ted, I went back to my Clergy-man, and Will. Atkins went in to talk with his Companions. I defir'd the French Gentleman not to fay any thing to them, till the Bufinefs was thorough ripe, and I told him what Answer the Men had given me.

Before I went from their Quarter, they all came to me, and told me, they had been confidering what I had faid, that they were very glad to hear I had a Clergy-man in my Company, and they were very willing to give me the Satisfaction I defir'd, and to be formally Married as foon as I pleas'd, for they were far from defiring to part with their Wives, and that they meant nothing but what was very honeft when they chofe them; fo I appointed them to meet me the next Morning, and that in the mean time they should let their Wives know the meaning of the Marriage-Law; and that it was not only to prevent any Scandal, but alfo to oblige them, that they fhould not forfake them, whatever might happen.

The Women were eafily made fenfible of the Meaning of the Thing, and were very well fatisfied with it, as indeed, they had Reason to be; fo they fail'd not to attend all together at my Appartment the next Morning, where I brought out my Clergy-man; and tho' he had not on a Minifters Gown, after the Manner of England, or the Habit of a Prieft, after the Manner of France; yet having a black Vest something like a Caffock, with a Safh round it, he did not look very unlike a Minifter; and as for his Language, I was his Interpreter.

But the Serioufnefs of his Behaviour to them, and the Scruples he made of marrying the Wo

men,

men, because they were not baptiz'd, and pro fels'd Chriftians, gave them an exceeding Reverence for his Perfon; and there was no need after that, to enquire whether he was a Clergy-man

or no.

Indeed, I was afraid his Scruple would have been carry'd fo far, as that he would not have marry'd them at all; nay, notwithstanding all I was able to fay to him, he refifted me, though modeftly, yet very fteadily, and at laft refus'd abfolutely to marry them, unless he had firit talk'd with the Men, and the Women too; and though at first I was a little backward to it, yet at laft 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 him with their Circumftances, and with the prefent Defign: That he was very willing to perform that Part of his FunЯion, and marry them as I had defir'd; but that before he could do it, he must take the Liberty to talk with them. He told them, that in the Sight of all indifferent Men, and in the Senfe of the Laws of Society, they had liv'd all this while in an open Adultery; and that it was true, that nothing but the Confenting to marry, or effectually feperating them from one another now, could put an End to it; but there was a Difficulty in it too, with refpect to the Laws of Chriftian Matrimony, which he was not fully fatisfy'd about, viz. That of marrying one that is a profefs'd Chriftian, to a Savage, an Idolater, and a Heathen, one that is not baptiz'd; and yet that he did not fee that there was Time left for it to endeavour to perfwade the Women to be bap

tiz'd, or to profess the Name of Chrift, whom they had, he doubted, heard nothing of, and without which they could not be baptiz'd,

He told them, he doubted they were but indifferent Chriftians themselves; that they had but little Knowledge 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 promife him to use their Endeavour with their Wives, to perfuade them to become Chriftians, and would as well as they could inftruct them in the Knowledge and Belief of God that made them, and to worship Jefus Chrift that redeem'd them, he could not marry them; for he would have no Hand in joining Chriftians with Savages; nor was it confiftent with the Principles of the Chriftian Religion; and was indeed exprefly forbidden in God's Law.

They heard all this very attentively, and I de liver'd it very faithfully to them, from his Mouth, as near his own Words as I could, only fometimes adding fomething of my own to convince them how juft it was, and how I was of his Mind; and I always very faithfully distinguish'd between what I faid from my felf, and what were the Clergy-man's Words: They told me it was very true, what the Gentleman had faid, that they were but very indifferent Chriftians themfelves, and that they had never talk'd to their Wives about Religion: Lord! SIR, fays Will. Atkins, How fhould we teach them Religion? Why we know nothing our felves; and befides, Sir, Jaid he, fhould we go to talk to them of God, and Jefus Chrift, and Heaven, and Hell, 'twould be to make them laugh at us, and ask us, What we believe

M

believe our felves? And if we fhould tell them we believe all the Things that we fpeak of to them, fuch as of good People going to Heaven, and wicked People to the Devil, they would ask us, Where we intend to go our felves, that believe all this, and are fuch wicked Fellows, as we indeed are? Why, Sir, 'tis enough to give them a Surfeit of Religion at firft Hearing: Folks muft have fome Religion themselves, before they pretend to teach other People: Will. Atkins, faid I to him; though I am afraid what you fay has too much Truth in it, yet can you not tell your Wife that the 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 or fpeak; that there is a great Being that made all Things, and that can destroy all that he had made; that he rewards the Good, and punishes the Bad, and that we are to be judg'd by him at laft, for all we do here: You are. not fo ignorant, but even Nature it felf will teach you that all this is true, and I am fatisfy'd you know it all to be true, and believe it your felf.

That's true, Sir, faid Atkins; but with What Face can I fay any Thing to my Wife of all this, when he will tell me immediately it cannot be true?

Not true, faid 1, What do you mean by that? Why, Sir, faid he, She will tell me it cannot be true, that this God I fhall tell her of can be juft, or can punish, or reward, fince I am not punifh'd, ard fent to the Devil, that have been fuch a wicked Creature as fhe knows I have been, even to her, and to every Body elfe; and that I fhould

be

be fuffer'd to live, that have been always acting lo contrary to what I must tell her is Good, and to what I ought to have done.

Why, truly Atkins, faid I, I am afraid thou fpeakeft too much Truth; and with that I let the Clergy-man know what Atkins had faid, for he was impatient to know: 0! faid the Priest; tell him there is one Thing will make him the best Minifter in the World to his Wife, and that is, Repentance; for none teach Repentance like true Penitents: He wants nothing but to repent, and than he will be fo much the better qualify'd to inftruct his Wife: He will be then able to tell her, that there is not only a God, and that he is the juft Rewarder of Good and Evil, but that he is a merciful Being, and with infinite Goodness and Long-fuffering, forbears to punish thofe that offend, waiting to be gracious, and willing not the Death of a Sinner, but rather that he fhould return and live; that often-times fuffers wicked Men to go on a long Time, and even referves Damnation to the general 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 Refurrection, and of the laft Judgment; let him but repent for himself, he will be an excellent Preacher of Repentance to his Wife.

I repeated all this to Atkins, who look'd very ferious all the while, and who we could easily perceive, was more than ordinarily affected with it: When being eager, and hardly fuffering me to make an End, I know all this, Mafter fays he, and a great M 2 deal