the supply of
their temporal necessities; but I also felt that I, as their brother,
ought to seek to help them as far as lay in me. To this I set myself
more than ever after the beginning of the year 1846, as I knew, that,
from particular causes, there was an especial call to help such
brethren; and as my own means would go but a little way, I gave myself
to more earnest prayer than ever for such brethren. The result was,
that, during the two years of this period, the Lord so answered my daily
supplications with regard to this particular, that I was honoured to
send nearly three times as much to Home and Foreign labourers, as during
any previous period of the same length. 1,559l. 11s. 6d. was spent in
this way, by which twenty-one brethren were assisted who laboured in
Foreign lands, and nineteen who laboured in Great Britain and Ireland.
Large as this sum is, in comparison with what I had been able to do in
this particular in former years, yet it is small, very small, in
comparison with what my heart desired to be able to do for these forty
brethren. It has frequently, yea almost always, so happened, that the
assistance which God has allowed me to send to such brethren, has come
to them at a time of great need. Sometimes they had no money at all
left. Sometimes even their last provisions were almost consumed, when I
sent them supplies. Some of them are fathers of large families, or have
sickly wives and children; some were once well off in this world, but
for Christ's sake have become poor; and some have had for Christ's
sake their all taken from them. Is it not an honour to help such
brethren? I could fill hundreds of pages by giving extracts from the
letters of the dear brethren to whom I have sent help, and they would be
greatly to the edification of the reader; but I do not feel free to do
so.--As I have not only been labouring for these brethren in prayer
that God would intrust me with means and allow me the privilege of
helping them, but as I also have asked God to direct me especially to
send to those who might be in particular need, in case I could not help
them all; and as I have sought by an encouraging word to strengthen
their hands in God; there is great reason to believe, that these dear
brethren have not only been helped by these pecuniary supplies in a
temporal point of view, but also that the fact, of God sending them help
in their extremity, has tended to refresh and strengthen their hearts,
and to lea