till He either confeffes or is convicted.

must be the Purport of our Response.

66

This then "We are

verily guilty concerning this Thing. And we "humbly implore both pardoning Mercy for the "paft, and ftrengthening Grace for the future."

Give me leave to urge my Queftion a little farther. Is there a fingle Day, in which You have not tranfgreffed, some Way or other, this facred Rule?

Ther. If the Law of GOD will difpenfe with no Deviation, not even in the firft Starts of Thought

But furely to affirm this, is to extend the Law beyond all reasonable Bounds. The Motions of evil Defire, if indulged, are undoubtedly criminal. But are they alfo, when reftrained, Breaches of Duty? I should rather imagine, that such Temptations are thrown in our Way, for the Trial of our Obedience. Which, had they no Power over our Affections, would not be Trials; and, when they are refolutely withstood, cannot be Faults.

Afp. What was the Judgment of our Reformers ? And what is the Voice of our Church? We may find both in the Ninth Article. "Although there "is no Condemnation for them that believe and are "baptifed, yet the Apoftle doth confefs, That Con"cupifcence and Luft hath of itself the Nature of "Sin." It is not faid, Concupifcence hath then only the Nature of Sin, when it is ripened into Action; but of itself, and before it breaks out into the Commiffion of Iniquity. Of itself it is contrary to the pure Nature, and therefore cannot but be condemned by the perfect Law of GOD.

Ther. This I can truly plead in my own Behalf; That it has not been cuftomary with me to offend';

at

at leaft not prefumptuously, or of deliberate Wickedness.

Afp. My dear Theron, do not offer to palliate your Guilt. Such an Opiate may ftupify, but will not cure or rather, like Opiates ill prepared, it will intoxicate the Mind, and counteract the Operation of every healing Medicine.-Befides, it is not only pernicious, but false and unreasonable. You know the Ufe of that folar Microscope, and are able to inform me of its Effects.

Ther. I ought to be pretty well acquainted with thefe Experiments; fince it has long been my favourite Diverfion, to employ a few fpare Hours in fuch agreeable Speculations.

Afp. You have feen the Body of an Infect, accommodated to the surprising Instrument. When, in this Situation, the Animal was pricked by a very fine Needle; your Eye, your naked Eye, just perceived the Puncture; and difcovered, perhaps, a Speck of Moisture oozing from the Orifice. But, in what Manner were they reprefented, by the magnifying Inftrument?

Ther. The Puncture was widened into a frightful Gafh. The Speck of Moisture fwelled into a copious Stream; and flowed, like a Torrent from the gaping Wound. An Ox, under the facrificing Knife, fcarcę looks more bulky, or bleeds more largely.

Afp. Don't You apprehend my Defign?-If We, fhort-fighted Mortals, and almost blinded with Selflove; if We cannot but be fenfible of our Faults; how flagrant must they appear, in what enormous Magnitudes, and with what aggravating Circumftances, to an Eye perfectly pure, and infinitely penetrating?

Inftead of attempting to extenuate our Offences, let Us make fome fuch improving Reflections."If this holy Law, which prohibits the minuteft "Failure, form the Indictment; if this all-difcern❝ing GOD, who fifts our Conduct even to the "fmalleft Defect, be the Judge; and our perfonal "Goodness, which abounds with Imperfections, "the Plea; what can We expect, at that decifive "Hour, when the LORD fhall lay Judgment to "the Line, and Righteoufnefs to the Plummet * ?— Surely, this Confideration fhould incline Us, to adopt the wife and ardent Wifh of the Apoftle; "That We may now, in this our Day, win CHRIST; "and, at the laft tremendous Audit, be found in "Him; not having our own Righteousness, which is of "the Law, for the Foundation of our Hopes, but "the Righteousness which is of GOD, by Faith in "JESUS CHRIST†:

Confider the Law in its nobler Capacity, as enjoining whatever is excellent.-Can You hope, Theron, to be justified by it, if You fall short of its Demands, not barely in a few Inftances, but in every Action of your Life, and every Temper of your Heart?"

