Part 5 (2/2)

All this went on as I expected; and they told me, especially Will Atkins, who now seemed to speak for the rest, that they loved their wives as well as if they had been born in their own native country, and would not leave them on any account whatever; and they did verily believe that their wives were as virtuous and as modest, and did, to the utmost of their skill, as much for them and for their children, as any woman could possibly do: and they would not part with them on any account Will Atkins, for his own particular, added that if any land, and make hio with hiht not carry his wife and children with hiyman in the shi+p, he would be married to her noith all his heart

This was just as I would have it The priest was not with me at that moment, but he was not far off; so to try hiyman with me, and, if he was sincere, I would have hi, and bade him consider of it, and talk with the rest He said, as for himself, he need not consider of it at all, for he was very ready to do it, and was glad I had aalso I then told him that my friend, the lish, but I would act the clerk between them He never so much as asked me whether he was a Papist or Protestant, which was, indeed, what I was afraid of We then parted, and I went back to yman, and Will Atkins went in to talk with his co to thehly ripe; and I told hiiven me

Before I went from their quarter they all ca what I had said; that they were glad to hear I had a clergyive me the satisfaction I desired, and to be formallyto part with their wives, and that theybut as very honest when they chose the; and, in theof the e law; and that it was not only to prevent any scandal, but also to oblige theht happen

The wo, and were very well satisfied with it, as, indeed, they had reason to be: so they failed not to attend all together at yown, after the land, or the habit of a priest, after thelike a cassock, with a sash round it, he did not look very unlike a e, I was his interpreter But the seriousness of his behaviour to the the women, because they were not baptized and professed Christians, gave the reverence for his person; and there was no need, after that, to inquire whether he was a clergyman or not Indeed, I was afraid his scruples would have been carried so far as that he would not haveall I was able to say to hih modestly, yet very steadily, and at last refused absolutely to marry them, unless he had first talked with the h at first I was a little backward to it, yet at last I agreed to it with a good will, perceiving the sincerity of his design

When he came to them he let them know that I had acquainted hin; that he was very willing to perform that part of his function, and marry them, as I had desired; but that before he could do it, he must take the liberty to talk with theht of all indifferent men, and in the sense of the laws of society, they had lived all this while in a state of sin; and that it was true that nothing but the consenting tothem from one another, could now put an end to it; but there was a difficulty in it, too, with respect to the laws of Christian matri one that is a professed Christian to a savage, an idolater, and a heathen--one that is not baptized; and yet that he did not see that there was time left to endeavour to persuade the women to be baptized, or to profess the na of, and without which they could not be baptized He told them he doubted they were but indifferent Christians thee of God or of His ways, and, therefore, he could not expect that they had said much to their wives on that head yet; but that unless they would promise him to use their endeavours with their wives to persuade them to become Christians, and would, as well as they could, instruct thee and belief of God that made them, and to worshi+p Jesus Christ that redeemed them, he could notChristians with savages, nor was it consistent with the principles of the Christian religion, and was, indeed, expressly forbidden in God's law

They heard all this very attentively, and I delivered it very faithfully to them from hisso of my own, to convince them how just it was, and that I was of his uished bethat I said froyentleman said, that they were very indifferent Christians themselves, and that they had never talked to their wives about religion ”Lord, sir,” says Will Atkins, ”how should we teach the ourselves; and besides, sir,” said he, ”should we talk to them of God and Jesus Christ, and heaven and hell, it would h at us, and ask us e believe ourselves And if we should tell thes we speak of to the to heaven, and wicked people to the devil, they would ask us where we intend to go ourselves, that believe all this, and are such wicked fellows as we indeed are? Why, sir; 'tis enough to give the; folks in to teach other people”--”Will Atkins,” said I to hih I am afraid that what you say has too much truth in it, yet can you not tell your wife she is in the wrong; that there is a God and a religion better than her own; that her Gods are idols; that they can neither hear nor speak; that there is a great Being that s, and that can destroy all that He has ood and punishes the bad; and that we are to be judged by Hinorant but even nature itself will teach you that all this is true; and I am satisfied you know it all to be true, and believe it yourself”--”That is true, sir,” said Atkins; ”but hat face can I say anything to my wife of all this, when she will tell me immediately it cannot be true?”--”Not true!” said I; ”what do you mean by that?”--”Why, sir,” said he, ”she will tell me it cannot be true that this God I shall tell her of can be just, or can punish or reward, since I am not punished and sent to the devil, that have been such a wicked creature as she knows I have been, even to her, and to everybody else; and that I should be suffered to live, that have been always acting so contrary to what I ht to have done”--”Why, truly, Atkins,” said I, ”I am afraid thou speakest too yman of what Atkins had said, for he was impatient to know

”Oh,” said the priest, ”tell hi will make him the best minister in the world to his wife, and that is repentance; for none teach repentance like true penitents He wants nothing but to repent, and then he will be so much the better qualified to instruct his wife; he will then be able to tell her that there is not only a God, and that He is the just rewarder of good and evil, but that He is aforbears to punish those that offend; waiting to be gracious, and willing not the death of a sinner, but rather that he should return and live; and even reserves daeneral day of retribution; that it is a clear evidence of God and of a future state that righteous men receive not their reward, or wicked men their punishment, till they come into another world; and this will lead him to teach his wife the doctrine of the resurrection and of the last judgment Let him but repent himself, he will be an excellent preacher of repentance to his wife”

I repeated all this to Atkins, who looked very serious all the while, and, as we could easily perceive, was er, and hardly suffering me to reat deal more; but I have not the impudence to talk thus to my wife, when God and my conscience know, and ainst me, that I have lived as if I had never heard of a God or future state, or anything about it; and to talk of h, and I could see that the tears stood in his eyes) ”'tis past all that with me”--”Past it, Atkins?” said I: ”what dost thou h what I mean,” says he; ”I mean 'tis too late, and that is too true”

