is divine character, his
miracles, the end for which he came into the world, his sufferings and
death, attracted and absorbed my whole attention. At the account of
his passion, which, till then, I had read with indifference, my heart
was melted, and my eyes overflowed with tears. In short, I found
and felt such a suitableness between the wants of my sinful soul,
destitute as it was of all peace and comfort, and the work which the
Saviour had accomplished by his death on the cross, that I no longer
doubted that the promises of the Gospel were personally addressed to
me. I believed that Jesus Christ had offered himself a sacrifice for
me, to expiate my sins, and to reconcile me unto God; and from that
moment I have enjoyed an inward peace, the source of which I believe
to be faith in Christ alone--a peace which the world can neither give
nor take away, and which, as I myself have frequently experienced, is
alone able to support and strengthen us through all the sufferings and
afflictions of life.

In this manner you see how, a sinner and prodigal as I was, our
heavenly Father met me, and received me to the arms of his mercy; how
he made known to me his free grace and heavenly gift, of which I was
utterly unworthy. It is his grace that has accomplished all in me. He
it was who began, who carried on, and who, I trust, will perfect this
work of salvation.

Without his intervention, that is to say, without the aid of his
Spirit operating upon my heart, it never could have experienced a
_real_ conversion. To him also do I ascribe, with gratitude, my
admission into the protestant church, of which I have now the
privilege of being a member--as I shall proceed to tell you.

Having found, as I have already said, peace and joy in that word of
God which I had received with my whole heart, I immediately felt the
desire and the need of intercourse with gospel Christians; I was
convinced that such there were, because the Saviour had promised "that
the powers of hell should never prevail against his church." But not
finding them in the Roman Catholic church, which presented to me
nothing but a religion of tradition, equally degenerate in doctrine
and worship, I was greatly at a loss where to find the real Christians
for whom I was in search.

For the first time in my life the thought occurred, Is it possible
they may be among the protestants? But instantly I repelled an
idea which early prejudice had rendered revolting to me. In pl