h my poor abilities
are capable."

I confess that I was greatly flattered by these compliments paid to my
abilities by a youth of such superior qualifications; by one who, with
a modesty and affability rare at his age, combined a height of genius
and knowledge almost above human comprehension. Nevertheless, I began
to assume a certain superiority of demeanour towards him, as judging it
incumbent on me to do so, in order to keep up his idea of my exalted
character. We conversed again till the day was near a close; and the
things that he strove most to inculcate on my mind were the
infallibility of the elect, and the preordination of all things that
come to pass. I pretended to controvert the first of these, for the
purpose of showing him the extent of my argumentative powers, and said
that "indubitably there were degrees of sinning which would induce the
Almighty to throw off the very elect." But behold my hitherto humble
and modest companion took up the argument with such warmth that he put
me not only to silence but to absolute shame.

"Why, sir," said he, "by vending such an insinuation, you put discredit
on the great atonement, in which you trust. Is there not enough of
merit in the blood of Jesus to save thousands of worlds, if it was for
these worlds that he died? Now, when you know, as you do (and as every
one of the elect may know of himself) that this Saviour died for you,
namely and particularly, dare you say that there is not enough of merit
in His great atonement to annihilate all your sins, let them be as
heinous and atrocious as they may? And, moreover, do you not
acknowledge that God hath pre-ordained and decreed whatsoever comes to
pass? Then, how is it that you should deem it in your power to eschew
one action of your life, whether good or evil? Depend on it, the advice
of the great preacher is genuine: 'What thine hand findeth to do, do it
with all thy might, for none of us knows what a day may bring forth.'
That is, none of us knows what is pre-ordained, but whatever it is
pre-ordained we must do, and none of these things will be laid to our
charge."

I could hardly believe that these sayings were genuine or orthodox; but
I soon felt that, instead of being a humble disciple of mine, this new
acquaintance was to be my guide and director, and all under the humble
guise of one stooping at my feet to learn the right. He said that he
saw I was ordained to perform some great action for the cause of Jesus