{196} Faith.  This brings to my mind that of Moses, by which he describeth the beast that is clean. [Lev. 11:3-7; Deut. 14:6-8] He is such a 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. [1 Cor. 13:1-3; 14:7] 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.

{197} 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.

{198} 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?

Talkative’s false discovery of a work of grace

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 shows itself by inclining the soul to abhor its sin.

Talk.  Why, what difference is there between crying out against, and abhorring of sin?