cipation that circumstances were preparing the way for affording me a near and an intimate intercourse with him.

It happened about this time that four friends spent an evening with me; they were all from Scotland, as I am myself, and all, except one, belonged to the learned professions; they were men of liberal education, and respectable talents. The conversation happening to turn on religion, I was surprised to hear the whole of them express free and deistical sentiments; some of them, perhaps, from bravado, and some from apparent conviction. I remarked, "that it was a curious circumstance to find in one company, four men, natives of a country so much praised for religion, who entertained such opinions." One of them, in return, expressed his surprise, that I, who appeared to be of a cool and steady judgment, could believe in Christianity. "If we had you," he continued, " among us for a short time, we would soon reconvert you to our opinions." I said, "that I believed this was impossible, as Christianity appeared to me to rest on such a mass of evidence, as to be capable of the most rigid logical demonstration, and that, consequently, every cool and steady man who

examined it, must believe it. And so far," added I, "from being reconverted to your opinion, I might venture to say, that if I had you all for any length of time with me, I should be able, I trust, to convert you to my own." After some further conversation, they said they would like to hear me explain my reasons for believing in Christianity. I said, "that I would at any time be ready to gratify them, on condition that I should be allowed to speak at least twelve hours, at different intervals, without their interrupting me by proposing any objections. The reason why I made this stipulation was, because I believed them to be so ignorant of the true nature of the Christian doctrines, that this time would be requisite to convey to them an accurate idea of those principles, and of the evidence on which they were founded. This arrangement," I said, "would be attended with this advantage, that they would gain some information, whatever might be the ultimate result of our meetings, and many of those objections which appeared to them altogether insurmountable, would, if they were candid, vanish, when they knew the doctrines which Christians really believe, and the reasons for them; which are very different from the idea

which unbelievers form for themselves."

After explaining, therefore, what those doctrines were ; when they would appear not to be so strange and unreasonable as they had imagined them to be; I should be ready to refute any objection, and solve any difficulty that they might think proper to bring forward.

When I proposed this condition, I was well aware that no reasoning nor argument could convince an unbeliever, unless the grace of God accompanied the means used. But I regretted to see four of my countrymen, young men of extensive information and respectable character, who had received a sound and religious education in their youth, influenced so far by their intercourse with the world, and their neglect of all religious duties and studies, as to express such sentiments of unbelief. I hoped that, at least, I should be able to convey to them some important and interesting information on these subjects, which might be useful to them then, or at some future period of their life, by exciting their attention to the study of the Scriptures, convincing them that many of the objections, which appeared to them strong and unanswerable, were the consequences of their own want of information. When

I stated that I would refute every objection and solve any difficulty which they might feel, I did not presume to be able to settle every difficulty which might arise to a speculative mind with regard to many points of theoretical theology; but I knew so well the strength of evidence by which Christianity is environed, and, above all, the extent of their knowledge, or rather, their ignorance of the subject,-that I was nowise apprehensive of the result. Indeed, it is impossible for a thinking and well-informed mind, (if even a small attention be bestowed on the subject,) to do more than DOUBT of the truth of Christianity. From long experience, I had found, that whether the deist be a man of rank, or of eminence in philosophy or literature, or whatever station in society he may hold, his violence in opposition to the Christian religion, is in proportion to his ignorance of its nature.

It was these considerations and hopes, which led me to propose the condition of being permitted to speak, without being interrupted by their objections, till time had been allowed me for giving a full and correct explanation of the doctrines of Christianity. My four friends agreed to the condition, and we appointed our first meeting

to be held at the house of M., at one o'clock the

following Sunday.

M., the gentleman at whose house we were to meet, called in the interim on Lord Byron; and, among other things, mentioned to his lordship the object of our intended meeting. His lordship expressed a wish to be present, and said, that he also would willingly be converted, if he could, as he felt no happiness in his present unsettled notions on religion. "You know," added his lordship, "I am reckoned a black sheep ;" and, after a pause, he continued, " yet not so black as the world believes me, nor worse than others." He said, he would not intrude himself, as he did not know but M. said, that he had no doubt that I should readily consent that his lordship should be present, and would, indeed, be very sensible of the honour he did us. On the nature and object of the meeting being further explained to him, he said that he would convince me, that, if he had not faith, he had at least patience, and that he would listen the prescribed time without interrupting me. On the next day M. communicated to me his lordship's wishes, and, though I had never spoken to his lordship, and little anticipated such a hearer, I readily consented to

me;