all this, then surely they must be Abraham though they devoured widows' houses." Here good old Josias groaned. "Yes, father," continued Ben, rage for the fig-leaf stopped with the Jews an the Christians are just as fond of substitute them the labour of imitating the Deity in his It is true, the old Jewish hobbies, mint, ani are not the hobbies of Christians; but still, not to suppose that they are to be dishearte Oh no. They have got a hobby worth all o ther-they have got FAITH."

Here good old Josias began to darken; an with great solemnity, said, I am afraid, my treat this great article of our holy religion

"My dear father," replied Ben eagerly the least reflection on FAITH, but solely on who abuse it to countenance their vices and

"O then, if that be your aim, go on, Ber "Well, sir, as I was saying, not only th thens, but the Christians also have their fig for Moral Goodness. Because Christ has s is the DIVINE CLEMENCY, that if even the w but have faith in it so as to repent and ame the golden law of love and good works,' saved, many lazy Christians are fond of of excellent conditions LovE AND GOOD WOR stitute the moral image of the Deity, and fi FAITH for their salvation."

"Well, but child, do you make no accou

None, father, as a fig-leaf cloak of imm "But is not faith a great virtue in itself, tion for heaven?"

"I think not, sir; I look on faith but as that moral goodness, which, to me, appear qualification for Heaven."

I am astonished, child, to hear you say a virtue in itself."

"Why, father, the Bible says for me

"Yes, father, and for the best reason in the world; for who can ever hope to please the Deity without his moral image? and who would ever put himself to the trouble to cultivate the virtues which form that image, unless he had a belief that they were indispensible to the perfection and happiness of his nature ?"

"So then, you look on faith as no virtue in itself, and good for nothing unless it exalt men to the likeness of God?” "Yes, sir, as good for nothing unless it exalt us to the likeness of God-nay, as worse; as utterly vile and hypo

critical."

"And perhaps you view in the same light the IMPUTED RIGHTEOUSNESs, and the Sacraments of BAPTISM and the LORD'S SUPPER."

"Yes, father, faith, imputed righteousness, sacraments, prayers, sermons; all, all I consider as mere barren fig-leaves which will yield no good unless they ripen into the fruits of BENEVOLENCE and GOOD WORKS."

"Well, Ben, 'tis well that you have taken a turn to the printing business; for I don't think, child, that if you had studied divinity, as your uncle Ben and myself once wished, you would ever have got a licence to preach."

“No, father, I know that well enough; I know that many who think themselves mighty good Christians, are for getting to heaven on easier terms than imitating the Deity in his moral goodness. To them, faith and imputed righteousness, and sacraments, and sour looks, are very convenient things. With a good stock of these they can easily manage matters so as to make a little morality go a great way. But I am thinking they will have to back out of this error, otherwise they will make as bad a hand of their barren faith, as the poor Virginia negroes do of their boasted freedom.” "God's mercy, child, what do you mean by that?”

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Why, father, I am told that the Virginia negroes, like our faith-mongers, fond of ease and glad of soft substitutes to hard duties, are continually sighing for freedom; O if they had but freedom! if they had but freedom! how happy should they be! They should not then be obliged to work any more. Freedom would do every thing for them. Freedom would spread soft beds for them, and heap their tables with roast pigs, squealing out, 'come and eat me.' Freedom would give them fine jackets, and rivers of grog, and mountains of seand tobacco, without their sweating for it.' Well, by gars and by, they get their freedom; perhaps by running away

from their masters. And now see what great things has freedom done for them. Why, as it is out of the question to think of work now they are free, they must give themselves up like gentlemen, to visiting, sleeping, and pastime. In a little time the curses of hunger and nakedness drive them to stealing and house-breaking, for which their backs are ploughed up at whipping-posts, or their necks snapped under the gallows! and all this because they must needs live easier than by honest labour, which would have crowned their days with character and comfort. So, father, it is, most exactly so it is, with too many of our FAITH-MONGERS. They have not courage to practise those exalted virtues that would give them the moral likeness of the Deity. Oh no: they must get to heaven in some easier way. They have heard great things of faith. Faith, they are told, has done wonders for other people; why not for them? Accordingly they fall to work and after many a hard throe of fanaticism, they conceit they have got faith sure enough. And now they are happy. Like the poor Virginia negroes, they are clear of all moral working now: thank God they can get to heaven without it; yes, and may take some indulgences, by the way, into the bargain. If, as jovial fellows, they should waste their time and family substance in drinking rum and smoking tobacco, where's the harm, an't they sound believers? If they should, as merchants, sand their sugar, or water their molasses, what great matter is that? Don't they keep up family prayer? If, as men of HONOUR, they should accept a challenge, and receive a shot in a duel, what of that? They have only to send for a priest, and take the sacrament. Thus, father, as freedom has proved the ruin of many a lazy Virginian negro, so I am afraid that such faith as this has made many an hypocritical christian ten times more a child of the devil than he was before."

