MISCELLANEOUS ESSAYS. 
down my portmanteau out of my 
room. I never travel without books. 
And it critically happens, that, in 
my portmanteau, I have both Frank- 
lin’s Miscellanies, and Taylor’s Dis- 
courses.”” ; 
The trunk being opened, the 
Virginian put Franklin’s Miscella- 
nies into the hands of the disputant, 
and desired he would read the cele- 
brated parable against persecution. 
New England Man, (reading.) 
*¢ And it came to pass, after these 
“things, that Abraham sat in the 
‘s door of his tent, about the going 
€: down of the sun, And behold a 
*¢ man, bent with age, coming from 
** the way of the wilderness leaning 
** on his staff! And Abraham arase 
** and met him, and said unto him, 
“turnin, I pray thee, and wash 
‘* thy feet, and tarry all the night ; 
‘* and thou shalt arise early in the 
** morning, and go on thy way; 
‘* and the man said, nay : for I will 
% abide under this tree. But Abra- 
** ham pressed him greatly ; so he 
“‘ turned, and they went into the 
“ tent.——And Abraham baked un- 
*< Jeavened bread, and they did eat. 
*¢ And when Abraham saw that the 
“man blessed not God, he said 
‘unto him, wherefore dost thou 
¢ not worship the Most High God, 
‘¢ creator of heaven andearth? And 
*< thee man answered, and _ said, 
€ Ido not worship thy God, nei- 
* ther do I call upon ‘his name; 
*< for I have made to myself a God, 
*¢ which abideth in my house, and 
*¢ prayideth me with all things. And 
© Abraham’s zeal was kindled 
*‘ against the man; and he arose 
** and fell upon him, and drove him 
“¢ forth with blows into the wilder- 
© ness. And God called unto Abra- 
** ham, saying, Abraham, where is 
* the stranger? And Abraham an- 
899 
‘¢ swered and said, Lord, he would 
‘* not worship thee, neither would 
“¢ he call upon thy name; therefore 
‘¢ have I driven him out from before 
‘¢ my face into the wilderness. And 
‘¢ God said, have I borne with him 
‘¢ these hundred and ninety and eight 
‘¢ years, and nourished him, and 
“¢ cloathed him, notwithstanding his 
6 rebellion against me; and couldst 
‘¢ not thou, who art thyself a sin- 
“ ner, bear with him one night ?” 
The New England Man having 
read the parable, he turned to the 
company, and, with tumultuous 
rapture, exclaimed, 
‘¢ What a noble lesson is this to, 
the intolerant! Can any thing 
speak more home? Why the writer 
appears inspired.” 
- *¢ And inspired he was,” eried the. 
Virginian. ‘¢ There is nothing in the 
parable, sir, natural ; every word of 
it was revealed. It all came to 
Franklin from bishop Taylor.— 
There, sir; read, and be convinced, 
This book was printed more than a 
century ago; it is a volume of po~ 
lemical discourses.’’ 
New England Man, (reading.)— 
‘¢ When dbraham sat at his tent 
‘¢ door, according to his custom, 
waiting to entertain strangers, he 
‘¢ espied an old man, stooping, and 
‘¢ Jeaning on his staff, weary with 
‘¢ age and travel, coming towards 
‘Chim, who was an hundred years 
‘¢ of age. He received him kindly, 
“¢ washed his feet, provided supper, . 
“ and caused him to sit down; but 
‘¢ observing that the old man ate,’ 
‘* and prayed not, nor begged for a 
‘+ blessing on his meat, he asked him, 
‘¢ why he did not worship the God 
‘¢ of Heaven? The old man told 
‘t him, that he worshipped the fire 
*¢ only, and acknowledged no other 
‘God, At which answer Abraham 
ek A “© crew, 
n 
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