I remember that one day as I was travelling into the country, and musing on the wickedness of my heart, that Scripture came to my mind.  “He hath made peace by the blood of His cross.”  I saw that the justice of God and my sinful soul could embrace each other through this blood.  This was a good day to me.  At this time I sat under the ministry of holy Mr. Gifford, whose doctrine was, by God’s grace, much for my stability.  My soul was now led from truth to truth, even from the birth and cradle of the Son of God to His ascension and His second coming to judge the world.

One day there fell into my hands a book of Martin Luther.  It was his “Commentary on the Epistle to the Galatians,” and the volume was so old that it was ready to fall to pieces.  When I had but a little way perused it, I found that my condition was in his experience so handled as if his book had been written out of my heart.  I do here wish to set forth that I do prefer this book of Martin Luther upon the Galatians (excepting the Holy Bible) before all the books I have ever seen, as most fit for a wounded conscience.  About this time I was beset with tormenting fears that I had committed the unpardonable sin against the Holy Ghost, and an ancient Christian to whom I opened my mind told me he thought so, too, which gave me cold comfort.  Thus, by strange and unusual assaults of the tempter was my soul, like a broken vessel, tossed and driven with winds.  There was now nothing that I longed for but to be put out of doubt as to my full pardon.  One morning when I was at prayer, and trembling under fear that no word of God could help me, that piece of a sentence darted in upon me:  “My grace is sufficient.”  By these words I was sweetly sustained for about eight weeks, though not without conflicts, until at last these same words did break in with great power suddenly upon me:  “My grace is sufficient for thee,” repeated three times, at which my understanding was so enlightened that I was as though I had seen the Lord Jesus look down from Heaven through the tiles upon me, and direct these words to me.

One day, as I was passing in the field, with some dashes on my conscience, fearing lest yet all was not right, suddenly this sentence fell upon my soul:  “Thy righteousness is in Heaven.”  I saw in a moment that my righteousness was not my good frame of heart, but Jesus Christ Himself, “the same yesterday, to-day, and for ever.”  Now shall I go forward to give you a relation of other of the Lord’s dealings with me.  I shall begin with what I met when I first did join in fellowship with the people of God in Bedford.  Upon a time I was suddenly seized with much sickness, and was inclining towards consumption.  Now I began to give myself up to fresh serious examination, and there came flocking into my mind an innumerable company of my sins and transgressions, my soul also being greatly tormented between these two considerations:  Live I must not, die I dare not.  But as I was