Book Summary and Review: The Story of John G. Patton’s Thirty Years with South Sea Cannibals

 

Years ago, I heard my pastor mention John G. Patton about his willingness to be eaten by cannibals (p.28)[1] as he chose to be a missionary. I committed to myself that I would be reading about this man, but it was only 3 weeks ago that I started to search for his autobiography, after hearing from another pastor about John Patton’s suffering–the death of his wife and child within 4 months of his arrival (p.36).  

Patton, (a 34-year-old European, newly married, trained in medicine, literature, and divinity, grieving the loss of his family on the cannibal island of New Hebrides, and guarding their graves sleeplessly so that the cannibals will not eat their corpses,) made a strong impression on me to read about him. What is my lot in comparison to such a man of God? We do admire great people of God, but do we admire the hardships and trials they went through? If we pattern our characters after theirs, we must not be perplexed when trials come along our path. After all, we have so great a cloud of witnesses (Heb. 11:1-12:1) and autobiographies like this for us to imitate and endure joyfully.

I do not have enough money to buy whatever book I want, and I don’t need to if I can download a pdf version from the internet. After a week of Google search and research, it pleased my mind to read a pdf version of “The Story of John G. Patton’s Thirty Years with South Sea Cannibals,” Third Edition. It is an autobiographical work, but Edited by his younger brother James Patton, and Revised by his friend, A.K. Langridge.

The narrative is very lively, and it feels like reading a novel. It is also very engaging. Sometimes, Patton interacts with the readers directly or indirectly to convict his Christian readers (p.52, 148).

There are 40 short chapters in this 256-page book. The first 3 chapters are about his early days. Chapters 4-17 are about his first missionary base in Tanna. Chapters 18-21 are about his preparation to come back to the island. Chapter 22 onwards is the story of Aniwans. The Autobiography (writings in 1^st person narrative) concluded by chapter 32. From chapter 33 onwards till chapter 40 is the work of editors. However, they contain a lot of narratives in the first person.

Langridge mentioned in the preface that this edition omitted the details of the Missionary’s worldwide travels in the interest of the New Hebrides Mission. John Gibson Patton was a Scottish Missionary to New Hebrides (now, known as Vanuatu, near Australia, South Pacific Ocean) sent by his home church at Dumfries, Reformed Presbyterian Church. He volunteered when nobody was willing to go there to be a missionary (p.27). His parents were supportive though with a heavy heart and he was commissioned at 33 years old.

Patton always wanted to be a missionary, and he scheduled his life waiting for the right moment. He studied Greek and Latin devoutly since before he was 12 (p.16). He refused promotion and even lost his job because he declined the 7-year contract; he was willing to work for 3 years and then become a missionary (p.18). He had a wonderful loving relationship with his dad (p.20). He employed himself as a schoolteacher (to raise money for his further studies) and became a teacher of the choice of parents and students, but he had to leave because the school Committee preferred a man who had more academic credentials (p.23). He considered his academic and ministerial training seriously. He distanced himself from worldliness (p.24, 124)

It took about a year for Patton to reach Tanna (his first mission centre), one of the many villages on the island, since he volunteered to go. Some missionaries had been killed and eaten by the cannibals since 1839 when the London Missionary Society began to reach out to them (p.29). Government servants had been establishing their colonial policy since before his arrival. The natives were afraid of the more developed European technology and life skills (p.48, 88). They were also covetous of the goods of Europeans – clothes, knives, guns, drinks, biscuits, education, etc. So, it was possible for the missionaries to contact them having those privileges and resources (p.140, 185).

Nevertheless, the traders, non-Christian normal European present there often treated them as violent animals, not as human beings, making the outreach to these heathens more challenging. Some of them were so cruel as to introduce deadly measles to wipe out their population so that White Europeans could colonize the land (p.73). It took the lives of 1/3^rd of the population, and even the lives of the missionaries and their associates (p.74).

The natives were selfish, deceitful, revengeful, bloodthirsty, uncivilized, and violent (p.34, 38, 44). They would blame the missionaries for the drought, hurricane, sickness, misfortune, etc., on the land (p.37). They would surround the missionary now and then to kill them and eat them. They alleged that their gods were angry with them for allowing the missionaries to preach about another god, Jehovah.

