April 12, Saturday. 33l. 19s. 7d. more has come in since the 4th. After the expenses of today had been met, there again remained scarcely anything, when, in addition to all the ordinary expenses during the coming week before me, a fresh supply of oatmeal needed to be purchased. The boxes in the Orphan-Houses therefore were opened, but only 1l. 8s. 6d. was found in them. There came in besides from A. A. 7s.
April 13, Lord's-day. This morning I received a letter from Hampstead, containing four post-office orders of 5l. each, of which 10l. is for the poor believers among whom I labour, and 10l, for the Orphans.
April 30. From the 13th to this day came in altogether 57l. 13s. 2d. Thus we were well supplied with all the means which were needed during that time; but yesterday morning I had sent off to the Orphan-Houses the last money I had in hand. In the afternoon a sister in the Lord from Bath called, and gave me a sovereign, when I had not one penny in hand towards the need of today. This morning came in still further 18s. 10 ½ d, by needlework done by the Orphan-Girls. Also 4d. by sale of a Report. Thus we were supplied for today.
May 1. When this day began I had only half-a-crown in hand, which I had taken last evening out of one of the boxes in my house. When I was this morning, on my usual walk before breakfast, bringing my circumstances before the Lord, I reminded Him of His word, "Take no thought for the morrow ", (i.e. be not anxious about the morrow), and I told Him that yesterday I had not been anxious about today, and prayed that He would now be pleased to help me. I was in perfect peace, though I had not the least natural prospect of having the necessities of today supplied. Of the money put by for the rent I would not take. Our need was my comfort. When I returned to my house at eight o'clock, I found that there bad been sent from the Orphan-Houses 5s., given there, and 2s. 6d. for knitting. Also a person had brought yesterday to the Orphan-Houses the contents of an Orphan-box, which had in his room, having felt himself, as he said, much stirred up to do so. It was 3s. 6d. Also a sister from Worcestershire had sent 10s. Before money was sent for from the Orphan-Houses, I received this morning from Stafford 10s. Thus I had 1l. 13s. 6d, to send to the Orphan-Houses for the need of today.
May 2. A little after I had sent off yesterday all the money to the Orphan-Houses, a brother in the Lord from Cornwall called on me and gave me 1l. In the afternoon a sister, who had received peculiar mercy from the Lord in the way of temporal help, called on me, and gave 10s.; and a christian servant, who had received a fee, gave it, the amount being 2s. Thus I have 1l. 12s. to send for the need of this day.—I had written this in my journal, but the bag was not yet gone, when I received from a distance of about 50 miles for Reports 4s. 1d, and from "a Field Officer" 3l 10s.2d., so that I could send all that was needed today, being 3l.
May 3. Yesterday afternoon I received half-a-crown more, and this morning 3s. by sale of articles, and from Kendal 1l 10s. The money from Kendal came about two minutes before the boy came from the Orphan-Houses to fetch the supply for this day's necessities. It was a most seasonable help, as this is Saturday, and we needed today 3l. 15s., and I had not nearly enough in hand.—There came in further this morning 2l. 1s. 2d. by sale of articles, and in the evening 10s., being the contents of an Orphan-box in the neighbourhood of Coleford. We are thus brought to the close of another week, and have a little left towards the heavy expenses of the next, as, besides the usual housekeeping expenses of about 20l., there are ten tons of gravel for the playgrounds to be bought, and a ton of oatmeal.
July 10. From May 3rd to this day was a season of comparatively rich abundance. The total amount which was received amounts to 268l. 10s. 6 ½ d. Immediately after the 3rd, the Lord sent considerable help, so that I was able to meet the extraordinary expenses which are referred to under the last date; for on the 4th came in 6l. 0s. 3d., on the 5th 9s. 6d., on the 6th 70l. and 100l., of which two sums one-half was put to the Orphan-Fund, and the other half to the fund for the other objects. On the 10th of May I had to leave Bristol on account of my health, and was absent three weeks, and had to pay away, for the Orphans, about 100l. within one fortnight after. How seasonably, therefore, came these two donations! When these two sums came in there was only 10s. 3d. in hand, and, as has been stated, ten tons of gravel were needed, and a ton of oatmeal, also money for the apprentices, besides the daily current expenses. Of the other donations, which came in during this period, I only mention: from Negro brethren in Demerara, twelve dollars. All the money, after this long time of comparative abundance, was today, July 10th, reduced to 1l. 6s. 0 ½ d., and 2l. was needed. The boxes in the Orphan-Houses were opened, in which 16s. 1d. was found. Thus we had enough, and 2s. 1 ½ d. was left.
