neither prayer, nor sign of repentance for sin ; yea, the brute, in his kind, serves God far better than he. He is the very stain, reproach, and shame, of religion to all that know him (Rom. ii. 23, 24); it can hardly have a good word in all that end of the town where he dwells, through him. Thus say the common people that know him, 'A saint abroad, and a devil at home.' His poor family finds it so; he is such a churl, such a railer at, and so unreasonable with, his servants, that they neither know how to do for, or to speak to him. Men that have any dealings with him say it is better to deal with a Turk than with him, for fairer dealings they shall have at his hands. This Talkative, if it be possible, will go beyond them, defraud, begile, and overreach them. Besides, he brings up his sons to follow his steps; and if he finds in any of them a foolish timorousness' (for so he calls the first appearance of a tender conscience) he calls them fools and blockheads, and by no means will employ them in much, or speak to their commendations before others. For my part, I am of opinion, that he has by his wicked life caused many to stumble and fall; and will be, if God prevents not, the ruin of many

more.

Faith. Well, my brother, I am bound to be lieve you; not only because you say you know him, but also because like a Christian you make your reports of men. For I cannot think that you speak those things of ill will, but because it is even so as you say.

Chr. Had I known him no more than you, I might perhaps have thought of him as at the first you did yea, had he received this report at their hands only that are enemies to religion, I should have thought it had been a slander (a lot that often falls from bad men's mouth upon good men's names and professions) but all these things yea, and a great many more as bad, of my own knowledge, I can prove him guilty of. Besides, good men are ashamed of him; they can neither call him brother nor friend; the very naming of him among them makes them blush if they

know him.

Faith. Well, I see that saying and doing

* I see that'-Talkative seems to have been introduced on purpose that the author might have a fair opportunity of stating his sentiments concerning the practical nature of religion, to which numbers in his day were too inattentive. This admired allegory has fully established the important distinc tion, between a dead and a living faith, on which the whole matter depends. We may boldly state every doctrine of grace, with all possible strength and clearness, and every objection must ultimately fall to the ground, all abuses be excluded, provided this distinction be fully and constantly insisted on for they arise without exception from substituting some false notion of faith in the place of that living, active, and efficacious principle, which the Scriptures so constantly represent as the grand peculiarity of vital godliness. The language used in this passage is precisely the same as is now branded with the opprobrious epithet of legal, by numbers who would be thought to admire the Pilgrim; as any impar tial person must perceive, upon an attentive perusal of it: and, indeed, some expressions are used which they, who are accustomed to stand their trial before such as ' make a man an offender for a word,' have learned to avoid. The practice part' is more accurately defined to be the unfailing effect of that inward life which is the soul of religion, than the soul itself. True faith justifies indeed, as it forms the sinner's re

are two things, and hereafter I shall better observe this distinction.

Chr. They are two things indeed, and are as diverse as are the soul and the body; for, as the body without the soul is but a dead carcase, so saying, if it be alone, is but a dead carcase also. The soul of religion is the practice part pure religion and undefiled, before God and the Father, is this: to visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world' (James i. 22-27). This Talkative is not aware of; he thinks that hearing and saying will make a good Christian; and thus he deceiveth his own soul. Hearing is but as the sowing of the seed; talking is not sufficient to prove that fruit is indeed in the heart and life; and let us assure ourselves, that, at the day of doom, men shall be judged according to their fruit (Matt. xiii. 23); it will not be said then, 'Did you believe? but, Were you doers, or talkers only ? and accordingly shall they be judged. The end of the world is compared to our harvest; and you know men at harvest regard nothing but fruit. Not that any thing can be accepted that is not of faith; but I speak this to shew you how insignificant the profession of Talkative will be at that day.

Faith. This brings to my mind that of Moses, by which he described the beast that

lation to, and union with, Christ; but it always works by love,' and influences to obedience: hence the inquiry at the day of judgment will be rather about the inseparable fruits of faith, then its essential properties and nature.

is clean (Lev. xi.; Deut. xiv.): he is such an one that parteth the hoof, and cheweth the cud; not that parteth the hoof only, or that cheweth the cud only. The hare cheweth the cud, but yet is unclean, because he parteth not the hoof. And this truly resembleth Talkative; he cheweth the cud, he seeketh knowledge: he cheweth upon the word; but he divideth not the hoof, he parteth not with the way of sinners; but, as the hare, he retaineth the foot of a dog or bear, and therefore he is unclean. Chr. You have spoken, for aught I know, the true Gospel sense of those texts. And Í will add another thing: Paul calleth some men, yea, and those great talkers too,' sounding brass and tinkling cymbals ;' that is, as he expounds them in another place, things without life giving sound' (1 Cor. xiii. 1-3; xiv. 7.) Things without life;' that is, without the true faith and grace of the Gospel; and consequently things that shall never be placed in the kingdom of heaven among those that are the children of life, though their sound, by their talk, be as it were the tongue or voice of an angel.

(

Faith. Well, I was not so fond of his com

*Well'-When we speak to loose professors, we shoud always keep two things in view; either to get rid of such ensnaring and dishonourable companions, or to use proper means to convince them of their fatal mistake. There is indeed more hope of the most ignorant and careless sinners than of them: yet with God all things are possible,' and we should not despair of any, especially as the very same method is suited to both the ends proposed; which the subsequent discourse most clearly evinces. Very plain and particular dec larations of those things, by which true believers are cistin

pany at first, but am sick of it now. What shall we do to be rid of him?

Chr. Take my advice and do as I bid you, and shall find that he will soon be sick of you your company too, except God shall touch his heart and turn it.

Faith. What would you have me to do?

Chr. Why, go to him, and enter into some serious discourse about the power of religion; and ask him plainly, when he has approved of it (for that he will), whether this thing be set up in his heart, house, or conversation?

Then Faithful stepped forward again, and said to Talkative, Come, what cheer! how is it now?

Talk. Thank you, well ; I thought we should have had a great deal of talk by this time.

guished from the most specious hypocrites (whether in conversation or preaching), are best calculated to undeceive and alarm false professors; and form the most commodious fan, by which the irreclaimable may be winnowed from the society of godly persons. This is of great importance; for they are Achans in the camp of Israel, spots and blemishes to every company that countenances them. Doctrinal or even practical discussions, if confined to general terms, will not startle them; they will mimic the language of experience, declaim against the wickedness of the world and the blindness of pharisees, and strenuously oppose the opinions held by some rival sect or party; they will endure the most awful declarations of the wrath of God against the wicked, supposing themselves to be unconcerned in them; nay, they will admit that they are backsliders, or inconsistent believers. But when the conversation or sermon compels them to complain, in so saying thou condemnest us also,' they will bear no longer, but seek refuge under more comfortable preachers, or in more candid company; and represent their faithful monitors as censorious, peevish, and melancholy men.