There were circulated from March 5, 1834, to May 26, 1855, through the
medium of this Institutions 13,949 Bibles, 9047 New Testaments, 188
copies of the Psalms, and 789 other small portions of the Holy
Scriptures.
The total amount of the funds of this Institution, spent on the
circulation of the Holy Scriptures, from March 5, 1834, to May 20, 1855,
is 3389l. 10s. 1d. The amount spent during this year, 476l. 12s. 3d.
3. During this year there was spent of the funds of the Institution for
missionary objects, the sum of 2081l. 3s. 2d. By this sum Fifty Seven
Labourers in the word and doctrine, in various parts of the world, were
to a greater or less degree assisted.
With reference to this part of the operations of the Institution, I have
especially the joy of being able to communicate to the Christian reader,
that the Lord was pleased, during this year, abundantly to bless the
labours of many of the brethren whom I assisted. Again and again I had
refreshing intelligence as to the fruit which resulted from their
efforts. Many souls were brought to the knowledge of the Lord, through
their labours during this year. And such heart-refreshing intelligence
came to me not only from those labouring in various parts of the United
Kingdom, but also from those who are serving the Lord in foreign
countries. This calls for especial praise; but at the same time I would
commend these dear brethren to the prayers of the saints, that they may
be upheld by the Lord with reference to their bodily and mental
strength, and especially that they may be sustained with patience,
faith, love, perseverance, and endurance; for great and many are their
difficulties. I would especially also request all, who love the Lord
Jesus, to pray for more labourers in the Gospel; for I hear continually
of fields which are unoccupied, and of open doors not entered into for
lack of labourers.
The total amount of the funds of the Institution, spent on Missionary
operations, from March 5, 1834, to May 20, 1855, was 16,115l. 0s. 5 ½
d.
4. The fourth object of the Institution is, the circulation of such
publications as may be beneficial, with the blessing of God, to benefit
both believers and unbelievers. As it respects tracts for unbelievers, I
seek especially to aim after the diffusion of such as contain the truths
of the Gospel clearly and simply expressed; and as it respects
publications for believers, I aim after the circulation of such as may
be instrumental in directing their minds to those truths which in these
last days are more especially needed, or which have been particularly
lost sight of, and may lead believers to return to the written Word of
God.
There was laid out for this object, from May 26, 1854, to May 26, 1855,
the sum of 624l. 8s. 4d.; and there were circulated within this year
895,034 Tracts and Books.
The total number of all the Tracts and Books circulated from the
beginning up to May 26, 1855, was 3,584,710.
The total amount of means, expended on this object, from Nov. 19, 1840,
to May 26, 1855, is 2868l. 15s. 6 ¾ d.
We desire to be truly thankful to the Lord, for having intrusted us
with means, and given us open doors, for the circulation of so many
copies of the Holy Scriptures, and so many thousands of Tracts; and for
having enabled us to assist again to such an extent preachers of the
unsearchable riches of Christ; but we do not rest in this. Our trust was
in the Lord for His blessing upon our efforts. Nor has He allowed us to
wait upon Him in vain, during this year. We had not only very many
answers to our prayers with regard to the obtaining of means, but also
many answers to prayer as it respects fruit resulting from our labours.
Thus also with reference to the circulation of Tracts. Again and again
instances came before us in which souls were converted through the
Tracts, which the Lord had allowed us to send out during the year. Among
others, I would only mention, that an actor on the stage, to whom one of
them was given, was brought to the knowledge of the Lord.
Tract distributors, who can afford to pay for Tracts, and who desire to
procure Tracts from us, may obtain them for this purpose with a discount
of one-half, or 50 per cent., from the retail price. I state this, as
many be1ievers may not like to give away that which cost them nothing,
and yet may, at the same time, wish to obtain as much as possible for
their money. Applications for this should be made verbally or in writing
to Mr. Stanley, at the Bible and Tract Warehouse, No. 34, Park-street,
Bristol. To him, also, application may be made for specimen packets
containing an assortment of the Tracts and small books which are kept.
By sending 3s., 5s., 7s., or 10s. in postages to Mr. Stanley, No. 34,
Park Street, Bristol, packets will be sent to any part of England,
Wales, Ireland, Scotland, Jersey, Guernsey, &c., post paid, containing
specimens to the amount of the postages sent.
A catalogue of the various books and tracts, sold at the above
Warehouse, with their prices, may be had there, by applying either
personally or by letter to Mr. Stanley.
