract Repository, a Training College_, and a _Cancer Home_. The means provided have all been sent by the Lord, who has prompted the hearts of good people to send to it their voluntary contributions.

There is no financial fund, endowment, or pecuniary provision whatever existing for the support of the Home. No individuals have made any agreement for its support; there is no trade or occupation used or connected with it, whereby to obtain any remuneration. There has never been any appeal to man for assistance, no subscriptions ever taken, no contributions solicited, either publicly or privately; there are no agencies or connections to receive funds from any religious society for procuring charitable relief.

The supplies for the carrying on of this work, during these twelve years, have been wholly _in answer to believing prayer, to the Lord_.

They have fulfilled faithfully the Lord's commands, "_Cast all your cares on Him, for he careth for you_." They have also pleaded in faith, without a doubt, "_Anything ye shall ask the Father in my name, I will do it_." And they have asked and received, and the Provider has never yet failed them.

During the twelve years' time there has been sent to the Consumptive's Home, without any solicitation whatever, but in answer to believing prayer and faith and trust in God's providence, a sum no less than _three hundred and sixty thousand dollars, and over fifteen hundred patients have been gratuitously cared for_. No one has been urged, asked, or even hinted to contribute to it. Each morning, noon and night prayer has been offered to send means to provide for their daily wants, and the Great Shepherd has sent the supplies.

During these twelve years, the experiences of Doctor Cullis, the founder, have been most remarkable in the frequent answers to prayer in minute details of life, and especially in healing. There are so many such cases, that there is no possible room to doubt. There have often been moments, yes, days of distress and intense trial, when, with not a single penny on hand, it seemed as if failure had come; but faith could not let the promise go, neither was it possible for them to believe that He who could do so much, would forsake so good a work, which was undertaken only in obedience to the guidance and direction of the Lord; and God has always brought deliverance, and honored them and brought glory to his own name.

In the daily history of these struggles and trials and triumphs of faith, are found many surprising incidents, a few of which we relate.

A BAD DEBT PAID.

"To-day a bill was paid of $31, which I had given up as good for nothing. A long time ago I gave it to the Lord in prayer, and promised Him if it was ever canceled that it should be His."

HELP IN NEED.

"The sums received for several days had been small. One day as the Doctor was in prayer for his needs, he received a note from a lady asking him to call at her house, naming the day and the hour. At the time appointed he called, and found the lady sick in consumption, near to death. She said she had some money which she wished to dispose of before her death. She placed in his hand a _five hundred dollar note_. It was her last gift. She had received it from the hand of the Lord, and she returned it to Him again."

PRAYING FOR STOVES.

"This afternoon, knowing the necessity of stoves for some of the upper rooms, as the weather is quite cool, I went to the Lord, in prayer, and told him of our need, praying Him in one way to supply us.

"I then went down town to a friend, to look at stoves and inquire the price, when he said, 'that's all right, I shall not charge anything,' and said he would see that they were put up. This man knew nothing of our great need; he had never visited the Home, knew but little about it, and not a word did he know of the state of my purse. "The Lord inclined the man's heart to give the stoves."

PRAYING FOR A FURNACE.

"I am earnestly praying for the means to purchase a furnace, for we cannot receive patients into the new Home until it can be warmed. I am looking to the Lord, and He will help."

_Seven days later_. "A gentleman has this day ordered a furnace to be put in, with fourteen tons of coal at his expense. I will here say that his attention was not called to our need, but he asked how the house was to be warmed; he then learned of our want, and ordered as above. Truly, 'Whosoever believeth in Him shall not be confounded.'"

THE LORD'S RETURN FOR GIVING UNTO THE POOR.

"This afternoon a poor woman, whose history I have known for some time, and who has a sick husband over eighty years of age, called on me, stating that she had only a ten-cent loaf of bread for herself and her husband to eat since Wednesday, and to-day is Saturday.

"Notwithstanding my own need, I felt that I could not withhold from one in greater straits than myself, so in Christ's name, I gave her enough to procure necessary food for a few days. The Lord did not forget it, but this evening has returned the amount with bountiful interest. For the turn I gave Him, He has sent me $40. _'There is that scattereth yet increaseth_.'"

A WATCH GIVEN TO THE LORD--HOW THE LORD RETURNS A BETTER ONE.

