game every night, you would, in "deed, endanger your own foul, and give "a dreadful example to your family; but 66 great as thofe fins are, and God for "bid that I fhould attempt to leffen them! "still they are not worfe, nay, they are "not fo bad as the peftilent doctrines with " which you infect your houfe and your neighbourhood.

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A bad action is like a fingle murder. The confequence may "end with the crime, to all but the perpetrator; but a wicked principle is throwing lighted gunpowder into a town; "it is poisoning a river; there are no "bounds, no certainty, no end to its mif"chief. The ill effects of the worst action

may cease in time, and the consequences "of your bad example may end with your "life; but fouls may be brought to per "dition by a wicked principle after the "author of it has been dead for ages."

Fantom. You talk like an ignoramus, who has never read the new philofophy. All this nonfenfe of future punishment is

now done away. It is our benevolence which makes us reject your creed; we can no more believe in a Deity who permits fo much evil in the prefent world, than one who threatens eternal punishment in the next.

Trueman. What! fhall mortal man be more merciful than God? Do you pretend to be more compaffionate than that gracious Father who fent his own Son into the world to die for finners?

Fantom. You take all your notions of the Deity from the vulgar views your Bible gives you of him. "To be fure I do," faid Trueman: "can you tell me 66 any way of getting a better notion of "him? I do not want any of your farthing-candle philofophy in the broad "fun-fhine of the Gofpel, Mr. Fantom. 66 My Bible tells me that God is love;' 66 not merely loving, but LOVE. Now do

you think a Being, whofe very effence is "love, would permit any mifery among "his children here, if it was not to be, "fome

15

"fome way or other, or fome where or "other, for their good? You forget, "too, that in a world where there is fin, "there must be mifery. Then, too, I fuppofe, God permits this very mifery partly to exercise the sufferers, and partly "to try the profperous; for by trouble "God corrects fome and tries others. cc Suppofe now, Tom Saunders had not "been put in prifon, you and I-no, "I beg pardon, you faved your guinea; "well then, our club and I could not have "fhown our kindness in getting him out; "nor would poor Saunders himself have "had an opportunity of exercifing his "own patience and fubmiffion under want

and imprisonment. So you fee onè "reafon why God permits mifery, is, that "good men may have an opportunity "of leffening it.” Mr. Fantom replied, "There is no object which I have more "at heart; I have, as I told you, a plan "in my head of fuch univerfal benevo

lence as to include the happiness of all

man

"mankind."-" Mr. Fantom," faid Trueman, “I feel that I have a general good"will to all my brethren of mankind; " and if I had as much money in my purse

t

as I have love in my heart, I trust I "fhould prove it: all I fay is, that, in a "ftation of life where I cannot do much, "I am more called upon to procure the happiness of a poor neighbour, who has "no one else to look to, than to form "wild plans for the good of mankind, "too extenfive to be accomplifhed, and "too chimerical to be put in practice. "It is the height of folly for a little ignorant tradefman to diftract himfelf with "projecting schemes which require the "wifdom of fcholars, the experience of

ແ

statesmen, and the power of kings to

accomplish. I cannot free whole coun"tries, nor reform the evils of fociety at large, but I can free an aggrieved wretch "in a workhoufe; I can relieve the dif"treffes of one of my journeymen; and I

66

can labour to reform myself and my own

family."

Some weeks after this a letter was brought to Mr. Fantom from his late fervant William, who had been turned away for drunkenness, as related above, and who had also robbed his master of some wine and fome spoons. Mr. Fantom, glancing his eye over the letter, faid, "It "is dated from Chelmsford jail; that rafcal is got into prifon. I am glad of "it with all my heart, it is the fittest place "for fuch fcoundrels. I hope he will be "fent to Botany Bay, if not hanged.""O, ho! my good friend," faid Trueman, "then I find that in abolishing all prifons you would just let one stand for "the accommodation of those who should

happen to rob you. General benevo"lence, I fee, is compatible with parti"cular resentments, though individual "kindness is not confiftent with univerfal "philanthropy." Mr. Fantom drily ob

ferved,