"Religious comfort," said Mr. Stanley, "is a high attainment. Only it is incumbent on every Christian to be assured that if he is happy it is on safe grounds."
"I have taken care of that," replied Mr. Tyrrel. "For some years after I had quitted my loose habits, I attended occasionally at church, but found no comfort in it, because I perceived so much was to be done and so much was to be sacrificed. But the great doctrines of faith, as opened to me by Mr. H—n, have at last given me peace, and liberty, and I rest myself without solicitude on the mercy so freely offered in the gospel. No mistakes or sins of mine can ever make me forfeit the divine favor."
"Let us hear, however," replied Mr. Stanley, "what the Bible says; for as that is the only rule by which we shall be judged hereafter, it may be prudent to be guided by it here. God says by the prophet, 'I will put my Spirit within you;' but he does this for some purpose, for he says in the very next words, 'I will cause you to walk in my statutes.' And for fear this should not plainly enough inculcate holiness, he goes on to say, 'And ye shall keep my judgments, and do them.' Show me, if you can, a single promise made to an impenitent, unholy man."
"Why," said Tyrrel, "is not the mercy of God promised to the wicked in every part of the Bible?"
"It is," said Mr. Stanley; "but that is, 'if he forsake his way.'"
"This fondness for works is, in my opinion, nothing else but setting aside the free grace of God."
"Quite the contrary: so far from setting it aside, it is the way to glorify it, for it is by that grace alone that we are enabled to perform right actions. For myself, I always find it difficult to answer persons, who, in flying to one extreme, think they can not too much degrade the opposite. If we give faith its due prominence, the mere moralist reprobates our principles as if we were depreciating works. If we magnify the beauty of holiness, the advocate for exclusive faith accuses us of being its enemy."
"For my own part, I am persuaded that unqualified trust is the only ground of safety."
"He who can not lie has indeed told us so. But trust in God is humble dependence, not presumptuous security. The Bible does not say, trust in the Lord and sin on, but 'trust in the Lord, and be doing good.' We are elsewhere told that, 'God works in us to will and to do.' There is no getting over that little word to do. I suppose you allow the necessity of prayer."
"Certainly I do."