quite black in my face, and my breath was almost out of my body; I thought these words sounded like thunder in my ears, Lost once, lost for ever!"While my senses seemed almost gone from me, and before the barley was taken off, I was quite senseless for a while; but when the fresh air came to me, I soon began to breathe; and when my senses returned, I remember, I could not, but in my blind way, make somewhat of a prayer to God for my preservation; and directly the waggoner and the rest of the men, began to jeer me for my devotions; for I had · but just before been singing one of my old foolish songs. But terribly bruised I was, and was obliged to keep my bed for three days, and could not go to work for a full fortnight afterwards.

Far. It was a very narrow escape indeed, Thomas. But did it not drive you to make some good resolutions? I remember, when I had the gout deadly bad in my head and stomach, Iv owed many, and many a time, that I would mend my ways: and once I sent for Mr. Dolittle, and he told me, he thought it would be no harm if I did a little more; but the Lord knows to my shame, as soon as I began to recover, I forgot all my vows.

Tho. Ah, so did I, master! but I have since found that all our resolutions to mend our ways come to nothing, till God changes the heart: and so it was with me; for directly as I could again get to work, I soon forgot my prayers, and was as light and as thoughtless as ever. For, though I had a little pride in me, not to neglect my work like many others, yet nothing like a fair or a wake for me. I am ashamed to think what a fool I used to make myself while I was dancing at the Golden Lion almost all night, when I was no more fit for such games than one of our cart horses.

Far. But surely, Thomas, there can be no harm in a little innocent mirth now and then.

Tho. Why, I'll tell you, master, I am never afraid of what I do, provided I can but feel prayer while I do it. Now at my labour I can sing and pray with a good conscience all the day long; but I never could ask God's blessing when I went to a wake; or that he would protect me at a horse race. Pray, master, do you ask a blessing over the card table when people come a merry-making to your house?

Far. Ah, Thomas, you come too near home; I must not tell you all we do at our house.

Tho. But, master, if you dare not tell all, the Lord knows all.

Betty. I am afraid, my dear, you press Mr. Littleworth rather too hard.-I hope you will excuse him, Sir, for my husband means no harm.

Far. No, no, Betty, I am sure Thomas means well; I shan't be angry; he may go on with his story.

Tho. Well, on I went year by year, getting worse and worse, till some years afterwards, when our vicar was removed to some sort of a 'thedral place, as, I think they call it; and then some noble gentleman, Lord Canceller I think it was, gave Mr. Lovegood the living.

Far. The Lord Chancellor you mean, Thomas. Tho. Ay, ay, it may be so: he is a great man, and a mighty man with the king. May God bless him and the king too a thousand times, for sending such a good minister among us! Well, soon after Midsummer our new vicar came, and as it was the first time, a many people there were to hear him. Though we had heard nothing of him till we saw him in the church, yet it was to admiration how he read the lessons and prayers; they sounded like new prayers to me--he read them so wonderfully fine. But

when he got into the pulpit, we did not know what to make of it, for he had no book with him, but a little Bible. We thought for sure he had left his sermon-book behind him, while every moment we expected he would be fast; but on he went for a brave long time and it is wonderful how lovingly he spoke to us, while he preached from this text, "We preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord; and ourselves, your servants for Jesus's sake." He told us, how he hoped he was sent purely for the good of our souls; and how fervently he had prayed to God that he might come with a blessing among us; that his house, his heart was open to us, even the poorest of us; and that all his time and strength should be given up for our good. Never did any man surely win upon all the people by such a sermon, in coming to a new living, like our minister.

Far. Hold, master Thomas, not quite so fast; for there was old Mr. Goodenough, the schoolmaster, spoke against him downright at the first sermon: he said publicly, in the church-yard, he had no notion of such new fangled teachers, and that all the parish were good enough already, and he wanted to be no better; and that every tub must stand upon its own bottom: and from that time to this the old gentleman has come to hear Mr. Dolittle, of our parish, and says, his doctrine suits him best. And again, there was that noted good old lady, Madam Toogood, after the second sermon your parson preached, she went away to Mr. Blindman's church; and a notable story she told at our house when she came to drink tea with my wife and daughters; how he made out all the good people to be as bad as devils; and then she told us all how many times she went to church and sacrament; how often she said her prayers, and that in regard to her giving away to the poor, she was even too good. But, Thomas, I'll tell you a se

eret-While Madam Toogood was cracking and boasting away all the time she was drinking scandal broth, as you call it, her servant, who came to light her home, was telling in the kitchen of all her stingy tricks-how she made ever so many poor people sick with her dish-wash, which she called Broth; and how, while she was reading the psalms and lessons, and doing her devotions, she would keep scolding all the time: and that once upon a time, when she had made herself up, by the Week's Preparation, for the holy Sacrament, after she came to church, she found that it was to be put off, as it was so near Easter; and that then she fell into a terrible passion, and said, "Lord have mercy! have,I had all this trouble for nothing!" and that she was such a downright scold, that no servant could live with her for six weeks.

Tho. Well, master, if this old lady can brag she is not like other people, like the Pharisce, let me come in with the poor Publican, and cry, God be merciful to me a sinner!-his prayers will best suit my case. But if Mr. Goodenough and Madam Toogood did not fear leaving their parish-churches, why should you be afraid, at least once in a way, to leave yours?

Far. Ah, Thomas, you have me there! But go on with your story.

Tho. Why, master, that very sermon which Madam Toogood found such fault with, was the sermon that did my soul more good than all the Sermons I ever heard before; for it was then that faithful servant of God ript up the deadly wound in my heart, which none but Christ could heal. I remember well the text, The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked. Who can know it? And plainly did he shew, from the Bible, the rueful state of all mankind: How that, when Adam fell from God, all fell in him and this he shewed was the truth, all the Bible over: How that, before the flood

the wickedness of man was so great upon the earth, and all flesh had so corrupted themselves before God, that there was but one family (that of Noah) in which the fear of God was preserved among the many millions which were upon the earth; and that a merciful and a righteous God could never have sent down such a judgment, if the great wickedness of man had not deserved it at his hands: and then he shewed that such was the hardness and wickedness of mankind, that as soon as they began to multiply upon earth a second time, they became again as vile as ever: that all the waters of the flood could never wash away the filth of the world: that then he tried the fire of his wrath upon the filthy cities of Sodom and Gomorrah; but still man continued the same most wicked creature and that even afterwards, when God took one family to himself, that they might be his own peculiar people, as was the case with the Jews, though he was perpetually shewing the miracles of his power before them, and blessing them, more than any other people, with the gifts of his providence; yet while the meat was in their mouths, they rebelled against him, and made themselves worse than the heathen who knew him not: and that even when the dear Son of God himself came down from Heaven to save us, the Jews rejected him, and the Gentiles nailed him to the cross.

Far. Why, Thomas, when I was a school-boy, I used to read over my Bible then; and I remember, what you say is all very true.

Tho. Then, why should Mr. Goodenough and Madam Toogood be angry with our minister for telling the truth?

Far. To my way of thinking, people may have as much religion as they, without so much outside shew.

Tho. But, master, I must tell you how our minister