2. The delay of the Lord in sending still larger sums, and more speedily, than He has been pleased to do hitherto, I only consider to be for the exercise of my faith and patience. Were the Lord displeased with my intention, He would not have dealt with me as He has, and would not have encouraged me to continue to wait upon Him, by the many donations which were expressly given for this object, and some from most unexpected quarters. This exercise of my faith and patience, however, I believe to be intended not merely for my own individual profit; but through me, also for the benefit of others. By God's gracious help and support I will, therefore, continue to wait patiently, till He shall be pleased more abundantly to send in the means, which I do not in the least doubt life will do.
3. Even when intending to build the New Orphan-House on Ashley Down, Bristol, (which was then an undertaking to me greater far than the second Orphan House now contemplated), I had to wait two years and three months, before I had all the means needed; and great, and many, and varied indeed were the trials of my patience and faith, before that work was accomplished; yet, at last, the Lord so abundantly helped me, and so altogether carried me through all the difficulties, that the house was built, fitted up, furnished, and inhabited, and several hundred pounds remained over and above what was required. And now three years have already elapsed since the house has been inhabited, and the three hundred Orphans in it have no cause to speak of want, but only of abundance. But as the work increases more and more, 1 am not surprised that my trials of faith and patience should become sharper and sharper, and should last longer and longer; but yet, by His help, will I hope in God, whom I shall have to praise further still, and who will help me further still, on the ground of the worthiness and merits of His holy child Jesus, though I am most unworthy in myself to be helped.
4. One of the things, which especially encourages me to continue to wait upon God, and to labour on in prayer Concerning this object, is the great number of applications which continue to be made for the admission of children who have been lawfully begotten, but who are by death bereaved of both parents, and who are in very destitute circumstances. There were 170 such children waiting for admission a year ago; since then there have been 183 more applied for, making in all 353. Of these, as during the last year but few vacancies have occurred, I have only been able to receive twenty-seven, therefore 326 remain unprovided for. This number would be far greater still, had not many persons been kept from applying to me; for they considered it useless, as the number of Orphans, waiting for admission, was already so great. Now when I consider all the help which the Lord has been pleased to grant me in this His service for so many years, and how He has carried me through one difficulty after another, and when I see one case after another, of the most pitiable Orphans (some less than one year old) brought before me; how can I but labour on in prayer on their behalf, fully believing that God, in His own time, will give me the means for this intended second home for 700 more Orphans, though I know not when the money will be sent, and whom He will honour to be the instruments, whether it will come from many or from few comparatively, and whether more especially from those donors whom God has used in former times, or whether He may be pleased to put it into the heart of those to assist me in this service, whose names I have never heard up to this time.
B. Up to the present I have taken no actual steps towards the erection of the second Orphan-House, nor do I mean to do anything in the way of purchasing the land, &c., until I have a sum in hand which may point out that the Lord's time is come for taking such steps. At present I do not allow my mind to be occupied with such points, but seek to go on step by step, and therefore, in the first place, to wait upon God for a greater amount of means than I have in hand at present; and when the Lord shall have been pleased to grant me this, I doubt not that He will also guide and direct me as to carrying out the desire which, I trust, He has put into my heart, to be still more extensively used as the Friend of the Orphan.
C. I state again that this second Orphan-House is only intended, as the one already built, for children who have been lawfully begotten, who have lost both parents by death, and who are in destitute circumstances; this, however, being the case, children may be received from any place, and the more destitute, the fewer patrons and friends they have to plead their cause, the more likely they are to be received, as neither favour nor partiality is shown in the admission of the children, but their cases are considered in the order in which applications are made. I state again here especially, that no sectarian views prompt me, or even in the least influence me in the reception of children; I do not belong to any sect, and am, therefore, not influenced by sectarianism in the admission of Orphans; but from wheresoever they come, and to whatsoever religions denomination the parents belonged, or with whatever body the persons making application may be connected; and whether those who apply never gave me one penny towards the work, or whether they gave much; it makes no difference in the admission of the children. Now just as it has been thus with regard to the admission of Orphans for more than sixteen years past, so, when God shall be pleased to allow me to accomplish my purpose concerning another Orphan-House, it is still intended to be the same concerning that one also. The New Orphan-House on Ashley Down, Bristol, is not say Orphan-House, not the Orphan-House of any party or sect, but it is God's Orphan-House, and the Orphan-House for any and every poor destitute Orphan who has lost both parents; provided, of course, there be room in the establishment, and that there be nothing so peculiar in the case of the children as to prevent their being received; and exactly thus it is intended to be, God helping, with regard to the Orphan-House for 700 Orphans, now in contemplation.
Supplies for the School, Bible , Missionary and Tract Fund, sent in answer to prayer, from May 26, 1851, to May 26, 1852.
At no time during the past eighteen years did I begin a new period with so much money in hand, as was the case at the commencement of this. There was a balance of 809l. 10s. 6d. left for these objects. Long before this balance was expended, however, the Lord was pleased to send in further supplies; so that, during all the year, there did not come before me one single instance in which, according to my judgment, it would have been desirable to help forward Schools or Missionary objects, or the circulation of the Holy Scriptures and Tracts, but I had always the means in hand for doing so.
I will now notice a few of the more remarkable donations
On the third day already, after the accounts had been closed, May 29, 1851, I received a donation of 150l., of which I took one-half for the current expenses for the Orphans, and the other half for these objects. This was the first donation in this new period, and was a precious encouragement to me in the work.
July 8. From May 29th to this day have come in twenty-eight donations, varying from 1d. to 15l. Today I received a donation of 150l. of which the donor kindly wished me to take 10l. for my own personal expenses, and to use the rest as the work of God might require it. As I still had an abundance in hand both for the Orphans and for these objects, I took one-half for the current expenses for the Orphans, and the other half for these objects.