racter 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 800 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 build.]

After I had spent a few hours in prayer and consideration over the
subject, I began already to see that the Lord would lead me to build,
and that His intentions were not only the benefit of the Orphans, and
the better ordering of the whole work, but also the bearing still
further testimony that He could and would provide large sums for those
who need them and trust in Him for them; and besides, that He would
enlarge the work so, that, if I once did build a house, it might be
large enough to accommodate three hundred Orphans, with their teachers
and other overseers and servants needful for the work.--Concerning
this latter point, I think it important to remark, that during no period
had the number of applications for the admission of Orphans been greater
than just before I was led to think about building, so that it was quite
painful to me, not to be able to comply with the wishes of all the many
persons who applied for the admission of Orphans. There were many
waiting for admission, particularly Orphan-Boys.

In the afternoon of November 3rd, 1845, I laid the matter before my
fellow-labourers in the Church (eight in number) to get their judgment,
whether I ought not to leave Wilson Street, and to build. All judged
that I ought to leave Wilson Street, and none saw reasons against
building.

On Nov. 4th my dear wife and I began to meet