Sometimes, some chiefs would defend Patton (p.42). Other times, the same chiefs who were friendly at some point in time became determined to kill him (p.92). However, they were cowards too, fearful of night and superstitions. Sometimes, they demanded Patton go away or stop his missionary activities, or be killed. They openly told him that they loved the goods of European but not the new religion.

“But again their assembly resolved that we should be killed. They declared their hate for the worship, because it made them afraid to continue their present courses, and argued that if I would give up visiting the villages and praying and talking with them, they would let me stay and trade with them, as they liked the traders but hated Missionaries! I told them that the hope of being able to teach them the worship of Jehovah alone kept me living amongst them and that I was there, not for gain or pleasure, but to lead them to know and serve the only true God.” (p.55)

They were also extremely cruel to their women:

"If we did not beat our women they would never work; they would not fear and obey us; but when we have beaten and killed and feasted on two or three, the rest are all very quiet and good for a long time to come!" (p.43)

Sometimes, some chiefs appealed to their people to become Christians and to give up wars, cruel practices, and superstitions (p.61). One day, Patton dared their sacred priest to kill him by witchcraft and mocked them like Elijah mocked the prophets of Baal. Realizing their inability to kill him by witchcraft, one of them tried to spear him to death but the people declared that Jehovah was a greater God. (p.67-68) Some people professed to be converted and attended the worship and endured mockery and persecution (p.79).

After the outbreak of measles, situations had become uncontrollable. They started killing missionaries and were planning to kill them all. Now, they had realized that the Government officers weren’t punishing them for killing the missionaries (p.83). There were constant threats and attempts to kill secretly and openly, sometimes in groups or individually. Several times, Patton and the people would see the intervention of God in restraining them or confusing them (p.97, 111).

The time came for Patton to leave Tanna as they kept hunting him. He had been there for about 4 years, learning their language, teaching them the alphabet, and working on translating the Bible into their language (p.114). He had been a social reformer, doctor, preacher, teacher, and even a mediator to conflicting parties. He went to Australia and beyond to raise money to build a missionary ship to transport missionaries and goods to the island. He succeeded in coming back (accompanied by his second wife), but he had to base his station in Aniwa (15 miles distant from Tanna) according to the direction of the Synod (p.131).

Patton lost his wife and baby boy in Tanna 4 years ago, in his first 4 months as a missionary there. He writes: “and with ceaseless prayers and tears I claimed that land for God in which I had "buried my dead" with faith and hope. . . It was very difficult to be resigned, left alone, and in such sorrowful circumstances; but feeling Immovably assured that my God and Father was too wise and loving to err in anything that He does or permits, I looked up to the Lord for help, and struggled on in His work.” (p.36-37).

The mission in Aniwa was a successful one. Although the Aniwans were selfish and wanted Patton and his teams to die off quickly, yet they survived and become their eternal friends later (p.134). Having a wife as a missionary partner proved fruitful and easier for the cause of the mission (p.182). Mrs. Patton was a huge influence. She taught the Aniwan women hymns (p.171). The mission centre adopted orphans, and this transformed even the most hostile family (p.144,). The orphans would in turn warn the missionaries of the evil plots of their parents, and thus they were saved.

I like the gospel-centred principle of Patton and his only trust in the work of the Holy Spirit for conversion (p.88). At one point in time, Patton decided to sift his attendees:  

“When we stopped the feast at the close, which the Aneityumese teacher had been forced to prepare before our coming, and for which they were always ready, the audiences at first went down to two or three l but these actually came to learn, and a better tone began immediately to pervade the service. We informed them that it was for their good that we taught them, and that they would get no "pay" for attending church or school, and the greater number departed in high dudgeon as very ill-used persons!” (p.144)

The story of Nelwang’s elopement (chapter 24) is thrilling and his conversion is pleasing to read about. Chapter 25 presents Patton as the Moses of Aniwans who brought out water from the thirsty land. I enjoyed reading about the tactics the natives used to persuade Patton to stop his “madness.”

