ull
assurance of his favour and forgiveness, when there was as I
thought but a step between me and death. Yet whilst he has
never left me without the sense of being his, He has shewn me
how much I have to aim at, how earnestly to desire to be filled
with all his fulness.

BAGDAD, _Dec. 25th, 1831_.

Your most kind and welcome letter arrived this day, together
with several others from my beloved friends in England, all by
Bombay. It does, indeed, truly refresh my heart, to hear of the
Lord's love to you all. Do you not praise God for these dear
brothers and sisters he has given us? How rich we are in our
sweet little church; a more loving, holy, and blessed little
family cannot surely be found upon earth. Unworthy as I am to
be one of you, yet I bless God that I am one. My heart is
running over with thankfulness at the Lord's goodness to you
all, and to me through you, and be not discouraged because I am
blasted, and my bough no longer green, as it once was, the Lord
has yet dealt most bountifully with me. In all but my dear
Mary's place my path is opening again. I have hired one
schoolmaster, and expect another. My English boys are most
zealous and attached: my prospects of Bible circulation in
Persia much opening. To the Jews here I have sold all my Hebrew
Bibles, at about 3s. 6d. each: this is more to them than 12s.
would be in England, and though it seems little, it answers an
end of getting God's word amongst them. I had an Armenian
bishop with me the other day, asking for Persian Testaments to
send to Ispahan; and a Roman Catholic merchant has promised to
take a parcel for me to Teheran, and to distribute them there.
Besides these there are others whom I hope to find subservient
to this end. For some days I had been making preparations to
cross the desert, in order to consult with my dear brethren
there about our future measures; but when I came to put
together all the items of expense, I found I had not money
enough, so I gave up the plan of going with my dear boys, and
proposed waiting till Major Taylor came, and leaving them in
the Residency, under his and dear Mrs. Taylor's kind care, to
go alone. Your letter, however, has relieved all my pecuniary
difficulties, and we shall now go altogeth