that it was scarce sober,-nothing of the practice of religion, no, not so much as the shew of it; for neither father or mother were hardly ever known to go to church, from one end of the year to the other. The Sabbath-day, was generally among them a day of company and diversion, and they seldom dined alone; after dinner the time was generally spent in drinking by the father, and either in sleep or walking by the mother and daughters: now and then by accident, or as company came in and proposed it, the children might perhaps go to church, but very seldom. Their discourse, as the conversation of such families generally is, was a mere complication of levity and vanity, to say no worse; a collection of ill language, oaths, taking the name of God in vain, and all kinds of loose, lewd, and wicked talk. They had a house full of children, having no less thanfour daughters and five sons, and they were most of them grown up, except one son and one daughter; the son was about three or four years old, and the daughter six? and it can hardly be doubted but the children were all of them following alter their father and mother, as fast as it could be imagined children should, who had no other kind of education than that of wicked example. : The little son was just entering upon the stage of life; could talk, run about, and play with such children as came to the house and his mother caused him at first to be carried to school, rather to be out of the way, than that they supposed he could learn much so young. It was a little sensible child for its age, and many little discoveries of its being more than ordinarily so, were every day made by its actions and discourses; which the mother was very vain of, though of no capacity of making just observations from it,-yet, as parents oftentimes tire us with telling long stories of the forwardness of their children, when there is little or nothing extraordinary in them, so it was here; his mother, who was mighty fond of this boy, was continually telling one simple story or other of the extraordinary wit, cunning questions, and apt answers of this child; though perhaps, at that time, little more than what was common. It was one day, when, upon some particular occasion, they had an entertainment of some friends in the house, that after dinner the mother was making herself merry with this little boy's prattle, and asking him a great many little questions, to divert herself and the company; and the boy as inquisitive as she, asked many little questions too, not much to the purpose, but sufficient to set the mother and those about it, a laughing, which was all she wanted. There was a plain, rough, honest and sober man among the company, a captain of a ship: and he not seeing so much jest in the matter as the woman made of it, the mo tner was a little tart upon him, and told him, she supposed he was none of the fond fathers: yes he was, he said; but he did not see the jest worth so much laugh. Just at that moment the child, said something, or asked the mother some question or other, that pleased the company mightily. Why captain, says she, was not that a strange question for a child of three year's old? Madam, says the captain, that is not all my objection, but if I may be plain with you, methinks the child asks wiser questions than its mother; pray why do not you ask him fitter questions? O dear! says the mother, I suppose you would have me ask him, who made him? He will learn his catechism when he comes to church: if he don't learn it, says the captain bluntly, at church till his mother carries him thither, it may be late enough. It is no great matter, says she, (with an air of profaneness) whether he ever goes there or no,-there is no great loss in it. Like mother, like son, says the captain, jesting, but yet a little rough; he is in a fair way to be a hopeful man with such educating. He may serve, says she, for a seacaptain, he may soon have religion enough for a tarpaulin. Yes, madam, replies the captain; I suppose you will teach him to swear by the compass. The boy looked earnestly upon the captain, while he was speaking, and without any hesitation, says, very gravely to him, I will not swear. The captain was affected with what the child said, and particularly with the manner of his speaking of it,-for, on a sudden, the child turned from his mirth, and looked as serious and surly as could be; and the captain asking, what do you say, my dear? He answered again gravely, I will not swear, and looked as if he was near crying,—but the mother carrie, ed it all off with raillery and jest at the captain. Now madam, says the captain, there is more in that one word the child said, and in his way of speaking it, than in all you have laughed so much at. How foolish is it to talk so to children! says his mother,' why you will make the child cry, captain. What do you mean? I shall not make the child cry, says he, but the child almost makes me cry; it is a pity that child should not be taught, it grieves me for him. She bantered him still. O you are so religious, says she, now you are on shore; I warrant when you are at sea, you can thunder like a north-wind,-what would you have me