The old chief and his best men now came around me more earnestly than ever. He remonstrated with me very gravely. He assured me for the fiftieth time that rain would never be seen coming up through the earth on Aniwa! "Now," said he, "had you been in that hole last night, you would have been buried, and a man-of-war would have come from Queen 'Toria to ask for the Missi that lived here. We would have to say, 'He is down in that hole.' The captain would ask, ' Who killed him and put him down there? ' We would have to say, ' He went down there himself!' The captain would answer, 'Nonsense! Who ever heard of a white man going down into the earth to bury himself? You killed him, you put him there; don't hide your bad conduct with lies!' Then he would bring out his big guns and shoot us and destroy our island in revenge. You are making your own grave, Missi, and you will make ours too. Give up this mad freak, for no rain will be found by going downwards on Aniwa. Besides, all your fishhooks cannot tempt my men again to enter that hole J they don't want to be buried with you. Will you not give it up now! " (p.159)

The sinking (digging) of the Well seemed to have a strong effect on the Aniwans. They never knew about the concept of underground water. It was a miracle for them, “the world is turned upside down” (p165). They tried to sink well for themselves 7 times but were unsuccessful, and they confessed: "Missi not only used pick and spade, but he prayed and cried to his God. We have learned to dig, but not how to pray, and therefore Jehovah will not give us the rain from below!" (p.164). The first convert who happened to be also the chief of the natives, Mr. Namakei, now, was excited to be a preacher of the new religion, and he preached powerfully, and the people gave up idolatry (p.164).

          There were social transformation and spiritual disciplines in the lives of the people: The practice of prayer before meals, the practice of family worship in the morning and evening, and the observance of the Sabbath.

Necessarily these were the conspicuous features of our life as Christians in their midst-morning and evening Family Prayer and Grace at Meat; and hence, most naturally, their instinctive adoption and imitation of the same as the first outward tokens of Christian discipline. Every house in which there was not Prayer to God in the family was known thereby to be heathen. This was a direct and practical evidence of the New Religion; and, so far as it goes (and that is very far, indeed, where there is any sincerity beneath it), the test was one about which there could be no mistake on either side (p.167).

One boat's crew refused to work on the Sabbath, and gave as their reason that God's Book forbids work on the Sabbath. "We fear God," they said, "and will not work for you on the Lord's Day." They were told that if they refused to work like others on board they would get no food. The answer came quickly, "We can live without food for a day, and we will not work." (p.227)

Chapter 26 contains the story of the translation of the Bible into their language and the building of their church. Chapter 27 contains the story about the conversion of Chief Youwili, and also the baptism of converts after careful examinations. By now, Patton was sure the natives were greatly fond of and loved him. He would often threaten them of leaving when they misbehaved (p.177). Patton recorded generously about the new social order of the lands and the activities on Sunday in this chapter. Soon, they became preachers, evangelists, and missionaries to the other parts of the island.

In heathendom every true convert becomes at once a Missionary. The changed life, shining out amid the surrounding darkness, is a Gospel in largest capitals which all can read. Our Islanders, especially, having little to engage or otherwise distract attention, become intense and devoted workers for the Lord Jesus, if once the Divine Passion for souls stirs within them (p190).

Chapter 29 records the eloquent preaching of Naswai and the insolent mockery of Nerwa and his conversion. Chapter 30 records the torture of Mungaw and his irrational behaviours aftermath. It also has an interesting story about Lamu, the rejected candidate for baptism. In the last two chapters of his autobiography (chps. 31-32), Patton records his trip outside the island and his return to the island. In the following chapters, the editor records Patton’s desire to stop the slave trade even meeting with US Presidents.

Patton’s mission was successful:

“In our absence the native teachers have worked faithfully. Every child above infancy can read the New Testament fluently. We gave out the new hymnbook (of 153 hymns) and the new Catechism, which I had translated and got printed and bound in Melbourne.” (p.239)

“"It was," he said, "a feast of real joy to see that my long-cherished prayer may yet be fulfilled-' the New Hebrides with its every island, tribe, and native for Jesus and His Glory.' We now occupy twenty-five of its thirty islands, and have 17,000 natives avowedly serving Jesus as their God and Saviour; of these 330 are consecrated to the work as teachers and evangelists” (p.243).

Patton went out of Aniwa for medical treatment of his wife. She died and he wasn’t allowed to go back to Aniwa again because of his failing health. He died peacefully in the Lord in 1907 (p.252-253).

