ad
still less prospect, according to natural reason, of being able to meet
_them_; but I trusted in God, and he helped me, and he not only enabled
me to meet the current expenses of thirty orphans in the first house
rented for them, but enabled me also soon to open another for thirty-six
more, and I was also enabled to meet all those expenses; for as I had
begun in faith in the living God, and not in putting my trust in my
brethren in Christ, so I was not confounded. After I had gone on some
time with these orphans in the two rented houses, about thirteen years
ago the Lord was pleased greatly to encourage me and to increase my
faith by a donation of five hundred pounds for the orphans; for up to
that period I had never received more than one hundred pounds at once.
But this kind donor, a stranger to me up to that time, suggested to me
the propriety of investing this sum and using only the interest of it,
as I could not expect to have the orphans supported for a continuance in
the way they had been till then; for that such institutions must depend
upon regular subscriptions or funded property, otherwise they could not
go on. As, however, this was only a friendly hint, and no condition
under which the money was given, I took this five hundred pounds towards
fitting up a third house, for the reception of thirty more orphans. From
that time the work has been increasing more and more, till it has come
to what it is at present. Now, suppose I had said, seventeen years ago,
looking at matters according to natural reason, "The two charity schools
are enough, I must not go any further;" then the work would have stopped
there. Or, if I had had a little more trust in my exertions or my
friends, I might have taken at the utmost one or two steps further.
Instead of this, however, I looked in no degree whatever at things
according to my natural fallen reason, and I trusted not in the circle
of my Christian friends, but in the living God; and the result has been
that there have been since 1834 ten thousand souls under our instruction
in the various day schools, Sunday schools, and adult schools; several
hundred orphans have been brought up, and many of them from their very
tenderest infancy; several hundred thousand tracts and many thousand
copies of the Word of God have been circulated; about forty preachers of
the gospel at home and abroad have been, for several years, assisted in
connection with the Scriptural Knowledge Institution;