me since his illness, there was given him a spirit of believing
prayer for his own recovery; and his strength so rapidly grew that by
the middle of October he was back in Bristol.

It was just before this, on the ninth of the same month, that _the
reading of John Newton's Life stirred him up to bear a similar witness
to the Lord's dealings with himself._ Truly there are no little things
in our life, since what seems to be trivial may be the means of bringing
about results of great consequence. This is the second time that a
chance reading of a book had proved a turning-point with George Muller.
Franke's life stirred his heart to begin an orphan work, and Newton's
life suggested the narrative of the Lord's dealings. To what is called
an accident are owing, under God, those pages of his life-journal which
read like new chapters in the Acts of the Apostles, and will yet be so
widely read, and so largely used of God.

CHAPTER IX

THE GROWTH OF GOD'S OWN PLANT

THE last great step of full entrance upon Mr. Muller's life-service was
the _founding of the orphan work,_ a step so important and so prominent
that even the lesser particulars leading to it have a strange
significance and fascination.

In the year 1835, on November 20th, in taking tea at the house of a
Christian sister, he again saw a copy of Francke's life. For no little
time he had thought of like labours, though on no such scale, nor in
mere imitation of Francke, but under a sense of similar divine leading.
This impression had grown into a conviction, and the conviction had
blossomed into a resolution which now rapidly ripened into corresponding
action. He was emboldened to take this forward step in sole reliance on
God, by the fact that at that very time, in answer to prayer, ten pounds
more had been sent him than he had asked for other existing work, as
though God gave him a token of both willingness and readiness to supply
all needs.

Nothing is more worthy of imitation, perhaps, than the uniformly
deliberate, self-searching, and prayerful way in which he set about any
work which he felt led to undertake. It was preeminently so in
attempting this new form of service, the future growth of which was not
then even in his thought. In daily prayer he sought as in his Master's
presence to sift from the pure grain of a godly purpose to glorify Him,
all the chaff of selfish and carnal motives, to get rid of every taint
of worldly self-seeking or lust of applau