t:--

I have continued to pray for you, or rather the Lord has enabled
me every day once, twice, thrice, or even more, to remember you.
The burden of my prayer still has been, that he would be pleased
to make you very happy in himself, and enable you to enter into
the inheritance which awaits you; further, that you may not be
permitted in the least to regret the step which you have taken,
but rather consider it a privilege to be permitted to give this
little sum back to him who gave it to you, and who gave himself
for you. With reference to the delay, I cannot but rejoice. This
gives you abundant opportunity to ponder the matter, and
afterwards to state to any (who, judging as those who know not
how rich the saints are, might blame you) that you did not do
the thing in haste. I consider this delay to be for the
furtherance of the honor of the Lord. You know my advice to you,
to wait at least a fortnight. That you have seen much of your
unfaithfulness, etc., I consider to be an especial blessing
which the Lord has bestowed upon you, lest this step you have
taken should become a snare to you. Humblings last our whole
life. Jesus came not to save _painted_ but _real_ sinners; but
he _has_ saved us, and will surely make it manifest. I have a
passage laid on my heart for you; read the whole of it
carefully: 2 Cor. viii. 1-9, especially verse 9.

* * * * *

Day after day now passed away and the money did not come. The month of
January was come to an end, and February also, and the money had not
come. Thus more than one hundred and twenty days were gone by, whilst
day by day I brought my petition before the Lord that he would bless
this sister, keep her steadfast in her purpose, and intrust me with this
money for his work in my hands. Amidst it all my heart was assured,
judging from the earnestness which he had given me in prayer, and that I
had only desired this matter to the praise of his name, that in his own
time he would bring it about. _But I never wrote one single line to this
sister on the subject all this time._ At last, on the one hundred and
thirty-fourth day since I had _daily_ besought the Lord about this
matter, on March 8, 1843, I received a letter from the sister, informing
me that the five hundred pounds had been paid into the hands of my
bankers.

And now I only give a few lines of a let