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Show 80 NAnnA'l'lV E oF bert, it is not morality; it is not consistency of practice with profession; it is not the doing Tight that makes a ChTistian, foT if man could ha,·o attained to entire conectncss in morals, there would have bern no such thing ns Christianity. But it is became of man1S wickcclness and his inconsistency, both in theory and in practice, that the Christian religion is prc;; cn ted as the means of attaining to salvation. ChTist makes the ChTistiau-thc Christian in ChTist and Christ in the Christian-a loving, afrectionatc, endearing union-of ignorance with wisdom, of infirmity with strength, of immorality with virtue. Christ throws his robe of righteousness over the follies and the wickedness of the convcrtccl soul, and by covering him with himself, gradually similatcs him to himself until what is carnal being cast off, the spiritual remains at death a pure child of God." " Dear me, Mary, yon look lovely as you speak t1,is mysterious theology. Ancl I really pant after snclt t'cclings as I see beaming from your cou!!tcna.ncc; but you might just as well speak to m" i·1 Arabic for any understanding I can have of (, is tiling called Christianity. It mmt be somcthin ; f!.-,0 d, or it could not thus fill your own soul, i:.t.cl:igcnt as you arc, A LBERT A ND MARY. 81 with a joy tl1at makes you indifferent to those gaieties of life which give me pleasure." "lou need,, said Mary, "tbe teachings of God's spirit. You know I took delight in those things a year ngo, but God's spirit taught me that I was sinning iu partaking of them. I was at Fayolle's, dancing, a.ncl, in the midst of a figure in the cotillon, my head became giddy, and I had to be supported to a scat. I soon recovered, but the thought of a sudden death distressed me, for it came very forcibly to my minll-·l am a. wjcked sinner.'' "0, :Mary, :Mary," interrupted Albert, "you did uot think yourself a sinner l'' "Y cs, Alber t, I did. I had never thought so be· fore, but had rather prided myself upon being called a good girl by all my acquaintances. But I now saw things in a diiierent light ; and when I went home a~d began self-examination, I soon found I had a very wicked heart. I tried to do better, but the more I tried to live unto God the more I discovered the proneness of my heart to sin. I tried to think good thoughts, and evil thoughts came directly in my way to mar my peace. Day after day I made effort to purify my thoughts. It was all in vain. A pure 4* |