those from whom we expect the least we have reason
abundantly to bless God for having sent us:--so wisely, so graciously,
and yet in so sovereign a way does the Lord bring to pass his
purposes, and bless his servants, that every thought of confidence
in any creature may be destroyed, and the soul, by a thousand
disappointments, when it has reposed elsewhere, at last be compelled
to learn only to repose on the bosom of its Father, where love and
faithfulness eternally dwell, and convince the soul of its past
expectations from any other source.

_February 14, 1831._

An offer has been made to us by one of the richest Armenian merchants
here, to send, at his own expense, two camel loads of books any where
we wish, which has of course been thankfully accepted; and we think of
sending at least one load to Diarbekr. He has also bought from our
Armenian teacher, those Bibles he had procured from the Bible Society
at Calcutta, who, with the many thus obtained, has determined to send
more Bibles from Bushire, where he has already 200, to Julfa and
Ispahan, and the villages round about, in which he says there are
above twenty churches.

I have this day settled all my accounts, and find, after every thing
is paid, including the expenses of my baggage from Bushire, and of the
house for ourselves, and school for another year, that our little
stock will last us, with the Lord's blessing, two months longer, and
then we know not whence we are to be supplied, but the Lord allows us
not to be anxious; he has so wonderfully provided for us hitherto,
that it would be most ungrateful to have an anxious thought. Even for
my baggage, Major T. only allowed me to pay half the charge, and he
has moreover told me, that should I at any time want money, only to
let him know and he will lend it me. Now, really, to find here such
kind and generous friends, is more than we could have hoped, but thus
the Lord deals with us, and takes away our fears. That we may many
times be in straits I have no doubt, but the time of our necessity
will be the time for the manifestation of our Lord's providential love
and munificence.

There is one peculiar feature that runs through all education in the
eastern churches, that it professes to be religious, which gives us an
opportunity of introducing such books as may be useful, without its
exciting any surprise or suspicion, or opposition.

_Feb. 16._--The Pasha has sent Major T. word of the ravages the plague