And when it is asked, Who are
these and whence came they? listen to their song and you will hear those
four happy children saying that their father, when they were yet boys,
both talked with them and prayed for and with them with so much affection
that therefore they are before the throne.
Why, then, with such a father and with such makable boys, why was this
household brought so near everlasting shipwreck? It was the mother that
did it. In one word, it was the wife and the mother that did it. It was
the mistress of the house who wrought the mischief here. She was a poor
woman, she was a poor man's wife, and one would have thought that she had
little enough temptation to harm upon this present world. But there it
was, she did hang upon it as much as if she had been the mother of the
finest daughters and the most promising boys in all the town. Things
like this were from time to time reported to her by her neighbours. One
fine lady had been heard to say that she would never have for her
tradesman any man who frequented conventicles, who was not content with
the religion of his betters, and who must needs scorn the parish church
and do despite to the saints' days.
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