I may be angry with my first parents for having
sinned, but how I shall repent me of their sin is beyond what I am
able to comprehend."
Still, in those days of depravity and corruption, I had some of
those principles implanted in my mind which were afterwards to
spring up with such amazing fertility among the heroes of the
faith and the promises. In particular, I felt great indignation
against all the wicked of this world, and often wished for the
means of ridding it of such a noxious burden. I liked John Barnet,
my reverend father's serving-man, extremely ill; but, from a
supposition that he might be one of the justified, I refrained from
doing him any injury. He gave always his word against me, and
when we were by ourselves, in the barn or the fields, he rated me
with such severity for my faults that my heart could brook it no
longer. He discovered some notorious lies that I had framed, and
taxed me with them in such a manner that I could in no wise get
off. My cheek burnt, with offence, rather than shame; and he,
thinking he had got the mastery of me, exulted over me most
unmercifully, telling me I was a selfish and conceited blackguard,
who made great pretences towards religious devotion to cloak a
disposition tainted with deceit, and that it would not much
astonish him if I brought myself to the gallows.
Pages:
135
136
137
138
139
140
141
142
143
144
145
146
147
148
149
150
151
152
153
154
155
156
157
158
159