per

the sincere milk of the word. And it takes many years, in most instances, for him to reach the stature of full perfection. The experience of the Christian is compared to the morning dawn. The path of the just is as the shining light, that shineth more and more unto the perfect day." The darkness is not all dispersed by the first beam of light. The light increases by slow degrees, and the darkness grows less, till at last the sun rises, and the perfect day has come; when the Christian reaches heaven. When God made the world, he did not complete his work in an instant, but took six days to form it in. When man had fallen, he did not send the Saviour at once; but took four thousand years to prepare the way for it. And he is now taking another long period to prepare the way for the final prevalence of the Gospel in the millennium. The natural productions of the earth are all progressive. The seed is planted in the soil. It swells and shoots forth. springs up a small plant. It grows up by slow degrees. At length it reaches its full size, and puts forth its blossoms. When these have stood a sufficient time, they drop off, and the young fruit appears. This, again, takes time to grow, and further time to ripen. At last the ripe fruit is gathered, and the plant is cut down and dies. To these things the Scriptures authorize us to compare the Christian life; and they are all in accordance with the delineations of Christian experience which are given us in a more direct manner.

It

In the seventh chapter to the Romans the apostle describes the experience of every real Christian. I know you deny this; and it is essential to your scheme that you should. But the reasons you give are insufficient. And the chapter itself bears internal evidence that it is his own experience as a Christian, and not as an impenitent sinner, which the apostle is describing. The single phrase, "I delight in the law of God after the inward man," settles that question. No sinner ever does that. The sinner is subject to the carnal mind. And "the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be." The sinner does nothing but wrong. The Christian sometimes does right, and sometimes wrong. Accordingly he says, "For that which I do, I allow not; for what I would that do I not; but what I hate, that do I." What he does in the exercise of sinful affections, he allows not, but condemns, when in the exercise of holy affections. And what he would, what he purposes, when in the exercise of holy affections, that he does not accomplish, because his affections change so soon. But what he hates, when he feels right, that he does when he feels wrong. "If then I do that which I would not, I consent unto the law that it is good."

That is, if the sinful affections, which he occasionally exercises, are those which he condemns, when he feels right, his heart accords with the divine law, at such times. This is the experience and language of a good man, whose affections frequently change, but not of any impenitent sinner. The sinner never has any conformity to the divine law, but the saint has some.

These frequent changes, from right to wrong, and from wrong to right, are characteristic of the experience of the true Christian. And he that is practically ignorant of this warfare, I take to be practically ignorant of true Christian experience. And I think the Scripture plainly tells us what they are, when it says, "There is a generation that are pure in their own eyes, and yet is not washed from their filthiness." Job says, "if I say I am perfect, it shall also prove me perverse.' The true Christian, when he has the clearest discoveries of God, is the most humble. He says, "I have heard of thee by the hearing of the ear; but now mine eye seeth thee; wherefore I abhor myself, and repent in dust and ashes." "Then said I, woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell' in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, the Lord of Hosts." And I would sum up what I have to say, with the declaration of the Apostle James, "In many things we offend all." This is a plain declaration that in many things all Christians offend. And I find it exceedingly difficult to believe any one to be a Christian who is not sensible of it, in his own case.

So Thoughtful and Ardent went on their way, and Mr. Confident returned into his house.

f

CHAPTER LXXI.

Now I perceived that when Mr. Confident went into his house, there came out of it the three persons whom the pilgrims had fallen in with several times before, Feel-well, Loveself, and No-law. And as they walked on rapidly, they soon came up with Thoughtful and Ardent, and after the usual salutations, they began to speak of the house and the teaching of Mr. Confident as follows:

Feel-well. What a charming teacher this Mr. Confident is. He seems to know all the secrets of Christian experience. I was never more refreshed and edified at any house of entertainment before.

Love-self. And I also found him exactly to my mind. When he saw me limping along, in this hard road, he took compassion on me, and invited me in, and gave me these sandals of self-righteousness, which are so very easy to the feet. He asked me why I looked so sad; and when I told him of my hard heart, and how sorely beset I was with my carnal propensities, he told me to go to Jesus with them all, and I should obtain relief. So I went to Jesus with my heart of stone, and asked him to change it into a heart of flesh; and he did. I went to him with all my carnal propensities, and asked him to take them away, and he did; and I have not felt any of them since.. I regard him as a man of deep acquaintance with the human heart, and eminently qualified to be a guide to pilgrims.

N. L. I cannot think quite so highly of him. I called at the Union-house, in Westerly street, before I left the town of Vanity, and enjoyed the benefit of instructions from those residing there; and I must think they are quite before those of Mr. Confident. They taught me that the first act of faith makes such a change in the believer, that Christ takes all his sins, and gives him all his righteousness. Consequently, that I should believe that Christ has come in the flesh, that is, that he has taken up his abode in me; and lives and acts in me, and that nothing I can do can be sin any more; that the Spirit directs me in all things, and that I have no longer any need of Bibles and ordinances, or Sabbaths; but being full, and possessing all things, I may rejoice in the Lord always.

