outward form or carnal ordinance."

Freeborn said it deeply pained him to hear such sentiments, and to find
that Charles was so tainted with the errors of the day; and he began,
not with much tact, to talk of the Papal Antichrist, and would have got
off to prophecy, had Charles said a word to afford fuel for discussion.
As he kept silence, Freeborn's zeal burnt out, and there was a break in
the conversation.

After a time, Reding ventured to begin again.

"If I understand you," he said, "faith carries its own evidence with it.
Just as I eat my bread at breakfast without hesitation about its
wholesomeness, so, when I have really faith, I know it beyond mistake,
and need not look out for tests of it?"

"Precisely so," said Freeborn; "you begin to see what I mean; you grow.
The soul is enlightened to see that it has real faith."

"But how," asked Charles, "are we to rescue those from their dangerous
mistake, who think they have faith, while they have not? Is there no way
in which they can find out that they are under a delusion?"

"It is not wonderful," said Freeborn, "though there be no way. There are
many self-deceivers in the world. Some men are self-righteous, trust in
their works, and think they are safe when they are in a state of
perdition; no formal rules _can_ be given by which their reason might
for certain detect their mistake. And so of false faith."

"Well, it does seem to me wonderful," said Charles, "that there is no
natural and obvious warning provided against this delusion; wonderful
that false faith should be so exactly like true faith that there is
nothing to determine their differences from each other. Effects imply
causes: if one apprehension of Christ leads to good works, and another
does not, there must be something _in_ the one which is not _in_ the
other. _What_ is a false apprehension of Christ wanting in, which a true
apprehension has? The word _apprehension_ is so vague; it conveys no
definite idea to me, yet justification depends on it. Is a false
apprehension, for instance, wanting in repentance and amendment?"

"No, no," said Freeborn; "true faith is complete without conversion;
conversion follows; but faith is the root."

"Is it the love of God which distinguishes true faith from false?"

"Love?" answered Freeborn; "you should read what Luther says in his
celebrated comment on the Galatians. He calls such a doctrine
'_pestilens figmentum_,' '_diaboli portentum_;' and cries out aga