experience" that often comes to the old and hardened cases. I was
truly glad to hear it. I really felt saved. I had now escaped the
devil. I had already learned the doctrine of "once in grace always in
grace," and I felt supremely happy to think that after all I had now
escaped from the "eternal burning" and was entirely out of danger. I
joined the church and was baptized.

I have thus referred at some length to my childhood for two reasons: It
will be seen later how some of these experiences affected my
after-life; and also because I feel that in some measure I am only
repeating in substance the experiences of millions of others who have
passed through similar conditions of life. Also to say to you, who
were brought up in the light of a liberal faith and free from these
dogmas of dread, despair and damnation, that you ought to be sincerely
thankful that you have escaped at least this much of hell, no matter
how much the orthodox may have in store for you in the future; and
further, to exonerate my parents from any blame in the premises. They
taught me only as they had been taught and firmly believed, and did it
all for what they honestly believed, to be for my best interests. Like
millions of others, they did the best they knew at the time.

THE CALL TO PREACH.--It was a part of the orthodox belief at that time,
and is very largely so even now, that after the fall of Adam,
practically all the human race was lost except now and then a worthy
patriarch like Abel, Enoch and Noah, down to the call of Abraham; and
after that only the pious and faithful of the seed of Abraham, thru
Isaac, were saved, down to the coming of Christ. All the balance of
mankind were utterly and irretrievably lost, both wicked and apostate
Jews and _all_ Gentiles. And since the death of Christ those only are
saved who repent and believe in him as a personal savior, and accept
the prescribed creed of the particular church presenting it. All the
balance of mankind, including all Jews and nine-tenths of the balance
of mankind are irretrievably lost.

This being the case, the sole end and aim in life is to escape hell
hereafter. Nine-tenths of the preaching in my boyhood was to warn men
to "flee from the wrath to come." But little was said about the love
of God or the brotherhood of man, the nobility of character, human
helpfulness, the promotion of happiness here, and the general uplift
and advancement of civilization and mankind.

I