"Last year, during a season of great need, I sold my watch; yesterday, the Lord returned it by a gift of a much better one from a friend, who had purchased it abroad, knowing nothing of my need, thus proving, 'He that soweth bountifully, shall reap also bountifully.'"

THE LORD GAVE DOUBLE WHAT WAS ASKED FOR.

"This morning and noon I called upon the Lord in prayer for the means to pay a bill of $100. By three P.M., a check was sent me of $200."

BLESSINGS AMID CALAMITIES.

"The roof of one of our houses having caught fire from a spark from a neighbor's chimney, it was mostly destroyed; some of the furniture, and the whole home badly damaged by water. All hearts thanked the Lord the circumstances were no worse. In the midst of our calamity, blessings surrounded us. An unknown donor sends in 20 tons of coal. For weeks I have been praying for the means to purchase our Winter fuel, and now the Lord has inclined the heart of an unknown friend to supply our need."

A REMARKABLE PROMISE.

At one period in the history of the Consumptive's Home, a sum of three thousand dollars placed in the safe, and reserved to be used for payment on the purchase of a new building was stolen, and there was not left a single dollar; every penny was gone.

Nothing daunted, again going to the Lord, and pleading the Lord's own promise, "_If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will and it shall be done unto you_." The request was made in prayer for the three thousand dollars, and the promise of the amount was definitely made to be paid out a certain day.

The day came. Before it had arrived, the Lord had sent the three thousand dollars with unusual contributions, and both the promises of the Lord and that of his children were kept.

The ordinary business man would have said it was foolishness for a poor man, with not a penny in the world, all his means stolen from him, to positively promise on a certain day the next month, to pay so large a sum, exactly the same as was stolen.

The skeptic would have said, "All foolish to plead before an unseen God, and ask for such a sum. You will never get it. Why didn't your God prevent your money from being stolen. If your Bible is true, he ought to have protected you from loss."

The answer to all these is thus: The Doctor did trust in the promise of an unseen God, whom he had tested in the past many hundred times, and who had always been faithful in keeping his promises, and his faith knew that his God would not suffer his own work to fail nor suffer reproach.

Still further to silence the skeptic, let it be said that after the robbery became known, the sympathy for the institution became so much greater, that the contributions voluntarily sent in consequence thereof replaced the three thousand dollars within thirty days, and produced far more in excess, to go towards other needs. Thus an adversity became a blessing. The Lord uses sorrow to produce good.

A WOMAN DELIVERED FROM THE HABIT OF DRINKING.

"I visited a family for whom I have felt a deep interest for weeks past. The father had been out of employment some time, and they have lacked food and clothing. Much of their trouble has been caused by the intemperance of the mother. Her husband has borne long and patiently with her, and although she would for a long time leave off drinking, it was only to fall again still lower. While furnishing them with clothing, and assisting them in other ways, I besought the mother to give her heart to Jesus, knowing that he could keep her from falling. She became, a constant attendant at our meetings. Says "_Jesus has taken her love for drink all away_." One of her little ones, who is just beginning to talk, said the other day, "Mamma, you don't drink now." They are a happy family, and their home is greatly changed.

PRAYER FOR PURCHASERS.

When removal to the new Home was determined upon, there still remained five of the old buildings on hand to be disposed of. This too was taken to the Lord in prayer that he might send purchasers.

One building was sold in October, and the remaining four in November. When it is considered that a portion was property usually very difficult of sale, and that no advertisement of it had been made, no other means than prayer resorted to, it must be convincing to all that there must be "one who knoweth all things," who hears and helps in financial as well as in spiritual necessities.

ASKING FOR LARGE GIFTS.

Upon the 26th of September the record of the Home was as follows: "There is due on the first of next month, $2,450 interest on our property, and we are now within four days of the time, with not a dollar towards it. For several days I have been asking that amount of the Lord."

Now here was a man depending wholly upon _chance gifts_ for the livelihood of several hundred people, with a debt of over two thousand dollars to pay in four days. His occupation and work were such that no one could even possibly think of making any loans, as there was no security. Neither was it the principle or the practice of the Home ever to solicit a dollar. What was to be done? _It was taken to the Lord in prayer_, and all waited the result.

Was it at all probable that so large a sum of money could be sent in so short a time by any one or any number of persons?

That evening a letter from the probate office at Exeter, N. H., was received by Dr. Cullis, informing them of the death of a citizen of Portsmouth, with a bequest to the Home of _five thousand dollars_. The Lord answered their prayer the same day and sent _double what was asked for_.

