. The reply, however, I generally
found to be something like this: "But if I work less, I do not earn
enough for the support of my family. Even now, whilst I work so much, I
have scarcely enough." There was no trust in God, no real belief in the
truth of that word, "Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his
righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you." I might
reply something like this: "My dear brother, it is not your work which
supports your family, but the Lord; and he who has fed you and your
family when you could not work at all, on account of illness, would
surely provide for you and yours; if, for the sake of obtaining food for
your inner man, you were to work only for so many hours a day as would
allow you proper time for retirement. And is it not the case now that
you begin the work of the day after having had only a few hurried
moments for prayer; and when you leave off your work in the evening, and
mean then to read a little of the word of God, are you not too much worn
out in body and mind to enjoy it, and do you not often fall asleep
whilst reading the Scriptures, or whilst on your knees in prayer?" The
brother would allow it was so; he would allow that my advice was good;
but still I read in his countenance, even if he should not have actually
said so, "How should I get on, if I were to _carry out_ your advice?" I
longed, therefore, to have something to point the brother to, as a
visible proof that our God and Father is the same faithful God that he
ever was,--as willing as ever to PROVE himself the LIVING GOD, in our
day as formerly, _to all who put their trust in him_.

Again, sometimes I found children of God tried in mind by the prospect
of old age, when they might be unable to work any longer, and therefore
were harassed by the fear of having to go into the poorhouse. If in such
a case I pointed out to them how their heavenly Father has always helped
those who put their trust in him, they might not _say_ that times have
changed; but yet it was evident enough that God was not looked upon by
them as the LIVING God. I longed to set something before the children of
God whereby they might see that he does not forsake, even in our day,
those who rely upon him.

Another class of persons were brethren in business, who suffered in
their souls, and brought guilt on their consciences, by carrying on
their business almost in the same way as unconverted persons do. The
competition in trade, the ba