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them, and feel resolved to live and die with them Yea, ‘This people shall be my people, and ⟨their⟩ God shall be my God.’
Within the last six months, I have ⟨reflected⟩ much on the miserable condition of many Free Thinkers in their last moments, with some ⟨of⟩ whom I was intimately acquainted. I will ⟨take⟩ the liberty of mentioning one, of whose death was a witness.
On entering his room I was struck with amazement by his ghastly and terrific countenance, which sufficiently indicated the horror of his guilty conscience. On inquiring how he felt himself, ⟨he⟩ replied, ‘Miserable and wretched in the extreme I asked him, (with a view to expose the fallacy and futility of his creed,) ‘But will your ⟨rational⟩ scheme of religion afford you no consolation in your present extremity?’ He answered in ⟨the⟩ negativc, with an emphasis which I shall not soon forget. After pausing a little, he said, ‘⟨Surely⟩ I was the greatest fool in the world ⟨to⟩ ⟨become⟩ the dupe of wicked and designing men; I ⟨am⟩ justly consigned to that hell, the idea of which once laughed at.’ Reminding him of the compassion of God to sinners, he very abruptly interrupted me, exclaiming, ‘But I am not penitent I have no compunction in my callous heart: it ⟨is⟩ the fear of eternal damnation that is awakened in my guilty soul!—and this fear is the pledge ⟨and⟩ foreraste of the torment of the damned. ⟨Eternal⟩ fire! eternal fire! Who can dwell with everlasting burning? I dare not die,’ continued he, ‘⟨and⟩ yet must! O that I had another day to live!—
