Did not the men round me need
such a Saviour? Was there ever such a field as I found? Every
sympathy of my being was continually solicited for the ignorance, for
the rudeness, for the aberrations, for the avarice, for the
quarrelsomeness of the men among whom I was, and I was trying every
form and presenting Christ as a medicine to men. I went through the
woods and through camp-meetings and over prairies. Everywhere my
vacations were all missionary tours, preaching Christ for the hope of
salvation. I am not saying this to show you how I came to the
knowledge of Christ, but to show you how I came to the habits and forms
of my ministry. I tried everything on to folks."
Added to the forces of experience and surroundings was always that of
his own personal, natural endowment. This he found fault with and
tried to change, as most people do at some period of their lives, but
finally accepted and concluded to use as best he could, without
murmuring, but always conscious of its limitations.
"I have my own peculiar temperament, I have my own method of preaching,
and my method and temperament necessitate errors. I am not worthy to
be related in the hundred-thousandth degree to those more happy men who
never make a mistake in the pulpit.
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