with
the blessing of God, even for this realm in a civil and moral point of
view! 7, But that which outweighs every one of these six reasons, is
lastly this: I began this Orphan Work fifteen years ago for the very
purpose of illustrating to the world and to the church that there is
verily a God in heaven who hears prayer; that God is the living God.
(See fully about this in "Narrative of the Lord's dealings with George
Muller," under the reasons why I began the Orphan Work in 1835, 1st
Part, page 143-146 of the Seventh Edition.) Now this last object is the
more fully accomplished the larger the work is, provided I am helped in
obtaining the means simply through prayer and faith.

But whilst such thoughts have passed through my mind, there are others
of another character. For instance, 1, I have already an abundance of
work. 2, My dear wife has already an abundance of work. Her whole time,
with little intermission (except for prayer and reading of the Word of
God) is occupied directly or indirectly about the Orphans. 3, Am I not
undertaking too much for my bodily strength and mental powers, by
thinking about another Orphan-House? 4, Am I not going beyond the
measure of my faith in thinking about enlarging the work so as to double
or treble it? 5, Is not this a delusion of Satan, an attempt to cast me
down altogether from my sphere of usefulness, by making me go beyond my
measure? 6, Is it not also, perhaps, a snare to puff me up, by
attempting to build a very large Orphan-House?

Under these circumstances I can only pray that the Lord in his tender
mercy would not allow Satan to gain an advantage over me. By the grace
of God my heart says: Lord if I could be sure that it is Thy will, that
I should go forward in this matter, I would do so cheerfully; and, on
the other hand, if I could be sure, that these are vain, foolish, proud
thoughts, that they are not from Thee, I would, by Thy grace, hate them,
and entirely put them aside.

My hope is in God; He will help and teach me. Judging, however, from His
former dealings with me, it would not be a strange thing to me, nor
surprising, if He called me to labour yet still more largely in this
way.

The thoughts about enlarging the Orphan Work have not arisen on account
of an abundance of money having lately come in; for I have had of late
to wait for about seven weeks upon God, whilst little, very little
comparatively, came in, i.e., about four times as much was going out a