About half-past eight in the evening, the principal of the firm whence the boiler-makers came, arrived to see how the work was going on, and whether he could in any way speed the matter.
The principal went with me to see his men; to the foreman of whom he said: "The men will work late this evening, and come very early again to-morrow."
"We would rather," said the leader, "work all night."
Then remembered I the second part of my prayer, that God would give the men a mind to work. By morning the repair was accomplished, the leak was stopped, and in thirty hours the fire was again in the boiler; and all the time the south wind blew so mildly that there was not the least need of a fire.
7. In the year 1865, the scarlet fever broke out in several of the Orphan Homes. In one of which were four hundred girls, and in the other four hundred and fifty. It appeared among the infants. The cases increased more and more. But we betook ourselves to God in prayer. Day by day we called upon Him regarding this trial, and generally two or three times a day. At last, when the infirmary rooms were filled, and some other rooms that could be spared for the occasion, to keep the sick children from the rest, and when we had no other rooms to spare, at least not without inconvenience, it pleased the Lord to answer our prayers, and in mercy stay the disease. The disease was very general in the town of Bristol, and many children died in consequence. But not one in the Orphan Home died. All recovered.
At another date, the whooping-cough also broke out among the four hundred and fifty girls of our Home, and though many were dying in the towns of the same disease, yet all in the Orphan Home recovered except one little girl who had very weak lungs, a constitutional tendency to consumption.
8. In the early part of one Summer, it was found that we had several boys ready to be apprenticed, but there were no applications made by masters for apprentices. This was no small difficulty, as the master must be also willing to receive the apprentice into his own family. We again gave ourselves to prayer, instead of advertising. Some weeks passed, but the difficulty remained. We continued in prayer, and then one application was made for an apprentice, and from the time we first began, we have been able to find places for eighteen boys."
The Consumptive's Home.
In the United States there is a Parallel Record to George Mailer's Life of Faith and Trust, found in the history of the Consumptive's Home of Boston, Mass. It was established twelve years since by Doctor Cullis, who in the ardor of his faith and trust gave himself to the work of the Lord, by ministering in Jesus' Name, to the poor consumptives who were unable to provide for themselves. Doctor Cullis is a man of humility, and devoted to his life work, and has been most abundantly blessed by the Lord in his field. To the honor and glory of our Heavenly Father, he has never been forsaken by Him.
The Institution began twelve years ago, in small quarters. Now it embraces a very large gathering of useful enterprises: A Consumptive's Home, Children's Home, Grove Hall Church, Tract Repository, a Training College, and a Cancer Home. The means provided have all been sent by the Lord, who has prompted the hearts of good people to send to it their voluntary contributions.