y, "offend you; the correctness of your conduct exempts you from
any particular application. But there are too many Christians who, while
they speak with reverence of Christ as the Saviour of sinners, do not
enough consider him as a deliverer from sin. They regard him rather as
having lowered the requisitions of the law, and exonerated his followers
from the necessity of that strictness of life which they view as a
burdensome part of religion. From this burden they flatter themselves it
was the chief object of the gospel to deliver them; and from this
supposed deliverance it is, that they chiefly consider it a merciful
dispensation. A cheap Christianity, of which we can acquit ourselves by
a general recognition, and a few stated observances; which requires no
sacrifices of the will, nor rectification of the life, is, I assure you,
the prevailing system; the religion of that numerous class who like to
save appearances, and to decline realities; who expect every thing
hereafter while they resolve to give up nothing here; but who keep
heaven in view as a snug reversion after they shall have squeezed out of
this world, to the very last dregs and droppings, all it has to give."

Lady Belfield with great modesty replied, "Indeed I am ashamed to have
said so much upon a topic on which I am unable and unused to debate. Sir
John only smiles, and looks resolved not to help me out. Believe me,
however, my dear sir, that what I have said proceeds not from
presumption, but from an earnest desire of being set right. I will only
venture to offer one more observation on the afternoon's sermon. Dr.
Barlow, to my great surprise, spoke of the death of Christ as exhibiting
_practical_ lessons. Now though I have always considered it in a general
way, as the cause of our salvation, yet its preceptive and moral
benefits, I must confess, do not appear to me at all obvious."

"I conceive," replied Mr. Stanley, "our deliverance from the punishment
incurred by sin, to be one great end and object of the death of our
Redeemer; but I am very far from considering this as the only benefit
attending it. I conceive it to be most abundant in instruction, and the
strongest possible incentive to practical goodness, and that in a great
variety of ways. The death of our Redeemer shows us the infinite value
of our souls, by showing the inestimable price paid for them, and thus
leads us to more diligence in securing their eternal felicity. It is
calculated to