This book is accurately titled “The Story of John G. Patton’s Thirty Years with South Sea Cannibals” because it’s more the story of Patton in Hew Hebrides than his autobiography. I would like to know more about his wife, his family, and his relationship with them, which I couldn’t get here. His theological beliefs, reflections, and struggles aren’t recorded much, but his belief in the sovereignty of God over salvation, suffering, sinners, and all situations is clearly portrayed by what he went through. This book is so focused on the mission at New Hebrides, it serves as a great book for missionaries. However, one would need to refer to other sources to know more about him to imitate his faithful life – his doctrines. I started reading with an expectation to know who John Patton was, and I ended up learning more about what John Patton did. And frankly, I would like to know the person also, perhaps more than his works because it’s the who that produces works, though our world would like to claim to know a person by what he does. So, that’s me and my take.

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[1] Page number is as appeared in the original book. The pdf version has 268 pages, but the original book has 256 pages with extra pages for 8 illustrations.

Short Reflection from Mark 1-16

 [Originally posted in a WhatsApp group (LRAU) as a daily reading update (reflection) from each chapter of the Bible]

[5:58 pm, 10/05/2022] S.R:

𝕄𝕒𝕣𝕜 𝟙:𝟚𝟚

"They were amazed at His teaching; for He was teaching them as one having authority, and not as the scribes."

For preachers to be authoritative, they need to handle the text accurately. That takes a lot of time, effort, and passion!

 

𝕄𝕒𝕣𝕜 𝟚:𝟙𝟛

"And He went out again by the seashore; and all the people were coming to Him, and He was teaching them."

Jesus loved to teach. He was famously and more known as "the teacher" (or the Rabbi in Hebrew) than by any other names.

Even according to the book of Timothy and Titus, what makes a pastor different from other Christians is the ability to teach the word of God!

Teaching Matters

 

𝕄𝕒𝕣𝕜 𝟛:𝟜

"And He *said to them, "Is it lawful to do good or to do harm on the Sabbath, to save a life or to kill?" But they kept silent."

God commanded that they rest on Sabbath. These Jews didn't know why it was so. Jesus knew the commandment not just in words but in spirit too.

There are a lot of exceptions in the Bible. It's necessary to know why they are so. After all, heaven is not heaven if God is not there.

 

𝕄𝕒𝕣𝕜 𝟜:𝟛𝟡

"And He got up and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, "Hush, be still." And the wind died down and it became perfectly calm."

This is the same God who is with us till the end of the age. You can look at my DP (WhatsApp profile picture) too. I have put up a hymn based on this incident!

 

𝕄𝕒𝕣𝕜 𝟝:𝟚𝟝-𝟚𝟞

"A woman who had had a hemorrhage for twelve years, and had endured much at the hands of many physicians, and had spent all that she had and was not helped at all, but rather had grown worse"

This woman had gone to all the doctors of her time, but she never got healed rather lost all her money. The description is not just about the seriousness of her disease but also about the cost of medical fees! Last time, I went for eyes check-up. I paid ₹800 and was told to visit twice. I was given a blank paper, no treatment, no prescription, no nothing, except to come back next year with ₹800 again for a check-up. 😂

The Gospel of Luke omits this description. Luke, being a doctor, himself, had some respect for his profession. 😎 He said that the woman's problem was an incurable one😂

The good part is this woman got healing from God. Maybe, we have wasted all our money, energy, time, hope on something here and there, and have nothing to spend more now. Maybe it's time to exercise faith in God and be brave enough to do a crazy thing (to touch Christ for healing)!

 

𝕄𝕒𝕣𝕜 𝟞:𝟚𝟞-𝟚𝟟

"And although the king was very sorry, yet because of his oaths and because of his dinner guests, he was unwilling to refuse her. Immediately the king sent an executioner and commanded him to bring back his head. And he went and had him beheaded in the prison."

What injustice is this! But why did it happen to John the prophet of God in this stupid manner! It's okay to die the death of a martyr, but not like this, the wish of a crazy girl.

And Jesus was alive but He didn't protest about it, nor sought justice for his cousin brother John, nor tried to reform the government!  His business was totally different. Preachers do well to focus on their bounden duty!

 

𝕄𝕒𝕣𝕜 𝟟:𝟠

"Neglecting the commandment of God, you hold to the tradition of men."

God first.

Men secondary.

 

𝕄𝕒𝕣𝕜 𝟠:𝟛𝟠

"For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will also be ashamed of him when He comes in the glory of His Father with the holy angels."

