author who had afferted, that there were "infants in hell but a fpan long;" and that "hell was paved with infant fculls," &c.

"Hell and damnation in thy left,

"Of ev'ry gracious gift bereft,

"Hence reigning floods of grief and woes,
"On those that never were thy foes,
"Ordaining torments."

As to Morality, George affured us it was of no avail; that as for good works, they were only fplendid fins; and that in the best good work that any creature could perform, there was fin enough to fink the doer to the nethermoft hell; that it was faith alone that did every thing, without a grain of morality; but that no man could have one particle of this mysterious faith, before he was justified; and juftification was a fudden operation on the foul, by which the moft execrable wretch that ever lived might inftantaneously be af

fured

fured of all his fins being pardoned; that his body from that very moment became the living temple of the Holy Ghoft; that he had fellowship with the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit; and, that Spirit was to be their constant and infallible guide:

"Whate'er men fpeak by this new light,
"Still they were fure to be i'the right.
"This dark lanthorn of the Spirit,

"Which none fee by but those that bear it ;
"A light that falls down from on high,
"For fpiritual trades to cozen by;
"An ignis fatuus, that bewitches
"And leads men into pools and ditches,
"This light infpires and plays upon
"The noife of Saint, like bagpipe drone,
"And fpeaks through hollow empty foul,
"As through a trunk, or whispering hole,
"Such language as no mortal ear
"But fpiritu'l eaves-droppers can hear,"

My master very feldom heard any of these conversations, but my good mistress would fit down for hours together, with her Bible in her lap, from which she would read fuch fcriptures as proved the neceffity of living a good life, performing good works, &c. fhe alfo did her beft to confute the tenets of

Original fin, Imputed righteoufnefs, doctrine of the Trinity, &c. &c., Unfortunately the good woman had no great talents for controverfy; however, George had a very tenacious memory, and employed all his thoughts on these subjects, so that John his younger brother, and I alfo (two competent judges no doubt) thought that he had the best of the arguments on thefe edifying fubjects. Nothing, fays Montaigne, is fo firmly believed as that which we leaft know, for which reafon Plato faid, "that it was more eafy to fatisfy his hearers, with difcourfes about the nature of the Gods than of men." About five months after George's converfion, John went to hear thofe only true Ambaffadors from Heaven,

"Who ftroll and teach from town to town
"The good old Caufe: which fome believe
"To be the devil that tempted Eve

"With knowledge, and do ftill invite

The world to mifchief with new light."

BUTLER.

Thefe devil-dodgers happened to be fo very powerful (that is very noily) that they foon

fent

fent John home, crying out, he should be he should be damn'd for ever!

damn'd

But John foon got out of the damnable ftate, and affured us that all his fins were forgiven, merely by believing that he had paffed from death into life, and had union and communion with God. He now became as merry as before he had been forrowful, and fung in Mr. Wesley's strain,

"Not a doubt shall arife

"To darken the skies,

"Nor hide for a moment my God from my Eyes."

John fung to me, and faid to me a deal in this wonderful strain, of which I did not comprehend one fyllable.

"As heaps of fand, and scatter'd wide from sense.

"So high he mounted in his airy throne,

"That when the wind had got into his head,
"It turn'd his brains to frenzy."

But thefe extraordinary accounts and difcourfes, together with the controverfies between the mother and the fons, made me think they knew

E 4

knew many matters of which I was totally ignorant. This created in me a defire for knowledge, that I might know who was right and who was wrong. But to my great mortification, I could not read. I knew most of the letters, and a few eafy words, and I fet about learning with all my might. My miftrefs would fometimes inftruct me; and having three-halfpence per week allowed me by my mother, this money I gave to John (my mafter's youngest fon) and for every threehalfpence he taught me to fpell one hour; this was done in the dark, as we were not allowed a candle after we were fent up ftairs to bed.

I foon made a little progrefs in reading; in the mean time I alfo went to the Methodift meeting. There, as "enthufiafin is the child of melancholy," I caught the infection. The first that I heard was one Thomas Bryant, known in Taunton by the name of the damnation preacher (he had juft left off 'cobbling foles of another kind.) His fermon frightened me moft terribly. I foon after

went