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pride in that they say; "Because all men be sinners against God, and breakers of his law, therefore can no man, by his own acts, works, or deeds, seem they never so good, be justified and made righteous before God; but every man of necessity is constrained to seek for another righteousness for justification: our justification doth come freely of the mere mercy of God, SO that Christ is now the righteousness of all them that truly do believe in him, for he paid the ransom by his death, he for them fulfilled the law in his life." And then, Sir, we may say with a good conscience, “O Lord, who seest we put not our trust in any thing that we do." And when I went about two Sundays ago to the holy sacrament, at Mr. Lovegood's church, and (to my shame be it spoken,) old as I am, to the sacrament I never went before, excepting twice after I was confirmed; and then we prayed, that God would not "weigh our merits, but pardon our offences;" and here,-[Mr. Dolittle interrupts.]

Dolit. Stop, Mr. Littleworth, before you tell us any more of the prayers, I must tell you, that Mr. Lovegood is liable to a severe ecclesiastical censure for administering the sacrament to one of my parishioners. And-[Farmer interrupts.]

Far. But as old master Goodenough has left Mr. Lovegood's parish to come to your sacrament, I dare say you'll forgive him; and I am sure he'll forgive you.

Miss Polly. But, Sir, my father talks so frivolous and, 'thusiastically about inspiration, and says, that the Bishops, and all the clergy, have declared, that they were "inwardly moved by the Holy Ghost," before they went into orders; and I have heard you preach against such 'thusiasts again and again*.

* Miss Polly brought home with her several other hard words from the boarding school, that she never afterwards knew how to digest, or to express.

Far. Ah, Polly, you should not talk so pert to your father! When I could bluster about the house as once I did, you did not behave so unmannerly. [To Mr. Dolittle.] But you know, Sir, how very often we pray for the Spirit of God in the prayer-book, that "God would grant us his Holy Spirit ;" that he would "cleanse the thoughts of our hearts by the inspiration of his Holy Spirit." We pray for his Majesty, that he may be "replenished with the grace of the Holy Spirit;" and that all the bishops and clergy may have the healthful Spirit of God's grace." And at Christmas time, we pray, "that we being regenerate and born again, and made God's children by adoption and grace, may be daily renewed by his Holy Spirit :" and in another collect, that "God would send to us his Holy Ghost to comfort us;" and then in the article of our predestination and election, it is said, that "all the elect feel in themselves the workings of the Spirit of Christ." And in the Cathechism, that God "sanctifies us, and all the elect people of God." And in twenty more places besides, have we the same sort of words and doctrine. And to me, it seems, it would be even foolish to pray at all, unless we thought that God would inspire into our hearts the good we pray for.

Dolit. Well, master Littleworth, if you have done preaching to me, it is high time that I should begin preaching to you. I have already observed, that our reformers were good men, but not over-wise; and that they may have expressed themselves unguardedly; therefore many of our divines of the present day, and I'll assure you most of them are bishops or deans, or other great dignitaries, have been at a deal of pains to put a proper explanation on their words; and though, I confess, they have hardly as yet settled the matter among themselves, yet it seems to amount to this. Some of them think, that our

Reformers had a double meaning in all they said, and that they speak both ways, for and against the same doctrine, at the same time. Others are of opinion, that they had but one meaning, which is to be understood just the contrary to what they say. They who are for the double meaning suppose, that while some are at liberty to take them in one sense, yet others are at liberty also to take them in the opposite sense; and though, to the ignorant and the unlearned, this may appear a flat contradiction and nonsense, yet many learned divines have written very ably on this side of the question; though I confess, in my opinion, it gives too much latitude to those modern preachers that you are now so fond of, to preach up their notions; and very specious things to be sure, they have to say, if we let this interpretation pass. I am rather, therefore, of the opinion of those divines who have proved that our reformers, when they said one thing meant another. And if you please, Sir, I'll explain myself on this subject.

Far. 'Las, Sir, you quite stagger me! I don't know whether I stand upon my head or my heels.

Dolit. Don't say so, Sir, for I'll assure you we are serious, and we can prove all this to be very true from the logic some of us brought from Oxford, and others of us from Cambridge. And thus, when we read in the article about original, or birth-sin, "That it is the fault and corruption of the nature of every man that naturally is engendered of the offspring of Adam, whereby man is very far* gone from original righteousness;" it is evidently to be made out by the rule of reverse; therefore, according to the opinion of our modern divines, there is a deal of original inherent rectitude in man, if he would but employ his reason, and his conscience, to bring it forth.

In the original Latin, Quam longissime, as far as possible.

Far. Though I dare not contradict the learned, yet I am sure my hardened conscience and my blinded reason never did me any good.

Dolit. You should not have interrupted me, Sir, till I had finished what I had to say; for I must remind you of what you said about the necessity of "special grace;" that we have "no power of ourselves, to help ourselves," and therefore" of ourselves we cannot but fall;" that "we have no power to do works pleasant and acceptable to God without the grace of God by Christ preventing us :" now for want of our logic, it cannot be expected you can comprehend that these expressions are to be understood by the same rule of reverse; and that now their proper meaning is, that there is a deal of power left in us, though in our lapsed state; and that nothing is wanting, but for God to second our good endeavours; and that, through our own proper resolutions and endeavours, if duly attended to, we shall obtain the favour of the Almighty.

Far. Why, then, Sir, when I tell Sam, that he is to fetch the black horse out of the stable, he must understand he is to bring me the grey mare. grey mare. Why, I am all in amazement at this new sort of larning.

Mrs. Little. Nancy, my dear, hand that fresh toast to Mr. Dolittle. [To Mr. Dolittle.] Perhaps, Sir, you would like a bit more with your last dish. [Miss Nancy directly takes it into the kitchen, and comes back without it.]

Mrs. Little. Why Nancy, child, what have you done with the toast?

Nancy. As you bade me, mother.

Mrs. Little. Why, I told you to hand it to Mr. Dolittle.

Nancy. O yes, mother; but then by this new rule of reverse, I thought I was to take it away, and lock it up in the pantry.

Dolit. O, but we are not to adopt this rule of reverse in things temporal, but only in things spiritual. It is upon this principle that our divines have it in their power farther to prove, in the justification of man by faith alone, that it means by faith and good works together; nor should you pretend to be so wise about the matter, but humbly to leave it to your clergy, and believe, as they direct you; for it should seem very strange, that after these abstruse divines have puzzled even the most learned among us about "works done before justification, and works done after justification," that you should be able to understand their meaning.

Far. Why then, Sir, when I say I shall go alone to Mapleton market next Thursday, you are to understand that I mean to take my wife and daughter Polly with me. Is this the way in which I am to chop this new-fashioned logic?

Dolit. I am sorry for you, Mr. Littleworth: if you can't understand, yet at least you should submit to the learning of our university divines. I fear you will never be reclaimed, for you mentioned also, among other subjects, the article upon our predestination and election. Now all our learned divines can prove that article also is to be understood in a.. sense which is directly contrary to its plain meaning; and that, when it is said, The godly consideration of our predestination in Christ is full of sweet, pleasant, and unspeakable comfort to godly persons, and such as fell in themselves the workings of the Spirit of Christ;" it means, that it was a very ungodly doctrine, and calculated to encourage the most licentious conduct: that the words "sweet, pleasant, and unspeakable comfort," now mean every thing that is abominably detestable and odious, and only held forth by a modern sect, now sunk into general execration. In short, that the predestination of some, means an uni

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