Bunyan, nor Hervey, nor Toplady, nor Doddridge, nor Gill, nor Scott, nor Owen, nor, indeed, any of the class of divines termed evangelical. Not even Arminians so teach-though with their creed it would better consist than with Calvinism.

"For example, on the parable of the rich man and Lazarus, Archbishop Usher, and after him Adam Clarke, (we are wondrous book-wise in hell, Mr. Tub,) asserts that Christ prefers no charge whatever against the rich man's moral characterthat, on the contrary, he may have been a very upright and charitable gentleman, and only lacked the one thing needful, or a sound conversion, to qualify him for an abode among the blessed. Of course, then, as persons may possess a great deal of amiability and yet be damned, it is clear that hell must contain a large amount of most delectable society-But," exclaimed Paddle, with some alarm, "the moon, I see, is getting high above the hills; I must therefore be gone, Mr. Tub, for my person don't show to advantage in a strong light, and the light of the sun is still more prejudicial

thereto than moonshine. I will see you again and renew these topics, Mr. Tub. Farewell."

In another moment Shadrach Paddle was gone-not a trace of him was left; the elder rubbed his eyes, and strained his vision to the utmost, but to no effect, save that he did fancy that he saw a streak of mist ascending the mountain-side. He could not on oath affirm it to have been Paddle, however, nor any relation of his; neither can I. The elder began to be doubtful at length whether his eyes and ears might not have been all the while deceiving him, and whether the whole matter of the supposed interview might not have been a trick of the imagination. Perhaps it was; the reader can decide as to that as well as I; I give it to him as I got it.

CHAPTER III.

Our hero muttereth some doubts as to the truth of Paddle's account of hell and its society; Paddle reappeareth; he condescendeth to enact the philosopher, and reasoneth the points very convincingly; he describeth the amusements of hell.

OUR friend Triptolemus could not summon courage enough, on the next evening, to await his visitant's visit at the foot of the elm tree, but he sat out on one of the benches of the porch afore described, and as he smoked his pipe, and watched the alternate play of moonlight and shadow on the placid river, he ruminated with huge profundity on the matters of Paddle's communication.

"No, it's clar against possibility," muttered he at length, as he knocked the ashes out of his pipe; "to think of people's ever getting used to hell-fire is mighty unreasonable; a salamander itself could not stand it; why, Parson Smearsoul says that the

intensest heat of a lime-kiln is ice itself compared with hell's temperature, and that the same will grow hotter and hotter to all eternity. So its clar out of reason to think of ever getting used to it. And, besides-as Parson Smearsoul also says-it aint literal fire after all; 'fire,' he says, 'is only used as a figure; the real suffering of the damned is from remorse.' These are his very words, and all our best commentators confirm that opinion. So that point is settled.

"Well, as to the society of the place. I am willing to admit that a great many respectable people are sent to hell one time and another, and it really is true, as Paddle says, that moral folk are in much greater danger of being damned than are outbreaking sinners, 'because,' to quote Parson Smearsoul again, the latter can be frightened, and thus brought to repentance, while the former feel safe on the ground of their own uprightness. Conscience, tharfore, fails to alarm the moral man, and he is not undeceived as to the worthlessness of his morality until he finds himself in hell.' So says Parson Smearsoul, and I conclude,

tharfore, that it's best for a man to sin with a whole hand while he is about it, and not merely half do the thing.

"However, altho' so many of hell's inhabitants may be decent folk when they go thar, yet they soon change for the worse. That's certain. The doctrine of no change after death, means that people can't change for the better-but they may for the worse for all that. Indeed it's a clar case, for I have heard the Reverend Mr. Smearsoul say so. 'The damned,' says he, 'get worse and worse to all eternity.' So I've got back to the true point of faith again, thank God."

As the elder arrived at this self-satisfying conclusion he happened to turn his eyes toward the other side of the porch, and there, to his astonishment, sat Mr. Shadrach Paddle very much at his ease, and waiting, apparently, with great politeness, until the thread of our hero's reasoning should run out; this point arrived at he gave vent to one of his quiet laughs-he, he !-and then addressed the elder as follows.

"I plainly perceive, Mr. Tub, that you