A SEVERE TUMOR HEALED.

During the year 1872, there was under the professional care of Dr. Cullis, at the Consumptive's Home, a Christian lady with a tumor which confined her almost continuously to her bed in severe suffering. All remedies were unavailing, and the only human hope was the knife; but feeling in my own heart the power of the promise, I one morning sat down by her bedside, and taking up the Bible, I read aloud, God's promise to his believing children. "_And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up: and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him_."

I then asked her if she would trust the Lord to remove this tumor and restore her to health and to her missionary work. She replied, "I am willing to trust the Lord for it."

I then knelt and anointed her with oil in the name of the Lord, asking Him to fulfill his own word. Soon after I left she got up and walked three miles. From that time the tumor rapidly lessened until all trace of it at length disappeared.

FAITH CURED HER.

This incident was related by the lady herself in a public meeting in Boston, where it was heard by the sorrowing wife of an afflicted husband, whose statement is as follows:

"I was first confined to my house with a violent cold. I lost my voice completely, suffered with pain in my lungs and expectorated almost constantly. I grew worse every day, and in a week called in a physician. On examination he found my lungs diseased. I also had fever. With all his care my cough grew worse, and night sweats set in; a few weeks later my wife was told by the Doctor that my lungs were badly ulcerated, and that my case being hopeless, it was not worth while for him to attend longer; also that she must NOT be surprised if I should pass away suddenly. I then tried some highly recommended medicine, which seemed only to increase my disease.

"When I became so weak as to be nearly helpless, Dr. Cullis was called in. He sounded my lungs and gave the same verdict, saying my only hope for recovery was in the Lord. Diarrhea also set in, and my feet began to swell."

This statement will show his perfect helplessness.

After the return of his wife from the above meeting, he read over and over the precious promises of God, and became more and more convinced of the power of faith. Believing that "_He is faithful that promised_" he sent for Dr. Cullis to come and pray with him.

"Dr. C. prayed, anointed me with oil, and in the name of the Lord Jesus, commanded me to be healed. Instantly my whole being was thrilled with an unknown power, from the top of my head to the soles of my feet. From the moment I believed, the _work was done_. My lungs, so long diseased, breathed with new vigor, and I returned thanks to God for the results of faith. Since that memorable night I have taken no medicine, and my health has been constantly improving, so _that I am feeling better now than I did before my sickness_."

Two years after he was seen by Dr. Cullis, and continued in perfect health, and engaged in active business.

CURED OF CANCER.

A lady came to the Consumptive's Home with a cancer in the cheek, which had attained the size of a filbert. It had a very red and angry appearance. After prayer for her healing she went into the country, when some one remarked, 'E. thinks that faith will cure her, but _that_ is something that will have to be burned out or cut out.' Her friends tried to induce the use of various applications, all of which she firmly refused. She returned home in eight weeks, entirely cured. Her friends acknowledged, '_Faith did do good after all_.'

CURED OF NEURALGIA.

A lady of East Cambridge writes, "For nineteen years I have been afflicted with neuralgia; added to this, of late years a combination of diseases has rendered life an intolerable burden, and baffled the skill of every physician to whom I have applied. By the prayer of faith I have been healed, both body and soul, and made to rejoice continually. I can now say I am entirely well, and engaged in arduous work--often among the sick, losing whole nights of rest."

CURED OF SPINE DISEASE.

Dr. Cullis thus speaks of a signal answer to his prayer. "While at the home of L.R. in England, I was asked to pray with his daughter, who had spinal curvature. Subsequently L.R. writes, 'We. are full of thankfulness and praise about E. She is quite well and strong, and does everything like her sisters. She has such perfect faith that the Lord had healed her, that she at once put away the board and said she should never lie upon it again, and on the following Sunday she walked four miles in a hot sun, and sat for two hours on a bench without a back. As far as we can judge, she is quite well in every respect. For fifteen months before she had been a constant cause of anxiety to us--never walked or attended to study.'"

AN INJURED LEG RESTORED TO PROPER LENGTH.

"Some months ago a young lady called, requesting to be prayed for. She simply told me that some years ago she was run over and her hip badly injured. I asked her if she could trust the Lord for healing. She replied, 'Yes.' I prayed, with her, and she went home.