done before; but that after we were confirmed, we were all to ftand upon our own bottom. And this frightened me desperate for a while; and away I went, and bought myself the Whole Duty of Man, Nelfon's Fafts and Festivals, the New Week's Preparation, and Taylor's Holy Living and Dying; and for about two months, in my way, I kept to my religion very strict; till just about that time the old Lord Rakish would have a merry making, becaufe his fon came of age. And many a refolution I made, that I would not go after such nonsenses; but when I was told that young Parfon Purblind, Mr. Blindman's Curate, was riding by, with fome other young parks of the day, who were going there, I thought, for sure, parfons must know more than I, and that there could be no great harm if I went too. So, because I would not make myfelf particular, away I went, and there I got deadly drunk; and as I came home, I fell off my horfe (Lord have mercy on me, had I died in that ftate!). But after that I was afhamed to think of my religion; and as to my books of devotion, I foon laid them all afide, and to this day they are quite as fresh as tho they were just bought out of the bookfeller's fhop. So there was an end to all my religion till I heard Mr. Lovegood.

D. Well, but Mr. Littleworth, you have got thefe good books ftill by you, Why can't you, in moderation, again take to religion, and do your duty without taking up this new way?

F. Why, Sir, to speak the truth, I have not, till of late, discovered, that the heart, the feat of all my actions, is deceitful above all things, and defperately wicked; and that till God sets that right, nothing can, or will be right. This has been the caufe why this world, which I muft now foon leave, was all my delight, while my heart neither knew God, nor defired to know him. Sir, I am afhamed to fay, what a wicked, worldly, negligent finner I have been all the days of my life. [Farmer weeps. Mrs. Littleworth. Now, only fee Sir, how mopish and melancholy these new notions in religion have made my husband. I am afraid, at times, he'll lofe his fenfes.

D. Indeed, Mrs. Littleworth, I am very forry for your husband; he is a good hearted man at bottom. Do you never try to divert him?

Mifs Polly. Divert him, Sir? Why, when my uncle and aunt, and two of our cousins, came to fee us the other day, we always used to have a little harmless mirth; and, because my mother, and Patty, and I, propofed to have a game or two of cards, away my father, and fifter Nancy, ran out of the houfe, as though it had been on fire: and down they went to Mr. Lovegood's, and faid prayers.

F. Now, do Sir, hear me patiently. Thus have I lived without God in the world," neglectful of my precious foul, and forgetful of Chrift, my only Saviour, till I am turned of fixty. I am afhamed to fay what a finner I have been, and how unfit I am to die.

D. Well, but Mr. Littleworth, why should you run from one extreme to another? you know the old proverb, “ Extremes are dangerous ;" and there is moderation in all things. And you know I have a fermon on that text, "Let your moderation be known unto all men."

F. Why, Sir, you have been our Juftice thefe eleven years, and when bad people are brought before you, I am fure you do much better in your office than to preach up to them fuch fort of moderation. You never tell thieves that they should be moderately honeft; or drunkards (and the Lord knows we have enough of them) that they should be moderately fober; or the many bad people that throw themselves upon our parish, for the fupport of their bafe-horn children, that they should be moderately chafie; and o fuch words did I ever hear from your pulpit, as that men fhould be moderately

"moderately moral. Now, if this is not to be allowed in morality, how are we to make it out in religion, when we are commanded to Love the Lord with all our heart, mind, foul and ftrength?" Does it mean, that we are to have a moderate love to God; and when we are enjoined to love our neighbour as ourselves, does it mean a moderate love to mankind? And pray, Sir, fhould I repent moderately, pray moderately, and have a moderate truft in God? If fo, I really cannot understand the scriptures, which fay, that I'am give all diligence to make my calling and election fure;" that religion is the one thing needful, for which I am to forfake all that I have, that I may be Chrift's dijciple; and that I muft ftrive, (or, as Mr. Lovegood fays it means, agonize) to enter in at the straight gate.

to "

D. You need not be fo critical, Sir. I only mean, you should not be over-zealous in religion.

F. Why, I confefs, as I have lately taken to read my bible, I think it is there faid, "It is good to be zealously affected in a good thing."