July 11. Yesterday afternoon came a box from Newport, in the Isle of Wight, with many articles for the Orphans, and a little money for the other objects. This was a precious encouragement to continue to wait upon the Lord. At the first delivery this morning I received several letters. The first I opened was from a brother in Devonshire, with a post-office order for 8s. for the Orphans. He writes thus; "My box for the Orphans still yields but little, but I have been frequently inquiring of the Lord, when that little should be sent. For the last few days it has appeared to me that the time was come to send it to you, I therefore sent for the amount in an order, which I this day received, and now send, in hope it may be of some help in a time of need." This 8s. was a further precious encouragement.—The next letter which I opened was from a christian gentleman at Edinburgh, containing a bank order for twenty-five guineas, of which twenty guineas are for the work of the Lord in my hands, and five for my own personal necessities. There came in still further today, from brethren at Perth 2l., and from the neighbourhood of Glasgow 5l.
July 12. This morning I received a legacy of 5l. for the Orphans, from the relatives of a dear departed sister in the Lord, who, from the commencement of the work up to her last days, had taken the deepest interest in it. Also from Jersey, together with a gold ring, 4l. Also 3l. 2s. 0 ½ d. by sale of articles and donations, so that during these two days we have had above 40l. coming in.
From July 13th to 19th, came in 16l. 6s. 8d. more. On July 19th I left for the Continent, to labour for a season in Germany, and returned to Bristol on Oct 11th. For about eight months before this, I had seen it to be the Lord's will that I should go again this year to the Continent for a season, and had made my journey and service a subject of prayer from Nov., 1844. Besides asking the Lord's blessing upon my service, I also sought His help for means, and for this also I had not to wait on Him in vain. For as the Lord had sent me, before I went in 1843, the sum of 702l. 3s. 7d. for various purposes, and for the work in Germany in particular, so He gave me again, on May 3rd, 1845, the sum of 500l, for the work in Germany, yet so, that the surplus which there might be should be employed for the Orphans and other work in my hands. From the conditions under which this donation was given to me, it was obvious then, that whilst on the one hand, when it plainly could be seen that only a certain part of the money would be needed for the present service in Germany, the remainder might be used for the benefit of the Orphans, or the other part of the work; yet, on the other hand, we could not begin at once to apply any part of this money to the objects of the Scriptural Knowledge Institution; for at the commencement I could not know how much might be expended on the service in Germany, particularly as my intention was to do as much as I could for those on the Continent who are in darkness and in the shadow of death, and also as I wished as much as possible to help the Church of Christ in that part of the world. Therefore those who said: "We are quite sure there must be much money in hand for the Orphans, else Mr. Muller would not have gone to Germany," were quite mistaken. Often have I had similar things said to me, or about the work, when we have been in the deepest poverty, simply because in faith a certain step had been taken, or a certain thing had been done, which was connected with great expense. At such times, of course, my fellow-labourers and I have had to be silent. For we could not say it was not so, else it would be exposing our poverty, and would look like asking for help. Therefore we have had to be content with something like this: "Lord, it is said that there is much money in hand, whereby some who would otherwise help us, it may be, are kept from doing so; now, Lord, do Thou nevertheless, as the work is Thine, lay our need, the real state of things, on the hearts of Thy children, that they may help us." Thus it was during my service in Germany in the summer of 1845 also. My fellow-labourers in Bristol and my dear wife and I in Stuttgart, poured out our hearts before the Lord, seeking His help upon the work, and asking Him also for means, and He did not despise our cries. There came in, during the twelve weeks that I was away, for the Orphans alone, 200l. 5s, 5 ½ d. This, together with what was in hand when I left, and with come money that at the end of my stay in Germany (when I saw that I should scarcely need one half of the 500l.) I could order to be drawn out of my bankers' hands in Bristol, richly supplied all the need, during my absence. But the labourers were repeatedly in straits, and several times the last money was gone; but the Lord refreshed their hearts by seasonable help.—Of the 500l. given for the service in Germany, and for the printing of tracts, there remained 311l. 18s, 1 ½ d., of which I took for the Orphans 161l. 18s. 1 ½ d., and for the other objects of the Scriptural Knowledge Institution 150l.