ON PRACTICAL CHRISTIANITY. 467

us, as I shall show afterwards—yet there are some general prin-
ciples in which we both agree, namely, first, that there is a God,
and that this God having given us some stated general rules for out
service and obedience, we ought not willingly and knowingly to
offend him, either by neglecting to do what he has commanded, or
by doing what he has expressly forbidden. And let our different
religions be what they will, this general principle is readily owned
by us all, that the blessing of God does not ordinarily follow a
presumptuous sinning against his command; and every good
Christian will be affectionately concerned to prevent any that are
under his care living in a total neglect of God and his commands.
It is not your men being Protestants, whatever my opinion may be
of such, that discharges me from being concerned for their souls,
and from endeavouring, if it lies before me, that they should live
in as little distance from and enmity with their Maker as possible,
especially if you give me leave to meddle so far in your circuit.”

I could not yet imagine what he aimed at, and told him I
granted all he had said, and thanked him that he would so far
concern himself for us; and begged he would explain the par-
ticulars of what he had observed, that, like Joshua, to take his
own parable, I might put away the accursed thing from us,

“Why then, sir,” says he, ‘‘I will take the liberty you give me;
and there are three things which, if Iam right, must stand in the
way of God’s blessing upon your endeavours here, and which I
should rejoice for your sake and their own to see removed. And,
sir,” says he, “‘I promise myself that you will fully agree with me in
them all as soon as I name them; especially because I shall con-
vince you that every one of them may with great ease, and very
much to your satisfaction, be remedied.”

He gave me no leave to put in any more civilities, but went on.
“ First, sir,” says he, “you have here four Englishmen, who have
fetched women from among the savages, and have taken them as their
wives, and have had many children by them all, and yet are not
married to them after any stated legal manner, as the laws of God and
man require ; and therefore are yet, in the sense of both, no less than
adulterers, and living in adultery. To this, sir,” says he, “I know
you will object, that there was no clergyman or priest of any kind