D. Now this is too bad, Mr. Littleworth ; Don't you think I know the Bible as well as you? Ring the bell, Mifs Polly. Ifha'n't ftop here any Jonger to be told my duty, when I have been fo long minister of this, parish.

F. Why, Sir, I did not know that I was telling you your duty. I only meant to observe, that I could not understand what you meant about moderation in religion; but if I preffed the point too far, I beg your pardon for it.

D. Well, Sir, I have before faid, I'll keep my temper, if I can; but this cannot be done unless you keep up proper manners, while you chufe to talk to me about your new religion.

F. Well, Sir, as to my new religion as you call it, I do really confefs, fince I have heard Mr. Lovegood, my thoughts about these matters are wonderfully altered; and I will tell you in the most mannerly fashion in my power, how it came about. You know, I have an honeft fellow works with me, Thomas Newman, and it is to admiration what a fober, orderly, decent, chriftian-like man he is! and his wife is the nicest tidey woman I ever met with in all my born days. And, at different times, when I talked 10 him, I found that he had not only religion in his practice, but his Bible at his fingers ends. How I was afhamed of my ignorance when I heard him talk! But this made me determine to go to hear what fort of a parfon be fo much admired; for I remember the time when he was wild enough. D. Truly, Mr. Littleworth, it is a fine compliment to me, that you fhould go to one of your day labourers to be inftructed in your new notions in religion.

F. Why, Sir, if I may be fo bold as to fay that, though learning is a good thing, yet it does not always make a good man; and that a poor man may have the grace of God in his heart, without having much learning in his head. And did not our Lord mean fomething of the fame kind, when he faid, "I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that thou haft hid these things from the wife and prudent, and revealed them unto babes?"

D. And fo all the time and money that we have been spending at the miverfity has been of no fort of service; and every ignorant enthusiast, that pretends to infpiration, is to tell us the meaning of the Bible.

F. Las! Sir, did I fpeak against human learning? And it is well known that Mr. Lovegood is one of the learnedeft men for twenty miles round; though I have heard him fay, that human learning, to a man fpiritually blind, does no more good than a lighted candle does to a man that is naturally blind, And, I dare fay, Sir, when you read the Homilies, you remember

thefe

thefe words, "Man's human and wordly wisdom, or fenfe, is not need ful to the understanding of the fcriptures, but the revelation of the Holy Ghoft, which infpireth the true meaning unto them that with humility and diligence do fearch therefore." (Homily on reading the Scriptures.) And the Lord grant that I may have a little of that bleffed inspiration for I am fure we need it.

D. Now, I am fure Mr. Littleworth, you must have mifreprefented their words; I never can believe that they wrote fo enthufiaftically as all that.

F. No; indeed Sir, they are juft as fresh, and as pat in my memory, as though I had read them but yesterday. But, fo it was Sir, that Thomas's good life and talk made me determine to go to hear Mr. Lovegood; and my daughter Nance went with me; and when I came to the church, I prayed to the Lord, that as he had made Thomas fo good a man, fo I might be made a better man; for I am fure there was room for me to mend. And a fine fermon he made, all off band, from thole words, "Ye cannot ferve God and mammon.”.

D. And pray, Sir, why could not my fermons, as well as his, have made you a better man. I know that fuch extemporaneous effufions please ignorant and vulgar minds, that are fond of gaping after novelty; but I am not ashamed of the found and fober fermons I have been preaching among you ever fince I have been your rector.

F. Why, Sir, did I find fault with you, or any one elfe? I was only about to tell you how I was ftruck with Mr. Lovegood's fermon; for I Certainly thought he made it all for me; and I actually asked Thomas if he had not been telling him about me. But he declared, he could not have been fo bold to his minister, against his master; and then he said of him, that Mr. Lovegood could tell any one's heart from the knowledge he had of his own, and the word of God.

