think thus of ourselves, having fenfe thereof, then are thoughts good ones, because according to the word of G Ignor. I will never believe that my heart is thus bad.

Chr. Therefore thou never hadft one good thought co cerning thyfelf in thy life. But let me go on: As word paffeth a judgment upon our ways; and when thoughts of our hearts and ways agree with the judgm which the word giveth of both, then are both good, beca agreeing thereto.

Pfa. 175. 4:1

Ighor. Make out your meaning. Chr. Why, the word of God faith, that man's ways crooked ways; not good, but perverfe: faith they are naturally out of the go that they have not known it. N man thus thinketh cf his way fay, when he doth fenfibly, and with hea humiliation thus think, then hath he good thoughts of own ways, becas of thoughts now agree with the jud ment of the word of God,

Prov. 2. 15.
Rom. 3.

A

Ignor. What are good thoughts concerning God?" Chr. Even (as I have faid concerning ourselves) wh our thoughts of God do agree with what the word fa of him; and that is, when we think of his being and tributes as the word hath taught; of which I cannot n difcourfe at large. But to fpeak of him with reference us; then we have right thoughts of God, when we thi he knows us better than we ourselves, and can see fin us, when and where we can fée none in ourfelves: W we think he knows our inmoft thoughts, and that heart, with all its depths, is always open unto his eye Alfo when we think that all our righteoufnefs stinks in noftrils, and that therefore he cannot abide to fee us fta before him in any confidence, even of all our best p formances.

Ignor. Do you imagine I am fuch a fool ag1to think G can fee no farther than I? of that I would come to God the best of my performances?

Chr. Why, how dost thou think in this matter? Ignor. Why, to be short, I think I'must believe in Chr for juftification.

Chr. How! think thou must believe in Christ when the feest not thy need of him! thou heither feest thy origin

n

r ́actual infirmities, but haft fuch an opinion of thyfelf, d of what thou doft, as plainly renders thee to be one at never did fee neceffity of Christ's perfonal righteousness juftify thee before God. How then doft thou say, I be eve in Christ ?

Be faith of

norance.

Ignor. I believe well enough, for all that.
Chr. How dost thou believe?.

Ignor. I believe that Chrift died for fin ers; and that I fhall be juftified before God from the arfe, thro' his gracious acceptance of my obedience tol slaw; or thus, Chrift makes my duties that are religious ceptable to his Father, by virtue of his merits; and fol all I be justified.

Chr. Let me give an answer to this confeffion of thy

ith.

1. Thou believeft with a fantastical faith; for this faith no where defcribed in the word.

z. Thou believet with a falfe faith; because it taketh ftification from the personal righteousness of Chrift, and pplies it to thy own.

3. This faith maketh not Christ a juftifier of thy perfon, at of thy actions, and of thy perfon for thy action's fake, which is falfe..

t

4. Therefore this faith is deceitful, even fuch as will eave thee under wrath in the day of God Almighty. For rue juftifying faith puts the foul, as fenfible of its loft conition by the law, upon flying for refuge onto Chrift's ighteoufnefs; (which righteoufnefs of his is not an act of race, by which he maketh for juftification thy obedience accepted with God, but his perfonal obedience to the law, n doing and fuffering for us what that required at our mands.) This righteoufnefs, I fay, true faith accepteth, under the fkirt of which the foul being throuded, and by Et prefented as fpotlefs before God, it is accepted and acquitted from condemnation,

as

Ignor. What! would you have us truft to what Christ in his own perfon hath done without us? This conceit would loofen the reins of lufts, and tolerate us to live we litt: For what matter how we live, if we may be juftied by Chrift's perfonal righteoufnefs from all when we Believe it.

Chr. Ignorance is thy name, and as thy name is fo art

G 3

thous

thou; even this thy answer demonftrateth what I fay; i Horant thou art of what juftifying righteousness is, and ignorant how to fecure thy faul, thro' the faith of it, fro the heavy wrath of God. Yea, thou alfo art ignorant the true effects of faving faith in this righteoutnefs Chrift, which is to bow and win over the heart to God Chrift, to love his name, his word, his ways, and people and not as thou ignorantly imagineft..

Hope. Afk him, if ever he had Chrift Irevealed to hi from heaven?

1

Ignor. What you are a man for revelation

I do be heve that what both you and all the rest of you fay abou shat matter, is but the fruit of diftracted brains.

