e still an inward assurance, on account of the spiritual
blessings which the Lord has granted to me, that through this affliction
he is only purifying me for his blessed service, and that I shall be
soon restored to the work. To-day, also, God has continued to me
fervency of spirit, which I have now enjoyed for three days following.
He has to-day, also, drawn out my soul into much real communion with
himself, and into holy desires to be more conformed to his dear Son.
When God gives a spirit of prayer, how easy then to pray! Nevertheless,
it was given to me in the use of the means, as I fell on my knees last
Saturday, to read his word with meditation, and to turn it into prayer.
To-day I spent about three hours in prayer over Psalms lxiv. and lxv. In
reference to that precious word, "O thou that hearest prayer," (Ps. lxv.
2,) I asked the Lord the following petitions, and entreated him to
record them in heaven, and to answer them.

1. That he would give me grace to glorify him by a submissive and
patient spirit under my affliction.

2. That as I was enabled now, and _only now from my heart_, to praise
God for this affliction, he would not remove his hand from me until he
had qualified me for his work more than I have been hitherto.

3. That he would be pleased to grant that the work of conversion,
through the instrumentality of brother Craik and myself, might not
cease, but go on as much now as when we first came to Bristol, yea, more
abundantly than even then.

4. That he would be pleased to give more real spiritual prosperity to
the church under our care than ever we have as yet enjoyed.

5. Having praised him for the sale of so many copies of my Narrative in
so short a time, I entreated him to cause every copy to be disposed of.

6. I asked him to continue to let his rich blessing rest upon this
little work, and more abundantly, so that many may be converted through
it, and many of the children of God truly benefited by it, and that thus
I might now be speaking through it, though laid aside from active
service.

7. I asked him for his blessing, in the way of conversion, to rest upon
the orphans, and upon the Sunday and day-school children under our care.

8. I asked him for means to carry on these Institutions, and to enlarge
them.

These are some of the petitions which I have asked of my God this
evening, in connection with this his own word. I believe _he has heard
me_. I believe he will make it manifest i