you from harm." All this
was true; but it was truth without the needful accompaniment of pious
caution. It was true, but it was truth without the needful amount of
humility, of meekness, of gentleness, and of self-distrust. It was
truth, but it was truth put in such a form as to do the work of
falsehood. It was an appeal to pride, to self-conceit, to
self-sufficiency. It was truth presented in such a shape, as to abate
the sense of my dependence on God; as to make me forgetful of my own
imperfections; as to exclude from my mind all thoughts of danger, and so
prepare me for mistakes, mishaps, and ultimately ruin. It is not enough
to aim at good objects: we must be humble; we must be sensible that our
sufficiency is of God; we must be conscious of our own weakness, of our
own imperfections, and of our own danger, and move with care, and
watchfulness, and prayer. We must not please ourselves with thoughts of
the wonders we will achieve, of the services we will render to the
world, and of the honor we shall gain; but cherish the feeling that God
is all, and be content that He alone shall be glorified. 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. I chose out their way, and sat chief, and dwelt as a king
in the army, a