as required to buy provisions for
today, was about 1l.; but there were also coals needed in two
houses, and two of the treacle-casks were empty. We gave ourselves,
as usual, to prayer. After prayer one of the labourers gave 1l. of
the salary which she had received a few days ago; another gave 6s.,
and 4s. 6d. was taken out of the boxes. Thus we had 1l. 10s. 6d. to
divide, and therefore more than was absolutely needed; also one of
the labourers had ordered half a ton of coals to be sent to the Boys'
Orphan-House, for which he paid himself.

This afternoon I received 100l. from a sister; 50l. for the Orphans,
and 50l. for the School--Bible--and Missionary-Fund. This same sister,
who earns her bread with her own hands, had given, on October 5,
1837, 50l. towards the Boys' Orphan-House, and gave for the
necessities of the poor saints, in August, 1838, 100l. more; for she
had been made willing to act out those precious exhortations: "Having
food and raiment let us be therewith content." "Sell that ye have,
and give alms; provide yourselves bags which wax not old, a treasure
in the heavens that faileth not, where no thief approacheth, neither
moth corrupteth." "Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth,
where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and
steal: but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither
moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through
nor steal." Respecting the 50l. which has been given of this sum for
the School--Bible--and Missionary-Fund, it is worthy of remark, that we
would not order Reference Bibles till we had the means. We had
repeatedly prayed respecting this want of Bibles, and particularly
again this morning. It had been also much laid on our hearts today,
to request that the Lord would enable us to have the Report printed,
which we could not do, unless He first sent the means. Lastly, we had
also repeatedly asked Him to supply us so largely, if it were His
will, as that at the time of the public meetings we might be able to
speak again of abundance. For though for some months past the time
has been fixed for the public meetings, without any reference to the
state of the funds, nevertheless, it might have had the appearance,
that we had convened the brethren for the sake of telling them about
our poverty, and thus to induce them to give.

Dec. 8, 1838. The Lord closes the third year of this part of the work
with blessings. Yesterday was s