almost constantly bent in the other direction rivited to the earth, and fastened on things below. juft like thofe animals who walk on all four. I was told they had not always been fubject to this weakness of fight and proneness to earth : That they had originally been upright and beautiful, having been created after the image of the Lord, who was him felf the perfection of beauty; that he had, at first placed them in a far fuperior fituation, which he had given them in perpetuity; but that their first ancestors, fell from it through pride and careleffnefs; that upon this the freehold was taken away, they loft their original ftrength, brightnefs, and beauty, and were driven out into this ftrange country; where however they had every opportunity given them of recovering their health, and the Lord's favor and likenefs; for they were become fo disfigured, and were grown fo unlike him, that you would harldly believe they were his own children, though, in fome, the resemblance was be-come again vifible. The Lord, however, was fo merciful, that inftead of giving them up to the dreadful confequences of their own folly, as he might have done without any impeachment of his juftice, that he gave them immediate comfort and promised them, that in due time, his own Son fhould come down and reftore them to the future inheritance which he should purchafe for them. And now it was that in order to keep up their fpirits, after they had loft their eflate through the folly of their ancestors, that

he began to give them a part of their former title-deed. He continued to fend them portions of it from time to time by different faithful fervants, whom, however, thefe ungrateful people generally ufed ill, and fome of whom they murdered. But for all this the Lord was fo very forgiving, that he at length fent thefe mutineers a proclamation of full and free pardon by his Son, who, though they used him in a more cruel manner than they had done any of his fervants, yet after having "finifhed the work his Father had given him to do," went back into the far country to prepare a place for all them who believe in him; and there he ftill lives, begging and pleading for those unkind people whom he ftill loves and forgives, and will reftore to the purchased inheritance on the eafy terms of their being heartily forry for what they have done, thoroughly defirous of pardon, and convinced that, "He is able and willing to fave to the utmost all them that come unto him."

I faw, indeed, that many old offenders appeared to be forry for what they had done; that is, they did not like to be punished for it. They were willing enough to be delivered from the penalty of their fin, but they did not heartily wish to be delivered from the power of it. Many declared, in the most public manner, once every week, that they were very forry they had done amifs, that they had erred and ftrayed like loft fheep; but it was not enough to declare their forrow ever fo often if they gave no other

fign of their penitence. For there was fo little truth in them, that the Lord required other proofs of their fincerity befide their own word, for they often lied with their lips and diffembled with their tongue. But thofe who profeffed to be penitents were neither allowed to raise heaps of clay, by circumventing their neighbors, or to keep great piles lying by them useless; nor muft they barter them for any of thofe idle vanities which reduced the heaps on a fudden : for I found that among the grand articles of future reckoning, the ufe they had made of the heaps would be a principal one.

I was forry to obferve many of the fairer part of these Pilgrims fpend too much of their heaps in adorning and beautifying their tenements of clay, in painting, white-washing, and enameling them. All those tricks, however, did not preferve them from decay, and when they grew old, they even looked worfe for all this coft and varnish. Some, however, acted a more fenfible part, and spent no more upon their mouldering tenements than just to keep them whole and clean, and in good repair, which is what every tenant ought to do; and I obferved that thofe who were moderate in the care of their own tenements, were most attentive to repair and warm the ragged tenements of others. But none did this with much zeal or acceptance, but thofe who had acquired a habit of overlooking the things below, and who alfo by the conftant ufe of the telescope, had got their natural

weak and dim fight fo ftrengthened, as to be able to difcern pretty diftinctly the nature of the things above. The habit of fixing their eyes on these glories, made all the shining trifles which compofe the mafs of things below at laft appear in their own diminutive littlenefs. For it was in this cafe particularly true, that things are only big or little by comparison; and there was no other way of making the things below appear as fmall as they really were, but by comparing them by means of the Telescope with the things above. But I obferved that the falfe judgment of the Pilgrims ever kept pace with their wrong practices, for those who kept their eyes fastened on the things below, were reckoned wife in their generation, while the few who looked forward to the future glories, were accounted by the buftlers, or heapers, to be either fools or mad.

Well-most of these Pilgrims went on in adorning their tenements, adding to their heaps, grafping the things below, as if they would never let them go, fhutting their eyes inftead of ufing their Telescope, and neglecting their titledeed, as if it was the parchment of another man's eftate and not their own; till one after another each felt his tenement tumbling about his ears. Oh! then what a busy, bustling, anxious, terrifying, distracting moment was that! What a deal of business was to be done, and what a strange time was this to do it in! Now to fee the confufion and dismay, occafioned by having left every thing to the last minute, Firft fome one

was fent for to make over the yellow heaps to another, which the heaper now found would be of no ufe to him felf in fhooting the gulf; a transfer which ought to have been made while the tenement was found. Then there was a confultation between two or three mafons at once, perhaps to try to patch up the walls, and ftrengthen the props, and ftop the decays of the tumbling tenement; but not till the mafons were forced to declare it was paft repairing, (a truth they were rather too apt to keep back) did the tenant feriously think it was time to pack up, prepare, and be gone. Then what fending for the wife men who profeffed to explain the title-deed! And oh, what remorfe, that they had neglected to examine it till their fenfes were too confufed for fo weighty a business! What reproaches, or what exhoratations to others to look better after their own affairs! Even to the wifeft of the inhabitants the falling of their tenements was a folemn thing; folemn, but not surprising; they had long been packing up and preparing; they praifed their Lord's goodness that they had been fuffered to ftay fo long; many acknowledged the mercy of their frequent warnings, and confeffed that thofe very dilapidations which had made the house uncomfortable had been a bleffing, as it had fet them on diligent preparation for their future inheritance; had made them more earnest in examining their title to it, and had fet them on fuch a frequent application to the Telescope, that The things above had feem