tly situated; but very rarely did I see, that there was a stand
made for God, that there was the holy determination to trust in the living
God, and to depend on Him, in order that a good conscience might be
maintained. To this class likewise I desired to show, by a visible proof,
that God is unchangeably the same.--Then there was another class of
persons, individuals who were in professions in which they could not
continue with a good conscience, or persons who were in an unscriptural
position with reference to spiritual things; but both classes feared, on
account of the consequences, to give up the profession in which they could
not abide with God, or to leave their position, lest they should be thrown
out of employment. My spirit longed to be instrumental in strengthening
their faith, by giving them not only instances from the word of God, of
His willingness and ability to help all those who rely upon Him, but to
show them by proofs, that He is the same in our day. I well knew that the
word of God ought to be enough, and it was, by grace, enough to me; but
still, I considered that I aught to lend a helping hand to my brethren, if
by any means, by this visible proof to the unchangeable faithfulness of
the Lord I might strengthen their hands in God; for I remembered what a
great blessing my own soul had received through the Lord's dealings with
His servant A. H. Franke, who, in dependence upon the living God alone,
established an immense Orphan-House, which I had seen many times with my
own eyes. I, therefore, judged myself bound to be the servant of the
Church of Christ, in the particular point on which I had obtained mercy:
namely, in being able to take God by His word and to rely upon it. All
these exercises of my soul, which resulted from the fact that so many
believers, with whom I became acquainted, were harassed and distressed in
mind, or brought guilt on their consciences, on account of not trusting in
the Lord; were used by God to awaken in my heart the desire of setting
before the church at large, and before the world, a proof that He has not
in the least changed; and this seemed to me best done, by the establishing
of an Orphan-House. It needed to be something which could be seen, even by
the natural eye. Now, if I, a poor man, simply by prayer and faith,
obtained, without asking any individual, the means for establishing and
carrying on an Orphan-House: there would be something which with the
Lord's blessing, m