Husb. And I have the reputation of that little too, as you shall hear presently; which, I am sure, and God knows, I do not deserve in the least.

Wife. Alas! what can a wife do in such a family as our's is? Is not worth naming. The worship of God in a family ought to be avowed and owned by the master of the family, and performed either by himself or chaplains, with due gravity and solemnity, suitable to the authority of the master of the house, and suitable to the authority and greatness of that God to whom it is directed; and there is not a servant so wicked, so profligate, so profane, but would reverence the practice, if they did not profit by the. performance.

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Husb. Truly, my dear, one of the greatest difficulties was on your account; and I have often thought it the only allay to our happiness in coming together.

Wife. It is very hard you should think so ill of me, and not try whether it was with justice or no, especially when your information was so easy

Husb. I was loath

Wife. Loath to come to the duty, and he that tempted you to neglect that part, threw this wicked thought in your way for an obstruction, not giving you leave to clear up your own thoughts, and my innocence, by asking me the question.

Husb. Indeed I have done thee wrong: but I hope the devil has had no share in it.

Wife. My dear, how was it possible such a hard thought could enter into thy heart else of me? Had not I a religious education? And is not my father and mother still living, who keep as regular a family, and the worship of God as constantly performed in it, as in any house of the nation? And have you seen any thing in me that looks like a willingness to have my family without it? As to my scrupling to join with Dissenters, though I think it my duty not to break off from the church, yet sure I have not such an opinion of conscientious Dissenters, as to refuse to

pray to God with them. How could you think I would have married a Dissenter, if that had been my judgment? And have you not seen me as readily join in family-worship at your brother's, as you have done with us at your father's? Surely, if we have both joined with other families of either sort, we could not have wanted charity so much as to have refused to do it in our own house.

Husb. Truly, my dear, you argue so reasonably in this, that I see plainly it has been all my own crime, and I nave done thee a great deal of wrong, which I am very sorry for.

Wife. If my dear will reform the thing itself, the wrong done to me shall never be mentioned as long as I live; I have too much grief at the neglect, not to bury all my complaints in the satisfaction I should have to see it rectified.

. Husb. If you knew the stinging reproof I have had another way, you would say I wanted no other animad version.

Wife. I have interrupted you too long in that; pray let me hear it out. If I remember, you were upon the dis course with Thomas's father, pray go on with that.

Husb. Why, my dear, he threw all the work back upon me, as I told you, but I believe the issue was, that both he and I had talked to Thomas about his discontent, and his melancholy, and about his going out of doors.

Wife. Very well; and what account did he give of himself?

Husb. Why, that of his melancholy came in of course; but as to his going abroad before day, and the like, and especially on the Sabbath-day in the evening, he told me he went over the way to our neighbour M

clothier's.

the

Wife. What could he be doing there? It must be with some of their servants then; for they are very sober good people, he could get no ill among them: but they have a boy, a young fellow, their 'prentice, that is the wickedest

young rogue that ever was heard of; it must be some ugly haunt he has got with him, I doubt, that carries him thither; and if it is that, the boy is undone.

Husb. That was the very thing I was afraid of too; but we are both strangely mistaken; Thomas is quite another lad than any of us, took him for; and instead of learning wickedness from that vicious boy, he has been God's instrument to make that boy the greatest convert that ever you heard of.

Wife. I am surprised; it can never be! Are you sure you are not imposed upon?

Husb. No, no, I am not imposed upon; he has more grace and more goodness in him than ever I heard of in a child of his age, far he is but a child: he has been the greatest reproof to me in the neglect of my family governs ment that ever I met with.

Wife. Tell me these matters more plainly, for I am more curious to know them than any thing I ever heard of.

Husb. I will my dear, I'll tell thee all the particulars. [Here the husband relates exactly the last conference he had with his 'prentice. Dial. III.]

Wife. How pretty and modest was that answer, that you were not pleased to admit him to your family when you went to the worship of God?

Husb. Aye, my dear, but how bitter a reproach was it, think you to me, when my own heart struck me with such thoughts as these? Wretch that I am, how innocently this child thinks! as it is rational to imagine, that it should be impossible but that God must be worshipped in every Christian family; only suggesting, that I had shut him out, or did not think him worthy to join with us; whereas the plain, but dreadful truth is, I have lived like a heathen all my life, and never have worshipped God in my family at all.

Wife. He saw no great appearance of it, I confess; I wonder how he had such a thought.

Husb. Yes, my dear, there was some appearance of it,

but not on my side. As I said before, "that I had the reputation of what you performed; so, no doubt, he had seen, or some of the children, or servants, had spoken of your calling the children into the closet with you, and he supposed we might be all together at prayer. I wish it had been really so.

Wife. But, my dear, what satisfaction have you of the truth of all this?

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Hub. I am not easily imposed upon, my dear. I took little notice of the thing from him, nor gave him any rea son to think I believed him; talk further with him about it. truth, I could not hold to talk time.

but told him, I should Indeed, to tell you the any more to him at that

Wife. And how will you be satisfied? Cannot you inquire of Mr. M, the clothier, or his wife? They are both good conscientious people, and what they say may be depended upon; I wish you had asked them.

Husb. Indeed, my dear, I have been there this after noon; 'tis there I have received the full conviction of my own neglect of duty, of the wicked lad's conversion, and of our own boy's character. The particulars will amaze you if you were to hear them.

Wife. My dear, I beg you will let me hear it all; for the story too nearly concerns me, not to have me very much moved with it; and besides, 'tis very affecting itself.

Husb. You shall, my dear.

[Here the husband relates the whole discourse between him and the clothier, and his wife, as in the fourth dialogue, and the account of her discourse with the once wicked but now converted boy.]

Wife. This is a surprising story. What can there be in the boy to do all this? Have you talked with him your self?

Indeed I was

Husb. I have talked a little with him. so touched with the reproof which his discourse (innocently in him, for he perceived nothing) gave to me, when he

said, it grieved him that I did not think him worthy to be reckoned among my family, or admitted to the worship of God with me and my children; that, as I told you before, I could not bear to stay and talk with him any longer, lest he should perceive it.

Wife. It was very cutting, indeed, all the parts of it considered.

Husb. The tears stood in my eyes in spite of all my en deavours to the contrary. Indeed, how could I forbear, when I knew how I had lived, and that I had never troubled myself about any such thing as the worship of God with my family, though I know well enough how much it was my duty to have done it.

Wife. I cannot say but I am glad it has happened so; though I think its coming from the boy was so odd. Are you sure the boy did not do it by way of jeer.

Husb. Not in the least, the modesty and innocence of the boy, and his backwardness to say any thing at all, leave no room for such a thought.

Wife. I wish you would talk with him again; perhaps you may hear more from him, that may explain it all to

you.

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Husb. I intend it, my dear; I'll go down and talk with him just now.

[The master goes down, and going into a closet which he had near the compting-house, hears the young man engaged with one or two of the journeymen, and the rest of the 'prentices, about the subject in hand; upon which he places himself undiscovered, and hears the following discourse.]

Jour. Well, young man; what, you have been exa mined about your morning walks, I understand; I wonder your master found you out no sooner.

Tom. Perhaps, if you had told him sooner, he would have known it sooner.

Jour. You are mistaken in the informer, though, whoever it was, he was much your friend.