God be with you, here and everywhere; and blessed be his holy name for calling sinners, as I hope he has done you and me, to love and serve him for his mercy's sake." Each one greeted him as he came into the house, and some addressed him in very kind and impressive language.
"Massa," said he, "me not know what to say to all dese goot friends; me tink dis look a little like heaven upon earth." He then, with tears in his eyes--which, almost before he spoke, brought responsive drops into those of many present--said, "Goot friends and bredren in Christ Jesus, God bless you all, and bring you to heaven at de last." It was my stated custom, when I met to converse with these cottagers, to begin with prayer and reading a portion of the Scriptures.
When this was ended, I told the people present that the providence of God had placed this young man for a time under my ministry; and that, finding him seriously disposed, and believing him to be very sincere in his religious profession, I had resolved on baptizing him, agreeably to his own wishes.

I added, that I had now brought him with me to join in Christian conversation with us; for, as in olden times they that feared the Lord spake often one to another, in testimony that they thought upon his name (Mal.iii.

16), so I hoped we were fulfilling a Christian and brotherly duty in thus assembling for mutual edification.
Addressing myself to the Negro, I said, "William, tell me who made you." "God, de goot Fader." "Who redeemed you ?" "Jesus, his dear Son, who died for me." "Who sanctified you ?" "The Holy Ghost, who teach me to know de goot Fader, and his dear Son Jesus." "What was your state by nature ?" "Me wicked sinner; me know noting but sin, me do noting but sin; my soul more black dan my body." "Has any change taken place in you since then ?" "Me hope so, massa; but me sometime afraid no." "If you are changed, who changed you ?" "God de goot Fader, Jesus his dear Son, and God de Holy Spirit." "How was any change brought about in you ?" "God make me a slave when me was young little boy." "How, William?
would you say God made you a slave ?" "No, massa, no: me mean, God let me be made slave by white men, to do me goot." "How to do you good ?" "He take me from de land of darkness, and bring me to de land of light." "Which do you call the land of light?
the West India Islands ?" "No, massa; dey be de land of Providence, but America be de land of light to me; for dere me first hear goot minister preach.

And now dis place where I am now is de land of more light; for here you teach me more and more how goot Jesus is to sinners." "What does the blood of Christ do ?" "It cleanse from all sin; and so me hope from my sin." "Are then all men cleansed from sin by his blood ?" "O no, massa." "Who are cleansed and saved ?" "Dose dat have faith in him." "Can you prove that out of the Bible ?" "Yes, sir: 'He dat believeth on de Son hath everlasting life; and he dat believeth not de Son shall not see life, but de wrath of God abideth on him'" (John iii.

36).
"What is it to have faith ?" "Me suppose dat it is to tink much about Jesus Christ, to love him much, to believe all he says to be true, to pray to him very much; and when me feel very weak and very sinful, to tink dat he is very strong and very goot, and all dat for my sake." "And have you such a faith as you describe ?" "Oh, massa! me tink sometimes me have no faith at all." "Why so, William ?" "When me want to tink about Jesus Christ, my mind run about after oder tings; when me want to love him, my heart soon quite cold; when me want to believe all to be true what he says to sinners, me den tink it is not true for me; when me want to pray, de devil put bat, very bat thoughts into me; and me never tank Christ enough.