We are but
earthen vessels; the excellency of the power is of God.
O my poor soul, how do I grieve when I think of thy early dreams, and of
thy sad awakening. Like Adam, I lived in a Paradise of bliss, suspecting
no evil, and dreading no change. I had been trained to piety from my
earliest years. The Bible was my delight. Christ and Christianity were
my glory and joy. The Church was my home. To preach the Gospel, to
defend God's cause, and to labor for the salvation of the world, were
the delight of my life. I was successful. I was popular. I had many
friends, and was passionately beloved. Wherever I went, men hailed me as
their spiritual father. The chapels in which I preached were crowded to
their utmost capacity, and men regarded me as the champion of
Christianity. They applauded my labors in its behalf, and testified
their esteem and admiration by unmistakable signs. At one time I might
have applied to myself the words of Job, "When the ear heard me, then it
blessed me; and when the eye saw me, it gave witness to me. The young
men saw me, and gave me reverence; and the aged arose and stood up. Unto
me men gave ear, and waited; and kept silence at my counsel. They waited
for my words as for the showers; and opened their mouths as for the
latter rain.
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