emble at the very apprehensions
of seeing a man, and was ready to sink into the ground at but the shadow
or silent appearance of a man having set his foot in the island.

Such is the uneven state of human life; and it afforded me a great many
curious speculations afterwards, when I had a little recovered my first
surprise. I considered that this was the station of life the infinitely
wise and good providence of God had determined for me; that as I could
not foresee what the ends of Divine wisdom might be in all this, so I was
not to dispute His sovereignty; who, as I was His creature, had an
undoubted right, by creation, to govern and dispose of me absolutely as
He thought fit; and who, as I was a creature that had offended Him, had
likewise a judicial right to condemn me to what punishment He thought
fit; and that it was my part to submit to bear His indignation, because I
had sinned against Him. I then reflected, that as God, who was not only
righteous but omnipotent, had thought fit thus to punish and afflict me,
so He was able to deliver me: that if He did not think fit to do so, it
was my unquestioned duty to resign myself absolutely and entirely to His
will; and, on the other hand, it was my duty also to hope in Him, pray to
Him, and quietly to attend to the dictates and directions of His daily
providence.

These thoughts took me up many hours, days, nay, I may say weeks and
months: and one particular effect of my cogitations on this occasion I
cannot omit. One morning early, lying in my bed, and filled with
thoughts about my danger from the appearances of savages, I found it
discomposed me very much; upon which these words of the Scripture came
into my thoughts, "Call upon Me in the day of trouble, and I will deliver
thee, and thou shalt glorify Me." Upon this, rising cheerfully out of my
bed, my heart was not only comforted, but I was guided and encouraged to
pray earnestly to God for deliverance: when I had done praying I took up
my Bible, and opening it to read, the first words that presented to me
were, "Wait on the Lord, and be of good cheer, and He shall strengthen
thy heart; wait, I say, on the Lord." It is impossible to express the
comfort this gave me. In answer, I thankfully laid down the book, and
was no more sad, at least on that occasion.

In the middle of these cogitations, apprehensions, and reflections, it
came into my thoughts one day that all this might be a mere chimera of my
own, and t