ired for this day, I received
a post-office order from Barnstaple for 1l. Thus the Lord, in His
faithful love, has sent a little, for which I had been waiting upon
Him. Through His grace my heart is looking out for more, for I am
sure He will never forsake us.

Nov. 30. Nothing at all has come in since yesterday. But as one of
the labourers was able to give 17s., we were supplied with bread and
a few other little things, which were needed.

Dec. 1. Nothing had come in, except 5s. for needlework of the
Orphans. The labourers had nothing to give of their own, except one
of them 1s. 6d.; yet this little supplied the absolute need, which
was only milk. We were unable to take in the usual quantity of bread.
(The bread is eaten by the children on the third day after it is
baked. If we are unable to take in the usual daily quantity of bread,
for want of means, we afterwards seek to procure stale bread.) Should
it be said that the not taking in the usual quantity of bread would
at once prove to the bakers that we are poor; my reply is, that that
does not follow, because bread has often been sent as a present, as
may be seen in the list of articles, given for the Orphans, at the
end of the printed Reports. But perhaps it may be stated: Why do you
not take the bread on credit? What does it matter, whether you pay
immediately for it, or at the end of the month, or the quarter, or
the half-year? Seeing that the Orphan-Houses are the work of the
Lord, may you not trust in Him, that He will supply you with means,
to pay the bills which you contract with the butcher, baker, grocer,
&c., as the things which you purchase are needful? My reply is this:
1, If the work in which we are engaged is indeed the work of God,
then He, whose work it is, is surely able and willing to provide the
means for it. 2, But not only so, He will also provide the means at
the time when they are needed. I do not mean that He will provide
them, when we think that they are needed; but yet, that, when there
is real need, such as the necessaries of life being required, He will
give them; and on the same ground on which we suppose we do trust in
God to help us to pay the debt which we now contract, we may and
ought to trust in the Lord to supply us with what we require at
present, so that there may be no need for going in debt. 3, It is
true, I might have goods on credit, and to a very considerable
amount; but, then, the result would be, that the next time we we