F. W. Does not Mr. Confident appear to be a very happy

man?

N. L. Yes; he may be. And he is going on well. I think he has embraced the fundamental principles, which will lead him to adopt the perfect system, by and by, when he carries them out. His view of faith is very good. His views of the promises are good. And every thing, but the notion of having so much of works to be done. I cannot see any necessity for this, if, by the simple act of faith, I can secure the perfection of holiness, and be authorized to say, as he instructs us, we are complete in him."

L. S. I like him yet better for his views of the nature of true religion. As far as I can understand him, he allows me to think my own happiness is the great thing which demands my regard, and is worthy of my care. That I like. Then he seems to think that the Lord Jesus Christ is worthy of my love and regard, chiefly for his great anxiety to secure my happiThat I like; that I have always regarded as the most lovely trait in his character. Then he allows me to think that

ness.

faith consists in believing that Christ will save me; and that is the faith that I have always tried to maintain; though sometimes my doubts would sadly prevail. Now he teaches me to believe that Christ will keep me from all sin, if I will only believe for it. And that I have been doing now for some days; and I found on my first believing, that it made my heart melt within me, and flow out like water; though it had before felt heavy and cold, like a rock of ice. He allows me to make my own happiness the beginning, centre, and end, of all my relig ion; which is just what I like. And therefore I like his instructions.

Th. This selfish religion is likely to prove your eternal ruin, as I have warned you before. But there is one thing in your statement which seems to call for further remark. You say Mr. Confident taught you to go to Jesus with your heart of stone to have it changed, and with your sinful propensities to have them taken away. Are you sure you understand him right? L. S. O yes. This was his constant teaching. He said, "Do you believe that you may bring to him your temper, your appetites, your propensities, your entire habits, and have them all brought into sweet subjection to the will of God?" "You say, my heart is so hard and insensible, that nothing in the universe will move or melt it. Remember, that if you do not carry this very heart to Christ, that he may take it from

you, and if you do not exercise special faith in him to do it, he will be no Saviour to you in any sense whatever." These are his very words. I am sure I am right.

Th. Then I am sure that he is wrong. For where does the Bible tell us to come to Christ just as we are, and bring our wicked hearts to be changed? On the contrary, its language is, "Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; and let him return unto the Lord, and he will have mercy upon him, and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon." Such is the uniform tenor of Scripture. "He that covereth his sins shall not prosper. But whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy." "Wash you, make you clean; put away the evil of your doings from before mine eyes: cease to do evil, learn to do well." Even the Ninevites understood that they must "turn every one from his evil way," in order to escape destruction. Joshua said: "Put

away the strange gods which are among you, and incline your heart unto the Lord God of Israel." Ezekiel said: "Repent, and turn yourselves from all your transgressions, so iniquity shall not be your ruin. Cast away from you all your transgressions, whereby ye have transgressed; and make you a new heart and a new spirit; for why will ye die, O house of

Israel?" There is nothing in the Bible that looks like a direction to sinners to come to Christ, just as they are, with their hard and impenitent hearts; and if they attempt it, they will be deservedly rejected.

L. S. Does not Christ say, "Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest?"

Is

Th. Yes; but what is coming to Christ? Is it a motion of the body, or an utterance of words by the tongue? it not an exercise of the heart?

L. S. I suppose it must be an exercise of the heart. Th. It is so. It is a compliance with the precept, "My son, give me thy heart." It is loving Christ. To carry a wicked heart to Christ is therefore an impossibility. When the terms are fully explained, it is seen to be an impossibility. It is the same as loving Christ with a heart full of enmity against him. Those who use such language, are either deceived themselves, or they are deceiving others. No; you must put away your idols, if you would turn to the Lord with acceptance. You must put away your sins by repentance; you must turn from them with self-loathing and self-abhorrence, if would find mercy. you

By this time the pilgrims had come to the stile which led into By-path Meadow, over which was inscribed, “The way to the mansion of Great Faith," which when Feel-well perceived, he said: "This is the way, brethren, to the best house on the road. Come, brother Love-self, if you want to increase your faith." So he went over the stile, followed by Love-self and No-law. But Thoughtful and Ardent kept on their way.

And soon the pilgrims came to the Delectable Mountains, and were received by the shepherds, as other pilgrims had been. And while the pilgrims were looking from these mountains at the various curiosities which had been shown to others, they perceived from one of the mountains, at a distance to the left hand of the road, what looked like a large body of soldiers encamped on a plain; upon which the shepherds said:

This is a body of the forces which the Giant Presumption is collecting and training, for his final assault upon the Prince Immanuel and his followers.

Ard. Can any be so foolish as to think they can prevail in

such a contest?

Shepherds. None but such as the Giant Presumption and those that yield themselves to his influence. But you have read what is said by the prophet respecting Gog and Magog, and the vast army they will collect, to make war upon Israel in the latter days. A great battle is then to be fought, called "The battle of that great day of God Almighty." A general