MULLER'S ORPHAN ASYLUM.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume V, Issue 103, 3 May 1870, Page 2

MULLER'S ORPHAN ASYLUM.

FUNERAL OF MES. MULLER. On Friday, February 11, 1870, the funeral of Mrs. Muller, wife of Mr. George Muller. founder of the world-famed Orphan Asylum on AshleydowD,near Bristol, took place at the Arno-vale Cemetery; and rarely, if ever, has the loss of a private citizen evoked such a profound sympathy throughout all classes of society as that exhibited yesterday during the passing of the mournful procession through the city of Bristol. Not only did the inhabitants in hundreds of eases partially close their shops and exhibit the usual signs of mourning in their several houses, bnt thousands assembled in the streets and many either joined in the procession or accompanied it to the cemetery. The sight of the hundreds of orphan children who followed to her last home the deeply-lamented Christian lady, who had devoted nearly half a century of her life to their welfare, told at once the secret of the genuine sympathy of the multitude of spectators. The marvellous example of Christian faith displayed by the deceased lady and her noble-hearted partner in carrying out the lesson taught by the Divine injunction, " Suffer little children to come unto me," has long ago excited universal admiration. Leaving the deceased's residence, Paul-street, Kingsdown, at ten o'clock, the mourning carriages and their occupants following the hearse took a circuit to the top of Stoke-croft, where from 12,600 to 14,000 of the children from the Orphanhouses were in readiness to join them. Mr. George Muller himself conducted the whole of the service, and as he stood up and, with unaffected simplicity of manner, addressed those present, and paid a Christian tribute to the merit of his departed wife, there was something in his quiet but forceful eloquence, in his deaply sympathetic but firm and never-faltering voice — in the transcendent fortitude of the man, and the confiding devotional faith of the Christian— something in the whole surroundings of the scene which made a prolound impression upon all present, and carried with it the force of a hundred sermons. Taking the minister's place at the desk during the slight confusion which prevailed owing to the pressure of the crowd at the doors, Mr. Muller said: — "As a mark of respect to my beloved departed one, may I request a few moments' quiet. I shall not detain you long, because of the hundreds or thousands who may be outside, and who therefore cannot hear. I shall be rery brief; but, as God may help and strengthen me, as soon as possible, I shall in the fullest and most public way speak on the subject of which we are now assembled together. All lat present mean to do is to read a few words from God's most precious Word, and make a few remarks." Reading first from the Isfc Epistle to Thessalonians, chap, iv., and coming to the passage, "And the dead in Christ shall rise first," he said, " This is the very thing that givesme the blessed and unspeakable joy which I have this day in committing to the tomb the earthly remains of my deeply beloved and precious wife; because I shall spend a happy eternity with her. Whilst we were living most affectionately united for thirty-nine years and four months this was the theme of our conversation again and again; and thousands of times I have taken her hand and the hand of my beloved daughter, and said, ' We shalL be together throughout eternity ,* and our heartsthrilled for joy in the very prospect of spending a happy eternity together in the presence ot our adorable Lord Jesus." Reading next a few verses from the Ist Epistleto the Corinthians, chap, xv, the speaker similarly dwelt upon several of the prominent passages, and quoting the verse, " Be ye steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, for \ asmuch as ye know that your labor is not in vain in the Lord," he said: "My beloved Christian friends, lay this to heart. My beloved one acted according to this; she died in harness — up to the very last she was at work for the Lord. Even when on her deathbed she yet gave directions for one thing and another to be done connected with the honor of the Lord— paring still for the sick ones outside the house, and sending them refreshment — caring yet for the orphans, and giving directions for their good — ' always abounding in the work of the Lord. It was the very joy and delight of her heart to labor for the blessed Jesus who had bought her with his precious blood." He also read from Philippians, Ist chapter, and, commenting on the passage "For me to live is Christ, aad to die is gain, ' he said, " How true ol her! During all the thirty-nine years and four months that it was the joy and privilege of my htart to be united by conjugal bonds to that loved one, ' for her to live was Christ' — her one single object was to live for Christ. As soon as 1 was united to her by conjugal bonds she became a true helpmate to me in my pastoral work. She labored, and labored abundantly, in the church ot which I was the pastor at Plymouth; and when it pleased God thirty-seven years ago to allow me the joy and privilege of coming to this city to labor, she in the fullest way joined in the work among the children of God." After dwelling upon her efforts in connection with the scene of labor at Ashleydown, he said, " Cannot my heart rejoice when I v think of one whose life w:\s like this — one of whom there is. not the shadow of a question as to where she is

now? Oh, how could it be otherwise but that ray inmost soul should be filled with unspeakable joy and delight? To her, for many reasons, 'to die vr&s gain.' The weakness and weariness of the earthly tabernacle was at an end. For months — I may say for nearly two years — that loved one, when she came home with me in the evenings from the Orphan-house,, weary and worn to the utmost, I often said to her — ' My darling, work less; stop at home;' but I never could prevail upon her to do so. Day after day she loved to be by my side at the work at the Orphan-house. But now all this weariness is gone, and gone for ever." Having pointed out how in other ways "to die ■was gain" to her, the speaker in concluding said : — " I kiss the hand that has laid me low. If you ask me, as a man, how do you feel? I reply, I feel it keenly. If you ask me as a husband, I say, I feel it to the utmost. If you ask me as a director of the Orphan-house, I feel it to the utmost, and I see no prospect of how her loss can be made up. But I kiss the hand that has done this. I rejoice in the joy of my beloved departed one, and if this moment I could alter it I would not wish to have that loved one back again. And why? Because of the depth of my affection for her, and because she longed to be with Jesus. It was the desire of her heart, and therefore I say, this is my joy! " At the grave there was an immense crowd of spectators. Mr. Muller offered up a short prayer, and having given the blessing at the close, he looked into the grave, and uttering the words "Good-by ! " he walked firmly with his friends to their carriages. The deceased was 73 years of age. — Bristol Mercury.