pecting it, in order to ascertain the Lord's
mind.--I received this day, from an unexpected quarter, L5.
for the Scriptural Knowledge Institution, in answer to prayer;
and I had also L1. 14s. 6d. sent from a distance of one hundred
and twenty miles.-November 22. This evening I had sent for
the Institution L1. 4s.--November 23. Today I had L10. sent
from Ireland for our Institution. Thus the Lord, in answer to prayer,
has given me, in a few days, about L50. I had asked only for L40. This has
been a great encouragement to me, and has still more stirred
me up to think and pray about the establishment of an
Orphan-House.--November 25. I have been again much in prayer
yesterday and today about the Orphan-House, and am more
and more convinced that it is of God. May He in mercy guide me!
The three chief reasons for establishing an Orphan-House are:--1.
That God may be glorified, should He be pleased to furnish me with
the means, in its being seen that it is not a vain thing to trust in Him;
and that thus the faith of His children may be strengthened. 2. The
spiritual welfare of fatherless and motherless children. 3. Their
temporal welfare.

It may be well to enter somewhat more minutely, than my journal does,
upon the reasons which led me to establish an Orphan-House. Through my
pastoral labours among the saints in Bristol, through my considerable
correspondence, and through brethren who visited Bristol; I had constantly
cases brought before me, which proved, that one of the especial things
which the children of God needed in our day, was, to have their faith
strengthened. For instance: I might visit a brother, who worked fourteen
or even sixteen hours a day at his trade, the necessary result of which
was, that not only his body suffered, but his soul was lean, and he had no
enjoyment in the things of God. Under such circumstances I might point out
to him that he ought to work less, in order that his bodily health might
not suffer, and that he might gather strength for his inner man, by
reading the word of God, by meditation over it, and by prayer. The reply,
however, I generally found to be something like this: "But if I work
less, I do not earn enough for the support of my family. Even now, whilst
I work so much, I have scarcely enough. The wages are so low, that I must
work hard in order to obtain what I need. There was no trust in God. No
real belief in the truth of that word: "Seek ye first the kingdom of
God, and His r