_Eusebius._ What is the price that I must give for it? _Theophilus._ You must give up all that you are, and all that you have from fallen _Adam_; for all that you are and have from him, is that life of flesh and blood, which cannot enter into the kingdom of God. _Adam_, after his fall, had nothing that was good in him, nothing that could inherit an eternal life in heaven, but a seed of grace. Every thing else in him was devoted to death, that this _incorruptible seed_ might grow up in Christ Jesus. _Theogenes._ I am afraid the matter is much worse with me, than it is with _Eusebius_. For tho’ this doctrine, seems to have got all my heart, as it is a doctrine; yet I am continually thrown out of it in practice, and find myself as much under the power of my old tempers and passions, as I was before I was so full of this doctrine. _Theophilus._ You are to know, my friends, that every kind of virtue and goodness, may be brought into us, by two different ways. They may be taught us outwardly by men, by rules and precepts; and they may be inwardly wrought in us. In the former way, as we learn them only from men, they at best, only change our outward behaviour, leave our heart in its natural state, only put our passions under a forced restraint, which will occasionally break forth, in spite of precept and doctrine. Now this way of learning goodness, tho’ thus imperfect, is yet absolutely necessary, in the nature of the thing, and must first have its time, and place, and work in us; yet it is only for a time, as the _law_ was a school-master to the _gospel_. We must first be babes in doctrine, as well as in strength, before we can be men. But of all this outward instruction, whether from good men, or the _letter_ of scripture, it must be said, as the apostle saith of the law, _that it maketh nothing perfect_. The true profitableness of the written word of God, is fully set forth by St. _Paul_ to _Timothy_: _from a child_, saith he, _thou hast known the scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation, which is by faith in Christ Jesus_. Now these scriptures were the _law and the prophets_, for _Timothy_ had known no other from his youth. And as they, so all other scriptures since, have no other good, or benefit in them, but as they lead us to a salvation, that is not to be had in themselves, but from faith in Christ Jesus. Their teaching is only to teach us, where to seek and to find the fountain of all light and knowledge. Of the law saith the apostle, _it was a school-master to Christ_. The same thing is to be affirmed of the letter of the New Testament; it is but our school-master unto Christ. Nor can the thing possibly be otherwise; no instruction that comes under the form of words can do more for us, than sounds, and words can do; they can only direct us to something that is better than themselves, that can be the true light, life, spirit, and power of ♦holiness in us. ♦ “hoiliness” replaced with “holiness”