again drawn away by the world, you would be of the number of those fearful and unbelieving persons who will have their part "in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone," Rev. xxi. 8, and of those who lose patience and depart from the right way.

Disciple.-I can assure you that I desire, with all my heart, to be changed.

Pastor. This desire is a proof of your sincerity; but as I have already told you, your wishes, resolutions, and promises of amendment are vain and useless, if you do not go as a miserable sinner to Jesus to implore your cure from him, Matt. xv. 30. How many times have you made a determination to live better? How often have you endeavoured to convert and amend yourself? Yet, to this moment, you have done nothing towards it. Why? Because you still secretly confide in your own strength. Do you really desire pardon and remission of your sins? Go to Jesus; but go as a sinner, who can neither promise nor perform any thing.

Disciple. I confess that I have need of being seriously and entirely converted, without which I can neither possess faith, nor obtain the grace of God.

Pastor. You are right; but remember, faith must precede amendment and sanctification.

When one talks of conversion, the entire work of the change and renewal of man is often meant, that is, repentance, faith, and an alteration of life. Here we use the term conversion in a sense less extensive, and mean a change of heart and mind: or, as St. Paul expresses it, "repentance from dead works," Heb. vi. 1. Conversion, in this signification, consists in knowing not only the sinful acts we have committed, but also the depth of misery, corruption, and depravity there is in our hearts; in a lively sorrow on account of our state, accompanied by a sincere detestation of, and ardent supplication for, deliverance from it. To this grace, the Lord adds that of faith in Jesus, and confidence in his merits; then we may apply ourselves successfully to the work of sanctification. A true and entire conversion is always attended by faith and a dependance upon grace. It is simply by faith that we renounce all and cleave to Jesus Christ; so, likewise, it is only to a true believer that the Lord grants a sincere desire to depart from evil and the necessary strength to do so; from whence may be concluded, that without true faith there can be no real and entire conversion. Thus, the part you have to take is to apply to the Lord Jesus, to bestow upon you grace and pardon. It is not imagined that you can save yourself: Christ alone is our Saviour and Deliverer,

He has already purchased us, paid our ransom, and obtained grace for us. It remains on our part to accept this grace by faith, and cleave to him, that we may be found in Christ, as in an impregnable fortress. "The name of the Lord is a strong tower. The righteous runneth into it, and is safe," Prov. xviii. 10.

Disciple.--I understand and believe all this; but tell me, sir, what do you think of me? Do you believe that the Lord Jesus will receive such a sinner as I am, and pardon my sins?

Pastor.-Yes; without doubt I believe it, and you may go to him in full confidence of it. He knows that no one can help you but himself; and he has already waited a long time, that you might turn to him. Read the Gospel, and see who were they that were received by Jesus; they were the sick, the miserable, publicans, people who had led a bad life; in a word, sinners. The servants of the king were commanded to bring in the poor, who had no righteousness to produce; the lame and the impotent, who were incapable of acting or doing any thing; the blind, who, not seeing their way clearly, abandoned themselves to the pity of those willing to conduct them. As for such as were unconscious of their misery and necessities, they refused to go to the Saviour, and so excluded themselves from his grace, Luke xiv.

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Disciple. You do not know all the evil that is in me. In the first place, I have a heart so corrupt that it must be changed.

Pastor. It is good that you should know the evil of your heart; but it is precisely because it is so bad that you have need to apply to the Saviour. Go to him then-go, such as you are; place all your confidence in him, and you will find in him the change you desire; for it is he who will cleanse and sanctify your heart, and prepare a place in it for himself to dwell.

Disciple. I have great difficulty in believing that the Lord Jesus will draw nigh to a heart defiled like mine, and dwell in it by his grace.

Pastor. But the light he has communicated to you, proves that he has commenced his work of grace in you; without it you could not know yourself so well, or feel so painfully your malady. In fact the Lord "looks to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit ;" and "dwelleth with him that is of a contrite and humble spirit," Isaiah lxvi. 2, and lvii. 15.

As soon as you are enabled to believe in the Lord Jesus, with all your heart, you will be washed in his blood from all sin, and delivered from all condemnation; purified from dead works and freed from the servitude of sin, that you may serve the living God, Rom. viii. 1; Heb. ix. 14. A new

spirit will be given you, a clean heart and a will inclined to good. You have received already the earnest of these graces. Your will is pure since you entertain sincere desires after sanctification, and are fearful of contracting the least pollution. If the germ of original sin is yet alive in you, know that the most advanced in sanctification are not entirely exempt from its motions; but the course these faithful souls take is to go daily to the fountain of salvation, to implore they may be washed afresh in the blood of the Lamb, and absolved from their faults; and that they may be enabled to strip themselves, more and more, of their sinful rags, and of every stain of the flesh and spirit. Here you must be on your guard against two rocks equally dangerous. One consists in believing ourselves to be so pure and holy, as to be exempt from sin, weaknesses, and imperfections. This is the character of the hypocrite, in whose mouth the truth is not, 1 John i. 8; Luke xvi. 15; Prov. xxx. 12. This is the language of the proud Pharisee. The other rock consists in extenuating our faults, and allowing ourselves to live after the flesh, under pretext that it is impossible to be entirely perfect; that the most pious are not without failings; that the Saviour is not so particular, and we need not be so scrupulous. This is the language of the Old Serpent,