1

years, and then is hurried by paffion to do what is wrong, and is fuddenly carried off, depend upon it he will have the reward of his feven years' good life; GOD will not take a catch of him. Upon this principle Richard Baxter believes that a fuicide may be faved. If (faid he) it should be objected, that what I maintain may encourage fuicide, I answer, I am not to tell a lie to prevent it.”—B. " But does not the text fay, As the tree falls, fo it muft lie?" J. "Yes, Sir; as the tree falls: but (after a little paufe)-that is meant as to the general ftate of the tree, not what is the effect of a fudden blast.” In fhort (as Mr. B. obferves), he interpreted the expreffion as referring to condition, not to pofition. The common notion, therefore, feems to be erroneous; and Shenflone's witty remark on Divines trying to give the tree a jerk upon a death-bed, to make it lie favourably, is not well-founded.

While Johnfon and Mr. Bofwell flood in calm conference by themfelves in a garden, at a pretty late hour, one ferene autumn night, looking up to the heavens, the difcourfe turned on the subject of a future state.—“ Sir (faid Johnson), I do not imagine that all things will be made clear to us immediately after death ; but that the ways of Providence will be explained to us very gradually." Mr. B. asked, whether,

whether, although the words of fome texts of Scripture feemed ftrong in fupport of the dreadful doctrine of an eternity of punishment, we might not hope that the denunciation was figurative, and would not literally be executed.Johnfon replied, "Sir, you are to confider the intention of punishment in a future state. We have no reafon to be fure that we fhall then be no longer liable to offend against God. We do not know that even the angels are quite in a ftate of fecurity; nay, we know that fome of them have fallen. It may, therefore, perhaps be neceffary, in order to preserve both men and angels in a state of rectitude, that they should have continually before them the punishment of those who have deviated from it; but we may hope, that by fome other means a fall from rectitude may be prevented. Some of the texts of Scripture upon this fubject are, as you obferve, indeed ftrong; but they may admit of a mitigated interpretation." He talked upon this aweful and delicate question in a gentle tone, and as if afraid to be decifive.

At another time, fpeaking of the inward light to which fome methodifts pretended, he faid, it was a principle utterly incompatible with focial or civil fecurity. "If a man (faid he) pretends to a principle of action of which I can know nothing, nay, not fo much as that

he has it, but only that he pretends to it; how can I tell what that perfon may be prompted to do? When a perfon profeffes to be governed by a written ascertained law, I can then know where to find him."

Mrs. Knowles once mentioned, as a pro felyte to Quakerifin, Mifs, a young lady well known to Dr. Johnson, for whom he had fhewn much affection; while the ever had, and still retained, a great refpect for him. Mrs. Knowles at the fame time took an opportunity of letting him know," that the amiable young creature was forry at finding that he was offended at her leaving the church of England, and embracing a fimpler faith;" and, in the gentlest and most perfuafive manner, folicited his kind indulgence for what was fincerely a matter of confcience. Johnfon faid (frowning very angrily), " Madam, fhe is an odious wench. She could not have any proper conviction that it was her duty to change her religion, which is the most important of all fubjects, and should be ftudied with all care, and with all the helps we can get. She knew no more of the Church which the left, and that which the embraced, than fhe did of the difference between the Copernican and Ptolemaick fyftems."-MRS. KNOWLES.

" She

had the New Teftament before her."-JOHN

SON.

"Madam, fhe could not understand the New Teftament, the most difficult book in the world, for which the ftudy of a life is required."-MRS. K. "It is clear as to effentials."-7. "But not as to controverfial points. The heathens were eafily converted, because they had nothing to give up; but we ought not, without very ftrong conviction indeed, to defert the religion in which we have been educated. That is the religion given you, the religion in which it may be faid Providence has placed you. If you live confcientiously in that religion, you may be fafe; but error is dangerous indeed, if you err when you choose a religion for yourself."-MRS. K. "Muft we then go by implicit faith ?"-7. "Why, Madam, the greatest part of our knowledge is implicit faith; and as to religion, have we heard all that a difciple of Confucius, all that a Mahometan can fay for himfelf?" He then rofe again into paffion, and attacked the young profelyte in the fevercft terms of reproach. Mr. Bofwell obferved, that the effential part of religion was piety, a devout intercourfe with the Divinity; and that many a man was a quaker without knowing it.

A Quaker having objected to the "obfervance of days, and months, and years," Johnfon anfwered, "The Church does not fuper

ftitiously obferve days, merely as days, but as memorials of important facts. Christmas might be kept as well upon one day of the year as another; but there fhould be a stated day for commemorating the birth of our Saviour, because there is danger that what may be done on any day will be neglected."

In a party one day, confifting only of Mr. Seward, Mr. Bofwell, and the Doctor, Horace having been mentioned, Mr. Bofwell faid, "There is a great deal of thinking in his works. One finds there almoft every thing but religion."-SEWARD. "He speaks of his returning to it in his Ode Parcus Deorum cultor et infrequens."-JOHNSON. "Sir, he was not in carneft; this was merely poetical."-BosWELL. "There are, I am afraid, many people who have no religion at all."-S. " And fenfible people too."-7. "Why, Sir, not fenfible in that refpect. There must be either a natural or moral ftupidity, if one lives in a total neglect of fo very important a concern.'

-S." I wonder that there fhould be people without religion."-7. " Sir, you need not wonder at this, when you confider how large a proportion of almost every man's life is paffed without thinking of it. I myself was for fome years totally regardless of religion; it had dropped out of my mind. It was at an early part

$ 2