“Ashamed”

That's the watchword. People hardly know that they are ashamed or not. And the reality is they are ashamed.

Forget about being courageous, let's pray that we will even recognize, realize how we are ashamed of Christ! O! Pity, O Christians!

 

𝕄𝕒𝕣𝕜 𝟡:𝟛𝟚

"But they did not understand this statement, and they were afraid to ask Him."

Sometimes, people blamed the leaders that they are too intimidating and they aren't approachable. Well, to them Jesus would be also an imperfect leader. Hmm! Unsanctified people have unsanctified ideas, beware!

 

𝕄𝕒𝕣𝕜 𝟙𝟘:𝟚𝟚

"But at these words he was saddened, and he went away grieving, for he was one who owned much property."

If you have much, you have much to lose. It's not wrong to have much, and there's no virtue in poverty. But if anything that we have accumulated has distracted us from following the giver of life, we have got to dismantle them!

 

𝕄𝕒𝕣𝕜 𝟙𝟙:𝟛𝟘-𝟛𝟛

"’Was the baptism of John from heaven, or from men? Answer Me.’  They began reasoning among themselves, saying, "If we say, 'From heaven,' He will say, 'Then why did you not believe him?'  But shall we say, 'From men'?"--they were afraid of the people, for everyone considered John to have been a real prophet. Answering Jesus, they *said, "We do not know." And Jesus *said to them, ‘Nor will I tell you by what authority I do these things.’"

Ignorance is not bliss. Ignorance is an abdication of responsibility. Saying "I don't know" is one of the most famous demonstrations of ignorance! And often, it means exactly as it was in this story.

 

𝕄𝕒𝕣𝕜 𝟙𝟚:𝟜𝟛-𝟜𝟜

"Calling His disciples to Him, He said to them, ‘Truly I say to you, this poor widow put in more than all the contributors to the treasury; for they all put in out of their surplus, but she, out of her poverty, put in all she owned, all she had to live on.’"

I often heard from some people that it's difficult to give even 10% when you earn much. And that's stupid. But all sinners are stupid, what to do?

10% of 10,000 is just 1000

10% of 1,00,000 is 10,000

10% of 10 Lakh is 1 lakh. As the amount increases, the 10% deductible amount increases too.

Jesus said the opposite. It's more difficult to give when you don't earn much. And that's common sense too, right? But greed, love of money, and love of pleasure have made people lose their common sense.

 

𝕄𝕒𝕣𝕜 𝟙𝟛:𝟙-𝟚

"As He was going out of the temple, one of His disciples *said to Him, ‘Teacher, behold what wonderful stones and what wonderful buildings!’ And Jesus said to him, ‘Do you see these great buildings? Not one stone will be left upon another which will not be torn down.’"

The Jews took pride in their temple. They boasted that the temple should be in Jerusalem and not in Samaria. After all, it's the temple of God, so, it was right for them to love the temple. But their attachment had gone corrupted—they loved the temple but not the God of the temple. So, God had to not only desecrate but completely destroy the temple.

Abraham was a friend of God. God gave him Isaac after 25 years of promise. Abraham loved his son Isaac too much that it had become an idol of his heart. God had to tell Abraham that he must give up even his very son for God.

Is there anything we are too attached to? If it has become an idol, the Lord will take it away. But if we like Abraham learn to re-orient our hearts to Him, there's grace as vast as the ocean!

 

𝕄𝕒𝕣𝕜 𝟙𝟜:𝟞𝟚

"And Jesus said, ‘I am; and you shall see THE SON OF MAN SITTING AT THE RIGHT HAND OF POWER, and COMING WITH THE CLOUDS OF HEAVEN.’"

Surely, Jesus will come by the clouds. Whenever we see the clouds, let's remember that Jesus could just appear anytime. That's anticipation, not dreadfulness, btw!

 

𝕄𝕒𝕣𝕜 𝟙𝟝:𝟙𝟝

"Wishing to satisfy the crowd, Pilate released Barabbas for them, and after having Jesus scourged, he handed Him over to be crucified."

Pilate feared the crowd rather than fearing God.

He loved the praise of people rather than loving justice.

Let's not be Pilate!

