fpirit now funk within him, as he wandered along dark and flippery ways, where he proceeded few paces without ftumbling over a kind of rugged ftones, called in that place Objections, which were every where fcattered about. The air, moreover, was filled with certain venomous winged creatures, fhaped like bats, which were called Doubts, and did oftentimes fting him forely.

At laft, he defcried at a distance a small glimmering light, towards which he joyfully haftened; and entering a chamber from which it proceeded, he found there a man, in a changeablecoloured garment, with a mask on his face. Before him lay a book, like that which GOODINTENT had fo zealously preserved; but he was employed in cutting out half the leaves of it with a knife, which he held in his hand; while from thofe which he suffered to remain, he had erased so many words, that the refidue was no longer intelligible. When GOOD-INTENT entered, the man raised his head, and asked him who he was, and what he fought there.

GOOD-INTENT.-"My name is GOOD-IN"TENT; I am a pilgrim, and was travelling "towards the Caeleftial City, till it was my un"happy lot to be inveigled into this palace, "where I have beheld the dreadful face of «ATHEISM. As 1 filed from him, I loft my

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way in the dark paffages; and, till I descried "the beams of your lamp, I was hopeless of "ever escaping from this endless labyrinth."

Then faid the man, "If thou flyeft from "ATHEISM, it is well for thee that thou art "come hither. I alfo am his enemy; and be"fide myself, thou couldst not have found any "one able to affift thy escape, and to guide thee "in fafety through the intricate mazes of this "palace."

GOOD-INTENT heard with joy the difcourfe of the ftranger; yet anxious to know him better, before he entrusted himself to his guidance, he inquired his name: to which the man replied that he was called RATIONALCHRISTIANITY; "And I myself," faid he, "am alfo a pilgrim as thou art; only I like "not to walk with the herd of vulgar travel"lers; and therefore, to feparate myself from "them, I came fome time fince to take up my "abode under the roof of Mr. PHILOSOPHY. "But now, if thou art willing to become my

companion, and to conform thy way to my "directions, I will lead thee into a fafe and eafy path, by which, fooner than thou mayeft ex

pect, thou shalt arrive at the end of thy 'journey."

When GOOD-INTENT heard the stranger' name, it inspired him with great confidence;

and

and not feeling any miftruft of his new companion, he befought him immediately to lead the way. Then the man arofe, and taking his lamp in one hand, and in the other the book out of which he had cut fo many of the leaves, he conducted GOOD-INTENT along paffages, as intricate as any of those through which he had paffed before; and now they had proceeded fo far, that the pilgrim expected every moment to reach the end of his fubterranean way, and to emerge from the darkness in which he had wandered fo long, when his conductor fuddenly turned afide, and brought him into an apartment, which was faintly enlightened by an imperfect beam of clouded day, ftreaming through a half-closed sky-light.

He here beheld enshrined a new phantom, whofe form refembled that of the giant-brood, who were fabled to have fprung from the earth; yet, feated on a lofty throne, he looked proudly downwards, as from the higheft heavens: his countenance was fevere and louring; and haughty as it was, it betrayed a fecret anguifh at his inability to break a crofs, which he held in his hands, and was exerting his utmoft ftrength to demolish.

"Whither have you brought me?" faid GOOD-INTENT to his conductor; " and what "unknown form do I now behold?"

"Happy mortal," faid the other, "who un"der my guidance haft reached the dwelling"place of NATURAL-RELIGION, bow thyself "at his shrine, and rejoice that thy happy de

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ftiny has brought thee to visit his pure "abode!"

But while he spoke, GOOD-INTENT, eying the phantom more heedfully, difcerned his true name written over his head; and it was DEISM. Perceiving then that his conductor had a defign to deceive him, he delayed not to draw forth his book.

"What doest thou?" faid his guide.

"I feek for counsel where it may be found," replied GOOD-INTENT.

"Thou meaneft well," faid the other; "but "how wilt thou be deceived, if thou putteft

any truft in what thou mayeft find written in "that volume!"

"Doth it not contain the words of truth?" faid the pilgrim.

"It doth indeed contain fome truth," anfwered his conductor; " but fo intermixed with "falfhood, that thy weak understanding cannot "know how to feparate the one from the other. "Read rather in my book. Mine, as thou

feeft, was once the fame as thy own; but I "have long employed myself in expunging fuch

་་

parts of it as were adverse to my own opi

"nions,

"nions, and in difcovering in the pages which "I have fuffered to remain fuch occult mean"ings, as had, for many ages, escaped all vul

gar and unlearned eyes; and I have at laft fo "refined it from its drofs, that even he, my

great mafter, whom thou feeft before thee, "permits his votaries to use it, as a code of laws "for the regulation of their moral conduct.”

"But if," faid GooD-INTENT, "it was de"figned, as I have always been assured it was, cc as a book of general inftruction for all man"kind, can we imagine that the true meaning "of any effential parts of it fhould be fo occult, "as that it fhould have remained for the in"quiries of the prefent age to difcover? Me"thinks I could more willingly relinquifh my "book, entirely, as I was required to do but 6c now in the temple of ATHEISM, than think "fo unworthily of him, who commanded us tó "believe and to do all things which it should "teach us, as to fuppofe that he suffered any "paffages to be inferted therein, for the exprefs "purpose of mifleading fuch, as with honest "and true hearts fhould feek to know his "will."

And with that, pushing back the mutilated volume which was offered him, he opened his own, and read, "This is that fpirit of ANTI66 CHRIST, whereof you have heard that it "should

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