392 THE LIFE AND ADVENTURES

 

 

‘what dost thou mean by that ?”’—“TI know well enough what I mean,
sir,” says he; “I mean it is too late; and that is too true.”

I told my clergyman word for word what he said. The poor zealous
priest (I must call him so; for, be his opinion what it will, he had
certainly a most singular affection for the good of other men’s souls;
and it would be hard to think he had not the like for his own)—I say
this zealous, affectionate man could not refrain tears also: but recover-
ing himself, he said to me, “Ask him but one question: Is he easy
that it is too late, or is he troubled and wishes it were not so?”’—I put
the question fairly to Atkins; and he answered with a great deal of
passion, How could any man be easy in a condition that certain1y must
end in eternal destruction? That he was far from being easy; but
that, on the contrary, he believed it would one time or other ruin him.

“What do you mean by that?” said IL—‘ Why,” he said, “he be-
lieved he should, one time or another, cut his own throat, to put an
end to the terror of it.”

The clergyman shook his head with a great concern in his face,
when I told him all this; but turning quick to me upon it, said, “If
that be his case, you may assure him it is not too late; Christ will
give him repentance. But pray,” says he, “explain this to him, that
as no man is saved but by Christ, and the merit of his passion, pro-
curing divine merey for him, how can it be too late for any man to
receive merey? Does he think he is able to sin beyond the power or
reach of divine mercy? Pray tell him, there may be a time when
provoked mercy will no longer strive, and when God may refuse to
hear; but that ’tis never too late for men to ask mercy; and we that
are Christ’s servants are commanded to preach mercy at all times, in
the name of Jesus Christ, to all those that sincerely repent; so that
‘tis never too late to repent.”

I told Atkins all this, and he heard me with great earnestness; but
it seemed as if he turned off the discourse to the rest; for he said to
me he would go and have some talk with his wife: so he went out a
while, and we talked to the rest. I perceived they were all stupidly
ignorant as to matters of religion; much as I was when I went ram-
bling away from my father, and yet that there were none of them
backward to hear what had been said; and all of them seriously pro-
mised that they would talk with their wives about it, and do their
endeavour to persuade them to turn Christians.

The clergyman smiled upon me when I reported what answer they
gave, but said nothing a good while; but at last shaking his head,
“We that are Christ’s servants,” says he, “can go no farther than ta

exhort and instruct; and when men comply, submit to the reproot,
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