Then Christian addressed himself thus to his fellow Well, come, my good Hopeful, I perceive that thou and I must walk by ourselves again. So I saw in my dream, that they went on apace before, and Ignorance, he came hobbling after. Then said Christian to his companion, I much pity this poor man; it will certainly go hard with him at last. HOPE. Alas! there are abundance in our town in his condition, whole families, yea whole streets, and that of pilgrims too. And if there be so many in our parts, how many, think you, must there be in the place where he was born? CIIR. Indeed the Word saith, "He hath blinded their eyes, lest they should see," &c. But, now we are by ourselves, what do you think of such men? have they at no time, think you, convictions of sin, and so, consequently, fears that their state is dangerous? HOPE. Nay, do you answer that question yourself, for you are the elder man. CHR. Then I say, sometimes (as I think), they may; but they, being naturally ignorant, understand not that such convictions tend to their good and therefore they do desperately seek to stifle them, and presumptuously continue to flatter themselves in the way of their own hearts. HOPE. I do believe, as you say, that fear tends much to men's good, and to make them right at their beginning to go on pilgrimage. CHR. Without all doubt it doth, if it be right; for so says the Word, 'The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.” HOPE. How will you describe right fear? Ps. 111. Job 28. 28. CHR. True or right fear is discovered by three things: 1. By its devoted believer in Jesus, who has in his own 1. By conviction of sin. This is the awakena deep slumber of It is the opening of the eyes to impending danger; the sensitiveness of the soul, enabling the sinner to feel True or right fear.—The reckless unconcern the burden of his sin. Here, all as yet is fear of IGNORANCE suggests to the pious mind of and trembling, as CHRISTIAN himself once HOPEFUL how good it would be for men's wept and trembled in the plain, and "brake spiritual interests, if they were more actuated out with a lamentable cry, saying, 'What shall by the "fear" of God. CHRISTIAN Would I do?'" How can a man see himself in the qualify the expression, and calls it "true or right fear," which is discovered by the following marks and tokens : midst of wrath, and not fear? How can he behold the mouth of hell, and not fear? How can he feel his weight of woe and condemna The effects of a right fear of God. rise it is caused by saving convictions for sin.-2. It driveth the soul to lay fast hold of Christ for salvation.-3. It begetteth and continueth in the soul a great reverence of God, his Word and ways, keeping it tender, and making it afraid to turn from them to the right hand or to the left, to anything that may dishonour God, break its peace, grieve the Spirit, or cause the enemy to speak reproachfully. HOPE. Well said; I believe you have said the truth. Are we now almost got past the Enchanted Ground? CHR. Why? are you weary of this discourse? HOPE. No, verily, but that I would know where we are. CHR. We have not now above two miles farther to go thereon. But let us return to our matter. Now the ignorant know not that such convictions as tend to put them in fear are for their good, and therefore they seek to stifle them. HOPE. How do they seek to stifle them? I. CHR. 1. They think that those fears are wrought by the devil (though indeed they are wrought of God); and, thinking so, they resist them as things that directly tend to their overthrow. 2. They also think that these fears tend to the spoiling of their faith; when, alas for them, poor men that they are, they have none at all!—and therefore they harden their hearts against them. 3. They presume they ought not to fear; and therefore, in despite of them wax presumptuously confident. 4. They see that those fears tend to take away from them their pitiful old self-holiness, and therefore they resist them with all their might. HOPE. I know something of this myself; for before I knew myself it was so with me. tion, and not be affected with fear? Such fear as this is that "true or right fear" that is akin to "godly sorrow," which "worketh repentance to salvation" (2 Cor. vii. 10). fear of danger, that makes us flee from wrath, and take refuge in the arms of Jesus, “till this tyranny be over-past." 3. By the effect of pardon on the soul. 2. By laying fast hold on the Saviour." There is forgiveness with thee, that thou Consciousness of danger impels a man to seek for safety. Instant, earnest, and immediate is the effort of the shipwrecked mariner to strike out for the rock, and be safe. Who could stay the impetuous course of the man-slayer when pursued, so fast and so very near, by the avenger of blood? And Christ is our Refuge, the Rock of our strength, the God of our salvation. It is true, his love must draw us, and his compassion win us; but there is ground for fear, too, as an element of safety mayest be feared," Ps. cxxx. 4. God's forgive- CHR. Well, we will leave, at this time, our neighbour Ignorance by himself, and fall upon another profitable question. HOPE. With all my heart: but you shall still begin. CHR. Well, then, did you know, about ten years ago, one Temporary in your parts, who was a forward man in religion then? HOPE. Know him! yes, he dwelt in Graceless, a town about two miles off Honesty; and he dwelt next door to one Turnback. CHR. Right, he dwelt under the same roof with him. Well, that man was much awakened once. I believe that then he had some sight of his sins, and of the wages that were due thereto. HOPE. I am of your mind, for (my house not being above three miles from him) he would ofttimes come to me, and that with many tears. Truly I pitied the man, and was not altogether without hope of him but one may see it is not every one that cries, Lord, Lord. CHR. He told me once that he was resolved to go on pilgrimage, as we go now; but all of a sudden he grew acquainted with one Saveself, and then he became a stranger to me. HOPE. Now since we are talking about him, let us a little inquire into the reason of the sudden backsliding of him and such others. CHR. It may be very profitable; but do you begin. HOPE. Well then, there are in my judgment four reasons for it. 1. Though the consciences of such men are awakened, yet their minds are not changed: therefore, when the power of guilt weareth away, that which provoked them to be religious ceaseth; wherefore they naturally return to their own course again; even as we see the dog that is sick of what he hath eaten, so long as his sickness prevails he vomits and casts up all: not that he doeth this of a free mind (if we may say a dog has a mind), but because it troubleth his stomach: but now, when his sickness is over, and so his stomach eased, his desires being not at all alienated from his vomit, he turns him about and licks up all; and so it is true which is written, "The dog is turned to his own vomit again." Thus, I say, being hot for heaven, by virtue only of the sense and fear of the torments of hell, as their sense 2 Peter 2. 22. he now is able to understand the enormity of vinely human person of Jesus Christ, the his sin in the greatness of the ransom, If our Son of God; and this must not be trifled sin were easily pardoned, we might lightly sin, with. and reckon again upon the round of easy "Did you know one Temporary?”—This is pardon. But no; the pardon of the sinner a backslider- one who received the Word, has cost a price too awful to contemplate, the good seed, but received it in thorny ground; has required a life too vast to estimate, and and although the seed gave some promise of demanded a ransom in the person-the Di-development, yet the prickly thorns did ere |