rs with their wives to
persuade them to become Christians, and would, as well as they could,
instruct them in the knowledge and belief of God that made them, and to
worship Jesus Christ that redeemed them, he could not marry them; for he
would have no hand in joining Christians with savages, nor was it
consistent with the principles of the Christian religion, and was,
indeed, expressly forbidden in God's law.

They heard all this very attentively, and I delivered it very faithfully
to them from his mouth, as near his own words as I could; only sometimes
adding something of my own, to convince them how just it was, and that I
was of his mind; and I always very carefully distinguished between what I
said from myself and what were the clergyman's words. They told me it
was very true what the gentleman said, that they were very indifferent
Christians themselves, and that they had never talked to their wives
about religion. "Lord, sir," says Will Atkins, "how should we teach them
religion? Why, we know nothing ourselves; and besides, sir," said he,
"should we talk to them of God and Jesus Christ, and heaven and hell, it
would make them laugh at us, and ask us what we believe ourselves. And
if we should tell them that we believe all the things we speak of to
them, such as of good people going to heaven, and wicked people to the
devil, they would ask us where we intend to go ourselves, that believe
all this, and are such wicked fellows as we indeed are? Why, sir; 'tis
enough to give them a surfeit of religion at first hearing; folks must
have some religion themselves before they begin to teach other
people."--"Will Atkins," said I to him, "though I am afraid that what you
say has too much truth in it, yet can you not tell your wife she is in
the wrong; that there is a God and a religion better than her own; that
her gods are idols; that they can neither hear nor speak; that there is a
great Being that made all things, and that can destroy all that He has
made; that He rewards the good and punishes the bad; and that we are to
be judged by Him at last for all we do here? You are not so ignorant but
even nature itself will teach you that all this is true; and I am
satisfied you know it all to be true, and believe it yourself."--"That is
true, sir," said Atkins; "but with what face can I say anything to my
wife of all this, when she will tell me immediately it cannot be
true?"--"Not true!" said I; "what do you mean by that?"-