"
"Do tell, now," cried Bildad, "is this Philistine a regular member
of Deacon Deuteronomy's meeting? I never saw him going there,
and I pass it every Lord's day."
"I don't know anything about Deacon Deuteronomy or his meeting,"
said I; "all I know is, that Queequeg here is a born member of the
First Congregational Church. He is a deacon himself, Queequeg is."
"Young man," said Bildad sternly, "thou art skylarking with me--
explain thyself, thou young Hittite. What church dost thee
mean? answer me."
Finding myself thus hard pushed, I replied, "I mean, sir, the same
ancient Catholic Church to which you and I, and Captain Peleg there,
and Queequeg here, and all of us, and every mother's son and soul
of us belong; the great and everlasting First Congregation of this
whole worshipping world; we all belong to that; only some of us
cherish some queer crotchets no ways touching the grand belief;
in that we all join hands."
"Splice, thou mean'st splice hands," cried Peleg, drawing nearer.
"Young man, you'd better ship for a missionary,
instead of a fore-mast hand; I never heard a better sermon.
Deacon Deuteronomy--why Father Mapple himself couldn't beat it,
and he's reckoned something.
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