l supplies. The Lord has been pleased to give me
during the past year L350, 4s. 8d.

During no period of my life had I such need of means, on account of my
own long illness and that of my dear wife, and on account of the _many_
and _particular_ calls for means, as during the past year; but also
during no period of my life has the Lord so richly supplied me. Truly,
it must be manifest to all that I have served a most kind Master, during
this year also, and that, even for this life, it is by far the best
thing to seek to act according to the mind of the Lord as to temporal
things!

CHAPTER XI.

ASKING AND RECEIVING.

1839.

HELP FOR THE POOR SAINTS--THE UNFAILING BANK--MEANS
EXHAUSTED--LIBERALITY OF A LABORING SISTER--"HE KNOWETH OUR
FRAME"--REDEEMING THE TIME--GODLINESS PROFITABLE UNTO ALL
THINGS.

January 1, 2, and 3, 1839. We have had three especial church prayer
meetings these three days. The year commenced with mercies. _In the
first hour_ of the year there came in for the orphans two pounds seven
shillings, which was given after our usual prayer meeting on December
31, which this time lasted from seven in the evening till after
midnight.

Jan. 5. To-day I received another new hat, the eleventh which in
succession has been given to me since I have been in England.

Jan. 20. For some time past it has appeared to me that the words, "Ye
have the poor with you always, and whensoever ye will ye may do them
good," which the Lord spoke to his disciples, _who were themselves very
poor_, imply that the children of God, as such, have power with God to
bring temporal blessings upon poor saints or poor unbelievers through
the instrumentality of prayer. Accordingly, I have been led to ask the
Lord for means to assist poor saints; and at different times he has
stirred up his children to intrust me with sums, both large and small,
_for that especial object_; or has, by some means or other, put money at
my disposal, which I might so use. In like manner I had been asking
again for means, a few days since, to be able more extensively to assist
the poor saints in communion with us, as just now many of them are not
merely tried by the _usual_ temporal difficulties arising from its being
winter, but especially from the high price of bread. And now this
evening the Lord has given me the answer to my prayer. When I came home
from the meeting I found a brother at my house who offered to give me
ten pounds