You are a young man of intelligence; you desire to make your life such as will fit you for heaven at last. You are often discouraged at finding yourself weak in moral power, in slavery to doubt, and controlled by the habits and customs of your old life in sin. You find your emotional nature untrue to yourself, to your best resolutions, and to your most solemn pledges. Nothing seems real. Your own instability leads you to doubt the sincerity of those who would do you good. The more you struggle in doubt, the more unreal everything looks to you, until it seems that there is no solid ground for you anywhere. Your promises are like ropes of sand, and you regard in the same unreal light the words and works of those in whom you should trust. {5T 513.2}

Du er et ungt menneske med intelligens; du ønsker at leve dit liv sådan, at du til sidst vil nå himlen. Du er ofte mismodig ved at finde dig moralsk svag, en slave af tvivl, behersket af dit gamle syndefulde livs vaner og skikke. Du finder, at dit følelsesliv ikke svarer til dine bedste beslutninger og dine mest højtidelige løfter. Intet synes virkeligt for dig. Din egen usikkerhed leder dig til at betvivle deres oprigtighed, som ønsker at gøre dig godt. Jo mere du i din tvivl kæmper, desto mere uvirkeligt synes alting at blive for dig, indtil det synes som om der ingen solid grund er for dig noget sted. Dine løfter er ligesom reb af sand og du betragter deres ord og handlinger, som du skulle stole på, i samme uvirkelige lys.