I told the clergyman, word for word, what he said, and this affectionatehimself, 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 fro 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”

The clergyreat concern in his face, when I told hi quick to me upon it, says, ”If that be his case, we ive him repentance But pray,” says he, ”explain this to him: that as no man is saved but by Christ, and thedivine 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 hier strive, and when God may refuse to hear, but that it is 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 reat earnestness; but it seemed as if he turned off the discourse to the rest, for he said to o 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 toaway from my father; 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 theyave, but said nothing a good while; but at last, shaking his head, ”We that are Christ's servants,” says he, ”can go no further than to exhort and instruct: and when men comply, submit to the reproof, and promise e 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 Atkin's, I believe he is the only sincere convert a them: I will not despair of the rest; but that man is apparently struck with the sense of his past life, and I doubt not, when he coion to his wife, he will talk hi to teach others is so ourselves If that poor Atkins begins but once to talk seriously of Jesus Christ to his wife, he will assuredly talk hih convert, make himself a penitent, and who knohat may follow”

Upon this discourse, however, and their pro, as above, to endeavour to persuade their wives to embrace Christianity, he married the two other couple; but Will Atkins and his ere not yet co a while, was curious to knohere Atkins was gone, and turning to me, said, ”I entreat you, sir, let us walk out of your labyrinth here and look; I daresay we shall find this poorseriously to his wife, and teaching her already soan to be of the saether, and I carried him a hich 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, coe of the wood, I saw Atkins and his taife sitting under the shade of a bush, very eager in discourse: I stopped short tillshowed him where they were, we stood and looked very steadily at theood while We observed hi 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 the clergyood, theher that our God has made him, her, and the heavens, the earth, the sea, the woods, the trees, &c”--”I believe he is,” said I Immediately we perceived Will Atkins start upon his feet, fall down on his knees, and lift up both his hands We supposed he said so, but we could not hear hi half a ain by his wife, and talks to her again; we perceived then the wo to him we could not tell While the poor felloas upon his knees I could see the tears run plentifully down yman's cheeks, and I could hardly forbear reat affliction to us both that ere not near enough to hear anything that passed between them Well, however, we could co 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 timehim 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,hiain, and lend her his hand to help her up, when i her by the hand a step or two, they both kneeled down together, and continued so about two er, but cries out aloud, ”St Paul! St

Paul! behold he prayeth” I was afraid Atkins would hear him, therefore I entreated hiht see an end of the scene, which tothat 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 hi up his hands and crossing his breast, said over several things ejaculatory, and by the 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; sos he said in Latin, some in French; then two or three times the tears would interrupt hied that he would contain himself, and let us more narrowly and fully observe as before us, which he did for a ti near ended yet; for after the poor ain froerly to her, and we observed her reatly affected hat he said, by her frequently lifting up her hands, laying her hand to her breast, and such 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 say to the clergylad 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 ht both be, and I hoped such a beginning would yet have a ive 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 of the poor people froion; 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 esteeans themselves”

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 reforh 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 think that He cannot receive you into the bosom of His Church, in a manner to us unperceivable; and I hope you have the sa all restored to Christ's Church, by whatsoever method He, who is all-wise, is pleased to direct In the meantime, surely you will allow it consists with uish far between a Protestant and a pagan; between one that calls on Jesus Christ, though in a hich 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 who know nothing of God or of His Church: and I rejoice, therefore, when I see this poor ate, 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 hie of that truth in His own time; and if God shall influence this poor e, 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 ht quite home into the bosom of the Catholic Church just at the tioodness of Christ to perfect His work in His own time, and in his oay? Certainly, I would rejoice if all the savages in Aht, like this poor woh they were all to be Protestants at first, rather than they should continue pagans or heathens; firht on therace, and bring theood”

CHAPTER VII--CONVERSATION BETWIXT WILL ATKINS AND HIS WIFE

I was astonished at the sincerity and temper of this pious Papist, as ; and it presently occurred to ht 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 hi hiy of the Romish Church were blessed with such moderation, and had an equal share of your charity I am entirely of your opinion; but I must tell you that if you should preach such doctrine in Spain or Italy, they would put you into the Inquisition”--”It may be so,” said he; ”I know not what they would do in Spain or Italy; but I will not say they would be the better Christians for that severity; for I a with charity”

Well, as Will Atkins and his ere gone, our business there was over, so ent back our oay; and e ca this, I asked yman if we should discover to him that we had seen him under the bush or not; and it was his opinion we should not, but that we should talk to him first, and hear what he would say to us; so we called hi in the place but ourselves, and I began by asking hie and education He told yht him well, but that he, Will Atkins, despised all instruction and correction; and by his brutish conduct cut the thread of all his father's comforts and shortened his days, for that he broke his heart by the rateful, unnatural return for the ave

In what he said there seemed so much sincerity of repentance, that it painfully affected me I could not but reflect that I, too, had shortened the life of a good, tender father by my bad conduct and obstinate self-will I was, indeed, so surprised hat he had toldabout to teach and instruct him, the man was made a teacher and instructor to me in aclergyreatly affected with it, and said to me, ”Did I not say, sir, that when this man was converted he would preach to us all? I tell you, sir, if this one man be made a true penitent, there will be no need ofa little composed myself, I renewed my discourse with Will Atkins ”But, Will,” said I, ”how comes the sense of this matter to touch you just now?”

_WA_--Sir, you have set h ion to my wife, in order, as you directed me, to make a Christian of her, and she has preached such a seret while I live

_RC_--No, no, it is not your wife has preached to you; but when you werethem back upon you