3. There are these three great objections against building: The considerable sum which is required, and which could be spent for present use upon the Orphans. The pilgrim character of the Christian seems lost in building. The time that it will necessarily take in making arrangements for it.
[Do not all these objections only hold good, I said to myself, if I were needlessly to set about building? If I could rent premises, which are really in every way suitable for the work, and I preferred building, then those objections would apply to the case; but when one is forced to it, it is no more than erecting a large building, because there may be 800 children of God in fellowship who have been hitherto renting a meeting-place, but for certain reasons are obliged to leave it, and cannot rent another. Such could not be accused of needlessly spending money in building instead of renting; nor could it be justly said that they have on that account given up the pilgrim character; nor would it be time wasted if some individuals were to make arrangements about the building of that meeting-place. Therefore these three objections just mentioned, which had been for ten years strongly in my own mind, were removed when once I saw plainly that nothing remained but to build.]
After I had spent a few hours in prayer and consideration over the subject, I began already to see that the Lord would lead me to build, and that His intentions were not only the benefit of the Orphans, and the better ordering of the whole work, but also the bearing still further testimony that He could and would provide large sums for those who need them and trust in Him for them; and besides, that He would enlarge the work so, that, if I once did build a house, it might be large enough to accommodate three hundred Orphans, with their teachers and other overseers and servants needful for the work.--Concerning this latter point, I think it important to remark, that during no period had the number of applications for the admission of Orphans been greater than just before I was led to think about building, so that it was quite painful to me, not to be able to comply with the wishes of all the many persons who applied for the admission of Orphans. There were many waiting for admission, particularly Orphan-Boys.
In the afternoon of November 3rd, 1845, I laid the matter before my fellow-labourers in the Church (eight in number) to get their judgment, whether I ought not to leave Wilson Street, and to build. All judged that I ought to leave Wilson Street, and none saw reasons against building.
On Nov. 4th my dear wife and I began to meet for prayer about this matter, and purposed to do so morning by morning. We asked God for clearer light concerning the particular points connected with the subject; and, being assured that it was His will that I should build, I began asking the Lord for means.
On Nov. 7th I judged, having considered the matter more fully, that sufficiently large premises to furnish all needful accommodation for 300 children (from their earliest days up to 15 or 10 years old), together with a sufficiently large piece of ground in the neighbourhood of Bristol, for building the premises upon and the remainder for cultivation by the spade, would cost at least Ten Thousand Pounds. I was not discouraged by this, but trusted in the living God.