D. Why, then, I fuppofe,' when all trades fail, he'll turn fortune-teller by and by.

F. I cannot fay to that, Sir, though I am fure, he told my fortune plain enough that day, for I thought he turned me infide out, while he thewed me what a fallen worldly minded creature I was.

D. Yes; and all these preachers run on juft in the fame way. If any of us ftep a little afide, we are to hear of nothing but hell and damnation and for every innocent infirmity man is to be painted out as black as the devil.

F. Why, Sir, to my way of thinking, both the Bible and Common Prayer Book, and the articles of religion, juft fay the fame; and they fay, all you clergy fubfcribe to them a many times over before you come to your livings.

Mrs. Littleworth. Yes, Sir, and my husband has brought home such a heap of books and prayers from his new parfon, about the articles and homicles, I think he calls them, and Common Prayer Book! Then he tells us, that his is all the old religion of the church; and he wants to read all thefe books over to us. And he has got a book of prayers, made by an old Bishop (Bishop Hall's Manuel) that, he fays, was of his way of thinking; and now he wants us to kneel down to fay prayers to us before we go to bed. But how can we have time for all thefe devotions in our way of living?

D. Why, you are very right there, Mrs. Littleworth. If you do your duty well on a Sunday, and have a family prayer on a Sunday evening; and fay fome good rational prayers to yourfelves before you go to bed on a week day, God Almighty, who is very merciful, and forbids us

to be righteous overmuch, cannot expect more from you, in your line of life.

Mifs Polly. There! Father, I hope you will be guided by what Mr. Dolittle fays, and not to be led fo much by your homicles and new religion. D. Why, Mr. Littleworth, you know I spent many years at Oxford, and there, I'll affure you, I was not inattentive to the study of religion under Dr. Blunderbufs, a man of approved religion in those days; though fince then I have heard of a Mr. Brightman, and many others, who have adopted your notions of religion; yet it was not only his opinion in those days, but the of many other great divines, that though our reformers were very well meaning, yet they were not over wife in religion; and that though religion, in the opinion of fome, is now lefs practifed, yet it is more improved: for we live in a very learned day, and our clergy now-a-days don't confine themfelves to a few abfirufe notions of thefe old divines; but make their fermons out of a variety of the most excellent moral writings that ever were compofed, from among those we call Heathens, but who had a deal of the light of nature, and knew much about natural religion; and they make the Bible much more intelligible. Mafter Littleworth, if I may give my advice, I would not wish you to be over-nice, nor over-wife in your religion. Do your duty as well as you can, and if you fail, truft in the Almighty's mercies. The rational clergy in our day, know very well that there are a new fect who puzzle people's minds about the terms original fin, the atonement, regeneration, imputed righteousness, and I know not what notions befides, which I am fure you need not mind, provided you do your duty without affecting to be more righteous than your neighbours. However, Mr. Lovegood may pretend to be wifer than the rest of us, yet, if you will take our advice, according to the fcriptures, and do juftly, love mercy, and walk humbly with your God," I am fure you need not fear. To be fure, Sir, you have not forgot my fermon on that text, which I have never failed preaching to you year by year, ever fince I was inducted into the living.

F. Ah! but, Sir, that very text cuts me quite up; for first, I confefs the many tricks and fibs I have been guilty of at market, fo that I have not done justly; and I have been as had at mercy, for I always loved myfelf better than my poor neighbours; and then, with regard to walking humbly with my God, never did any man strut about at market like a braggadocio more than I have done; and as to humbling myfelf before God in prayer, or by repentance, I was as ignorant of thefe things as I am of the learning of an Oxford Schollard; and as for our articles, homilies, and prayer-book, let folk be ever fo wife and learned now-a-days, they seem to me to have been made by men wonderfully knowing in the fcriptures; for they not only explain to us what hearts we have by nature, but how mercifully we poor finners are to be faved through Jefus Chrift our only Redeemer. And it is all laid out to admiration in a little book, given me by Mr. Lovegood, called The Good Old Way, and there it is, that I think I fee my picture juft as it is in the 9th article on the Fall of Man, where it is faid, in a wonderful wife way, that every man of his own nature is inclined to evil; and that every perfon born into this world deferves God's wrath and damnation."

