I did not by any means forget my fellow-bondmen, of whom I had been sorrowing so deeply, and travailing in spirit so earnestly; but I now saw that while man had been injuring me, I had been offending God; and that unless I ceased to offend him, I could not expect to have his sympathy in my wrongs; and moreover, that I could not be instrumental in eliciting his powerful aid in behalf of those for whom I mourned so deeply.
This may provoke a smile from some who profess to be the friends of the slave, but who have a lower estimate of experimental Christianity than I believe is due to it; but I am not the less confident that sincere prayer to God, proceeding from a few hearts deeply imbued with experimental Christianity about _that time_, has had much to do with subsequent happy results.

At that time the 800,000 bondmen in the British Isles had not seen the beginning of the end of their sufferings--at that time, 20,000 who are now free in Canada, were in bonds--at that time, there was no Vigilance Committee to aid the flying slave--at that time, the two powerful Anti-Slavery Societies of America had no being.
I distinctly remember that I felt the need of enlisting the sympathy of God, in behalf of my enslaved brethren; but when I attempted it day after day, and night after night, I was made to feel, that whatever else I might do, I was not qualified to do that, as I was myself alienated from him by wicked works.

In short, I felt that I needed the powerful aid of some in my behalf with God, just as much as I did that of my dear friend in Pennsylvania, when flying from man.

"If one man sin against another, the judge shall judge him, but if a man sin against God, who shall entreat for him ?" Day after day, for about two weeks, I found myself more deeply convicted of personal guilt before God.

My heart, soul and body were in the greatest distress; I thought of neither food, drink or rest, for days and nights together.