ty: for there is no promise to that effect; the grace of
faith_ is needed to believe that the Lord will give me the necessaries
of life, if I first seek the kingdom of God and His righteousness: for
_there is a promise to that effect._ (Matt. vi. 33.)

SELF-WILL.

The natural mind is ever prone _to reason, _when we ought _to believe;_
to be _at work,_ when we ought to be _quiet;_ to go our own way, when we
ought steadily to walk on in God's ways, however trying to nature.

TRIALS OF FAITH.

The Lord gives faith, for the very purpose of trying it for the glory of
His own name, and for the good of him who has it; and, by the very trial
of our faith, we not only obtain blessing to our own souls, by becoming
the better acquainted with God, if we hold fast our confidence in Him,
but our faith is also, by the exercise, strengthened: and so it comes,
that, if we walk with God in any measure of uprightness of heart, the
trials of faith will be greater and greater.

It is for the church's benefit that we are put in these straits; and if,
therefore, in the hour of need, we were to take goods on credit, the
first and primary object of the work would be completely frustrated, and
no heart would be further strengthened to trust in God, nor would there
be any longer that manifestation of the special and particular
providence of God, which has hitherto been so abundantly shown through
this work, even in the eyes of unbelievers, whereby they have been led
to see _that there is, after all, reality in the things of God,_ and
many, through these printed accounts, have been truly converted. For
these reasons, then, we consider it our precious privilege, as
heretofore, to continue to wait upon the Lord only, instead of taking
goods on credit, or borrowing money from some kind friends, when we are
in need. Nay, we purpose, as God shall give us grace, to look to Him
only, though morning after morning we should have nothing in hand for
the work--yea, though from meal to meal we should have to look to Him;
being fully assured that He who is now (1845) in the tenth year feeding
these many orphans, and who has never suffered them to want, and that He
who is now (1845) in the twelfth year carrying on the other parts of the
work, without any branch of it having had to be stopped for want of
means, will do so for the future also. And here I do desire in the deep
consciousness of my natural helplessness and dependence upon the Lord to
confess th