I told the clergyman, word for word, what he said: the poor zealous priest,—I must call him so, for, be his opinion what it will, he had certainly a most singular affection for the good of other men's souls, and it would be hard to think he had not the like for his own,—I say, this affectionate man could not refrain from tears; but, recovering himself, said to me, "Ask him but one question; Is he easy that it is too late, or is he troubled, and wishes it were not so?" I put the question fairly to Atkins; and he answered, with a great deal of passion, how could any man be easy in a condition that must certainly end in eternal destruction? that he was far from being easy; but that, on the contrary, he believed it would, one time or other, ruin him. "What do you mean by that?" said I. Why, he said, he believed he should one time or other cut his throat, to put an end to the terror of it.

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The clergyman shook his head, with great concern in his face, when I told him all this; but turning quick to me upon it, says, "If that be his case, we may assure him it is not too late; Christ will give him repentance. But, pray," says he, explain this to him; that as no man is saved but by Christ, and the merit of his passion procuring divine mercy for him, how can it be too late for any man to receive mercy? Does he think he is able to sin beyond the power or reach of divine mercy? Pray tell him, there may be a time when provoked mercy will no longer strive, and when God may refuse to hear, but that 'tis never too late for men to ask mercy; and we, that are Christ's servants, are commanded to preach mercy at all times, in the name of Jesus Christ, to all those that sincerely repent; so that it is never too late to repent."

I told Atkins all this, and he heard me with great earnestness; but it seemed as if he turned off the discourse to the rest, for he said to me, he would go and have some talk with his wife; so he went out a while, and we talked to the rest. I perceived they were all stupidly ignorant as to matters of religion, as much as I was when I went rambling away from my father; and yet there were none of them backward to hear what had been said; and all of them seriously promised that they would talk with their wives about it, and do their endeavours to persuade them to turn Christians.

The clergyman smiled upon me when I reported what answer they gave, but said nothing a good while; but at last shaking his head, "We that are Christ's servants," says be, can go no farther than to exhort and instruct; and

when men comply, submit to the reproof, and promise what we ask, 'tis all we can do; we are bound to accept their good words; but, believe me, Sir," said he, "whatever you

may have known of the life of that man you call Will Atkins, I believe he is the only sincere convert among them; I take that man to be a true penitent: I will not despair of the rest; out that man is apparently struck with the sense of his past life, and I doubt not, when he comes to talk of religion to his wife, he will talk himself effectually into it; for attempting to teach others is sometimes the best way of teaching ourselves. I know a man, who, having nothing but a summary notion of religion himself, and being wicked and profligate to the last degree in his life, made a thorough reformation in himself by labouring to convert a Jew. If that poor Atkins begins but once to talk seriously of Jesus Christ to his wife, my life for it, he talks himself into a thorough convert, makes himself a penitent, and who knows what may follow?"

Upon this discourse, however, and their promising, as above, to endeavour to persuade their wives to embrace Christianity, he married the other two couple; but Will Atkins and his wife were not yet come in. After this, my clergyman waiting awhile, was curious to know where Atkins was gone; and turning to me, said, "I entreat you, Sir, let us walk out of your labyrinth here, and look; I dare say we shall find this poor man somewhere or other talking seriously to his wife, and teaching her already something of religion." I began to be of the same mind; so we went out together, and I carried him a way which none knew but myself, and where the trees were so very thick that it was not easy to see through the thicket of leaves, and far harder to see in than to see out; when coming to the edge of the wood, I saw Atkins and his tawny savage wife sitting under the shade of a bush, very eager in discourse: I stopped short till my clergyman came up to me, and then having showed him where they were, we stood and looked very steadily at them a good while. We observed him very earnest with her, pointing up to the sun, and to every quarter of the heavens, and then down to the earth, then out to the sea, then to himself, then to her, to the woods, to the trees. Now," says my clergyman, "you see my words are made good, the man preaches to her; mark him now, he is telling her that our God has made him and her, and the heavens, the earth, the sea, the woods, the trees, kc."" I believe he is," said I. Immediately we perceived Will Atkins start upon his feet, fall down on his knees, and

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lift ed both his hands. We supposed he said something, but we could not hear him; it was too far for that. He did not continue kneeling half a minute, but comes and sits down again by his wife, and talks to her again; we perceived then the woman very attentive, but whether she said any thing to him, we could not tell. While the poor fellow was upon his knees, I could see the tears run plentifully down my clergyman's cheeks, and I could hardly forbear myself; but it was a great affliction to us both that we were not near enough to hear any thing that passed between them. Well, however, we could come no nearer, for fear of disturbing them; so we resolved to see an end of this piece of still conversation, and it spoke loud enough to us without the help of voice. He sat down again, as I have said, close by her, and talked again earnestly to her, and two or three times we could see him embrace her most passionately; another time we saw him take out his handkerchief and wipe her eyes, and then kiss her again, with a kind of transport very unusual; and after several of these things, we saw him on a sudden jump up again, and lend her his hand to help her up, when immediately leading her by the hand a step or two, they both kneeled down together, and continued so about two minutes.

