He delighted in seeing persons of the most opposed religious or political views meet at his table. A Roman Catholic, an Independent minister, a Nothingarian and a High Anglican, were once lunching with him.
“What an extraordinary thing, that you should have such discordant elements unite harmoniously at your table!” said a friend.
“Clean and unclean beasts feeding together in the ark,” was his reply.
“But how odd that you should get them to meet!”
“Well, I thought it best: they never will meet in the next world.”
One day he visited the widow of a parishioner who was dead. As he entered, he met the Methodist preacher coming out of the room where the corpse lay.
“When is poor Thomas to be buried?” asked the vicar.
“We are going to take him out of the parish,” answered the widow; “we thought you would not bury him, as he was a Dissenter.”
“Who told you that I would not?”
The widow lady looked at the Nonconformist minister.