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Will. But what is this serving God? I thought it was nothing but going to church on Sundays.

Tom. To be sure, worshipping God at church is good, and our duty; but we must worship God otherwise than at church.

Will. What, by saying our prayers?

Tom. Nay, that is not all neither; we must fear God and keep his commandments.

Will. How shall I do all that? You know that I know nothing of it.

Tom. Why, therefore, Will, your first thing, as my father told me, is to pray to God to teach you to know him and to fear him, and to keep his commandments.

Will, How do I know what his commandments are? I can say the ten commandments; but I don't understand what they mean,

Tom. Why, my father next directed me to read the Bible, which is the word of God, and is given for our instruction, that we may know his will.

Will. And will that teach me to know what to do?

Tom. Reading the scripture daily, and praying to God daily to open our understanding, to know the will of God written in his word; certainly this must be the way, Will. Will. I can't pray. I never prayed in my life, I tell

you.

Tom. You ought to tremble at the thoughts of that, Will.

Will. I begin to be afraid, indeed; it may be God won't hear me now, if I should pray..

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Tom. Yes, there's a scripture for that to encourage you. "Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts, and let him return unto the Lord, and he will have mercy." Isaiah lv. 7.

Will. Is that in the Bible?

Tom. Yes, and a great many more encouraging things. You must read the scripture diligently. Have you a Bible? Will. No, not I, nor never bad in my life.

Tom. I am not capable to direct you, Will; but I wid tell you there are two things which I would have you do, pray to God to forgive your sins, and to teach you his will, and read the Bible diligently. I'll give you a Bible, Will. Will. Indeed, brother Tom, if you will give me a Bible, I'll read it over and over. You say that will teach me. I'll read it, and thank you for it heartily; for I never had a Bible to read in yet.

Tom. But remember, Will, I said you must pray to God to teach you when you read, to open your understanding, that you may understand the scripture, and to teach you that you may know your duty; and then pray to God to guide you in the doing his will, and your duty according to the scripture, which is his own word.

Will. What will my praying to God signify? Will God do this for me, if I pray to him? And how can I pray? I don't know what praying is, not I. What must I say?

Tom. It seems you do not know what prayer is. Sure, if you remember the beginning of our discourse, and how you complained you were tormented with prayers at home, you will not say you do not know what it is.

Will. Don't tell me of that now, dear Tom. I begin to be of another mind already. I wish I knew how to pray for myself.

Tom. The Spirit of God teaches us to pray, and helps our infirmities. Do you know the story of the poor publican?

Will. No, not I. What was he?

Tom. Just such another as thou art, Will, a poor wicked profane wretch, and had lived all his days in wickedness, and perhaps without prayer too.

Will. And what then? What became of him. Did he go to hell?

Tom. Why, he saw the Pharisees, and all the great professors of religion, go up to the temple to pray, and being sensible of his condition, he thought once to go up along with them: but when he considered what a wicked crea

ture he had been, he was afraid, he durst not only not go, but not look towards the temple, nor cast his eyes up to heaven.

Will. That is my case, indeed, exactly. Pray what became of him?

Tom. Why, he stood at a distance, smote his breast, astonished and amazed at his own case, and, with a deep sigh, broke out thus-" Lord be merciful to me a sinner!" Luke xviii. 13.

Will. Well, and was he heard? You say he durst not go up to the temple to pray.

Tom. Heard! yes, one groan, one sigh, oue look, nay, a heart not daring to look, sending out but one sentence, yet, from a broken, sincere, repenting heart, is heard in heaven beyond the long and loud pretences and devotions of the self-conceited hypocrite. The scripture says expressly, "This man went away justified rather than the other." Luke xviiii. 14.

Will. And do you think, if I knew how to pray, God would hear me, and give all that teaching and knowledge you speak of to me.

Tom. Yes, Will, I do more than think so, I am sure of it. Will. What mean you by that?

Tom. I have God's own word for it, Will; and that word is the foundation and comfort of all the prayers, and all the praying Christians in the world.

Will. How is this? explain yourself, for you speak strangely positive.

Tom. The scripture says he will, and that is my assurance, and may be yours; for it is his own word, John xvi. 28, "Whatever we ask of the Father in the name of Jesus Christ, he will do it for us."

Will. But I have been a wicked boy all my days, that never thought any thing of God or religion in my life, as you know very well by what I have told you: nor ever was taught any thing about it. Will God hear such an one as I, if ever I pray to him.

Tom. The same scripture says, he will, brother: and we have no reason to doubt it, for the scriptures are the word of God; and, as I told you, the scripture says, Isaiah Iv. 7-" Let the wicked-forsake his way, and turn unto the Lord, and he will have mercy;" and the poor publican went away justified that sent up but one sigh.

Will. Aye, that may be to such as sin now and then a little; but I bave done nothing else all my days.

Tom. But he says, in the same text, that "he will abundantly pardon."

Will. But that may not reach me.

Tom. But the scripture is full of promises, and calls to as bad as you to come to him. I could show you some if I had the Bible here. You cannot have been so wicked but you are included in them.

Will. Tell me one of them, I intreat you. have a deal of them without book.

one of them.

I see you

Dear Tom, tell me

Tom. This is one-" Him that comes to me, I will in no wise cast out." Here is no exception: this him is all one as whosoever.

Will. Whosoever! that's a large word. Is there no exception?

Tom. None at all: whosoever, that includes how bad

soever.

Will. What, and how long soever too?

Tom. Aye, and how long soever. Whosoever turns unto God, how bad soever they are, or how long soever they have been so bad, yet he will in no wise, or by no means east them out.

Will. My heart revives at the word, for I have been at sad wretch. You know, brother, I have never so much as thought of my soul, or of God, of his making me, or his power to destroy me. I have never prayed unto him, or called upon him, unless in wicked swearing and cursing by his name. Will God pardon me, brother, are you sure

of it?

Tom. I cannot be sure he will pardon you, or myself either; but I am sure it is your duty to pray for pardon, and to repent of your sins; and there is another scripture which says, "If we repent and forsake, we shall find mercy."

Will. Repent! what's that Tom?

Tom. Repentance is a hearty sorrow for your sins already past, and solemn, serious resolutions to commit no more; and this sorrow must proceed not only from the fear of eternal punishment, but from a hatred of sin, for its own evil nature, and as it is offensive to the holiness of God.

Will. I cannot understand this at all. Shall I learn it in my Bible, brother? How must I learn to repent? Tom. You must pray to God to give you repentance too; for repentance is the gift of God.

Will. I will pray to God, though I do not know how, or what to say. I am amazed at myself, when I see what a wicked creature I have been. Indeed, brother Tom, I don't wonder that you looked so earnestly at me, and expected I should drop down dead, or be swallowed up alive. I am afraid I shall be so still.

[Conviction of sin seizes the boy.]

Tom. I am glad what I have said has made you sensible of it.

Will. I begin to love you, dear brother, better than ever I did. I shall be the better for you as long as I live. Tom. I wish you had some better instructor than I. Will. Aye, brother, if I had a religious father and mother, as you have had, I might have known all this from a a child; then all the past wickedness of my life had been prevented. But you say, whosoever, brother, don't you? Are you sure the words are so?

Tom. I am very sure, brother; but to make you easy, I'll go in and fetch you a Bible, and show it you presently.

[The boy goes in.]

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