Hope. Why, man! Chrift is fo hid in God from the na tural apprehenfions of the flesh, that he cannot by any ma be favingly known, unless God the Father reveals him them.

Ignor. That is your faith, but not mine; yet mixe doubt not is as good as yours, tho' I have not in my hea many whimfies as you.

7

Chr. Give me leave to put in a word; you ought not t Speak fo flightly of this matter: For this I will boldly af firm, even as my good companion hath done, that no ma cao know Jefus Christ but by the revelation of the Father yea, and faith too, by which the foul layeth hold on Chrift (if it be right) must be wrought by the exceeding great nefs of his mighty power; the working of which faith perceive, poor Ignorance, thou art ignorant of. Be awak ened then, fee thine own wretchedness, and fly to the Lor Jefus, and by his righteoufnefs, which is the righteoufnel of God (for he himself is God) thou fhall be delivered from condemnation..

with

Ignor, You go fo faft I cannot keep pace you go on before, I muft ftay a while behind.

f

Then they faid

you ;

Well, Ignorance, wilt thou yet foolish be,
To flight good counfel, ten times given thee?
And if thou yet refufe it, thou shalt know,
Ere long, the evil of thy doing fo.

Remember, man, in time; ftoop, do not fear;
Good counfel, taken well, fecures; then hear.

do

Bu

But if thou yet shall flight it, thou wilt be,
The lofer, Ignorance, I'll warrant thee.

Then Christian addreffed himself thus to his fellow: Chr. Well, come, my good Hopeful, I perceive that hou and I must walk by ourselves again.

So I faw in my dream, that they went on a pace before, nd Ignorance he came hobbling after. Then faid Chriftia to his companion, I am much grieved for this poor man, will certainly go hard with him at the laft.

Hope. Alas! there are abundance in our town in this ondition, whole families, yea, whole ftreets, and that of ilgrims too; and if there be fo many in our parts, how many, think you, must there be in the place where he was

orn ?

Chr. Indeed the word faith, He hath blinded their eyes, Eft they should fee, ..

But now we are by ourfelves, What do you think of uch men? Have they at no time, think you, convictions ffin, and fo confequently fears that their state is danger

18.

(

Hope. Nay, do you answer that question yourself, for

ou are the elder man.

Chr. Then I fay fometimes (as I think) they may; but ey, being naturally ignorant, understand not that fuch onvictions tend to their good; and therefore they do def rately feek to stifle them, and prefumptuoufly continua O flatter themselves in the way of their own hearts. Hope. I do believe as you fay, that fear

Ends much to men's good, and to make The good Use of Hem right at their beginning to go on pil- fear."

image.

Chr. Without all doubt it doth, if it be right; for fa vs the word, The fear of the Lord is the beginning of ifdom.

Hope. How will you defcribe right fear?

Cbr. True or right fear is difcovered by three things. 1. By its rife, it is caufed by faving convictions for fin. 2. It driveth the foul to lay faft hold of Chrift for fal ation.

3. It begetteth and continueth in the foul a great reve Ence 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 any thing that may difhonour God, break its peace, grieve the fpirit, or caufe the enemy to speak reproachfully.

Hope. Well faid; I believe you faid the truth. now almost get paft the inchanted ground?

Are we

Chr. Why, art thou weary of this difcourfe? 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 perfons do fifle. to our matter. Now the ignorant know convictions. not that fuch convictions as tend to put them in fear, are for their good, and there

Why ignorant

fore they feek to stifle them.

Hope. How do they feek to ftifle them?

Chr. 1. They think that thofe fears are wrought by the devil, (tho' indeed they are wrought of God) and thinking fo they refift them, as things that di

2. In particular, rectly tend to their overthrow.

2. They alfo think that these fears tend to the fpoiling 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 prefume they ought not to fear, and therefore in defpite of them wax prefumptuoufly confident. 4. They fee that thofe fears tend to take away from them their pitiful old felf-holinefs, and therefore they refft them with all their might.

Hope. I know fomething of this myfelf, before I knew myfelf it was fo with me.

Chr. Well, we will leave at this time our neighbour Jonorance by himself, and fall upon another profitable queftion.

Hope. With all my heart, but you shall fill 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 Gracelefs, a town about two miles off of Honefly, and he dwelt next door to one Turnback.

Chr. Right, he dwelt in under the fame roof with him. Well, that man was much awakened once; I believe that

then