5. The fifth object of the Institution is, to board, clothe, and
Scripturally to educate destitute children who have lost both parents by
death.
At the commencement of this period there were 298 Orphans in the New
Orphan House on Ashley Down, Bristol. During the year there were
admitted into it 39 Orphans, making 337 in all. Of these 337, two died
during the year. Only two! We record this with particular gratitude. And
even these two died through water on the brain. God helping us, we
desire to trace His hand in everything; at the same time, the longer I
am engaged in the Orphan work, and see the effects which are produced by
regular habits, cleanliness, nourishing food, proper clothing, good
ventilation, a healthy locality, &c., the more I am convinced, that at
least one-half of the children among the poorer classes die for want of
proper attention. I do not state this to find fault with them, but
rather mention it in the way of pity and commiseration, to draw the
attention of the public to the fact. If anywhere the mortality among
children should be great, humanly speaking, it should be so among us,
because we generally receive the children very young, and also, because
the very fact of these children, while so young, having been bereaved of
both parents by death, shows that their parents, generally speaking,
were of a very sickly constitution. Indeed the greater part of the
Orphans whom we have received, lost one or both parents through
consumption. And yet, though such is the case, we have seen again and
again, how children who came to us in a most diseased state, have,
through proper attention, by the blessing of God, been brought out of
that state, and are now very healthy. But we often receive children
whose countenances at once show that they have not had sufficient food,
or were in other respects greatly neglected. It was only as late as
April 26, 1855, that the turn of 4 children came, to be received, all of
the same family, from 5 to 9 years old. When these children were
brought, it was evident that they were in a most deplorable state of
health from the want of proper food. This was now the painful difficulty
in which we found ourselves; if we received them, it was not at all
unlikely, humanly speaking, that we should have great trial with them on
account of their health, as they had been so long neglected; and yet, if
we did not take them, they would, we had great reason to fear, very
shortly sink under their position. Trust in God decided the matter. We
received all four, hoping that, by God's blessing, they would be thus
rescued from sinking under their circumstances. The eldest of the four,
a boy of above nine years old, was for the first evening or two so weak,
that he could not walk up stairs to the dormitory without stopping. This
disappeared, after he had had the food of the New Orphan House for a few
days; and now all the four are so greatly improved, that they do not
look at all like what they were on April 26th, 1855. I have so minutely
entered into this one case out of very many of the kind, which have come
before me in connexion with the Orphan work during the last 20 years, in
order to show how deeply important it is to care for such destitute
Orphans, to rescue them, humanly speaking, from misery or premature
death, to say nothing now with reference to their spiritual welfare,
which is paramount with us.
Besides the two who died out of the 387, we were obliged to expel one
from the establishment. This boy was admitted on Oct. 4, 1849. He was
then not quite eight years old; but though so young, it was soon found
out that he was old in sin, for he was a confirmed liar, thief, &c. He
gloried in it among the other boys, and told them that he had belonged
to a juvenile gang of thieves, before he had been admitted into the
Orphan House, that he had often stolen from the ships iron, brass, &c.,
and sold it. We thought at first that he spoke thus merely in the way of
boasting, but it proved but too true, that he was experienced in such
matters; for twice he ran away from the Orphan House, carrying off
things belonging to the other children. Moreover, he could pick locks,
&c. We received him back twice, after having run away, hoping that, by
bearing with him, admonishing him, speaking to him privately, praying
with him, and using a variety of other means, he might be reclaimed; but
all in vain. At last, having borne with him, and tried him for five
years and four months, he was solemnly, with prayer, before the whole
establishment, expelled, if by any means this last painful remedy might
be blessed to him. Yet we follow even this poor young sinner with our
prayers, and hope that yet the Lord may show him his evil ways, and give
us even now joy concerning him, as we have had before in a similar
instance. This case afresh deeply impressed upon me the importance of
caring for Orphans from their earliest days; for this poor boy, when but
eight years old, was already greatly practiced in stealing.
One of the children, after having been five years and one month under
our care, was taken back by the relatives who had placed him with us, as
they were by that time able to provide for him. One of the girls was
sent out to learn a business, one as a junior teacher in a school, and
13 to take situations; and 21 boys were apprenticed. These 40 vacancies
thus occasioned, left at the end of the year only 297 children in the
New Orphan House. The total number of Orphans, under our care from April
1836, to May 26, 1855, was 597.