came home, I heard the joyful news, that all was over, and that my
dear Mary had been delivered at twenty minutes past eight of a little boy.
Observe! 1. The Lord graciously sent the medical attendant and the nurse
(the latter nearly three miles off), in the right time. 2. The Lord put it
into my heart to honour Him, by preferring the care of His house to that
of my own, and thus He lovingly spared me three painful hours. May He be
pleased to give me grace more than ever to love and serve Him!

March 31. Today the brethren and sisters in communion at Bethesda dined
together, having been invited by a sister; and in the evening the churches
of Gideon and Bethesda took tea together. Both times were refreshing
seasons. At dinner we were together from one till half past three, at tea
from five to nine. Both times we prayed repeatedly, sang hymns, read a
little of the Word, and several brethren spoke of the Lord's dealings with
them.

April 3. Today I have had again much reason to see how weak I am, and how
prone to give way to every sin if I am not kept by God. May He have mercy
upon me, and keep me from bringing an open disgrace upon His holy name! O
wretched man that I am!!

April 14. Brother and sister Craik and ourselves have been living
together hitherto; but now, as the Lord has given to them one child, and
to us two, and there are but six rooms in our house, so that of late dear
brother Craik and I have had repeatedly to go to another house to be
uninterrupted: we came at last to the conclusion, that it would be better
for our souls and the Lord's work that we should separate. April 15. Today
I received from several sisters 25l. towards furnishing a house.

April 23. Yesterday and today I had asked the Lord to send us 20l., that
we might be able to procure a larger stock of Bibles and Testaments than
our small funds of the Scriptural Knowledge Institution would allow us to
purchase; and this evening a sister, unasked, promised to give us that
sum, adding that she felt a particular pleasure in circulating the Holy
Scriptures, as the simple reading of them had been the means of bringing
her to the knowledge of the Lord.

April 26. We have repeatedly conversed about the name which we should
give to our babe; but, being unsettled about it, and considering that in
all our ways we ought to acknowledge the Lord, I gave myself today to
prayer concerning this matter, and the name Elijah, about which I never
had thought, w