W. A. It is all our own Fault.

Wife. But you fay me, he is Great, much Great, have much great Power; can makce kill, when he will, why he no makee kill when you no ferve him? No fay O to him? No be good Mans.

W. A. That is true; he might strike me Dead, and I ought to expect it, for I have been a wicked Wretch, that is true; but God is merciful, and does not deal with us as we deserve.

Wife. But then, do not you tell God Tankee for that too.

1

W. A. No, indeed, I have not thank'd God for his Mercy, any more than I have fear'd God for his Power.

Wife. Than you God no God; me no think, believe, he be fuch one, great much Power, Strong; no makee kill you tho' you makee him much Angry.

W. A. What? Will my wicked Life hinder you from believing in God! what a dreadful, Creature am I; and what a fad Truth is it, that the horrid Lives of Chriftians hinders the Converfion of Heathens?

Wife. How me tink you have great much God * up there, and yet no do well no do good Thing; can he tell? Sure he no tell what you do?

W. A. Yes, yes, he knows and fees all Things he hears us fpeak, fees what we do, knows what we think, tho' we do not speak.

Wife. What! he no hear you fwear, curse, speak the great Damn.

W. A. Yes, yes, he hears it all.

Wife. Where be then the muchee great Power ftrong?

W. A. He is merciful, that's all we can fay for it; and this proves him to be the true God; he is God and not Man; and therefore we are not confum'd. *

Here Will. Atkins told us he was struck with Horror, to think how he could tell his Wife fo clearly, that God fees, and hears, and knows the fecret Thoughts of the Heart, and all that we do; and yet that he had dar'd to do all the vile Things he had done.

Wife. Merciful! what you call that?

WA. He is our Father and Maker, and he pities and fpares us.

Wife. So then he never makee kill, never when you angry do wicked; then he no good himfelf, or no great able.

W. A. Yes, yes, my Dear, he is infinitely good, and infinitely grear, and able to punish too,and fome Times to fhew his Juftice and Vengeance; he lets

fly

T

fly his Anger to destroy Sinners, and make Examples; many are cut off in their Sins.

Wife. But no make kill you yet, than he tell you, may be that he no make you kill, fo you make de Bargain with him, you do bad Thing, he no be angry at you, when he be angry at other Mans.

W. A. No indeed, my Sins are all Prefumptions upon his Goodness; and he would be infinitely juft if he destroy'd me, as he has done other Men.

Wife. Well, and yet no kill, no makee you dead, what you fay to him for that, you no tell him Tankee for all that too

W. A. I am an unthankful, ungrateful Dog, that's true.

Wife. Why? He no makee you much good better, you say he makee you.

W. A. He made me as he made all the World; 'tis I have deform'd myself, and abus'd his Goodnefs, and made myself an abominable Wretch.

Wife. I wish you makee God know me, I no makee him angry, I no do bad wicked Thing.

Here Will. Atkins faid his Heart sunk within him, to hear a poor untaught Creature defire to be taught to know God, and he fuch a wicked Wretch, that he could not say one Word to her about God, but what the Reproach of his own Carriage would make moft irrational to her to believe; nay, that N 3 already

already he had told him, that she could not believe in God, because he that was fo wieked was not deftroy'd.

W. A. My Dear, you mean, you wish I could teach you to know God, not God to know you; for he knows you already, and every Thought in your Heart.

Wife. Why then he know what I fay to you now? He know me wish to know him; how fhall me know who makee me?

W. A. Poor Creature, he muft teach thee, I cannot teach thee; I'l pray to him to teach thee to know him, and to forgive me that I am unworthy to teach thee.

The poor Fellow was in fuch an Agony at her
defiring him to make her know God, and her
wishing to know him, that, he faid, he fell
down on his Knees before her, and pray'd to God
to enlighten her Mind with the faving Know-
ledge of Jefus Chrift, and to pardon his Sins,
and accept of his being the unworthy Instru
ment of inftructing her in the Principles of
Religion; after which he fat down by her
again, and their Dialogue went on.
N. B.

This was the Time when we faw him
kneel down, and hold up his Hands.

Wife. What you put down the Knee for? What you hold up the Hand for? What you fay? Who you fpeak to? What is all that?

W.A. My Dear, I bow my Knees in Token of my Submion to him that made me; I said O to

him, as you call it, and as you fay, your old Men do to their Idol Benamukee; that is, I pray'd to

him.

Wife. What you fay O to him for?

W. A. I pray'd to him to open your Eyes, and your Understanding, that you may know him, and be accepted by him.

Wife. Can he do that too?

W. A. Yes, he can, he can do all Things.

Wife. But now he hear what you say?.

W. A. Yes, he has bid us pray to him, and promis'd to hear us.

Wife. Bid you pray? When he bid you? How he bid you? What! you hear him speak?

W. A. No, we do not hear him speak, but he has reveal'd himfelf many Ways to us.

Here he was at a great Lofs to make her underftand, that God has reveal'd himself to us by his Word, and what his Word was: But at last he told it her thus:

W. A. God has fpoken to fome good Men in former Days, even from Heaven, by plain Words; and God has infpir'd good Men by his Spirit; and they have written all his Laws down in a Book.