, the
balance of L809, 10s. 6d. remained in hand on May 26, 1851. Verily we do
not trust in the Lord in vain!

_Without any one having been personally applied to for anything by me_,
the sum of L38,018, 4s. 61/2d. was given to me for the orphans _as the
result of prayer to God_ from the commencement of the work to May 26,
1851. It may be also interesting to the reader to know that the total
amount which was given as free contributions for the other objects from
the commencement of the work to May 26, 1851, amounted to L13,988, 11s.
91/4d.; and that which came in by the sale of Bibles and tracts, and by
the payments of the children in the day schools, amounted to L2,890, 9s.
113/4d.

It pleased the Lord greatly to gladden our hearts by the working of his
Holy Spirit among the orphans during this period.

Dec. 31, 1850. During this year there have been received into fellowship
57, and altogether, from the time that brother Craik and I began to
labor in Bristol, 1,313. The Lord has been pleased to give me, for my
personal expenses, L402, 4s. 5d.

May 26, 1851. The reader will remember that I stated in a previous
chapter that I purposed, not in dependence upon my Christian friends,
nor in dependence upon former donors, but alone in dependence upon the
living God, to enlarge the orphan work. Before I brought before the
public what I purposed to do, I gave the record of the exercises of my
mind on this subject to a valued Christian friend to read, the only one
who, besides my family, knew anything of this my intention before it
came before the public. I did this particularly in order that, after I
had been waiting for several months in secret upon God for guidance and
direction concerning it, I might also have the counsel of a prayerful,
judicious, and cautious man of God. When this brother returned the
manuscript, he spoke to me words of encouragement concerning this
purpose, and gave me a half sovereign towards the building fund for this
house for seven hundred destitute orphans. This was the first donation,
which I received on May 13, 1851, and which, I confess, was a great
refreshment and encouragement to me, the more so as it came from so
cautious a brother, and after I had been for several months, through
secret prayer, assured that I should go forward.

On May 28, 1851, my intention became publicly known, and in the evening
of May 29 I received from a Christian lady a sovereign towards the
building fund.

June