o
be the will of God to go forward in this work, and to establish the
Girls' Orphan House, No. 2, for older girls, one particular feature in
the matter was, that the house No. 4 in Wilson Street had been offered
to me, without being sought after, when there had not been for about six
years one single large house to be let in that street.

[But though _hitherto_ God has pointed out Wilson Street as being the
spot where this work should be carried on, may not _now_ the time have
come for removing?]

2. Perhaps we might also rent Nos. 2, 5, and 7, in Wilson Street, and
use two out of those three houses for Orphan Houses, and one of them for
an infirmary in the case of sickness.

[But then, I said to myself, would not the objection, which the
neighbors on the opposite side of the street might make, on account of
the noise of the children in their play-hours, etc., remain? Also the
drains would be still more unsuitable, not being constructed for so many
inmates; and to alter them would be a heavy expense. The play-ground
would be still less sufficient, if two new houses were added. Lastly,
there was no reason to think that we could rent Nos. 2, 5, and 7.]

3. There are these three great objections against building: The
considerable sum which is required, and which could be spent for present
use upon the orphans. The pilgrim character of the Christian seems lost
in building. The time that it will necessarily take in making
arrangements for it.

[Do not all these objections only hold good, I said to myself, if I were
_needlessly_ to set about building? If I could rent premises, which are
really in every way suitable for the work, and I _preferred_ building,
then those objections would apply to the case; but when one is _forced_
to it, it is no more than erecting a large building because there may be
eight hundred children of God in fellowship who have been hitherto
renting a meeting-place, but for certain reasons are obliged to leave
it, and cannot rent another. Such could not be accused of needlessly
spending money in building instead of renting; nor could it be justly
said that they have _on that account_ given up the pilgrim character;
nor would it be time wasted if some individuals were to make
arrangements about the building of that meeting-place. Therefore these
three objections just mentioned, which had been _for ten years strongly
in my own mind_, were removed when once I saw plainly that nothing
remained but to