466 A WISE DISCOURSE

perity of my new colony, and perhaps might put it, at least
more than he yet thought it was, in the way of God’s blessing.

LT looked a little surprised at the last part of his discourse, and
turning a little short, “Tow, sir,” said T, “can it be said that we
are not in the way of God’s blessing, after such visible assistances
and wonderful deliverances as we have seen here, and of which I
have given you a large account?”

“Tf you had pleased, sir,” said he, with a world of modesty, and
yet with great readiness, “to have heard me, you would have found
no room to haye been displeased, much less to think so hard of me
that T should suggest that you have not had wonderful assistances
and deliverances ; and T hope, on your behalf, that you are in the
way of God's blessing, and your design is exceeding good, and will
prosper, But, sir, though it} were more so than is even possible
to you, yet there may be some among you that are not equally
right in their actions. And you know that in the story of the
children of Tsracl, one Achan in the camp removed God's: blessing
from them, and turned his hand so against them, that six and thirty
of them, though not concerned in the erime, were the objects of
divine vengeance, and bore the weight of that punishment.”

L was sensibly touched with his discourse and told him his
inference was so just, and the whole design seemed so sincere, and
was really so religious in its own nature, that [was very sorry [
had interrupted him, and begged him to go on; and in the mean-
time, because it seemed that what we had both to say might take
up some time, | told him Lwas going to the Knelishmen’s plan-
tations, and asked him to go with me, and we might discourse of it
by the way. He told me he would more willingly wait on me
thither, because there partly the thing was acted which he desired
to speak to me about; so we walked on, and T pressed him to be
free and plain with me in what he had to say.

“Why then, sir,” says he, “be pleased to give me leave to lay
down a few propositions as the foundation of what I have to say,
that we may not differ in the general principles, though we may
be of some differing opinions in the practice of particulars. First,
sir, though we differ in some of the doctrinal articles of retigion—
and it is very unhappy that it is so, especially in the case before