Ther. Such a Hope, cherifhed amidst such Circumstances, would be fallacious and abfurd.-But I truft, I am not fo very faulty, or rather fo entirely abandoned, as your Interrogatory fuppofes.

Afp. Have You duly examined the Spirituality of the divine Law?—It is ftyled, an incorruptible Picture of the High and Holy ONE, that inhabiteth Eternity. It is, doubtlefs, a Copy of his abfolute Rectitude and fupreme Perfection. It is a bright Repre

* Ifai. xxvi. 17.

+ Phil. iii, 8, 9.

Representation of his most pure Nature, and a beautiful Delineation of his most holy Will.-It not only prefcribes the external Duties of Righteousness and Holiness, but calls for the moft upright Imaginations and devout Affections.-Nay, it infifts upon the Exercife of every Virtue, and that in the highest Degree. Love to GOD, without the leaft Lukewarmness; and Love to our Neighbour, without any Unkindness; a Sanctity of Defire, that knows no Stain; and an Integrity of Behaviour, that includes whatever is holy, juft, and good.-In fhort; it requires Us to be perfect, even as our FATHER which is in Heaven is perfect *.

Do any of your Actions come up to this exalted Standard? Are any of your Graces thus refined? Ther. Am I then abfolutely an Infolvent, before the great LORD of the Univerfe? Have I no Lamb in my Fold, that is without a Blemish? Nothing in my Life, nothing in my Heart, but what is defective and defiled?

*Matt. v. 48. Our LORD, having explained feveral Commandments of the Law, fums up the Whole, and gives Us the Spirit of all, in this most refined Precept; Be Ye perfect even, &c. If the Reader pleases to take this Paffage into Confideration, He will have a more fatisfactory Anfwer to Theron's Objection, concerning the firft Motions of evil Defire; more fatisfactory I mean, than was fuggefted in the preceding Pages. There, the Reply turned upon human Teftimony; Here, it refts upon divine Authority.

I hope, the candid Reader will, on other Occafions, remember this Obfervation. And if, at any Time, the frongeft Reasons are not immediately affigned; let Him fuppofe it poffible, that they are omitted in one Place, only to be introduced and urged, perhaps with greater Advantage, in another.

Pleraque differet, & præfens in Tempus omittet. HoR.

Afp. Indeed, my Friend, this is not your Condi tion alone, but the Condition of the most irreproachable Perfon on Earth. There is None perfect, in any Character, or in any Work, no not One. None that obeys the divine Law, invariably and comcompletely. And, before the Tribunal of GOD, nothing paffes for Righteoufnefs, but a complete and abfolute Obedience.

Caft your Eye upon the Names, which are fubjoined to those beautiful Prints. How elegant is the Engraving! How accurate are the Letters! The Strokes most delicately fine! Their Shape moft exactly true! Let me afk You to tranfcribe them with.. Your Pen; and make the Copy equal to the Oris : ginal. Preferve all the noble Boldness of the Roman Stamp, and all the graceful Softnefs of the Italian Touch. What? Could You not execute this Talk, even in your prefent unimpaired Health, and with the Exertion of all your Skill? How miferably then muft You fall short, if your Eyes were dim with Age; if your Hands fhook with a paralitic Diforder; and your Understanding was oppreffed with a lethargic Dulness?-Such is really the Cafe with regard to all the Children of Men. Our Nature is depraved; our moral Abilities are enervated; and our intellectual Faculties clouded. And can We, in fuch a State of Impotence, tranfcribe that facred Syftem, which is the very Image of GOD-tranfcribe it into our Tempers, and render it legible in our Lives, without diminishing one Jot or Tittle of its perfect Purity?

Ther. Though I fall fhort, there are Chriftians of a much higher Clafs. Chriftians, I don't doubt, who have thefe Laws written on their Hearts; all

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whofe