therefore I fhould think ftill, under all my prefent amendments, But how fhall I be freed from that damnation that I brought myself in danger of by my former tranfgreffions ?

Chr. A very good application; but pray go on. Hope. Another thing that hath troubled me ever fince my late amendments is, that if I look narrowly into the best of what I do now, I ftill fee fin, new fin, mixing itself with the best of what I do; fo that now I am forced to conclude, that notwithstanding my former fond conceits of myself and duties, I have committed fin enough in one day to fend me to hell, though my former life had been faultlefs. Chr. And what did you do then?

Hope. Do! I could not tell what to do, 'till P broke my mind to Faithful; for he and I were well acquainted. And he told me, that unless I could obtain the righteousness of a man that never had finned, neither mine own, nor all the righteousness of the world could fave me.

Chr. And did you think he spake true?

Hope. Had he told me fo, when I was pleafed and fatisfied with mine own amendments, I had called him fool for his pains; but now fince I fee mine own infirmity, and the fin which cleaves to my best performance, I have been forced to be of his opinion.

Chr. But did you think, when at first he fuggefted it to you, that there was such a man to be found, of whom it might juftly be faid, that he never committed fin?

rags, but an abomination in the fight of God. And, 3dly, That if ever he is faved, it must be by the blood and righteoufnefs of an incarnate God. This is particularly fhewn in the experience of Hopeful; and likewife by the language of Chriftian, in his addrefs to Ignorance, from page 182, to 187.

No

Hope. I must confefs the words at first founded ftrangely, but after a little more talk and company with him, I had full conviction about it.

Chr. And did you ask him what man this was, and how you must be juftified by him?

Hope. Yes, and he told me it was the Lord Jefus, that dwelleth on the right-hand of the Moft High. Heb. x. Col. i. 1 Pet. i. And thus, faid he, you must be justified by him, even by trusting to what he hath done by himself in the days of his flesh, and fuffered when he did hang on the tree. I asked him farther, how that man's righteousness could be of that efficacy, as to juftify another before God? and he told me, He was the Mighty God, and did what he did, and died the death alfo, not for himself, but for me; to whom his doings, and the worthiness of them, fhould be imputed, if I believed on him.

Chr. And what did you do then?

Hope. I made my objections against my believing, for that I thought he was not willing to fave me. Chr. And what faid Faithful to you then?

Hope. He bid me go to him and fee. Then I faid it was prefumption. He faid, No, for I was invited to come, Matt. xi. 28. Then he gave me a book of Jesus's inditing, to encourage me the more freely to come; and he faid concerning that book, That every jot and tittle thereof stood firmer than heaven and earth, Matt. xxiv. 35. Then I asked him, what I must do when I came: and he told me, I must entreat upon my knees, with all my heart and foul,

the

Nothing difcovers greater ignorance, than when a man plumes himself on his own fuppofed goodness of heart, which is full of all manner of uncleannefs and enmity, in the very abstract, against God. The ignorant boaft themselves that they are rich, and in need of nothing, when, alas! they are poor, miferable, blind and naked, and in want of every thing. They

con

the Father to reveal him to me. Pfal. xcv. 6. Dan.

vi. 10. Jer. xxix. 12, 13. Then I asked him further, how I muft make my fupplication to him? And he said, Go, and thou fhalt find him upon a mercy-feat, where he fits all the year long, to give pardon and forgiveness to them that come. Exod. XXV. 22. I told him, that I knew not what to fay when I came. And he bid me fay to this effect: God be merciful to me a finner, and make me to know and believe in Jefus Chrift; for I fee, that if his righteousness had not been, or I have not faith in that righteousness, I am utterly caft away. Lord, I have heard that thou art a merciful God, and haft ordained that thy fon Jefus Chrift fhould be the faviour of the world: And moreover, that thou art willing to bestow upon fuch a poor finner as I am, (and I am a finner indeed) Lord, take therefore this opportunity, and magnify thy grace in the falvation of my foul, through thy fon Jefus Chrift. Amen. Chr. And did you do as you were bidden? Hope. Yes, over, and over, and over.

