Produced by the Bookworm (bookworm.librivox AT gmail.com)
J. NISBET & CO., BERNERS STREET, LONDON.
AT THE BIBLE AND TRACT WAREHOUSE OF THE SCRIPTURAL KNOWLEDGE
INSTITUTION FOR HOME AND ABROAD, No. 78 PARK STREET, AND THROUGH
ALL BOOKSELLERS.
1865
[Entered at Stationers' Hall.]
It was only after the consideration of many months, and after muchself-examination as to my motives, and after much earnestprayer, that I came to the conclusion to write this littlework. I have not taken one single step in the Lord's service,concerning which I have prayed so much. My great disliketo increasing the number of religious books would, initself, have been sufficient to have kept me for ever from it, had I notcherished the hope of being instrumental in this way to lead some of mybrethren to value the Holy Scriptures more, and to judge by the standardof the word of God the principles on which they act. But that whichweighed more with me than any thing was, that I have reason to believefrom what I have seen among the children of God, that many of their trialsarise, either from want of confidence in the Lord as it regards temporalthings, or from carrying on their business in an unscriptural way. Onaccount, therefore, of the remarkable way in which the Lord has dealt withme in temporal things, within the last ten years, I feel that I am adebtor to the Church of Christ, and that I ought, for the benefit of mypoorer brethren especially, to make known, as much as I can, the way inwhich I have been led. In addition to this, I know it to be a fact, thatto many souls the Lord has blessed what I have told them about the way inwhich He has led me, and therefore it seemed to me a duty to use suchmeans, whereby others also, with whom I could not possibly converse, mightbe benefited. That which at last, on May 6, 1836, induced me finally todetermine to write this Narrative was, that, if the Lord should permit thebook to sell, I might, by the profits arising from the sale, be enabled ina greater degree to help the poor brethren and sisters among whom Ilabour, a matter which just at that time weighed much on my mind. Itherefore at last began to write. But after three days I was obliged tolay the work again aside, on account of my other pressing engagements. OnMay 15th I was laid aside on account of an abscess and now being unable,for many weeks, to walk about as usual, though able to work at home, I hadtime for writing. When the manuscript was nearly completed, I gave it to abrother to look it over, that I might have his judgment; and the Lord sorefreshed his spirit through it, that he offered to advance the means forhaving it printed, with the understanding that if the book should notsell, he would never consider me his debtor. By this offer not a smallobstacle was removed, as I have no means of my own to defray the expenseof printing. These two last circumstances, connected with many otherpoints, confirmed me that I had not been mistaken, when I came to theconclusion that it was the will of God, that I should serve His church inthis way.
The fact of my being a foreigner, and therefore but very imperfectlyacquainted with the English language, I judged to be no sufficient reasonf