3. If mine head did begin to ache; or, 4. If I were told that some of my neighbours were sick; or,

5. If I heard the bell toll for some that were dead; or,

6. If I thought of dying myself; or,

in the book uncrossed, for that the shopkeeper may sue him, and cast him into prison till he shall pay the debt.

CHR. Well, and how did you apply this to yourself?

CHR. And could you at any time, with ease, get off the guilt of sin,1 when, by any of these ways, it came upon you?

HOFE. No, not I, for then they got faster hold of my conscience; and then, if I did but think of going back to sin (though my mind was turned against it), it would be double torment to me..

CHR. And how did you do then?

HOPE. I thought I must endeavour to mend my When he could life; for else, thought I, I am sure to no longer shake be damned. off his guilt by sinful courses, then he endeavours mend.

to

CHR. And did you endeavour to mend?

HOPE. Yes; and fled from not only my sins, but sinful company too; and betook me to religious duties, as prayer, reading, weeping for sin, speaking truth to my neighbours, &c. These things did I, with many others, too much here to relate.

CHR. And did you think yourself well then? HOPE. Yes, for a while; but, at the last, my Then he thought trouble came tumbling upon me again, and that over the neck of all my re

himself well. formations.

all my present amendments, But how shall I be freed from that damnation that I have brought myself in danger of, by my former transgres

sions?

duties troubled him.

CHR. A very good application; but, pray, go on. HOFE. Another thing that hath troubled me, even since my late amendments, is, that if I look narrowly into the best of what I do His espying bad now, I still see sin, new sin, mixing best things in his itself with the best of that I do; so that now I am forced to conclude, that notwithstanding my former fond conceits of myself and duties, I have committed sin enough in one duty to send me to hell,2 though my former life had been faultless.3

CHR. And what did you do then?

help, and why.

IOFE. There were several things brought it upon Reformation at me, especially such sayings as these: last could not 'All our righteousnesses are as filthy rags.' Is. lxiv. 6. By the works of the law shall no flesh be justified.' Ga. ii. 16. When ye shall have done all those things, say, We are unprofitable,' Lu. xvii. 10; with many more such like. From whence I began to reason with myself thus: If ALL my righteousnesses are filthy rags; if, by the deeds of the law, NO man can be justified; and if, when we have done ALL, we are yet unprofitable, then it is but a folly to think of heaven by the law. I further thought thus: If a man runs law, troubled a hundred pounds into the shopkeeper's debt, and after that shall pay for all that he shall fetch; yet, if this old debt stands still 1 Not the evil of sin in the sight of God, but the remorse and fear of wrath, with which the convinced sinner is oppressed, and from which he, at times, seeks relief by means which exceedingly increase his actual guilt. Nothing but a free pardon, by faith in the atoning sacrifice of Christ, can take away guilt; but the uneasiness of a man's conscience may be for time removed by various expedients.-(Scott.)

Ilis being

a

debtor by the

him.

a

called him fool for his pains; but now, since I see mine own infirmity, and the sin that cleaves to my best performance, I have been forced to be of his opinion.

CHR. But did you think, when at first he suggested it to you, that there was such a man to be found, of whom it might justly be said, that he never committed sin?

2 In modern editions, this has been altered to 'sin enough in one day. But in any period of time, selecting that duty in the discharge of which we have felt the most pure, there has been a mixture of sin. For there is not a day, nor a duty; not a day that thou livest, nor a duty that thou dost, but will need that mercy should come after to take away thy

iniquity.'-(Bunyan's Saints' Privilege, vol. i. p. 679.) These

are solemn and humbling reflections.-(ED.)

3 Thus, you see, in conversion, the Lord does not act upon us as though we were mere machines. No, we have understanding; he enlightens it. Then we come to a sound mind; we think right, and reason justly. We have wills; what the understanding judges best, the will approves, and then the affections follow after; and thus we choose Christ for our Saviour, and glory only in his righteousness and salvation. When the heavenly light of truth makes manifest what we are, and the danger we are in, then we rationally flee from the wrath to come, to Christ the refuge set before us.-(Mason.)

lieved in Christ. Jn. vi. 35. Then the water stood in mine eyes, and I asked further, But, Lord, may such a great sinner as I am, be indeed accepted of thee, and be saved by thee? And I heard him say, 'And him that cometh to me, I will in no wise cast out.' Jn. vi. 37. Then I said, But how, Lord, must I consider of thee in my coming to thee, that my faith may be placed aright upon thee? Then he said, 'Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners.' 1 Ti. i. 15. He is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth.' Ro. x. 4. He died for our sins, and rose again fer our justification.' Ro. iv. 25. He loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood.' Re. i. 5. 'Ile is mediator betwixt God and us.' 1 Ti. ii. 5. 'Ile ever liveth to make intercession for us.' He. vii. 25. From all which I gathered, that I must look for righteousness in his person, and for satisfaction for my sins by his blood; that what he did in obedience to his Father's law, and in submitting to the penalty thereof, was not for himself, but for him that will accept it for his salvation, and be thankful. And now was my heart full of joy, nine eyes full of tears, and mine affections running over with love to the name, people, and ways of Jesus Christ.1

CHR. This was a revelation of Christ to your soul indeed; but tell me particularly what effect this had upon your spirit."