Chr. And did the Father reveal the Son to you? Hope. Not at first, nor second, nor third, nor fourth, nor fifth, no, nor at the fixth time neither. Chr. What did you do then?

Hope. What! why I could not tell what to do.
Chr. Had you not thoughts of leaving off praying?
Hope. Yes, and a hundred times twice told.
Chr. And what was the reafon you did not?
Hope. I believed that that was true, which hath
been

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content themselves with a bare affènt to the gospel method of falvation, and are utter frangers to a real, faving, juftifying faith. If pride, conceit and arrogance could recommend them to Chrift, none would be held in greater efteem. But the wretched core within deftroys them. May the Lord open the blind eyes, and unftop the deaf ears of all fuch, into whofe hands thefe lines may fall.

been told me, to wit, That without the righteousness of this Chrift, all the world could not fave me; and therefore thought I with myfelf, if I leave off, I die, and I can but die at the throne of grace. And withal this came into my mind, If it tarry, wait for it, because it will furely come, and will not tarry, Hab. ii. 3. So I continued praying, until the Father fhewed me his Son.

Chr. And how was he revealed unto you?

Hope. I did not fee him with my bodily eyes, but with the eyes of mine understanding, Eph. i. 18, 19. And thus it was. One day I was very fad, I think fadder than at any one time of my life; and this sadnefs was through a fresh fight of the greatnefs and vileness of my fins. And as I was then looking for nothing but hell, and the everlasting damnation of my foul, fuddenly, as I thought, I faw the Lord Jefus look down from heaven upon me, and faying, Believe on the Lord Jefus Chrift, and thou shalt be faved, Acts xvi. 30, 31.

But I replied, Lord, I am a great, a very great finner and he answered, My grace is fufficient for thee, 2 Cor. xii. 9. Then I faid, But, Lord, what is believing? And then I faw from that faying [He that cometh to me shall never hunger, and he that believeth on me fhall never thirst, John vi. 35.] that believing and coming was all one; and that he that came, that is, ran out in his heart and affections after falvation by Chrift, he indeed believed in Chrift, Then the water stood in mine eyes, and I asked further, But, Lord, may fuch a great finner as I am, be indeed accepted of thee, and be faved by thee? and I heard him fay, And him that cometh to me, I will in no wife caft out, John vi. 16. Then I faid, But how, Lord, muft I confider of thee in my coming to thee, that my faith may be placed aright upon thee?

Then

Then he faid, Christ came into the world to fave finners he is the end of the law for righteoufnefs to every one that believeth: he died for our fins, and rofe again for our juftification: he loved us, and washed us from our fins in his own blood: he is a mediator betwixt God and us: he ever liveth to make interceffion for us. 1 Tim. i. 15. Rom. x. 4. chap. iv. Heb. vii. 24, 25. From all which I gathered, that I must look for righteoufnefs in his person, and for fatisfaction for my fins by his blood; that what he did in obedience to his Father's law, and in fubmitting to the penalty thereof, was not for himself, but for him that will accept it for his falvation, and be thankful. And now was my heart full of joy, mine eyes full of tears, and mine affections running over with love to the name, people, and ways of Jesus Christ.

Chr. This was a revelation of Chrift to your foul indeed: but tell me particularly what effect this had upon your spirit.

Hope. It made me fee that all the world, notwithstanding all the righteousness thereof, is in a state of condemnation: it made me fee that God the Father, though he be juft, can juftly juftify the coming finner: it made me greatly afhamed of the vileness of my former life, and confounded me with the sense of mine own ignorance; for there never came a thought into my heart before now, that fhewed me fo the beauty of Jefus Chrift: it made me love a holy life, and long to do something for the honour and glory of the name of the Lord Jefus: yea, I thought that if I had now a thousand gallons of blood in my boby, I could fpill it all for the sake of the Lord Jefus.

I faw then in my dream, that Hopeful looked back and faw Ignorance, whom they had left behind, com