 

𝕄𝕒𝕣𝕜 𝟙𝟞:𝟚𝟘

And they went out and preached everywhere, while the Lord worked with them, and confirmed the word by the signs that followed.] [And they promptly reported all these instructions to Peter and his companions. And after that, Jesus Himself sent out through them from east to west the sacred and imperishable proclamation of eternal salvation.]   (Mark 16:20, NASB)

The necessity of the proclamation of the good news of salvation.

Salvation is what everyone is after. Even spiderman and superman are all about salvation. No story is inspiring without a plot of salvation. No testimony is worth saying without salvation. The Bible is also about salvation, but the spiritual salvation the real one!

Book Review: Autobiography of George Muller

Whenever I hear or see the name of George Muller, I think of him as a man of faith, a man of prayer, and a man who trusted God to provide his daily needs. Recently, I have been thinking about these things, and last week, I decided to read about George Muller to find out what I may imitate from his godly characters (Hebrews 13:7). I prefer reading an autobiography over a biography when it comes to people like him, and George Muller has one, to my delight.

I downloaded a pdf version of his autobiography compiled by G. Fred Bergin made available by Monergism Books. It is 1051 pages long. I am not sure whether this pdf version is authentic, reliable, and citable or not. It has no footnotes, no bibliography, and it doesn’t look like a proper book that one can make any citation. I chose to read it anyway because I was looking for my edification, and not for an academic purpose.

It has 21 chapters, Preface, Introduction, and an Appendix. The first 3 chapters look like an autobiography, and the following chapters look like a compilation of Journal entries. The compiler mentioned at the start of chapter 14 (p.604) that chapters 1-7 are the personal history of George Muller in his early days and resumed the personal narrative in this chapter. Chapter 17 is about his preaching tours. He had 17 tours in 17 years travelling about 2,00,000 miles with his second wife (p.811, 998). Chapter 20 is about the death of his wife and his death. Chapter 21 is written by Arthur T. Pierson after the death of George Muller. The chapters and accounts are arranged chronologically.

It contains some sermons, expositions (chp.8), and reflections. It also has several letters from donors (p.427, 481, 534, 588, 876, 916, 973, 978, 982), orphans (p.951, 965), and even his correspondences (around 3000 correspondences a year – p.385; 547) to some of them. Sometimes, he would give reasons and defenses for why he did what he did. It must also be mentioned that the often-repeated story of George Mueller concerning a baker and milkman who happened to feed the orphans when they had nothing to eat, just after he had offered thanks to the Lord, is not found in this 1051-page long book.

On p.117, Muller writes about 1 Peter 3:1, illustrating a woman who humbles her husband with her humble submission. On p.410, he retells the story of Mr. Cobb whose worth wants to be below 50,000 dollars. On p.466-468, he writes about a poor widow who offered £85 and how he tried hard to dissuade her.

On p.77, he writes about sermon preparation, which btw, I would never recommend. He went to some meeting without a text, waiting for the Holy Spirit to impress upon his mind.

In many pages of this book is seen that Muller doesn’t want to influence people to give more by telling his needs or how they meet his needs; he wants people to give freely, willingly, and thoughtfully (p.85).

His prayers weren’t answered immediately every time he prayed, he had frustrating moments too (p.86, 142, 292, 374, 376, 418, 428-429, 555, 751, 853, 939, 1016).

While I was reading this pdf version of this book, I made over 150 annotations, and I would like to republish some sections or lines.

Concerning Preaching:

October 1^st, 1832. A meeting for enquirers this afternoon from two to five. Many more are convinced of sin through brother Craik's preaching than my own. This circumstance led me to enquire into the reasons, which are probably these: — (1) That brother Craik is more spiritually minded than I am. (2) That he prays more earnestly for the conversion of sinners than I do. (3) That he more frequently addresses sinners, as such, in his public ministrations than I do. — This led me to more frequent and earnest prayer for the conversion of sinners, and to address them more frequently as such. The latter had never been intentionally left undone, but it had not been so frequently brought to my mind as to that of brother Craik. Since then, the cases in which it has pleased the Lord to use me as an instrument of conversion have been quite as many as those in which brother Craik has been used. May the Lord be pleased to use this as a means to lead any of His servants, who may not have acted according to these two last points, to seek to do so, and may He graciously enable me to do so more abundantly. (p.102)

Effects of exposure to profane conversations:

