On the evening of that day my husband preached at the Ecole de Saint Marguerite; on Sunday morning, June 8th, he held a French meeting at "Le Temple," and in the afternoon we went to an old Church at Chabas, built by the Vaudois Christians, after the persecutions, from which they suffered so long, had in a great measure terminated. Here, the building was crowded to the utmost, and Mr. Müller's address in French (which occupied an hour) was listened to by the audience with the greatest interest. At the close of the service, Monsieur Pons (one of the pastors) was deputed "to express the best thanks of the Christians of that locality to Mr. George Müller for his timely and most acceptable visit to the Valleys, and to express their gratitude to him and to Mrs. Müller for coming amongst them."
Having finished our little tour of 125 miles in the Waldensian Valleys, on June 9th we returned viâ Pignerola to Turin. There, on the evening of that day my husband held a meeting at the Italian Baptist Church, and on the following evening at half past 8 preached a farewell sermon at the Tempio Valdese Evangelico.
On Thursday, June 12th, at 9 a.m., we left Turin; crossed the Alps, viâ the Mont Cenis Tunnel, and after a long, tedious journey reached Dijon at midnight. The next day our journey was continued; and at half past 4 we arrived in Paris. There, on Sunday, June 15th, Mr. Müller preached twice in French—at the Chapelle Malesherbe, Rue Roquépine in the afternoon, and at the Eglise des Billettes in the evening. On the 17th we went on to Calais and Dover; proceeded to London on the 18th, and in the evening at half past 6 reached Ashley Down, Bristol, where, as usual, a warm welcome from the Orphans and numerous kind friends awaited us. This long Continental tour was abundantly marked by the goodness of the Lord throughout the whole of its duration, and is always remembered by us both with feelings of the deepest gratitude. On June 24th we went to London for the Mildmay Conference, where Mr. Müller spoke on four different occasions. At Cheltenham (where we stayed from June 30th to July 2nd) he preached twice, and subsequently held two meetings at the Guildhall, Bath. He preached once also at Clevedon.
SIXTH TOUR.
UNITED STATES AND CANADA
From August 27th, 1879, to June 17th, 1880.
After remaining ten weeks in Bristol, where Mr. Müller attended daily to business connected with the Orphan Houses and the other branches of the Scriptural Knowledge Institution, and was occupied with his usual ministry of the Word at the three Chapels with which he is connected; having seen it to be the Lord's will that he should again visit the United States, on Wednesday, August 27th, 1879, we went to Liverpool, and, on the following afternoon, sailed in the "Germanic" for New York. During the first few days of our voyage, we had very rough weather; but, when the wind abated, the sea became calm, and our passage was a favourable one upon the whole.
On Friday evening, Sept. 5th, at the request of the passengers, my husband gave an address in the saloon, and on the 6th, at 4.20 p.m., we landed at New York.
There we stayed at the Rossmore Hotel until Sept. 20th, but Mr. Müller did not commence his work before the evening of Sunday, the 14th, when he preached at the Methodist Episcopal Church, South Second Street, Brooklyn, about six miles distant. Here, the pastor of the Church (who longed so earnestly for the conversion of sinners, that he described his desire for their salvation as "a consuming fire" within him) introduced the preacher to his congregation by making the following original remarks:—"My dear Friends, I rejoice to tell you that we are about to hear the gospel from the heart and lips of our venerable friend, who, though now aged 74, has preached the gospel upwards of 1,400 times during the last four years, in the various cities and countries he has visited. Hear this, you young men, and remember that he is no smoker, nor lover of alcoholic drink; but see how God can strengthen for His blessed service, those who trust in Him, and seek to live to His honour and glory. I have now great pleasure in introducing to you Mr. George Müller, of Bristol, England." After this opening speech, all eyes (as may be supposed) were fixed upon the preacher, who took Isaiah iii. 10, 11, for his text, and was enabled to speak with great faithfulness and power.