unce them all foolish or dishonest, that I had felt before. It was
plain, that whether their theory of a spirit world was true or not, they
were excusable in thinking it true. It _looked_ like truth. I did not
myself conclude from what I had seen, that it was true, but I was
satisfied that there was more in this wonderful universe than could be
accounted for on the coarse materialistic principles of Atheism. My
skepticism was not destroyed, but it was shaken and confounded. And now,
when I look back on these things, it seems strange that it was not
entirely swept away. But believing and disbelieving are habits, and they
are subject to the same laws as other habits. You may exercise yourself
in doubting till you become the slave of doubt. And this was what I had
done. I had exercised myself in doubting, till my tendencies to doubt
had become irresistible. My faith, both in God and man, seemed entirely
gone. I had not, so far as I can see, so much as "a grain of mustard
seed" left. So far as religious matters were concerned, I was insane. It
makes me sad to think what a horrible extravagance of doubt had taken
possession of my mind. A thousand thanks to God for my deliverance from
that dreadful thraldom.

15. I have been asked how I meet my own old objections to the Divine
authority of the Bible. I answer, some of them originated in
misinterpretations of Scripture. Others originated in mistakes with
regard to the character of Christ. Some things which I regarded as
defects in Christ were, in truth, excellencies. Some were based on
mistakes with regard to the truth of certain doctrines, and the value of
certain precepts. I looked on certain doctrines as false, which I now am
satisfied are true; and I regarded certain precepts as bad, which I am
now persuaded are good. Some things which I said about the Bible were
true, but they proved nothing against its substantial perfection and
divinity. Much of what I said in my speech at Salem, Ohio, about the
imperfection of all translations of the Scriptures, the various readings
of Greek and Hebrew manuscripts, the defects of Greek and Hebrew
compilations, and the loss of the original manuscripts, was true; but it
amounted to nothing. It disproved the unguarded statements of certain
rash divines; but it proved nothing against the divine inspiration or
substantial perfection of the Bible as taught in the Bible itself, and
as held by divines of the more enlightened and sober class. Th