the foul is but a dead carcafe, fo faying, if it be alone, is but a dead carcase alfo. The foul of reli gion is the practic part: "Pure religion, and undefiled, before God and the Father, is this, to vifit the fatherlefs and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world." Talkative is not aware of this; he thinks that hearing and faying will make a good Chriftian; and thus he deceiveth his own foul. Hearing is but as the fowing of the feed; and talking is not fufficient to prove that there is fruit in the heart and life. Let us affure ourselves, that at the day of doom men shall be judged according to their fruit: it will not be faid then, Did you believe? But were you doers, or only talkers? And accordingly fhall they be judged. The end of the world is compared to our harveft; and you know men at harvest regard nothing but fruit. Not that any thing can be accepted which is not of faith; but I fpeak this to fhew you how infignificant the profeffion of Talkative will be at that day. Faith. This brings to my mind that word of Mofes, by which he described the clean beast. He is fuch an one as parteth the hoof, and cheweth the cud; not one that parteth the hoof only, or one that Not, how keenly can I dispute about the doctrines of grace? But, have I received the grace of God in deed and in truth ? Is the gospel the power of God to the falvation of my foul? How far am I influenced by it? Is my practice confiftent with my profeffion? cheweth cheweth the cud only: the hare cheweth the cud; but yet is unclean, because he parteth not the hoof. This truly resembleth Talkative; he cheweth the cud, he feeketh knowledge, he cheweth the word; but he divideth not the hoof, he parteth not with the way of finners; but as the hare, he retaineth the foot of a dog or a bear, and therefore he is unclean. Chr. You have spoken, for aught I know, the true gospel sense of those texts. And I will add an other thing: Paul calleth fome men, yea, and those great talkers too, founding brafs, and tinkling cymbals; that is, as he expounds them in another place, things without life, giving found. Things without life, that is, without the true faith and grace of the gofpel; and confequently things which fhall never be placed in the kingdom of heaven among those who are the children of life: though their found, by their talk, be as it were the tongue or voice of an angel. Faith. Well, I am as fick of his company now, as I was fond of it at first. What fhall we do to be rid of him? Chr. Take my advice, and do as I bid you, and you shall find that he will foon be fick of your company: except God fhould touch his heart and turn it. Faith. What would you have me do? Chr. Why go to him, and enter into fome serious discourse about the power of religion; and ask him plainly plainly (when he has approved of the discourse, for that he will), whether this thing be set up in his heart, his house, or his converfation. Then Faithful stept 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. Faith. Well, if you will, we will fall to it now; and fince you left it with me to state the question, let it be this: How doth the faving grace of God discover itself when it is in the heart of man? Talk. I perceive then that our talk must be about the power of things: well, 'tis a very good question, and I fhall be willing to answer you. And take my answer in brief, thus: Firft, where the grace of God is in the heart, it caufeth there a great outcry against fin". Secondly, Faith. Nay, hold, let us confider one thing at a time. I think you should rather have said, it fhews itself, by inclining the foul to abhor its fin. "It is one thing to hate fin, it is another thing to cry out against it. We may be fure of one thing, that he, who pretends to fo much holiness and goodness, as no man ever had in this life, ftands condemned, as an hypocrite, out of his own mouth; and, however such a man may cry out against fin, he certainly is living, at that very time, habitually, though perhaps fecretly, in fome known fin. Whatever pretenfions any man may make to religion, yet, if he bridle not his tongue, from commending himself, and condemning others, this man's religion is vain. Talk. Talk. Why, what difference is there between crying out against fin, and abhorring fin? Faith. Oh! a great deal: a man may cry out against fin out of policy, but he cannot abhor it, but by virtue of a godly antipathy against it: I have heard many cry out against fin in the pulpit, who yet can abide it well enough in their heart, their houfe, and their converfation. Jofeph's mistress cried out with a loud voice, as if she had been very holy; but she would willingly, notwithstanding that, have committed uncleannefs. Some cry out against fin, as a mother cries out against the child in her lap; fhe calls it flut and naughty girl, and the next moment falls to hugging and kiffing it. Talk. You are on the catch, I perceive. Faith. No, not I, I am only for fetting things right. But what is the fecond thing whereby you would prove a discovery of a work of grace in the heart? Talk. Great knowledge of gofpel mysteries. Faith. This fign fhould have been first; but first or laft, it is also falfe; for knowledge, great knowledge, may be obtained in the mysteries of the gofpel, and yet no work of grace in the foul. Yea, if * St. Paul fays, Though I have all knowledge, and underftand all myfteries, yet, if I have not charity, i. e. if I have not the love of God fhed abroad on my heart, by the power of the Holy Ghoft, I am nothing. A literal knowledge only puff eth if a man have all knowledge, he may yet be nothing, and fo confequently be no child of God. When Chrift asked the disciples, Do you know all these things? and they anfwered, Yes; he added, Bleffed are ye, if ye do them. He doth not lay the bleffing in the knowing of them, but in the doing of them: for there is a knowledge which is not attended with doing: He that knoweth his mafter's will, and doth it not. A man may know like an angel, and yet be no Chriftian; therefore your fign is not true. To know is a thing that pleaseth talkers and boafters; but to do, is that which pleaseth God. Not that the heart can be good without knowledge; for without that the heart is naught. There are two forts of knowledge; knowledge that refteth in the bare fpeculation of things; and knowledge which is accompanied with the grace of faith and love; which puts a man upon doing the will of God from the heart. The first kind of knowledge will ferve the talker; but without the other, the true Chriftian is not content. "Give me understanding, and I fhall keep thy law; yea, I fhall obferve it with my whole heart." Pfal. cxix. 34. Talk. You are upon the catch again; this is not for edification. Faith. Well, if you pleafe, propound another eth up; but a spiritual knowledge of myself, as a loft fallen finner, and of Chrift as my faviour, is fure to humble the foul. fign |