Conversation of Faithful and Talkative. FAITH. This brings to my mind that word of Moses, by which he described 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 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 I 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"." "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 company at first, but 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 shall find that he will soon be sick of your comyou pany too, except that 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 y Lev. xi. Deut. xiv. 21 Cor. xiii. 1-3. xiv. 7. 1 Conversation of Faithful and Talkative. will) whether this thing be set up in his heart, house, or conversation 5? FAITH. 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 this: How doth the saving 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, it is a very good question, and I shall be willing to answer you; and take my answer in brief thus: First, where the grace of God is in the heart, it causeth there a great outcry against sin. Secondly, FAITH. Nay, hold; let us consider of one at once: I think you should rather say, It shews itself by inclining the soul to abhor its sin. TALK. Why, what difference is there between crying out against, and abhorring of sin? FAITH. Oh! a great deal. A man may cry out against sin, of policy; but he cannot abhor it but by virtue of a godly antipathy against it: I have heard many cry out against sin in the pulpit, who can yet abide it well enough in the heart, house, and conversation. Joseph's mistress cried with a loud voice, as if she had been very holy; but she would willingly, notwithstanding that, have committed uncleanness with him. Some cry out against sin, even as the 5 Without this all is 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 shew itself by its fruits: a real conversion, by a holy life and conversation. Conversation of Faithful and Talkative. mother cries out against her child in her lap, when she calls it slut and naughty girl, and then falls to hugging and kissing it. TALK. You lie at the catch, I perceive. FAITH. No, not I, I am only for setting things right. But what is the second thing whereby you will prove a discovery of a work of grace in the heart? TALK. Great knowledge of gospel mysteries. FAITH. This sign should have been first: but, first or last, it is also false: for knowledge, great knowledge, may be obtained in the mysteries of the gospel, and yet no work of grace in the soul. Yea, if a man have all knowledge, he may yet be nothing, and so consequently be no child of God. When Christ said, "Do ye know all these things?" and the disciples had answered, Yes-he added, "Blessed are ye, if you do them." He doth not lay the bless"He ing in the knowing of them, but in the doing of them. For there is a knowledge that is not attended with doing: "he that knoweth his master's will, and doeth it not." A man may know like an angel, and yet be no Christian: therefore your sign of it is not true. Indeed, to know, is a thing that pleaseth talkers and boasters; 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 therefore two sorts of knowledge: knowledge that resteth in the bare speculation of things, and knowledge that is accompanied with the grace of faith and love, which puts a man upon doing even the will of God from the heart: the first of these will serve the talker; but without the other the true Christian is not content: "Give me under 1 Cor. xiii. 2. Conversation of Faithful and Talkative. standing, and I shall keep thy law; yea, I shall observe it with my whole heart." TALK. You lie at the catch again; this is not for edification. FAITH. Well, if you please, propound another sign how this work of grace discovereth itself where it is. TALK. Not I; for I see we shall not agree. FAITH. Well, if you will not, will you give me leave to do it? TALK. You may use your liberty. FAITH. A work of grace in the soul discovereth itself, either to him that hath it, or to standers by. To him that hath it, thus: It gives him conviction of sin, especially of the defilement of his nature, and the sin of unbelief, for the sake of which he is sure to be damned, if he findeth not mercy at God's hand, by faith in Jesus Christ". This sight and sense of things worketh in him sorrow and shame for sin; he findeth, moreover, revealed in him the Saviour of the world, and the absolute necessity of closing with him for life; at the which he findeth hungerings and thirstings after him; to which hungerings, &c. the promise is made. Now according to the strength or weakness of his faith in his Saviour, so is his joy and peace, so is his love to holiness, so are his desires to know him more, and also to serve him in this world. But though, I say, it discovereth itself thus unto him, yet it is but seldom that he is able to conclude that this is a work of grace; because his corruptions now, and his abused reason, make his Yes, but it certainly is for self-examination and soul-direction. Better so, than to be edified in false hopes and soul-deceivings. e Psal. cxix. 34. d Mark xvi. 16. John xvi. 8, 9. Rom. vii. 25. 'Psal. xxxviii. 18. Jer. xxxi. 19. Matth. v. 6. Acts iv. 12. Gal. i. Faithful describes the Nature of practical Religion. mind to misjudge in this matter: therefore in him that hath this work there is required a very sound judgment, before he can with steadiness conclude that this is a work of grace. To others it is thus discovered: First, By an experimental confession of his faith in Christ. Secondly, By a life answerable to that confession; to wit, a life of holiness; heart-holiness, family-holiness (if he hath a family) and by conversation-holiness in the world; which in the general teacheth him inwardly to abhor his sin, and himself for that in secret; to suppress it in his family, and to promote holiness in the world: not by talk only, as a hypocrite or talkative person may do, but by a practical subjection in faith and love to the power of the word. And now, Sir, as to this brief description of the work of grace, and also the discovery of it, if you have aught to object, object; if not, then give me leave to propound to you a second question. TALK. Nay, my part is not now to object, but to hear: let me therefore have your second question. FAITH. It is this: Do you experience this first part of the description of it? and doth your life and conversation testify the same? or standeth your religion in word or tongue, and not in deed and truth? Pray, if you incline to answer me in this, say no more than you know the God above will say Amen to; and also nothing but what your conscience can justify you in: "for not he that commendeth himself 7 This, and this only, will evidence that we are real disciples of Christ, honour his name, and his truths, and recommend his religion in the world. Without this power of godliness we have only a name to live, while we are dead. Examine yourself: look to your ways, f Psal. 1. 23. Ezek. xx. 43, 44. Matth. v. 8. John xiv. 15. Rom. x. 9, 10. Phil. iii. 17-20. |