for prayer about this
matter, and purposed to do so morning by morning. We asked God for
clearer light concerning the particular points connected with the
subject; and, being assured that it was His will that I should build, I
began asking the Lord for means.

On Nov. 7th I judged, having considered the matter more fully, that
sufficiently large premises to furnish all needful accommodation for 300
children (from their earliest days up to 15 or 10 years old), together
with a sufficiently large piece of ground in the neighbourhood of
Bristol, for building the premises upon and the remainder for
cultivation by the spade, would cost at least Ten Thousand Pounds. I was
not discouraged by this, but trusted in the living God.

We continued meeting for prayer morning by morning for 15 days, but not
a single donation came in; yet my heart was not discouraged. The more I
prayed the more assured I was, that the Lord would give the means. Yea,
as fully assured was I that the Lord would do so, as if I bad already
seen the new premises actually before me. This assurance arose not from
some vague, enthusiastical feeling, the mere excitement of the moment,
but I, from the reasons already related, and especially from the
commandment contained in Philip iv. 5. For I saw that I should not act
according to the mind of our Lord Jesus, if I did not, as soon as I
could, remove the Orphans from Wilson Street, as it had been stated to
me in the letter referred to, that their living there was an annoyance
to some of the inhabitants in that street. 2. This assurance that I
should build an Orphan-House arose further, from the whole way in which
the Lord has been pleased to lead me in connexion with the Scriptural
Knowledge Institution for Home and Abroad, since its beginning on March
5, 1834, i.e. He has been leading me forward as by an unseen hand, and
enlarging the work more and more from its commencement, and, generally,
without my seeking after it, and bringing things so clearly before me,
that I could not but see that I ought to go forward. 3. Lastly and
chiefly, this my assurance, that I should build unto the Lord this House
of Mercy, arose also particularly from this, that, having strictly
examined my heart as to the motives for doing so, I found that, as
before. God, I could say that my only motives were His honour and glory
and the welfare of the Church of Christ at large, the real temporal and
spiritual welfare of destitute Orphans, an