teach him at this age? I will venture a wager, says the captain, if you ask him who made him he does not know. Come, says she, you shall see, I will try him. My dear, says the brutish wretch to the child, (pointing to a little kitten he had been playing with, who made that cat? The boy had taken in some little ideas suitable to himself, from what the captain had said, and had been very attentive to him; and when his mother asked him that question, stared at her as if he had been frighted. What ails the child? Says the mother." Nay, what ails his mother, says the captain? I never heard any thing so abominable in my life. Upon this the child fell a crying. The mother, far from making any just reflections upon what she had said, fell to work to quiet the child; but still bantering the captain with the ridiculous stuff, as she called it, of talking so to children, and asking them such questions as they understood nothing of. Well, well, says he, you have asked him a wiser question than any of them, and I think the child has answered you as well. Nay, says she, he has not answered me at all. Not answered you; says the captain, I think he has effectually answered. Why, says she, he did nothing but cry. Well, and what do you think he cried for, says the captain? Nay, what do I know? Says the mother, you made him cry, I think. No, no, madam, says the captain, he cried to hear his mother talk so profanely. Was that it, says she, think you? You shall see, I will ask him again, and he will not cry, and that will prove you are mistaken. If you ask him such a vile question again, says the captain very warmly, I am satisfied he will cry again, or God will put some words in the infant's mouth to answer you; for out of the mouths of such as these he has ordained praise. Nay, says she, not at all touched still, if you come to prophesy, captain we have an opportunity to know whether you are a false prophet or a true one. I do not prophesy, says he, but I hope he will. I will try your gift, says she, and impudently asked the child again, who made that cat? The boy did not cry, but said nothing. The captain looked steadily on the child, and the child looked steadily on its mother. Now, captain, says she, where is your gift of prophesy? You see he don't cry; why do not you answer me Jacky? says the mother. Let him alone, says the captain, he is big with it, he will bring out something presently: the child hesitated two or three times, and then looking up in his mother's face, says he, very gravely, who made you, mother? The captain pulling off his hat, blessed be God, says he aloud, that has not left himself without a witness against blasphemers, even in the mouths that are not yet opened. This discourse put all the rest of the company to a little stand, and the mirth ceased with every body but the mother; but she, having not the least impression made upon her, turned it all into jest and banter; and so the conversation changed for a while, and the captain entertained himself. with the rest of the company. It happened he fell into talk with a gentlewoman, who was a relation to the family who he found was much soberer than the rest of the company and very religious; and they had not been long in discourse, but the gentlewoman took notice of his battle with the mother of the child, and told him she thought what he said was very just, and she wondered that her cousin was not startled at what the child had answered; for, says she, it was very surprising. Alas, madam, says the captain, she is past all that,-it is impossible she should be moved by any thing, till he that made the child speak, speaks to her: but says he, there is certainly something extraordinary in that child; and if it had pleased God it had been born in a religious family, I dare say it would be an extraordinary child. Well sir, says she, but I hope you do not confine the grace of God; there may be a principle founded in the heart of the child, I hope by invisible grace, without the agency of parents one way or other. That is true, says the captain, shaking his head, but how shall it work,-against education, against example, without instruction, without reproof, without encouragement? Oh, sir, says she, I do not say but the outward helps are all wanting here; but we must not confine the work of the Spirit of God to means only; that would be to own religion to be only the product of education, whereas that wind bloweth where it listeth. The captain was greatly surprised to find a person of such judgment in religious things in such company, where indeed he did not expect it; and was very desirous to enter into farther discourse with her, about the child and its mother: and being retired to a corner of the room, he went on with it: he told her, that he was greatly moved at what the child had said; that he knew little of its mother, having only come into the family, as his business called him there: but you, madam, says he, that I perceive are related to the family, for they call you cousin, and, as I find, have a sense of religion upon your mind,―methinks you cannot be without some concern for this poor lamb, which is to be brought up on the very bor |