Allapsus. I am not disposed for such reflections. Evangelus. But give me leave to tell you, I am ordered by the Prince of Light to inform you, it is his will and command that you consider your ways, and return to him without more delay. Upon your obedience to this message, he is disposed to have mercy upon you, and to receive you again into his kingdom; but to prevent you from making excuses and saying you dare not return-you are too base to be received, or too wicked to be pardoned,-He most positively declares, that if you sincerely repent, speedily return to him, and firmly believe his word, you shall receive a full and free pardon for all that is past.

Allapsus. I will consider of what you say.

Evangelus. Procrastination will not do. Your case is become desperate, your course is almost finished, and a few more weeks delay may make your destruction sure. Although our Prince is full of compassion and mercy, yet he will not always strive. He bore long with the unruly manners of his ancient people in the wilderness, yet at last, he sware in his wrath they should not enter into his rest, and if you refuse his gracious offer now, I believe this is the last time you will hear from him, in a way of mercy by me. Tell me, therefore, whether you will accept his offered mercy now, and turn from this kingdom into ours, that you may save your soul alive, or whether you are still resolved to continue here; for I must return and report your resolution to my master.

Allapsus. Do as you please. I shall not return at present.

Evangelus. Wretched man! will you thus abuse the kindness of our Prince, and offend his majesty? will you obstinately refuse the pardon Omnipotence offers, and the help he is willing to afford you? [ tremble for you, and deplore the hardness of your

heart. I am also deeply concerned, that I am under the necessity of representing to you, what you must experience in a very short time. After all the invitations and offers of mercy which you have had, and have daringly and impiously refused, I must declare to you, that all the dreadful threatenings recorded in the book of our Prince, stand in full force against you. The Lord whom you now affront will soon, very soon, Allapsus, command you to appear in his presence, and when he is revealed from heaven in flaming fire, taking vengeance on all them that know not God, and obey not the gospel of Jesus Christ, you will find your case ten thousand times worse than those who never knew his name. Many stripes will then be your portion, and eternal destruction the reward of your apostacy. Oh, what compunction! what keen distress! what unutterable woe must seize you in that hour! Then, Allapsus, your complicated guilt, your innumerable transgressions, and hellish ingratitude, will strike dreadful terror through your soul; then, your solemn, but broken vows will be laid before you, and all the hosts of heaven, earth, and hell will be witnesses of your guilt and shame; then, you will be obliged to recollect your former enjoyments, what peace you possessed whilst faithful to your Prince, and what prospects you had in view :then you will view all these for ever lost, and your unchanging condition a state of infamy, sorrow, and pain. You are now conscious of these things, and I must leave you to pursue this dangerous path which neither mercy nor judginent will induce you to forsake. This may probably be the last time you will be invited to the kingdom of peace, and I believe you will see me no more, until I stand a witness against you at the dread tribunal of a righteous God.

There, there, Allapsus, you must soon appear,
And from the righteous Judge your sentence hear.
Against you, then, I shall be called to bear
True evidence, and your high crimes declare.
The friends of Jesus, who your vows have known,
(Called up before his venerable throne,)
Must, with united voice, aloud proclaim
The high dishonour done to Jesus' name:
While you a culprit black as hell shall stand,
Dreading the vengeance of his potent hand.
The sentence passed, all heaven shall own it right,
And while you sink in shades of awful night,
Not one kind tear of pity shall be shed,

Though storms of flaming vengeance load your head.
Then you with all apostates will be driven,

To dark abodes remote from light and heaven.

THE APOSTATE'S PROGRESS.

PART III.

Now I beheld in my dream, that Allapsus was very much agitated by the discourse of Evangelus, and his countenance was inflamed with passion, so that he was not likely to receive advantage from the kind advice and warning of his despised friend. He did not appear to have any inclination to return, but rather to proceed in the paths of darkness with greater speed and eagerness. I suppose he did this in order to erase from his mind the disagreeable impressions made there by the discourse of Evangelus.

As he proceeded, there appeared a thick cloud of smoke arising, and presently I saw three infernal demons, fraught with deadly poison, come out of it. Their names were Furiosus, Malignatus, and Misocalus, and as they drew near, they assumed the appearance of men; took the path in which Allapsus was going, and immediately entered into conversation with him.

Furiosus. Well, friend, may I be permitted to ask what road you are travelling?

Allapsus 1 am going, sir, in the path of pleasure, with the design of gratifying my inclinations in every rational and elevated enjoyment.

Furiosus. We shall be glad of your company, if agreeable, as we are in pursuit of the same object. Allapsus. I shall be glad of yours, as I hope it will be both entertaining and profitable.

Furiosus. I wish it may, and that while you are in this path, you may have none to interrupt you in your pleasures.

Allapsus. I should be glad to have it so; but I too often meet with disagreeable intruders, who endeavour to deprive me of the satisfaction and peace I am so anxious to enjoy in this way. I have lately met with one of these persons. I hope you are not come with such an intention.

Furiosus. O no. We shall be glad to hear what persons have interrupted you, and in what manner.

Allapsus. It is unnecessary for me to inform you of all the circumstances connected with that matter; but the person is known by the name of Evangelus; he calls himself a messenger from the Prince of another kingdom, and he has frequently, in a very officious manner, desired me to depart from this way into that in which he is now travelling. He has endeavoured to intimidate and distress me by declaring, that the threatenings of this Prince stand in full force against me, and a great deal more, which I forbear to repeat.

Furiosus. You have told us enough. We know the person you speak of, the Prince whom he serves, and the method he takes to distress the inhabitants of this land. There are no persons in the world whom we dislike so much as such fellows as these. What is it to them what way we choose to walk in? they are not answerable for our conduct, and every person must stand upon his own bottom. For my part, I am determined never to allow them to enter into conversation with me any more, and I