April 9, 1835: In the evening we reached Brunswick, from whence we started the same night. During the night I heard a fearfully wicked, most profligate, infidel, and scoffing conversation between the conductor and a student, and the only testimony I gave was, complete silence all the time. I arrived here this morning at eight, and have been here all the morning, as the mail will not start for Hamburg until four this afternoon. It has been far from well with me in my soul today. That awful conversation last night has been spiritual poison to me. How very soon do we, even unconsciously, receive evil! (p.124)

Knowing vs Feeling Concerning Forgiveness of Sins:

I myself have now been a believer for more than nineteen years (i.e. in the year 1845). How long it is, since I have had no doubt whatever about the forgiveness of my sins, I cannot tell with certainty; but of this I am quite sure, that ever since I have been in England, which is now about sixteen years (in 1845), I have never once had a single moment's doubt that my sins are all forgiven; and yet I do not remember that I ever once have felt that they were forgiven. To know that they are forgiven, and to feel that they are forgiven, are two different things—The way to settle whether our sins are forgiven, is, to refer to the Word of God alone with reference to it. (p.226)

How to be constantly happy in the Lord: (Spring, 1841)

While I was staying at Nailsworth. it pleased the Lord to teach me a truth, irrespective of human instrumentality, as far as I know, the benefit of which I have not lost, though now, while preparing the eighth edition for the press, more than forty years have since passed away. The point is this: I saw more clearly than ever, that the first great and primary business to which I ought to attend every day was, to have my soul happy in the Lord. The first thing to be concerned about was not, how much I might serve the Lord, how I might glorify the Lord; but how I might get my soul into a happy state, and how my inner man might be nourished. For I might seek to set the truth before the unconverted, I might seek to benefit believers, I might seek to relieve the distressed, I might in other ways seek to behave myself as it becomes a child of God in this world; and yet, not being happy in the Lord, and not being nourished and strengthened in my inner man day by day, all this might not be attended to in a right spirit. Before this time my practice had been, at least for ten years previously, as an habitual thing, to give myself to prayer, after having dressed in the morning. (p.230)

It often now astonishes mo that I did not sooner see this. In no book did I ever read about it. No public ministry ever brought the matter before me. No private intercourse with a brother stirred me up to this matter. And yet now, since God has taught me this point, it is as plain to me as anything, that the first thing the child of God has to do morning by morning is to obtain food for his inner man. As the outward man is not fit for work for any length of time, except we take food, and as this is one of the first things we do in the morning, so it should be with the inner man. We should take food for that, as every one must allow. Now what is the food for the inner man? Not prayer, but the Word of God; and here again not the simple reading of the Word of God, so that it only passes through our minds, just as water runs through a pipe, but considering what we read, pondering over it, and applying it to our hearts. (p.232)

Concerning Orphan Work and His Life:

But there is one point which weighs more strongly with me than even the last mentioned one. It is this. When I began the Orphan work more than fifteen years ago, it was for the definite and especial purpose, that, by means of it, the unconverted might see, through the answers of prayer that I received in connection with it, that there is verily reality in the things of God; and that the children of God might have their faith strengthened by means of it, and be encouraged in all simplicity to deal with God under every circumstance, and trust in Him at all times. (p.392)

Concerning Presumption, Plan, and Prayer in Life:

Pause, esteemed reader! Nearly seven years had I been, day by day, asking the Lord for the needed means, to carry out the desire of my heart, concerning the thousand Orphans. Not a single day had elapsed since first I began to pray for means, in which I had not been enabled, in the full assurance of faith that it would be granted, to bring my request before God, and generally I had prayed more than once a day concerning this matter. When I began my request for means, viz. to entreat the Lord to give me £35,000, I knew well what difficulty there was in the way of my obtaining this sum, looking at it naturally. I am too calm, too calculating a person, too much in the habit of weighing all the difficulties of a case, to be carried away by excitement or imagination. I knew I had no ground naturally to expect this large sum. For months, therefore, I had not prayed at all for means for this enlargement, but had only asked the Lord to show me very clearly whether it was His will that I should go forward; but, having once come fully to this conclusion, on the grounds stated, I was as certain that the Lord would give me all I needed, as if I had had the money already in hand. (p414)

Funeral Sermon Outline: (p.622)

