I had never been permitted to learn to read; but I used to attend church,
and there I received instruction which I trust was of some benefit to me.
I trusted, too, that I had experienced the renewing influences of the
gospel; and after obtaining from my mistress a written _permit_, (a thing
_always_ required in such a case,) I had been baptised and received into
fellowship with the Baptist denomination. So that in religious matters, I
had been indulged in the exercise of my own conscience--a favor not always
granted to slaves. Indeed I, with others, was often told by the minister
how good God was in bringing us over to this country from dark and
benighted Africa, and permitting us to listen to the sound of the gospel.
To me, God also granted temporal freedom, which _man_ without God's
consent, had stolen away.
I often heard select portions of the scriptures read. And on the Sabbath
there was one sermon preached expressly for the colored people which it
was generally my privilege to hear.
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