tic and valid in England as if they were married by one of our own
clergymen. What was afterwards done in this matter I shall speak of
by itself.

I then pressed him to tell me what was the second complaint which he had
to make, acknowledging I was very much his debtor for the first, and
thanked him heartily for it. He told me he would use the same freedom
and plainness in the second, and hoped I would take it as well; and this
was, that notwithstanding these English subjects of mine, as he called
them, had lived with these women for almost seven years, and had taught
them to speak English, and even to read it, and that they were, as he
perceived, women of tolerable understanding and capable of instruction;
yet they had not, to this hour taught them any thing of the Christian
religion; no not so much as to know that there was a God, or a worship,
or in what manner God was to be served; or that their own idolatry, and
worshipping they knew not who, was false and absurd.

This, he said, was an unaccountable neglect, and what God would
certainly call them to an account for; and perhaps at last take the work
out of their hands. He spoke this very affectionately and warmly. "I am
persuaded," says he, "had those men lived in the savage country whence
their wives came, the savages would have taken more pains to have
brought them to be idolaters, and to worship the devil, than any of
these men, so far as I can see, has taken with them to teach them the
knowledge of the true God. Now, Sir," said he, "though I do not
acknowledge your religion, or you mine, yet we should be all glad to see
the devil's servants, and the subjects of his kingdom, taught to know
the general principles of the Christian religion; that they might at
least hear of God, and of a Redeemer, and of the resurrection, and of a
future state, things which we all believe; they had at least been so
much nearer coming into the bosom of the true church, than they are now
in the public profession of idolatry and devil-worship."

I could hold no longer; I took him in my arms, and embraced him with an
excess of passion. "How far," said I to him, "have I been from
understanding the most essential part of a Christian, viz. to love the
interest of the Christian church, and the good of other men's souls! I
scarce have known what belongs to being a Christian."--"O, Sir, do not
say so," replied he; "this thing is not your fault."--"No," said I; "but
why did I never lay it t