t that came to our
mind was, It is the last night of this world. The earth, and all its
works, is burning up. A great fear came upon me. Whither shall I go, and
whither shall I flee from His presence? The cause of alarm proved to be a
burning building over a hill, casting the reflection on the dark clouds
over us. We read in the Bible of a class unfit and unprepared for heaven,
that would in that day call for the mountains and the hills to fall upon
them to hide them from God's presence. Here we, trying and claiming to be
a Christian, experienced just what was said should be the experience of
the wicked, and my soul was alarmed. Earnest became our efforts to live a
better life. Fierce was our struggle against sin, deep and firm would be
the resolutions, but sin was a hard, strong master, who ground us beneath
his iron heel. We sought every known means for relief, walking for miles
to hear a sermon to learn of a more successful life.

Often in these days of struggle would I become unpleasant in my home.
Should my children be a little trying, I would speak to them in a cross,
snappish way. I would see them stand back in fear before my harsh voice,
and this would sting my conscience. A child in fear of its father! how
unchristianlike! When my wife, whom I had vowed to love always, would not
do according to my judgment I would hastily reprove in strong language. We
would see the tears start from her eyes, and again our conscience would be
heavily smitten. Resolve after resolve was made to be more tender and kind
to our dear ones, only to be broken by the power of impatience.

In our efforts to become more gentle and tender we often would read an
article in an old school-reader entitled "Sorrow for the Dead." In this
the writer said words like these, to the best of our remembrance: "As we
look upon the cold, lifeless form of some dear, departed friend, there
will come rushing to our memory, the unkind acts and deeds and thoughts we
have had toward them. This remorse of conscience," he said, "should cause
us to be more true to the living." We often would read this, and did
receive some benefit from it for the time, but we found it powerless to
conquer an irritable disposition. We can not forbear telling the reader
here, although it is a little in the advance, that the day came when we
found the Savior in the wonders of his redeeming love and he broke the
power of sin, and by his grace did strengthen and help us to be "true to