I was often grievously harassed with prevailing theories of Scripture inspiration. All those theories seemed inconsistent with facts,--inconsistent with what every man of any information, knew to be true in reference to the Scriptures. They all lay open to infidel objections,--unanswerable objections. They made it impossible for a man to argue with the abler and better informed class of infidel assailants with the success and satisfaction desirable. The theories did not _admit_ of a successful defence. And when the theories were refuted, the Bible and Christianity suffered. On searching the Scriptures I found they gave no countenance to those theories. They taught the _doctrine_ of Scripture inspiration, but not the prevailing _theories_ of the doctrine. The doctrine I could defend with ease: the defence of the theories was impossible. I accordingly laid aside the theories. Again; I heard and read continually about the influence and work of the Holy Spirit; but I seldom heard and read of the influence of the truth. Yet in Scripture we read as much and as often of the latter as of the former. I had been led, in some way, to believe that Adam was the federal head of all mankind,--that God made a covenant with him that was binding on all his posterity,--that the destinies of the whole human race were placed in his hands,--that it was so arranged that if Adam did right, his posterity were to be born in a state of perfection and blessedness, incapable of sin and misery,--that if he did wrong they were to be born depraved and miserable, under the curse of God, and liable to death and damnation--that as Adam did do wrong, we all came into the world so depraved that we were incapable of thinking a good thought, of feeling a good desire, of speaking a right word, or of doing a right thing,--that Jesus came into the world to redeem us from the guilt of Adam's sin, and from the punishment due to us for that sin, and to put us on such a footing with regard to God as to render possible our salvation. I had been led to believe a hundred other things connected with these about the plan of redemption, the way of salvation, imputed righteousness, saving faith, &c. When I came to look for those doctrines in the Bible, I could not find one of them from the beginning of the Book to the end. I was in consequence led to regard them as the imaginations of unthinking, trifling, or dreamy theologians.