美人鱼2006　　The woman was surprised, and was like to have run into a mistakethat none of us were aware of; for she firmly believed God had sentthe book upon her husband's petition. It is true thatprovidentially it was so, and might be taken so in a consequentsense; but I believe it would have been no difficult matter at thattime to have persuaded the poor woman to have believed that anexpress messenger came from heaven on purpose to bring thatindividual book. But it was too serious a matter to suffer anydelusion to take place, so I turned to the young woman, and toldher we did not desire to impose upon the new convert in her firstand more ignorant understanding of things, and begged her toexplain to her that God may be very properly said to answer ourpetitions, when, in the course of His providence, such things arein a particular manner brought to pass as we petitioned for; but wedid not expect returns from heaven in a miraculous and particularmanner, and it is a mercy that it is not so.

l have anything todo with her." All this appeared so just, that every one agreed toit without any difficulty.

美人鱼2006 

　　I then pressed him to tell me what was the second complaint whichhe had to make, acknowledging that I was very much his debtor forthe first, and thanking him heartily for it. He told me he woulduse the same freedom and plainness in the second, and hoped I wouldtake it as well; and this was, that notwithstanding these Englishsubjects of mine, as he called them, had lived with these womenalmost seven years, had taught them to speak English, and even toread it, and that they were, as he perceived, women of tolerableunderstanding, and capable of instruction, yet they had not, tothis hour, taught them anything of the Christian religion - no, notso much as to know there was a God, or a worship, or in what mannerGod was to be served, or that their own idolatry, and worshippingthey knew not whom, was false and absurd. This he said was anunaccountable neglect, and what God would certainly call them toaccount for, and perhaps at last take the work out of their hands.He spoke this very affectionately and warmly.
　　One thing, however, cannot be omitted, viz. that as for religion, Ido not know that there was anything of that kind among them; theyoften, indeed, put one another in mind that there was a God, by thevery common method of seamen, swearing by His name: nor were theirpoor ignorant savage wives much better for having been married toChristians, as we must call them; for as they knew very little ofGod themselves, so they were utterly incapable of entering into anydiscourse with their wives about a God, or to talk anything to themconcerning religion.