It was my privilege (in 1865) to be born of God-fearing parents, and to be mercifully preserved from running into open sin and profanity, into which many, alas! are permitted to wander; for which today I am devoutly thankful, though I have been foolish enough to wish it were otherwise, vainly supposing I should feel more convinced, and be able to trace more clearly, the reality of the work of grace. But though born of godly parents I was not born a Christian, nor as a sheet of clean paper to be kept clean by parents and guardians, for very, very soon I gave unmistakable signs of a corrupt nature, a deceitful heart, of love to sin; indeed, my dear parents feared I should one…