went on.

From the Bible, he shewed us how that people lived now-a-days, just as they did ever since the world began. And, to be sure, what he said of the abominable lives of all mankind, shewed how true the Bible was. How he laid out the wicked ways of the world in all their public wars and cruelties against each other! How he shewed, that whenever people could get together, it was only for all sorts of wickedness, cursing, swearing, fighting, lewdness, and every thing that was bad. Then he told us what miserable creatures sin made us in our own houses; that malice, anger, pride, cruelty, were the tormentors of every family; while Bibles were banished, prayer neglected, holiness laughed at, and every thing that related to the soul and matters of salvation, were never thought of: and that though, through the grace of God, some were saved from this dreadful state, yet, that the word of God had declared it, That "broad was the gate that led unto destruction, and many there were that went in thereat;" and that "narrow was the way that led unto life, and few there were that found it." Then the good man stopt, and wept like the rain, as a father would over a dying child he dearly loved. So I took it; and then, for the first time, I began to weep over my sinful state. O! thought I, does that dear servant of God love my soul better than I love it myself? while I thought that surely he meant all his sermon against me; for my conscience told me I deserved it, and a thousand times more. There I sat, with a broken and contrite heart, for the first time; and in the next pew sat Ned Swig, as he was once called, who keeps the Golden Lion; where I had often been in my sinful practices, crying and grieving for sin, still more affected than myself.[Thomas weeps.]

Far. Thomas, why should you cry? You shouldnot be melancholy, for, I dare say, God Almighty will forgive you.

Tho. Why, my dear master, I know he has forgiven me; and like poor. Mary Magdalene, it is fit that I should weep, as she did, out of love to him that loved her so much, because she had much forgiven.

Far. To be sure, there is a wonderful alteration in Master Swig's way of living; for they say, he once kept a deadly bad house; and that the first time he heard Mr. Lovegood, he went directly home, and pulled down from the walls all the merry songs and pictures which he had bought to please his customers. To be sure, some of them, they say, were enough to make one split one's sides with laughing; and his wife thought for sure he was mad; though since, she has become as strong a follower of Mr. Lovegood as himself; and in about a month afterwards, instead of his merry songs and pictures, it was all about religion:-A journey from Time to Eternity in one place; Mr. Dedd's Sayings in another and then elsewhere, ever so many parliament acts against tippling and drunkenness, cursing and swearing and then two fine pictures, called the Higrogliphics*,or some such word, of the natural and spiritual man: but that is above my reading, Thomas.

Tho. And it was above mine too, till I heard Mr. Lovegood: but now I find, as we pray in the Christmas Collect, "That all who are regenerate, and born again, and are daily renewed by God's Holy Spirit," are spiritual men, and bring forth the fruits of the Spirit: and that natural men act according to the natural corruptions of their heart; and that explains the two trees, which are man in two different

states.

Far. Well, I am sure, I wonder Ned had such re* Hieroglyphics, the Farmer means.

solution to reform: I suppose, he must have lost many and many a golden guinea by his religion: for since he has taken to this new way, they say, he does not draw half the drink; and I wonder how he can keep up his Golden Lion: for it is said, no man can have a drop of drink beyond a pint or two; and - that, from year's end to year's end, not a drunken man is ever known to come out of his house!

Tho. Now this is all true, and yet Master Edward is provided for in a way wonderfully providential; for the precious word of life, held forth by our dear minister, has drawn many a poor sinner from afar to cur church; and then away they all go to the Golden Lion between the services.

Far. What! from the church to the alehouse; That is as bad as in our parish.

Tho. Why, master, if the good people in your parish should go from the church to any of the alehouses, that they might talk about the sermon, read the Bible, and sing God's praises, while they refresh themselves, I should see no harm in it: but I only I meant to say, that if Master Edward has lost some of his customers, he may have his reward partly in this world: yet certainly he still loses some golden guineas; but in the room of these he expects a golden crown. For once he lived by sin, but now he lives by faith; and I am sure, while the Bible is true, he'll never starve:" for if we first seek the kingdom of God and his righteousness, all these things are to be added unto us.

Far. I confess, there is not such an alehouse in our town, though there are enough of them.

Tho. What! are none of the gentlefolks, or justices, or quality of the town, willing to assist in reforming them?

Far. Hush, Thomas, I am churchwarden this year; they made me swear a desperate strict oath

against all these bad ways; and if I was to stir in it, every one would be against me: but I'll promise you, the oath gripes my conscience pretty sharply; and I do think if I was to come to your church, I should be in a state of desperation, unless I was to mend my

ways.

Tho. Nobody that comes to our church is led into a state of desperation; for as soon as ever our dear minister saw many of us weeping under a sense of sin, he besought us all to come to church in the af ternoon, as he could not leave us till another Sunday, that we might hear what mercy there was in the Gospel for poor sinners: and from that time forward we had an afternoon sermon.

Far. Yes; and a fine bustle this made among many of the parsons up and down the country, for bringing up such sort of customs of double duty, as they call it, in villages.

Tho. Why, if Mr. Lovegood had come into our parish on the same footing as you took the lease of your farm, he would have had a right to have made a bargain for his şermons, as you do at market for butter, cheese, cattle, and corn; but,. God be praised, he only thought of the salvation of our souls.

Far. Well, well, our minister wants to make us good too, if he can, for he tells us a deal more of our duty than many of us practise; and we have all his sermons round once a year. I have heard them over nineteen times; and he says we shall have no new ones till we practise the old ones better; though he has given us two or three famous new ones of late against modern 'Thusists, which come round about Whitsuntide. Madam Toogood says, one of them he borrowed from Mr. Blindman; and the text is, "If the blind lead the blind, they shall both fall into the ditch." And a trimming sermon it is.

Tho. Why, I have heard our dear minister these

seven years, and he has his heart full of sermons, and they are always new.

Far. Now, Thomas, I think you are very uncharitable; for you condemn all ministers if they don't preach off-hand.

Tho. Nay, that is not true, master; for there is that dear loving gentleman, Mr. Fearing, he dares not preach as our minister, and some others, without his sermon-book; but blessed sermons he reads to us as ever man can write. I love to hear him, dear man. But, master, if you please, I would rather tell you about the afternoon-sermon, which was such a blessing to my poor bleeding heart, as the time slips

away.

Far. Well, I can sit a little longer.

1

Betty. Would you like to eat a little bit with us, in our plain way? I can fry you a fresh bit, if you please, Sir. Billy, fetch master a clean trencher.

Far. No, Betty, I thank you; I had rather go hungry to my dinner. But let us hear, Thomas.

Tho. O master! after my heart had been so deeply cut in the morning, instead of going home to dinner with the family, I took my bread and cheese, and went into the fields, walking about, crying with Job, "Behold, I am vile ;" and with the poor publican, "God be merciful to me a sinner!". When I heard' the bells ring, away to church I went; and twice to church on the same day, I never went before. On the road I met poor Master Edward: I began telling him the feelings of my heart; and, instead of answering me, he wept; and I wept too. We well remembered how much evil we had done to each other, by being mess-mates in sin; and into the church we went. Our dear minister soon came in; and in the second lesson he read these words: "This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save