“You are a communicant, my Juliet; this presupposes that a very great and important change has taken place in your mind—­that you have been made deeply sensible of what the word of God testifies of every son and daughter of Adam’s race.  ’As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one.’  Rom. 3:10.  Man is born as the wild ass’s colt, going astray from the womb.  Job.  The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked; I the Lord search it.  Having the understanding darkened, alienated from the life of God, through the ignorance that is in us, because of the blindness of our hearts.  Dead in trespasses and sins.  Eph. 4:18; 2:1.

“Your profession presupposes that this chapter may be addressed to you, Juliet, by name:  ’You hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins; wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience:  among whom also we all had our conversation in times past, in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others.  But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ; by grace are ye saved, through faith, not of works, lest any man should boast.’  Works there are, my Juliet, most assuredly; every quickened soul will live, and bring forth fruits of righteousness; but these works are not attainable but in God’s way and order.  It follows, ’For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.’

“My Juliet says, ‘To you then I look up to teach me.’  Let me then bring you to the great Teacher and Prophet of the church, without whose teaching all human instruction will be ineffectual.  We read of two amiable characters coming to Christ professedly for instruction.  The first you will find in Matthew 19:16.  The young man asks him, ‘What good thing shall I do, that I may inherit eternal life?’ Jesus answers him by referring him to the moral law:  the young man, not made acquainted by the Spirit of God, either with the extent or spirituality of that law, or of the depravity of his own nature, answers, as many in like circumstances still do,’ All these things have I kept from my youth up.’  I do not suppose any one could contradict him.  It is added that Jesus loved him, and he was a person of attractive character; but Jesus knew that the true principle was not there—­supreme love to God, ’with all the heart, with all the soul, with all the strength, and with all the mind:’  therefore he gave him a test which proved that the world was uppermost in his heart.  He went away sorrowful, and we hear no more of him.