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