HOPE. It made me see that all the world, notwithstanding all the righteousness thereof, is in a state of condemnation. It made me see that God the Father, though he be just, can justly justify the coming sinner. It made me greatly ashamed of the vileness of my former life, and confounded me with the sense of mine own ignorance; for there never came thought into my heart before now, that showed me so the beauty of Jesus Christ. It made me love a holy life, and long to do something for the honour and glory of the name of the Lord Jesus; yea, I thought that had I now a thousand

1 The Lord's dealings with his children are various, but all lead to the same end; some are shaken with terror, while others are more gently drawn, as with cords of love. In these things believers should not make their experiences standards one for another; still there is a similarity in their being brought to the same point of rejecting both sinful and righteous self, and believing on the Lord Jesus Christ as their complete salvation. -(Andronicus.)

2 Christ did not appear to Hopeful's senses, but to his understanding; and the words spoken are no other than texts of Scripture taken in their genuine meaning-not informing him, as by a new revelation, that his sins were pardoned, but encouraging him to apply for this mercy, and all other blessings of salvation.-(Scott.)

CHR. Aye, aye, I see him; he careth not for our company.

HOPE. But I trow it would not have hurt him, had he kept pace with us hitherto.

CIR. That is true; but I warrant you he thinketh otherwise.

Young Ignorance comes up

again; their talk.

HOPE. That I think he doth; but, however, let us tarry for him. So they did. Then Christian said to him, Come away, man, why do you stay so behind? IGNOR. I take my pleasure in walking alone, even more a great deal than in company, unless I like it the better.*

Then said Christian to Hopeful (but softly), Did I not tell you he cared not for our company? But, however, said he, come up, and let us talk away the time in this solitary place. Then, directing his speech to Ignorance, he said, Come, how do you? How stands it between God and your soul now?

Ignorance's

IGNOR. I hope well; for I am always full of good motions, that come into my mind, to comfort me as I walk. Fr. hope, and the xxvii. 26.

ground of it.

CHR. What good motions? pray, tell us. IGNOR. Why, I think of God and heaven. CHR. So do the devils and damned souls. IGNOR. But I think of them, and desire them.3 CHR. So do many that are never like to come there. The soul of the sluggard desireth, and

hath nothing.' Pr. xiii. 4.

3 Since the dear hour that brought me to Thy foot,
And cut up all my follies by the root,

I never trusted in an arm but Thine,
Nor hoped, but in Thy righteousness Divine.
My prayers and alms, imperfect and defiled,
Were but the feeble efforts of a child.
Howe'er perform'd, it was their brightest part
That they proceeded from a grateful heart.
Cleans'd in Thine own all-purifying blood,
Forgive their evil, and accept their good.
I cast them at Thy feet-my only plea
Is what it was, DEPENDENCE UPON THEE!
-(Cowper.)

4 Not governed by the Word of God, but by his own will, his grounds of confidence for salvation unfitted him for Christian fellowship, unless he happened to fall in with a man who had imbibed his own notions.-(Ed.)

The desire of heaven-when its nature is not understood, the proper means of obtaining it are neglected, other objects are preferred to it—is no proof that a man will be saved. The expression, 'The desire of grace is grace,' is very fallacious. But to hunger and thirst for God, and his righteousness, his favour, image, and service, as the supreme good, so that no other object can satisfy the heart, is grace indeed, and shall be completed in glory.—(Scott.)

them.

CHR. That I doubt; for leaving all is a hard matter; yea, a harder matter than many are aware of. But why, or by what, art thou persuaded that thou hast left all for God and heaven? IGNOR. My heart tells me so.

CHR. The wise man says, 'He that trusts his own heart is a fool.' Fr. xxviii. 26.

And again,

'The imagination of man's heart is evil from his youth.' Ro.. viii. 21. Now then, when we think thus of ourselves, having sense thereof then are our thoughts good ones, because according to the Word of God.

IGNOR. I will never believe that my heart is thus bad.

CHR. Therefore thou never hadst one good

CUR. But how dost thou prove that? IGNOR. It comforts me in hopes of heaven. CHR. That may be through its deceitfulness; for a man's heart may minister comfort to him in the hopes of that thing for which he yet has no ground to hope.

IGNOR. But my heart and life agree together, and therefore my hope is well grounded.

me go on. As the Word passeth a judgment upon our heart, so it passeth a judgment upon our ways; and when our thoughts of our hearts and ways agree with the judgment which the Word giveth of both, then are both good, because agreeing thereto. IGNOR. Make out your meaning.

CHR. Why, the Word of God saith that man's ways are crooked ways; not good, but perverse. Ps. CXXV. Pr. ii. 15. It saith they are naturally out

IGNOR. My heart tells me so.

CHR. Ask my fellow if I be a thief! Thy heart tells thee so! Except the Word of God beareth witness in this matter, other testimony is of no value.

IGNOR. But is it not a good heart that hath good thoughts? and is not that a good life that is according to God's commandments?

