ad, with a great concern in his face, when I
told him all this; but turning quick to me upon it, said, "If that be
his case, you may assure him it is not too late; Christ will give him
repentance. But pray," says he, "explain this to him, that as no man is
saved but by Christ, and the merit of his passion, procuring divine
mercy for him, how can it be too late for any man to receive mercy? Does
he think he is able to sin beyond the power or reach of divine mercy?
Pray tell him, there may be a time when provoked mercy will no longer
strive, and when God may refuse to hear; but that 'tis never too late
for men to ask mercy; and we that are Christ's servants are commanded to
preach mercy at all times, in the name of Jesus Christ, to all those
that sincerely repent: so that 'tis never too late to repent."

I told Atkins all this, and he heard me with great earnestness; but it
seemed as if he turned off the discourse to the rest; for he said to me
he would go and have some talk with his wife: so he went out awhile, and
we talked to the rest. I perceived they were all stupidly ignorant as to
matters of religion; much as I was when I went rambling away from my
father; and yet that there were none of them backward to hear what had
been said; and all of them seriously promised that they would talk with
their wives about it, and do their endeavour to persuade them to turn
Christians.

The clergyman smiled upon me when I reported what answer they gave, but
said nothing a good while; but at last shaking his head, "We that are
Christ's servants," says he, "can go no farther than to exhort and
instruct; and when men comply, submit to the reproof, and promise what
we ask, 'tis all we can do; we are bound to accept their good words; but
believe me, Sir," said he, "whatever you may have known of the life of
that man you call William Atkins, I believe he is the only sincere
convert among them; I take that man to be a true penitent; I won't
despair of the rest; but that man is perfectly struck with the sense of
his past life; and I doubt not but when he comes to talk of religion to
his wife, he will talk himself effectually into it; for attempting to
teach others is sometimes the best way of teaching ourselves. I knew a
man," added he, "who having nothing but a summary notion of religion
himself, and being wicked and profligate to the last degree in his life,
made a thorough reformation in himself by labouring to convert a Jew:
and if th