epeated
request, which again and again, every day, is brought before Him, and in
which request my fellow labourers in the work join. Moreover, I long to
be able to show to an unbelieving world afresh, by this my petition
being granted, that verily there is reality in the things of God. And
lastly, I long to be able to commence the building of this second Orphan
House, because there are now 438 Orphans waiting for admission. I have
not yet received anything today for this object; but the Lord can even
now give me something this evening; but be that as it may, I know that,
when His time is come, and when my patience has been sufficiently
exercised, He will help me abundantly. That word respecting Abraham:
"And so, after he had patiently endured, he obtained the promise,"
(Hebrew vi, 15), has been repeatedly a precious word to me during the
last days, it having come of late in the course of my reading through
the New Testament.

Feb. 23. This evening, after another long season of prayer respecting
the work of God in my hands, and especially also, that it might please
the Lord to give me soon what I need for the Building Fund, so that I
may be enabled to take active steps in the erection of another Orphan
House, came in the course of my reading and meditation James I. This
forcibly reminded me of the close of November and the beginning of
December in 1845, when, whilst labouring for a season in the Word at
Sunderland, this portion also came in the course of my meditation on the
whole New Testament. James i, 4: "But let patience have her perfect
work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing," was then
particularly impressed on my mind as a portion which I should need to
keep before me. I was at that time, day by day, waiting upon the Lord
for means and every other help which might be needed in connexion with
the Orphan House, which I had purposed to build in dependence upon the
Lord for help. I had not the least doubt that God would help me through
all the difficulties connected with this work. I felt as sure that He
would enable me to accomplish this work, as if I had actually seen the
house before me, inhabited by Orphans; but I had reason to believe, at
the same time, that great and many and varied would be my trials of
faith and patience, before all would be accomplished. I had not at that
time one single shilling in hand towards this work, but often, even
then, whilst staying at Sunderland, and meditating on