All sense of contrition for past offences, all disposition
to be reconciled to her lord was prevented by their assurances of her
safety, and their prayers for his conversion, which ran in the style of
craving that he might no longer halt between two opinions, but
renouncing the fears of the carnal man be perfected in faith and love.
Every Scripture narrative, which, by falsifying some circumstances,
could be made to answer their purpose, was presented to her remembrance.
The murder, adultery, and acceptance of David; the liberality of Solomon
to the church; the preservation of Rahab the harlot from the general
massacre of her people, on account of her saving faith; the supposed
profligacy of Magdalen's early life, atoned for by her sitting passive
at the feet of her Lord.--All these instances were produced to prove the
false and scandalous tenet, that a course of sin was a better
preparative to conversion than a life of comparative innocence.
Arguments were bandied from tongue to tongue; each one cavilled at the
assertions of the other, yet all united in the purpose of pacifying an
alarmed conscience, and changing despair into ill-founded confidence.
Pages:
679
680
681
682
683
684
685
686
687
688
689
690
691
692
693
694
695
696
697
698
699
700
701
702
703