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I faw them fo much engaged in converfing with each other, I thought it a good fign, and listened attentively to their talk, not doubting but the chief turn of it would be about the climate, or treasures, or fociety they should probably meet with in the far country. I fuppofed they might be alfo difcuffing about the best and safest road to it, and that each was availing himself of the knowledge of his neighbour, on a fubject of equal importance to all. I listened to every party, but in fcarcely any did I hear one word about the land to which they were bound, though it was their home, the place where their whole intereft, expectation, and inheritance lay; to which also great part of their friends were gone before, and whither they were fure all the reft would follow. Inftead of this, their whole talk was about the business, or the pleasures, or the fashions of the strange but bewitching country which they were merely paffing through, and in which they had not one foot of land which they were sure

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of calling their own for the next quarter of an hour. What little estate they had was perfonal, and not real, and that was a mortgaged, life-hold tenement of clay, not properly their own, but only lent to them on a fhort uncertain leafe, of which threefcore years and ten was confidered as the löngeft period, and very few indeed lived in it to the end of the term; for this was always at the will of the Lord, part of whofe prerogative it was, that he could take away the leafe at pleafure, knock down the stoutest tenant at a single blow, and turn out the poor fhivering, helpless inhabitant naked, to that far country for which he had made no provifion. Sometimes, in order to quicken the Pilgrim in his preparation, the Lord would break down the tenement by flow degrees; fometimes he would let it tumble by its own natural decay; for as it was only built to last a certain term, it would often grow fo uncomfortable by increafing dilapidations, even before the ordinary leafe was out,

that

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that the lodging was hardly worth keeping, though the tenant could feldom be perfuaded to think fo, but fondly clung to it to the laft. First the thatch on the top of the tenement changed colour, then it fell off and left the roof bare; then, "the "grinders ceafed because they were few;" then the windows became fo darkened that the owner could fcarcely fee through them; then one prop fell away, then ano. ther, then the uprights became bent, and the whole fabric trembled and tottered, with every other fymptom of a falling house. But what was remarkable, the more uncomfortable the house became, and the lefs profpect there was of staying in it, the more prepofteroufly fond did the tenant grow of his precarious habitation.

On fome occafions the Lord ordered his meffengers, of which he had a great variety, to batter, injure, deface, and almost demolish the frail building, even while it seemed new and ftrong; this was what

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the landlord called giving warning; but many a tenant would not take warning, and was fo fond of ftaying where he was, even under all these inconveniences, that at last he was caft out by ejectment, not being prevailed on to leave his dwelling in a proper manner, though one would have thought the fear of being turned out would have whetted his diligence in preparing for a better and a more enduring inheritance. For though the people were only tenants at will in thefe crazy tenements, yet, through the goodness of the fame Lord, they were affured that he never turned them out of these habitations before he had on his part provided for them a better, fo that there was not fuch another landlord in the world; and though their prefent dwelling was but frail, being only flightly run up to serve the occafion, yet they might hold their future poffeffion by a moft certain tenure, the word of the Lord himfelf. This word was entered in a covenant, or title-deed, confifting of many fheets,

fheets, and because a great many good things were given away in this deed, a book was made of which every foul might get a copy.

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This indeed had not always been the cafe; because, till a few ages back, there had been a fort of monopoly in the cafe, and "the wife and prudent;" that is, the cunning and fraudful, had hid these things from "the babes and fucklings;" that is, from the low and ignorant, and many frauds had been practifed, and the poor had been cheated of their right; so that not being allowed to read and judge for themselves, they had been fadly impofed upon; but all thefe tricks had been put an end to more than two hundred years when I paffed through the country, and the meanest man who could read might then have a copy; fo that he might fee himself what he had to truft to; and even those who could not read, might hear it read once or twice every week, at least, without pay, by learned and holy men whose

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