. To undervalue God's Providence it is the most dreadful insult
that a fool could dare conceive in his mind against God's existence. But
the wise hearken to His voice.

My son, if thou wilt receive my words,
And hide my commandments with thee;
So that thou incline thine ear to wisdom,
And apply thy heart to understanding;
Yea, if thou criest after knowledge,
And liftest up thy voice for understanding;
If thou seekest her as silver,
And searchest for her as for hid treasures;
Then shalt thou understand the fear of the Lord,
And find the knowledge of God.

CHAPTER VII

_New York to California_

When I was but a little boy, I can well recollect, a nice little pond in
the hollow of two hills beautifully situated, near the school house
where the pupils would enjoy the intervals of their school time. How I
would wonder at the experiment of throwing a stone in the pond and
watching anxiously the circles of water growing larger and larger till
reaching the banks of the pond and there they would break, as though in
despair for the limitations of their enlarging tendencies. It seems to
me, now, a parallel despair threatens my heart, for being obliged to
compact this story of my conversion. Yet, in view of the fact that the
American reader is a greater admirer of quality rather than quantity, I
must content myself by giving a brief account on the practical side of
my personal experience as a Christian worker, among the rich and the
poor, the high and the low classes and masses, in cities and towns,
sunshine or clouds, rain or snow, by day or by night; I made myself
servant unto all men, that I might by all means save some, and this I do
for the Gospel's sake. And, it is only proper, to confess, publicly,
that I am prepared to suffer all things, for the love which I feel in my
heart to be of some service to my own people, an historical race of
people they are, drifting away from God, blindly allowing blind priests
to lead them into the ditch. There is a cheering prospect about this
people, for whose salvation I have devoted my life, that when Christ
enters into the heart of a Greek, there is very little hope left for the
devil to induce him to be a backslider. A truly converted Greek soul is
worthy of all the joy that the angels in heaven rejoice over one sinner
that repenteth. How much more rejoicing shall be there, if we get
converted all the Greeks that are living in the Uni