Good old Josias, who, while Ben was speaking at this rate, had appeared much agitated, sometimes frowning, sometimes smiling, here replied, with a deep sigh, "Yes, Ben, this is all too true to be denied: and a sad thing it is that mankind should be so ready, as you observe, to go to heaven in any other way than by imitating God in his moral likeness. But I rejoice in hope of you, my son, that painting this lamentable depravity in such strong colours as you do, you will ever act on wiser and more magnanimous principles.'

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❝ Father, I don't affect to be better than other young men, vet I think I can safely say, that if I could get to heaven by

playing the hypocrite I would not, while I have it in my choice to go thither by acquiring the virtues that would give me a resemblance to God. For to say nothing of the exceeding honour of acquiring even the faintest resemblance of him, nor yet of the immense happiness which it must af ford hereafter, I find that even here, and young as I am, the least step towards it, affords a greater pleasure than any thing else; indeed I find that there is so much more pleasure in getting knowledge to resemble the Creator, than in living in ignorance to resemble brutes; so much more pleasure in BENEVOLENCE and DOING GOOD to resemble him, than in hate and doing harm to resemble demons, that I hope I shall always have wisdom and fortitude sufficient even for my own sake, to spend my life in getting all the useful knowledge, and in doing all the little good I possibly can."

"God Almighty confirm my son in the wise resolutions which his grace has enabled him thus early to form!"

"Yes, father, and besides all this, when I look towards futurity; when I consider the nature of that felicity which exists in heaven; that it is a felicity flowing from the smiles of the Deity on those excellent spirits whom his own admonitions have adorned with the virtues that resemble himself; that the more perfect their virtues, the brighter will be his smiles upon them, with correspondent emanations of bliss that may, for aught we know, be for ever enlarged with their ever enlarging understandings and affections; I say, father, when I have it in my choice to attain to all this in a way so pleasant and honourable as that of imitating the Deity in WISDOM and GOODNESS, should I not be worse than mad to decline it on such terms, and prefer substitutes that would tolerate me in ignorance and vice?"

"Yes, child, I think you would be mad indeed."

"Yes, father, especially when it is recollected, that if the ignorant and vicious could, with all their pains, find out substitutes that would serve as passports to heaven, they could not rationally expect a hearty welcome there. For as the Deity delights in the wise and good, because they resemble him in those qualities which render him so amiable and happy, and would render all his creatures so too; so he must proportionably abhor the STUPID and VICIOUS, because deformed with qualities diametrically opposite to his own, and tending to make both themselves and others most vile and miserable."

This is awfully true, Ben; for the Bible tells us, that

the wicked are an abomination to the Lord righteous are his delight."

Yes, father, and this is the language BIBLE, which is, perhaps, the grand class bo but it is also the language of his first or hor REASON, which teaches, that if there be a there is all nature cries aloud through all her delight in virtue,' because most clearly cond fection of mankind; which must be the chie of the Deity in creating them. And for the must abhor vice, because tending to the d struction of his creatures. Hence, father, I as clearly as a demonstration in mathematics possible for bad men, through faith, impute or any other leaf-covering, to get to Parad meeting with any thing like cordiality from would be struck speechless at sight of their larity to him. For while he delights above ing life, and the duellist glories in destroy delights in heaping his creatures with good gambler triumphs in stripping them; while seeing love and smiles among brethren, and promoting strifes and hatreds; while he del the intellectual and moral faculties to the hi heavenly wisdom and virtue, and the drun polluting and degrading both below the brut ality can ever subsist between such opposit infinite purity and benevolence behold such complacency, or could they in his presence be filled with intolerable pain and anguish, weak-eved owls from the blaze of the merid

"Well, Ben, as I said before, I am rich naving drawn you into this conversation abo language indeed is not always the langua tures; neither do you rest your hopes, as I c ed, on the Redeemer; but still your idea in p fication for heaven in resembling God in mo truly evangelical, and I hope you will one do christian.'