"It is true," he observed, "that the elect of God having the assurance of acceptance, and the knowledge of their incapacity to fall from grace, have of all people the best pretensions to composure and cheerfulness of mind; but," continued he, turning his eyes upon the fair Eloise," if they have before them those who have not the call, and who are consequently in a state of darkness, their anxiety for their condition becomes a reasonable cause of grief."

"It is not exactly that," interrupted Mrs. Richards; "that is not the present occasion of my sorrow: it is the uncertainty of my own condition."

Here I could not withhold my feelings. "Madam," said I, " I look upon religion altogether in a different light from either of you: I look upon it as the solace, the hope, the joy of man, the balm to a wounded mind, given by a gracious God for the happiness, and not the discomfiture of his creatures. That Mr. Goddard is a man of sense I know; that he is, also, a man of excellent feelings and great kindness, I have sufficient reasons to believe, and I have well considered his arguments in all former discussions; but, looking upon the Bible as I do,

I find nothing that can justly lead to the conclusions he draws from it; conclusions, calculated to give a presumptuous superiority to a very few persons over the great majority of their brethren.

"For what I assert here, and elsewhere, upon this subject," replied Mr. Goddard, “I have the authority of Scripture."

“And, by the same authority," I replied, "I am ready to convince our afflicted friend here, that your tenets are not the fair and legitimate deductions of Holy Writ."

"I should like to hear your arguments," said she, “while my cousin is here to meet them, for I own I have such misgivings of mind, that I cannot be easy."

Here Eloise laid down her pencil, and turning her chair towards us, expressed by her actions the interest she took in the question; while Mr. Goddard seeing this, and fancying perhaps that he might induce her to adopt his belief, very good naturedly began, by saying, "I hold that every man ought to be able to give a reason for the hope that is in him;' and as I feel persuaded, that my religious opinions will bear the strictest investigation, I have no

reserve; and, therefore, declaring myself a Calvinist, in the strictest sense of the term, I will hear what you have now to say to the different articles of my creed. First then, with regard to the evidences of the truth of Scripture. My position is, that human testimony, even though it may be in favour of that truth, is to be totally disregarded, relying as I do upon a higher, for it is an infallible source of authority, I mean, the internal working of the Holy Spirit bearing witness with the word in my heart. Now, you cannot gainsay nor resist this."

"I certainly cannot question the assurance that you may internally experience; but I am persuaded, however strong the conviction may be, that a man's feelings are no real test of divine truth. If you will consider for a moment, you will see how fallacious such a guide is; for you cannot find two persons, unconnected and unknown to each other, whose feelings are so regulated as to say that the same reasons and the same impressions on the mind can produce in them the same belief. I mean, that the principles which you conceive to be stamped upon your minds by an inward revelation, are, in fact, the result of a communion of thought,

and that they are produced by the representations of others, rather than suggested by individual revelation."

"But, Sir," said Mr. Goddard, "as with the truth, so with the interpretation of Scripture, I pray repeatedly and earnestly for instruction from the Spirit of God, and He who first said," • Let there be light, and there was light,' sends the same sort of illumination into my mind, and then I can want no other testimony, and no other commentator."

"Then you candidly and openly confess that you are inspired, Mr. Goddard ?”

You

"I say, Sir, that the light, for which I have ardently prayed, has come upon me. may call the thing what you please.”

"Then,” said I, " I call it no light at all. I can conceive you, or any other person of a warm imagination, thus praying, and thus fancying that you have obtained the light of the Spirit; but I am persuaded that it is a delusion." For any one to lay claim to the operation of the Spirit within them, so as to declare such and such feelings to be excited by it, affords, in my opinion, an unequivocal proof of their not pòssessing it; for the manifestation of the Spirit is

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silent and scarcely to be perceived; it is like the wind, of which the sound may be heard, but cannot be seen, and whence it cometh or whither it goeth, none can tell. Besides, you are to bear in mind that Christ himself, said: If I bear witness of myself, my witness is not true' in other words, you may reasonably doubt what I say, if it rested only upon my own individual testimony; but the works that I do, they bear witness of me.' On this high authority, therefore, we may reasonably dispute what thus affirm; but if we see you you festing love, dispensing joy, and living in peace with your brethren and the world, then, by these certain indications of the Spirit, we may truly believe you to be possessed of it; for the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, and temperance.' To me, then, it appears impossible to admit sense of feeling to be any certain guide in matters of religion."

mani

"You, surely, Captain, would not exclude either the affections or the feelings from religi

ous concerns."

"Certainly not, Sir, but such as profess themselves possessed of the light of the Spirit,