I. The Lord was good, and did good, in giving her to me.

II. He was good, and did good in so long leaving her to me.

III. He was good, and did good, in taking her from me.

Concerning the suffering of his wife:

Now that very ring, which at the wedding on October 7th, 1830, I had put on her finger, needed to be broken off. Her arm and hand became worse, and continued thus week after week. That room, in which I had been in the habit of paying those happy visits to my beloved wife after dinner and at other times, was now, week after week, for a long time without her. But this was the state of my heart at that time. When this most heavy affliction began, I said to myself, Twenty-nine years the Lord has given me this precious wife with comparatively little illness, and shall I now be dissatisfied, because He has been pleased to afflict her thus, in the thirtieth year of our conjugal union? Nay, it becomes me rather to be very grateful for having had her so long in comparatively good health, and fully to submit myself to the will of the Lord. (p.632)

By the grace of God I am not merely perfectly satisfied with this dispensation, but I kiss the hand which administered the stroke, and I look again for the fulfilment of that word in this instance, that "All things work together for good to them that love God" (Rom. 8:28). (p.997)

His Giving:

In 1844 my income was £207 6s. 9d., of which we gave away £100. In 1845 my income was £433 19s. 1¾d. Do you see, dear reader, how the Lord was pleased to repay the £100, given away in the year 1844? We saw it. We knew that word, and believed it. "There is that scattereth, and yet increaseth; and there is that withholdeth more than is meet, but it tendeth to poverty" (Prov. 11:24). And, therefore, it was our joy and delight yet further to act according to this word, and we gave away, during that year, £220; not indeed for the purpose of obtaining more for it, but to glorify God with the means with which He had been pleased to entrust us, whilst, however, we knew at the same time that He would abundantly repay. (p.652)

I beg the reader to remember, that I had not a single fee, nor any emolument whatever in connection with my pastoral position. I had no fees for burials, baptisms, marriages, or anything else. My aim never was, how much I could obtain, but rather, how much could I give. (p.653)

In 1856 my income was £781 0s. 7d., and we had now the joy and privilege of being able to give away £500 during that year. In 1857 my income was £836 11s. 2¼d., and we gave away that year £566. (p.654)

The reader of the previous pages would be mistaken, if he supposed that, as soon as the Lord has sent me means, my aim is, to seek to get rid of them as fast as possible, as if it were a crime to possess a ten-pound note. That is not at all my way of acting. All I seek after is, to have grace, not to hold anything as my own, but as belonging to the Lord; so that, whether I have much or little, I desire to look on the much or the little as a steward would, and not as an owner. I seek, therefore, for grace, to be willing, to give of that which the Lord has given to me, a part, or, if He would bid me, all. (p.660)

From what has been stated before, it will be seen that during the forty-three years and five months from January 1st, 1831, to May 26th, 1874, the total of my income was £37,523 3s. 6¾d., of which, however, more than £26,000 came in during the last sixteen years only. The total amount which, by God's grace, I was enabled to give away, during these forty-three years and five months, is £27,179 0s. 8d. Of this amount, however, more than £21,700 was given away within the last sixteen years only. Of the £27,179 0s. 8d., which we gave away from January 1st, 1831, to May 26th, 1874, £22,000 was given to the Lord's work. The remaining £5,179 0s. 8d. was given to poor believers, or to poor unbelievers, or to relatives who might be in need. (p.660)

One of my favourite lines in this book:

I have no doubt that most of the Christian readers will say, This is a blessed way! It is delightful to be allowed to give away so much! How I should like to be able to do the same. My reply is, Yes, it is a blessed way! It is delightful to be allowed to give away so much. Will you not then try this way for yourself? Give, as God prospers you. Begin with little, if you have not faith enough to begin with much; only give that little, constrained by the love of Christ, heartily, faithfully, steadily. (p.661)

 

On p.342-343, Muller appeals to the readers to consider his Narrative solemnly looking for the hands of God in His dealing with him. I began to read this book hoping to confirm that George Muller was a man of faith, a man of prayer, a man who trust in the providence of God for his daily needs, and I found him to be so. Furthermore, he was a compassionate guy who built and managed Orphan Homes to keep them away from jail (p.383, 391), a passionate preacher, and a great giver who treasured his wealth not in a bank or saving box but in heaven. He was a man of God, but an ordinary guy every day, who prayed to the extraordinary God every day.