on Prayer Book, to be sure; a
book which I have heard you yourself say was written by wise and
good men; the glory of Christianity, the pillars of the Protestant
church.

_Worthy._ But have you no other reason?

_Bragwell._ No, I can't say I have.

_Worthy._ When you repeat that excellent form of confession, do you
really feel that you _are_ a miserable sinner?

_Bragwell._ No, I can't say I do. But that is no objection to my
repeating it: because it may suit the case of many who are so. I
suppose the good doctors who drew it up, intended that part for
wicked people only, such as drunkards, and thieves, and murderers;
for I imagine they could not well contrive to make the same prayer
quite suit an honest man and a rogue; and so I suppose they thought
it better to make a good man repeat a prayer which suited a rogue,
than to make a rogue repeat a prayer which suited a good man; and
you know it is so customary for every body to repeat the general
confession, that it can't hurt the credit of the most respectable
persons, though every respectable person must know they have no
particular concern in it; as they are not sinners.

_Worthy._ Depend upon it, Mr. Bragwell, those good doctors you speak
of, were not quite of your opinion; they really thought that what
you call honest men were grievous sinners in a certain sense, and
that the best of us stand in need of making that humble confession.
Mr. Bragwell, do you believe in the fall of Adam?

_Bragwell._ To be sure I do, and a sad thing for Adam it was; why,
it is in the Bible, is it not? It is one of the prettiest chapters
in Genesis. Don't _you_ believe it, Mr. Worthy?

_Worthy._ Yes, truly I do. But I don't believe it _merely_ because I
read it in Genesis; though I know, indeed, that I am bound to
believe every part of the word of God. But I have still an
additional reason for believing in the fall of the first man.

_Bragwell._ Have you, indeed? Now, I can't guess what that can be.

_Worthy._ Why, my own observation of what is within myself teaches
me to believe it. It is not only the third chapter of Genesis which
convinces me of the truth of the fall, but also the sinful
inclinations which I find in my own heart corresponding with it.
This is one of those leading truths of Christianity of which I can
never doubt a moment: first because it is abundantly expressed or
implied in Scripture; and next, because the consciousness of the
evil nature, I carry about me