Page:The Life and Works of Christopher Dock.djvu/112

100 monument, which, if it were indeed true, would deserve before God and all pious, Christian people, not honor, but rather ridicule and shame, and could not conduce to my soul's welfare and salvation. It would only be food for self-love. But may the Lord keep this far from me, for many pious hearts have been attacked by this robber and have lost what they had attained in the grace of God. For example, take even wise Solomon himself, who had not his equal in wisdom, riches, honor and glory, all of which and more he obtained from the Lord by prayer. In time he had through divine grace risen so high in knowledge,wisdom and understanding, that none was his equal; he flourished like a tree by the rivers of water. Of his wisdom and what he accomplished by it we may read at length in the first book of Kings, third to tenth chapters. Yet, after Solomon allowed self-love to conquer him, this beautiful tree still stood in honor and glory, but self-love had bred so many nests of caterpillars that many of Solomon'sfirst fruits were withered, which displeased God, as may be read in I Kings xi.

In my dealings with youth, this is of all my duties the heaviest burden upon my heart, and it outweighs everything else, call it what you may, namely this: How I may rule and conduct my household that I may some day receive a gracious testimonial from the great Shepherd of the sheep, who entrusted the young lambs to me through twenty-six years. They were really entrusted to me thirty-six years, by an occupation that no one knows better than I. But in this country I neglected that