he is ugly enough. Your saying that he is a pretty man, brings to my mind what I have observed in the work of the painter, whose pictures show best at a distance; but very near, more unpleasing.

FAITH. But I am ready to think you do but jest, because you smiled.

CHR. God forbid that I should jest (though I smiled) in this matter, or that I should accuse any falsely. I will give you a further discovery of him. This man is for any company, and for any talk; as he talketh now with you, so will he talk when he is on the alebench; and the more drink he hath in his crown, the more of these things he hath in his mouth. Religion hath no place in his heart, or house, or conversation; all he hath lieth in his tongue, and his religion is to make a noise therewith.*

FAITH. Say you so? Then am I in this man greatly deceived.

TALKATIVE TALKS, BUT DOES NOT.

CHR. Deceived! you may be sure of it. Remember the proverb, "They say, and do not:" but the kingdom of God is not in word, but in power. He talketh of prayer, of repentance, of faith, and of the new birth; but he knows but only to talk of them. I have been in his family, and have observed him both at home and abroad; and I know what I say of him is the truth. His house

HIS HOUSE IS EMPTY

GION.

OF RELI

is as empty of religion as the white of an egg is of savour. There is there neither prayer, nor

g Matt. xxiii. 3. 1 Cor. iv. 20.

The most

*Such professors there are now, as there always were. blessed cause is wounded by them, and the most glorious truths are brought into contempt through them. There is more hurt to be got by them, than from the utterly ignorant and openly profane. Shun and avoid such.

HE IS A STAIN TO RELIGION.

THE PROVERB THAT GOES OF HIM.

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; 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 MEN SHUN TO DEAL say, It is better to deal with a Turk than with him, for fairer dealings they shall have at their hands. This Talkative (if it be possible) will go beyond them, defraud, beguile, 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 commendation 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.*

WITH HIM.

h Rom. ii. 23, 24.

Read this and tremble, ye whose profession lies only on your tongue, but who never knew the love and grace of Christ in your souls. O how do you trifle with the grace of God, with precious Christ, and with the holy word of truth! O what an awful account have you to give hereafter to a holy, heart-searching God! Ye true pilgrims of Jesus, read this, and give glory to your Lord, for saving you from resting in barren notions, and taking up with talking of truths; and that he has given you to know the truth in its power, to embrace it in your heart, and to live and walk under its constraining, sanctifying influence. Who made you to differ?

FAITH. Well, my brother, I am bound to believe 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 these things of illwill, 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 I 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 mouths 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 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,

THE CARCASE OF RELIGION.

if it be alone, is but a dead carcase also. The soul of religion is the practical 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." 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.*

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 show you how insignificant the profession of Talkative will be at that day.

FAITH. This brings to my mind that of Moses, by which he describeth the beast that is clean.' 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 FAITHFUL CON- he parteth not the hoof. And this truly NESS OF TALKATIVE. 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.

VINCED OF THE BAD

CHR. You have spoken, for aught I know, the true gospel sense of these texts; and I will add another

1 Lev, xi. Deut. xiv.

Though sinners are redeemed, and their sins for ever washed away by the blood of Christ-though they are fully justified in the righteousness of Christ-though the gift of God is eternal life, through Jesus Christ; yet none are partakers of these invaluable blessings, but those who partake of precious faith in Christ. And this faith, which is the gift of God, the faith of God's elect, manifests itself by its obedience to the will of God, and in bringing forth fruits to the glory of God. Though the persons of the saints will not be justified, and have eternal life bestowed upon them, for the sake of their works, or because their works merited justification and salvation; but their works will be declared to justify their faith in the Lord their righteousness and salvation; that as they professed to believe in him, so they manifested their love to him by being obedient to his commands. Therefore, let no one deceive himself. For faith without works is dead, and a dead faith never begets living hope upon a risen Saviour; nor will it avail, when he shall appear as the Judge.

TALKATIVE LIKE

TWO THINGS THAT
SOUND, WITHOUT
LIFE

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." 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 if it were the tongue or voice of an angel.

FAITH. Well, I was not so fond of his company at first, but I am as sick of it now. What shall we do to be rid of him?

CHR. Take my advice, and do as I bid you, and you shall find that he will soon be sick of 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.

FAITH. Well, if you will, we will fall to it now: and since you left it with me to state the question, let it be

m 1 Cor. xiii. 1-3. xiv. 7.

Without this, all is but empty notion, mere sound, and unavailing profession. Men only take up fancy for faith; the form of godliness instead of the power; and the old nature is dressed up in the specious appearance of new pretensions. True faith will ever show itself by its fruits a real conversion, by the life and conversation. Be not deceived; God is not mocked with the tongue, if the heart be not right towards him in love and obedience.