time to have persuaded the poor woman to have believed that an
express messenger came from heaven on purpose to bring that
individual book. But it was too serious a matter to suffer any
delusion to take place, so I turned to the young woman, and told
her we did not desire to impose upon the new convert in her first
and more ignorant understanding of things, and begged her to
explain to her that God may be very properly said to answer our
petitions, when, in the course of His providence, such things are
in a particular manner brought to pass as we petitioned for; but we
did not expect returns from heaven in a miraculous and particular
manner, and it is a mercy that it is not so.
This the young woman did afterwards effectually, so that there was
no priestcraft used here; and I should have thought it one of the
most unjustifiable frauds in the world to have had it so. But the
effect upon Will Atkins is really not to be expressed; and there,
we may be sure, was no delusion. Sure no man was ever more
thankful in the world for anything of its kind than he was for the
Bible, nor, I believe, never any man was glad of a Bible from a
better principle; and though he had been a most profligate
creature, headstrong, furious, and desperately wicked, yet this man
is a standing rule to us all for the well instructing children,
viz. that parents should never give over to teach and instruct, nor
ever despair of the success of their endeavours, let the children
be ever so refractory, or to appearance insensible to instruction;
for if ever God in His providence touches the conscience of such,
the force of their education turns upon them, and the early
instruction of parents is not lost, though it may have been many
years laid asleep, but some time or other they may find the benefit
of it. Thus it was with this poor man: however ignorant he was of
religion and Christian knowledge, he found he had some to do with
now more ignorant than himself, and that the least part of the
instruction of his good father that now came to his mind was of use
to him.
Among the rest, it occurred to him, he said, how his father used to
insist so much on the inexpressible value of the Bible, and the
privilege and blessing of it to nations, families, and persons; but
he never entertained the least notion of the worth of it till now,
when, being to talk to heathens, savages, and barbarians, he wanted
the help of the written oracle for his assistance. The young woman
was glad of it also for the present occasion, though she had one,
and so had the youth, on board our ship among their goods, which
were not yet brought on shore. And now, having said so many things
of this young woman, I cannot omit telling one story more of her
and myself, which has something in it very instructive and
remarkable.
I have related to what extremity the poor young woman was reduced;
how her mistress was starved to death, and died on board that
unhappy ship we met at sea, and how the whole ship’s company was
reduced to the last extremity. The gentlewoman, and her son, and
this maid, were first hardly used as to provisions, and at last
totally neglected and starved – that is to say, brought to the last
extremity of hunger. One day, being discoursing with her on the
extremities they suffered, I asked her if she could describe, by
what she had felt, what it was to starve, and how it appeared? She
said she believed she could, and told her tale very distinctly
thus:-
“First, we had for some days fared exceedingly hard, and suffered
very great hunger; but at last we were wholly without food of any
kind except sugar, and a little wine and water. The first day
after I had received no food at all, I found myself towards
evening, empty and sick at the stomach, and nearer night much