BETWEEN HUSBAND AND WIFE. 491

Wife. Then you God no God. Me no think, believe, he be
such one, great much power, strong. No makee kill you though
you makee him much angry.

W. A. What! will my wicked life hinder you from believing in
God? What a dreadful creature am I, and what a sad truth is
it that the horrid lives of Christians hinders the conversion of
heathens !

Wife. How me tink you have great much God up there—[she
points wp to heaven|—and yet no do well, no do good thing? Can
he tell? Sure he no tell what you do?

W. A. Yes, yes; he knows and sees all things. He hears us
speak ; sees what we do; knows what we think, though we do not
speak.

Wife. What! he no hear you swear, curse, speak the great
damn ?

W. A. Yes, yes; he hears it all.

Wife. Where be,.then, the muchee great power strong?

W. A. He is merciful ; that’s all we can say for it. And this
proves him to be the true God. He is God, and not man; and
therefore we are not consumed.

[ Here Will Atkins told us he was struck with horror to think how he
could tell his wife so clearly that God sees, and hears, and knows
the secret thoughts of the heart, and all that we do; and yet that
he had dared to do all the vile things he had done.]

Wife. Merciful! What you call that ?

W. A. He is our Father and Maker, and he pities and spares us.

Wife. So then he never makee kill, never angry when you do
wicked? Then he no good himself, or no great able.

W.A. Yes, yes, my dear; he is infinitely good, and infinitely
great, and able to punish too. And sometimes, to show his justice
and vengeance, he lets fly his anger to destroy sinners and make
examples. Many are cut off in their sins.

Wife. But no make kill you yet? Then he tell you, maybe, that
he no make you kill, so you make de bargain with him, you do
bad thing he no be angry at you when he be angry at other mans.

W. A. No, indeed. My sins are all presumptions upon his