My friend could bear it no longer, but cries out aloud, "Sf. Paul! St. Paul! behold he prayeth." I was afraid Atkins would hear him, therefore I entreated him to withhold himself awhile, that we might see an end of the scene, which to me, I must confess, was the most affecting that ever I saw in my life. Well, he strove with himself for a while, but was in such raptures to think that the poor heathen woman was become a Christian, that he was not able to contain himself; he wept several times, then throwing up his hands and crossing his breast, said over several things ejaculatory, and by way of giving God thanks for so miraculous a testimony of the success of our endeavours; some he spoke softly, and I could not well hear others; some in Latin, some in French; then two or three times the tears would interrupt him, that he could not speak at all; but I begged that he would contain himself, and let us more narrowly and fully observe what was before us, which he did for a time, the scene not being near ended yet; for after the poor man and his wife were risen again from their knees, we observed he stood talking still eagerly to her, and we observed her motion, that she was greatly affected with what he said, by her frequently lifting up her hands, laying her hand to her breast, and such

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other postures as express the greatest seriousness and attention this continued about half a quarter of an hour, and then they walked away; so we could see no more of them in that situation. I took this interval to talk with my clergyman; and first, I was glad to see the particulars we had both been witnesses to, that, though I was hard enough of belief in such cases, yet that I began to think it was all very sincere here, both in the man and his wife, however ignorant they might both be, and I hoped such a beginning would yet have a more happy end: "And who knows," said I, "but these two may in time, by instruction and example, work upon some of the others?"—"Some of them?" said he, turning quick upon me; aye, upon all of them: depend upon it, if those two savages, for he has been but little better, as you relate it, should embrace Jesus Christ, they will never leave it till they work upon all the rest; for true religion is naturally communicative, and he that is once made a Christian will never leave a Pagan behind him, if he can help it." I owned it was a most Christian principle to think so, and a testimony of true zeal, as well as a generous heart, in him. "But, my friend," said I, "will you give me leave to start one difficulty here? I cannot tell how to object the least thing against that affectionate concern which you show for the turning the poor people from their paganism to the Christian religion: But how does this comfort you, while these people are, in your account, out of the pale of the Catholic church, without which you believe there is no salvation? so that you esteem these but heretics, for other reasons as effectually lost as the pagans themselves."

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To this he answered, with abundance of candour, thus: Sir, I am a catholic of the Roman church, and a priest of the order of St. Benedict, and I embrace all the principles of the Roman faith; but yet, if you will believe me, and that I do not speak in compliment to you, or in respect to my circumstances and your civilities; I say, nevertheless, I do not look upon you, who call yourselves reformed, without some charity I dare not say (though I know it is our opinion in general) that you cannot be saved; I will by no means limit the mercy of Christ so far as to think that he cannot receive you into the bosom of his church, in a manner to us unperceivable; and I hope you have the same charity for us: I pray daily for your being all restored to Christ's church, by whatsoever method he, who is all-wise, is pleased to direct. In the mean time, sure you will allow it consists with me, as

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a Roman, to distinguish far between a protectant and a pagan ; between one that calls on Jesus Christ, though in a way which I do not think is according to the true faith, and a savage or a barbarian, that knows no God, no Christ, no Redeemer; and if you are not within the pale of the catholic church, we hope you are nearer being restored to it than those that know nothing of God or of his church and I rejoice, therefore, when I see this poor man, whom you say has been a profligate, and almost a murderer, kneel down and pray to Jesus Christ, as we suppose he did, though not fully enlightened; believing that God, from whom every such work proceeds, will sensibly touch his heart, and bring him to the farther knowledge of that truth in his own time and if God shall influence this poor man to convert and instruct the ignorant savage, his wife, I can never believe that he shall be cast away himself. And have I not reason then to rejoice the nearer any are brought to the knowledge of Christ, though they may not be brought quite home into the bosom of the catholic church just at the time when I may desire it, leaving it to the goodness of Christ to perfect his work in his own time, and in his own way? Certainly, I would rejoice if all the savages in America were brought, like this poor woman, to pray to God, though they were all to be protestants at first, rather than they should continue pagans or heathens; firmly believing, that he that had bestowed the first light to them would farther illuminate them with a beam of his heavenly grace, and bring them into the pale of his church, when he should see good."

I was astonished at the sincerity and temper of this pious papist, as much as I was oppressed by the power of his reasoning; and it presently occurred to my thoughts, that if such a temper was universal, we might be all catholic Christians whatever church or particular profession we joined in; that a spirit of charity would soon work us all up into right principles; and as he thought that the like charity would make us all catholics, so I told him I believed had all the members of his church the like moderation, they would soon all be protestants. And there we left that part; for we never disputed at all.

However, I talked to him another way, and taking him by the hand, "My friend," says I, " I wish all the clergy of the Roman church were blest with such moderation, and had an equal share of your charity, I am entirely of your opinion: but I must tell you, that if should preach such doctrine in

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