Dear Mr. Müller,
The enclosed check for 8l. 1s. 4d. is chiefly the product of a sale for the Orphans, which we held on our sister's wedding-day, and hoping it will be acceptable,
We remain,
Your's affectionately,
* * * * *."
The Orphans on Ashley Down were to be benefited by the day of gladness in this Godly family.—The Godly principle, which brought this donation, refreshed my spirit above the money, and, I doubt not, will refresh other Godly readers.—Let me here say, by the way, to believing parents, Seek to cherish in your children early the habit of being interested about the work of God and about cases of need and distress, and use them too at suitable times, and under suitable circumstances, as your almoners, and you will reap fruit from doing so.
Oct. 10. From Surrey 5s. and a gold chain.—From a shepherd in Australia, who had read my Narrative while tending his flock, 12s.— See how the lady near London sends her gold chain, and the shepherd in Australia his 12s.—Thus the Lord, in the greatest variety of ways supplies me with means, for the greater part through entire strangers. Thus I received one hundred pounds after another, anonymously, through London bankers, until a particular circumstance made known to me the name of the kind Christian donor, whom I have seen but once years ago, and who had, at the same time, sent me considerable donations with his name, whilst his bankers, anonymously, sent his still larger donations of many hundred pounds. I dwell upon this fact, that the reader may be led to own increasingly the hand of God in this work; for I desire that He may be honoured, that His hand may be recognised, and that attention may be drawn to Him, and not to me. It gives me no joy but sorrow, if persons admire me, in connexion with this work, as if I did anything great; as if I acted in a remarkable way. What is it that I do? I simply desire, through this work, to direct the attention of those who need it to the precious truth, that God is unchangeably the same, and that those who take Him at His word, as given to us in the Holy Scriptures, will find how unspeakably blessed it is, even for this life, to do so. To bring back to the written word of God those of His children, who practically have departed from it, and to sound again and again in the ears and consciences of the unbeliever that there is verily a living God who listens to the prayers of those who put their trust in Him, is, as I have often before stated, the great end of this work.
Oct. 11. To day I received, unsolicited, a kind and useful present of flannel and calico, to the amount of 10l., from the ladies constituting the Bristol Dorcas Society.
Oct. 18. "Articles forwarded by friends at a distance," an anonymous but most valuable donation, the particulars of which I am not at liberty to state.—The kind unknown donor or donors should, however, know, that very many pounds have been realized through the sale of these articles, and that they were almost all readily sold.
I cannot help noticing here, how much help the Lord has given us, in disposing of the articles, given for the benefit of the Orphans, and what a considerable sum has come to the funds of the Institution through the fact that believers have been led to send their needless articles. There came in by the sale of articles during the past year, for the Building Fund 21l. 16s. 7d., for missionary objects 15l. 6s. 4d., and for the support of the Orphans 426l. 14s. 9d.