In places where Elder Hull has given a course of lectures, the people have been pleased with his witticisms and his peculiar style of preaching, yet but few have embraced the truth as the result of his labors; and even of these quite a proportion soon renounce the faith. Many have been disappointed that there was so little fruit to be found after his labor. I was shown the reason. Humility, simplicity, purity, and holiness of life were lacking. He has thought that his smart labor was invaluable, and that the cause would hardly exist if he should be disconnected from it; but if he could have known the anxiety which the real laborers in the cause, who have tried to help him, have suffered on his account, he would not have had so high an estimate of his own labors. His course has been a continual burden to the cause, and it would have prospered better without his influence. The anxiety of his brethren to save him from falling has led them to do too much for him in point of means. They have been pleased with his preaching talent, and some have been so indiscreet as to extol him and show a decided preference for him above other preaching brethren whose influence would tell for the advancement of the cause anywhere. This has hurt him. He had not sufficient humility or enough of the grace of God to stand against the flattery of his brethren. May God help these brethren to feel over their mistake and never again to be guilty of injuring a young minister by flattery. {1T 438.3}

De steder hvor ældre Hull har kursuslektioner, er folk blevet fornøjet med hans vittigheder og hans specielle prædikeform, alligevel har kun få grebet sandheden, på grund af hans arbejde; og selv disse ganske få, lagde snart troen fra sig. Mange blev skuffet over at der fandtes så få frugter efter hans arbejde. Jeg fik vist årsagen. Der manglede livets ydmyghed, simpelhed, renhed og hellighed. Han havde troet at hans flotte arbejde var uvurderligt og at sagen ikke kunne eksistere hvis han blev adskilt fra den; men hvis han kendte den bekymring, som de virkelige arbejdere havde, der havde prøvet at (439) hjælpe ham og som havde lidt til fordel for ham, ville han ikke have vurderet sit arbejde så højt. Hans metoder har været en stadig byrde for sagen og den ville have haft bedre fremgang uden hans indflydelse. Hans brødres bekymring, for at redde ham fra fald, har fået dem til at gøre meget, med midlerne. De er blevet behaget med hans talertalent og nogle er blevet så ubetænksomme, at hæve ham til skyerne og vise en absolut forkærlighed for ham, frem for alle andre forkyndende brødre, hvis indflydelse alle andre steder, taler for sagens fremme. Dette har skadet ham. Han havde ikke tilstrækkelig ydmyghed eller nok af Guds nåde til at modstå sine brødres smiger. Måtte Gud hjælpe disse brødre til at føle over deres fejltagelser og aldrig mere have skyld i at skade en ung prædikant med smiger.