and all that has nothing to do with religion. Those are not gifts
which come from God. A man is strong and healthy by birth, and
honest and good-natured by nature. Those are very good things; but
they are not gifts--they are not GRACES--they are not SPIRITUAL
blessings--they have nothing to do with the state of a man's soul.
Ungodly people are honest, and good-tempered, and industrious, and
healthy, as well as your saints and your methodists; so what is the
use of praying for spiritual gifts to God, when we can have all we
want by nature?'

Did such thoughts never come into your head, my friends? Are they
not often in your heads, more or less? Perhaps not in these very
words, but something like them.

I do not say it to blame you, for I believe that every man, each
according to his station, is tempted to such thoughts; I believe
that such thoughts are not YOURS or any man's; I believe they are
the devil's, who tempts all men, who tempted even the Son of God
Himself with thoughts like these at their root. Such thoughts are
not YOURS or mine, though they may come into our heads. They are
part of the evil which besets us--which is NOT us--which has no
right or share in us--which we pray God to drive away from us when
we say, "Deliver us from evil." Have you not all had such thoughts?
But have you not all had very different thoughts? have you not,
every one of you, at times, felt in the bottom of your hearts, after
all, 'This strength and industry, this courage, and honesty, and
good-nature of mine, must come from God; I did not get them myself?
If I was born honest, and strong, and gentle, and brave, some one
must have made me so when I was born, or before? The devil
certainly did not make me so, therefore GOD must? These, too, are