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Disciple. I have already had many crosses my life; I have been exposed to calumny, and even persecution. You know this is the lot of the children of God.

Pastor. Do not call a cross those evils you have brought upon yourself by imprudence, caprice, or bad conduct. The real cross, which is the portion of true Christians upon earth, is what they suffer, not for having done evil, but for the love of Jesus, and in the same spirit of patience and resignation to the will of God the Father.

Disciple.—Notwithstanding, I can assure you, God has supported and visibly protected me from my enemies, an evident proof that my prayers have been acceptable to him.

Pastor.-In that, God has done for you what he does for many of the ungodly, whom he protects and preserves by his all-powerful providence in his kingdom of nature. If you reflect, perhaps, you will remember, that you have employed every means in your power to avoid those sufferings the wisdom of God had ordered for your good. When the Saviour burthens us with the cross, he gives us patience and strength to support it.

Disciple. But after so long a profession of being a Christian, and having been considered such by others, is it possible that they and myself can be deceived?

C

Pastor. To appear so, in the eyes of the world, it is sufficient to have some knowledge, to abstain from gross sins, to lead a regular life, to perform the outward duties of worship, and to know how to talk religiously; but it is not so easy to deceive the real children of God; as spiritual men, they know how to judge of spiritual things. Having their senses exercised to discern good from evil, truth from falsehood, they perceive, in an instant, whether the foundation be solid, whether any other be laid save Jesus Christ, and whether a person be animated by his spirit or another.

Disciple.-Is it not, then, permitted us to apply to ourselves the grace of God, aud manifest to others what is good in us?

Pastor. He only knows what grace is, who feels in his heart that he is a poor sinner, and unreservedly confesses it; and none other can apply to himself the grace of the Gospel but he who has received it, and experienced its efficacy. You will never hear the pardoned sinner make a parade of his good qualities; the hypocrite alone exalts his own righteousness, in order to stifle the reproofs of his conscience. The children of God seriously endeavour after sanctification, but they

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* It possibly may be objected by some, that, when any one receives the spirit of adoption, in regeneration, he is

glory only in the Lord Jesus Christ, in his cross, and the merits of his blood and death, Gal. vi. 14; Phil. iii; Jer. ix, 23, 24. Every cause of selfglory is excluded in them who know they are saved by grace, through faith, and that not of themselves, but by the free and unmerited gift of God; "not of works, lest any man should boast," Ephes. ii. 9. Besides, there is a great difference between a Pharisee who displays his pretended merits, in saying, " God, I thank thee that I am not as other men are," &c. Luke xviii. 11; and a humble sincere Christian, who in the lowest selfabasement, says with St. Paul, "I am the chief of sinners; howbeit, for this cause I obtained mercy, that in me first Jesus Christ might show forth all long suffering, for a pattern to them which should hereafter believe on him to life everlasting," 1 Tim. i. 15, 16. A self-righteous man is always harsh and severe; but the child of God is compassionate and charitable towards all men, and especially towards poor afflicted sinners.

sanctified; but such should consider that, from that moment and not before, the Christian's warfare commences. It consists in daily putting off concerning the former conversation, the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, and "in putting on the new man, which, after God is created in righteousness and true holiness," Eph. iv. 22. 24, and this is what the apostle Paul enjoins and calls " perfecting holiness in the fear of God,"

2 Cor. vii. 1.

Disciple.-It seems that you desire to deprive me of my faith; nevertheless, it is not right that I should open my heart to unbelief and distrust.

Pastor. My poor friend, I declare freely to you that I do not think you have faith. It does nɔt even appear that you ever had any, It is indeed true that poor repentant sinners ought to shun unbelief and mistrust, because they have every thing to expect from the mercy of the Lord; but those who live in impenitence and security, ought not to arrogate to themselves a faith which they do not possess. A thorough knowledge and lively sense of his misery does not lead a man to distrust and despair; on the contrary, it is the salutary path by which the Holy Spirit usually conducts the sinner, through faith, to Jesus Christ. It is, then, unreasonable that you should object to enter this path, and to avoid it, you should attribute to yourself a faith which is only imaginary. Instead of thinking so advantageously of yourself, I would rather see you disquieted about your state, accusing, judging, and abandoning yourself to the influences of the Holy Spirit, in order that he might carry on his work in you.

Disciple.-Ah well! I am willing to submit myself entirely to the guidance of the Lord.

Pastor. It is, without doubt, the best thing

you can do; but then you must follow the road he leads, surrender your heart to him, without reserve, and sincerely implore his grace; you must avail yourself of every means he affords, and avoid every thing that may tend to prevent or destroy his work in you.

Disciple. If the good that is already in me goes for nothing-if, in reality, I am to consider it nothing, what is to become of me?

Pastor. You will become a poor sinner, whose pretended virtue and self-righteousness will cover him with confusion. You will discover yourself to be blind, and that you have lived in darkness and ignorant security as to what relates to your salvation; one who has never seen or known Jesus the Saviour of the world, because, like the Jews, a veil of unbelief and self-righteousness has covered your eyes: you will discover yourself to be a paralytic that can neither act nor move by yourself; a body of sin and death, destitute of the life of God, and of every feeling that can lead to him; a leper, corrupt, defiled, impure in every part of your body, and every faculty of your soul; and besides which, a man senseless enough to think he has a pure, upright, and good heart. In fine you will regard yourself as a lost man, who can find neither succour nor refuge in any creature, whether in heaven or earth. Then your