[He was justly reproved by his wife, for she was more serious than he at first.]
W.A.- That's true, indeed; I will not laugh any more, my dear.
WIFE.- Why you say you God makee all?
W.A.- Yes, child, our God made the whole world, and you, and me, and all things; for He is the only true God, and there is no God but Him.He lives for ever in heaven.
WIFE.- Why you no tell me long ago?
W.A.- That's true, indeed; but I have been a wicked wretch, and have not only forgotten to acquaint thee with anything before, but have lived without God in the world myself.
WIFE.- What, have you a great God in your country, you no know Him? No say O to Him? No do good ting for Him? That no possible.
W.A.- It is true; though, for all that, we live as if there was no God in heaven, or that He had no power on earth.
Wife.- But why God let you do so? Why He no makee you good live?
W.A.- It is all our own fault.
WIFE.- But you say me He is great, much great, have much great power; can makee kill when He will: why He no makee kill when you no serve Him? no say O to Him? no be good mans?
W.A.- That is true, He might strike me dead; and I ought to expect it, for I have been a wicked wretch, that is true; but God is merciful, and does not deal with us as we deserve.
WIFE.- But then do you not tell God thankee for that too?
W.A.- No, indeed, I have not thanked God for His mercy, any more than I have feared God from His power.
WIFE.- Then you God no God; me no think, believe He be such one, great much power, strong: no makee kill you, though you make Him much angry.
W.A.- What, will my wicked life hinder you from believing in God?
What a dreadful creature am I! and what a sad truth is it, that the horrid lives of Christians hinder the conversion of heathens!
WIFE.- How me tink you have great much God up there [she points up to heaven], and yet no do well, no do good ting? Can He tell?
Sure He no tell what you do?
W.A.- Yes, yes, He knows and sees all things; He hears us speak, sees what we do, knows what we think though we do not speak.
WIFE.- What! He no hear you curse, swear, speak de great damn?
W.A.- Yes, yes, He hears it all.
WIFE.- Where be then the much great power strong?
W.A.- He is merciful, that is all we can say for it; and this proves Him to be the true God; He is God, and not man, and therefore we are not consumed.
[Here Will Atkins told us he was struck with horror to think how he could tell his wife so clearly that God sees, and hears, and knows the secret thoughts of the heart, and all that we do, and yet that he had dared to do all the vile things he had done.]
WIFE.- Merciful! What you call dat?
W.A.- He is our Father and Maker, and He pities and spares us.
WIFE.- So then He never makee kill, never angry when you do wicked; then He no good Himself, or no great able.
W.A.- Yes, yes, my dear, He is infinitely good and infinitely great, and able to punish too; and sometimes, to show His justice and vengeance, He lets fly His anger to destroy sinners and make examples; many are cut off in their sins.
WIFE.- But no makee kill you yet; then He tell you, maybe, that He no makee you kill: so you makee the bargain with Him, you do bad thing, He no be angry at you when He be angry at other mans.
W.A.- No, indeed, my sins are all presumptions upon His goodness;
and He would be infinitely just if He destroyed me, as He has done other men.
WIFE.- Well, and yet no kill, no makee you dead: what you say to Him for that? You no tell Him thankee for all that too?
W.A.- I am an unthankful, ungrateful dog, that is true.
WIFE.- Why He no makee you much good better? you say He makee you.
W.A.- He made me as He made all the world: it is I have deformed myself and abused His goodness, and made myself an abominable wretch.
WIFE.- I wish you makee God know me.I no makee Him angry - I no do bad wicked thing.
[Here Will Atkins said his heart sunk within him to hear a poor untaught creature desire to be taught to know God, and he such a wicked wretch, that he could not say one word to her about God, but what the reproach of his own carriage would make most irrational to her to believe; nay, that already she had told him that she could not believe in God, because he, that was so wicked, was not destroyed.]
W.A.- My dear, you mean, you wish I could teach you to know God, not God to know you; for He knows you already, and every thought in your heart.
WIFE.- Why, then, He know what I say to you now: He know me wish to know Him.How shall me know who makee me?
W.A.- Poor creature, He must teach thee: I cannot teach thee.I will pray to Him to teach thee to know Him, and forgive me, that am unworthy to teach thee.
[The poor fellow was in such an agony at her desiring him to make her know God, and her wishing to know Him, that he said he fell down on his knees before her, and prayed to God to enlighten her mind with the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ, and to pardon his sins, and accept of his being the unworthy instrument of instructing her in the principles of religion: after which he sat down by her again, and their dialogue went on.This was the time when we saw him kneel down and hold up his hands.]
Wife.- What you put down the knee for? What you hold up the hand for? What you say? Who you speak to? What is all that?
W.A.- My dear, I bow my knees in token of my submission to Him that made me: I said O to Him, as you call it, and as your old men do to their idol Benamuckee; that is, I prayed to Him.
WIFE.- What say you O to Him for?
W.A.- I prayed to Him to open your eyes and your understanding, that you may know Him, and be accepted by Him.
WIFE.- Can He do that too?
W.A.- Yes, He can: He can do all things.
WIFE.- But now He hear what you say?
W.A.- Yes, He has bid us pray to Him, and promised to hear us.
WIFE.- Bid you pray? When He bid you? How He bid you? What you hear Him speak?
W.A.- No, we do not hear Him speak; but He has revealed Himself many ways to us.
[Here he was at a great loss to make her understand that God has revealed Himself to us by His word, and what His word was; but at last he told it to her thus.]
W.A.- God has spoken to some good men in former days, even from heaven, by plain words; and God has inspired good men by His Spirit; and they have written all His laws down in a book.