Mrs. L. There, Sir; this is the way my husband would be talking morning, noon, and night, if we chofe to hear him, in his uncharitable way, about all of us deferving God's wrath and damnation.

D. But, Mr. Littleworth, if we are not quite fo good as we fhould be in our present laps'd state, we may all make ourselves better if we please. F. Why,

F. Why, Sir, it appears to me that men chufe darkness rather than light, because their deeds are evil," and that no bad man can have a good choice, or will, till God changes the heart; and though I cannot fay any thing as to the learning of the old men that made our church books, yet, to me, it appears fure and certain, as they fay in the next article, that "the condition of man, after the fall of Adam is fuch, that he cannot turn and prepare himself by his own natural strength and good works, to faith and calling upon God: wherefore, we have no power to do good works pleafant and acceptable to God, without the grace of God by Chrift preventing us, that we may have a good will, and working with us when we have that good will." And though, I confels, I have not, minded the pravers fo much as I should have done, yet I remember having heard you lay from the defk, 66 Almighty God, who feeth we have no power of ourselves to help ourselves, and that through the weaknels of our mortal natures, we can do no good thing without God; and that the frailty of man without God cannot but fail." And I remember, when my ichool miftrefs taught me the catechifm, fhe used to say to me, My good child. know this, that thou art not able to do these things of thyfelf, nor to walk in the' commandments of God, and serve him without his fpecial grace."

D. Why, if you take all these words in such a strict fenfe, you will make us out to be mere machines; and hen it is no matter what we do, for I am fure there can be no merit in our goodness.

F. Ah! why Sir, how can there be any merit in fuch poor fervices as ours? I can't help thinking with our old folk in the article of the jurification of man, that "We are accounted righteous before. God only for the merit of our Lord and Saviour Jefus Chrift by faith, and not for our own works, or defervings; wherefore, that we are justified by faith ONLY, is a most wholefume doctrine, and very full of comfort." And then they tell us in the homily of the falvation of mankind by only Christ our Saviour, in which they fay, the fame doctrine is more largely expreffed; and there they give a deadly ftroke at our pride in what they fay; Because all men be finners against God, and breakers of his law, therefore can no man, by his own alts, works, or deeds, jeem they never fo good, be juftified and made righteous before God; but every man of neceffity is contrained to feek for another rightoufness of juftification, our juftification doth come freely of the mere mercy of God, to that Chr.ft is now the righteousness of all them that truly do believe in him, for he paid the ranfom by his death: he for them fulfilled the law in his life." And then, Sir, we may fay with a good c nicience, "O Lord, who feeft we put not our trust in any thing that we do.' And when I went about two Sundays ago to the holy facrament, at Mr. Lovegood's church, and (to my hame be it spoken) old as I am, to the facrament I never went before, excepting twice after I was confirmed; and there we prayed, that God would not "weigh our merits, but pardon our offences;" and then-[Mr. Dolittle interrupts.]

D. Stop, Mr. Littleworth, before you tell us any more of the prayers, I must tell you, that Mr. Lovegood is liable to a fevere ecclefiaftical cenfure for adminiftering the facrament to one of my parishioners. And(Farmer interrupts.)

F. But as old mafter Goodenough has left Mr. Lovegood's parish to come to your facrament, I dare fay you'll forgive him; and I am fure he'll forgive you.

Mifs Polly. Sir, my father talks fo frivolous and thufiaflically about infpiration, and fays, that all the Bishops, and all the clergy, have declared, that they were" inwardly moved by the Holy Ghoit," before VOL IX.

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