"James Paterson!" repeated Jabez, angrily; "I am not like him, I hope. I take it he is little better than an infidel: indeed, I know it, and upon pretty good authority, too, though he talks so much about Christianity."

"I did not mean to say, my friend," returned William Finch, "that you were like James Paterson in your character, if it is fair to judge what his character is, but I only said that you were like him in abusing the Church. Now answer me just one question, for I know, in spite of your big talking, you are a straight-forward, candid young man. Do you mean to say that the Church of England is Antichristian, as the Protestants consider the Church of Rome, and that, therefore, it is our bounden duty to come out of it? If so, I can understand your drift."

"And in that case," interrupted I, "if you can make your words good, I will never put my foot in a Church again; and we had better pull the Churches down, and have your chapels put in the stead thereof, and let them be governed by a directory, or what you please, instead of a bishop."

"O, I am sure," returned Jabez, warmly, "that I never meant to say that your Church of England was Antichristian."

"Well, then," replied William, "as long as you do not think it Antichristian, and as long as it is the established religion of the nation, it is your duty and your interest to support it. Most

of we Methodists count ourselves Churchmen, and, as John Wesley often said, 'If the Church GOES, WE GO WITH IT.' But I should like to know what would become of you sectaries if there was no established Church?"

we

"Become of us!" answered he, quickly; should do as well as we do now; and better, too."

"Now, Jabez," said I, "fancy, for one minute, there was no Church at Queenswood, no parson, no bell-ringing on a Sunday morning, and everybody did what was right in his own eyes; I am of opinion that you would not get a congregation together so easily as you do now."

"O, I should not fear that," returned Jabez. "But," said I, "what would secure you peace and quiet on a Sabbath-day? Every lane and street would be full of the idle, and worthless, and disorderly, on the Sunday; and you would never serve your God in peace. The congregations of Christians in England would soon become like the congregations of Christians in heathen lands. There is no little meeting-house in England that does not owe its peace and quiet, in a great measure, to the existence of an established Church."

'Well, there may be some truth in that,” returned the young man.

"There are many parishes, too, in England," said William Finch, "where there is no religious instruction given at all, except by the clergyman

of the parish; and suppose, for argument's sake, he be not always a man of great light, yet he loves decency and order; he walks about his parish doing his people good; and even his little spire points to heaven. And no one is christened, or married, or buried in the place, without the people being reminded of a Creator, a Saviour, a Sanctifier, the uncertainty of life, the worth of the soul, and the eternity of another world. And are these things nothing, Jabez?"

"There is something in what you say," replied the young man; "I will give it a thought." Here he turned off into a neighbour's house, having first shaken hands with me and William.

We had now almost reached the door of my house, and as William parted from me he said,

66

I have great hope of that young man. When time and experience have mellowed him, and he has gained a little more knowledge of himself, I think he will be a useful member of the Church of Christ. We must not despise the day of small things."

"It is a pity," I replied, "that novices should be put in places of great trust, with none to overlook them."

"That is true," said he; and so we separated.

I retired early to my chamber, and, having committed myself, my family, and my neighbours, to the care of our heavenly Father, I

presently forgot the various new and interesting ideas of the evening, and the fears and anticipations I had been entertaining of disorder and tumult at hand, in a calm and refreshing sleep.

CHAPTER XIII.

THE FEAST-DAY AT THE RED LION.

The

THE rejoicing day at length arrived. morning broke beautifully, and the wind brought from the next village the pleasant sound of belis. Chaplets of flowers, or boughs of trees, ornamented the houses occupied by the tenants of the family. And children and men were seen going to and fro with blue ribbons on their hats, on which, in gold letters, were inscribed the name of the young heir, and some good wish to his house. Soon afterwards, sheep and oxen prepared for roasting, with gilt horns and blue ribbons, were carried up and down the lane previous to their roasting, with a band of music, and after that operation they were cut up and distributed among the people, with flagons of beer.

This was a pretty sight, and while daylight lasted I saw no harm ensue; but there were those who, instead of feeling gratitude in their hearts towards the Giver of those good things, and wishing prosperity to the young man who was

A A