[165 : XVI] As I close this MS (footnote 1) I will put in a poetic composition, which will indicate my religious views at the beginning of my married life, although I doubt if it is either good poetry, or composition, or theology (see page 166), and at this time I believed or thought my experience would warrant my belief in the first part of the first psalm when things were going, as I thought, well with me, and I felt blessing attended me; but when everything seemed to fail and I seemed forced out of the country and away from all that appeared natural to my well-being, I had to drop down to the latter part of the psalm
The ungodly are not so, but are
like chaff which the wind driveth away.
I can understand how the Jews felt and still feel, when they observe the last book of our Old Testament ends up with the word “curse”. [166 : XVII]
If I must write, then let it be for the great Trinity
Show Father, Son and Holy Ghost in unity
To testify to all that read this page
Of Thee, and Thy great love from age to age.
Witness that Thou can’st save from death and hell
And from this coign of vantage tell
As long as characters in ink shall be discernible (footnote 2)
Thou doest all things well.
The sinner, pleading pardon through Thy name,
Thou wilt receive, through Christ, with thee to reign.
If any careless one should read my words
Beware – they are not mine alone, but God’s;
Then seek Him with thy heart and soul and mind,
For He has promised “those who seek shall find”,
And finding, thou shalt enter into rest,
And resting in Him, thou art truly blest.
[167 : XVIII] The above were my sentiments at the time of writing, and we may believe a great deal, we can never prove, and doubtless in the rough and tumble of life our ardours, enthusiasms and even faith may alter. One is not so sure when one is old as when young, and one asks the question “Knowest thou this of thyself, or did someone tell it thee?”. When we are young and impressionable, we get ideas, and believe them to be fact; life and its experiences often correct and alter our former ideas and beliefs – or at least we may not be quite so dogmatic.
Transcriber’s footnotes:
2. I wonder if great-grandfather could conceive that electronic documents might outlast pen and ink?
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