CHR. Yes, that is a good heart that hath good thoughts, and that is a good life that is according to God's commandments; but it is one thing, indeed, to have these, and another thing only to think so.

IGNOR. Pray, what count you good thoughts, and a life according to God's commandments? CHR. There are good thoughts of divers kinds; some respecting ourselves, some God, some Christ, and some other things.

IGNOR. What be good thoughts respecting our selves?

CAR. Such as agree with the Word

What are good thoughts. of God.

Ro. iii. Now, when a man thus thinketh of his ways; I say, when he doth sensibly, and with heart humiliation, thus think, then hath he good thoughts of his own ways, because his thoughts now agree with the judgment of the Word of God."

IGNOR. What are good thoughts concerning God? CHR. Even as I have said concerning ourselves, when our thoughts of God do agree with what the Word saith of him; and that is, when we think of his being and attributes as the Word hath taught, of which I cannot now discourse at large; but to speak of him with reference to us: Then we have right thoughts of God, when we think that he knows us better than we know ourselves, and can see sin in us when and where we can see none in ourselves; when we think he knows our inmost thoughts, and that our heart, with all its depths, is always open unto his eyes; also, when we think that all our righteousness stinks in his nostrils, and that, therefore, he cannot abide to see us stand before him in any confidence, even in all our best performances.

CHR. When we pass the same judgment upon ourselves which the Word passes. To explain myself the Word of God saith of persons in a natural condition, 'There is none righteous, there is none that doeth good.' Ro. iii. It saith also, that every imagination of the heart of man is only

1 Real Christians are often put to a stand, while they find and feel the workings of all corruptions and sins in their nature; and when they hear others talk so highly of themselves, how full their hearts are of love to God, and of good motions, without any complainings of their hearts. But all this is from the ignorance of their own hearts; and pride and self-righteousness harden them against feeling its desperate wickedness. (Mason.)

CHR. Why, how dost thou think in this matter? IGNOR. Why, to be short, I think I must believe in Christ for justification.

CHR. How! think thou must believe in Christ, when thou seest not thy need of him! Thou neither seest thy original nor actual infirmities; but hast such an opinion of thyself, and of what

2 I saw that it was not my good frame of heart that made my righteousness better, nor yet my bad frame that made my righteousness worse; for my righteousness was Jesus Christ, the same yesterday, and to-day, and for ever. He. xiii. 8.— (Grace Abounding, No. 229.)

tion."

IGNOR. I believe well enough for all that.
CHR. How dost thou believe?

IGNOR. I believe that Christ died for sinners; The faith of and that I shall be justified before Ignorance. God from the curse, through his gracious acceptance of my obedience to his law. Or thus, Christ makes my duties, that are religious, acceptable to his Father, by virtue of his merits; and so shall I be justified.2

CHR. Let me give an answer to this confession of thy faith.

IGNOR. What would you have us trust to what Christ, in his own person, has done without us ? This conceit would loosen the reins of our lust, and tolerate us to live as we list; for what matter how we live, if we may be justified by Christ's personal righteousness from all, when we believe it?

CHR. Ignorance is thy name, and as thy name is, so art thou; even this thy answer demonstrateth what I say. Ignorant thou art of what justifying righteousness is, and as ignorant how to secure thy soul, through the faith of it, from the heavy wrath of God. Yea, thou also art ignorant

2. Thou believest with a false faith; because it taketh justification from the personal righteous ness of Christ, and applies it to thy own.3

3. This faith maketh not Christ a justifier of thy person, but of thy actions; and of thy person for thy actions' sake, which is false.*

4. Therefore, this faith is deceitful, even such as will leave thee under wrath, in the day of God Almighty; for true justifying faith puts the soul, as sensible of its lost condition by the law, upon flying for refuge unto Christ's righteousness, which righteousness of his is not an act of grace, by which he maketh, for justification, thy obedience accepted with God; but his personal obedience to the law, in doing and suffering for us what that required at our hands; this righteousness, I say, true faith accepteth; under the skirt of which, the soul being shrouded, and by it presented as spotless before

Here we see how naturally the notion of man's righteousness blinds his eyes to, and keeps his heart from believing, that Christ's personal righteousness alone justifies a sinner in the sight of God; and yet such talk bravely of believing, but their faith is only fancy. They do not believe unto righteousness; but imagine they have now, or shall get, a righteousness of their own, some how or other. Awful delusion!-(Mason.)

Here is the very essence of that delusion which works by a lie, and so much prevails, and keeps up an unscriptural hope in the hearts of so many professors. Do, reader, study this point well; for here seems to be a show of scriptural truth, while the rankest poison lies concealed in it. For it is utterly subversive of, and contrary to, the faith and hope of the gospel. -(Mason.)

The way of being justified by faith for which Ignorance pleads may well be called 'fantastical,' as well as false;' for it is nowhere laid down in Scripture; and it not only changes the way of acceptance, but it takes away the rule and standard of righteousness, and substitutes a vague notion, called sincerity, in its place, which never was, nor can be, defined with precision. -(Scott.)

Justification before God comes, not by imitating Christ as exemplary in morals, but through faith in His precious blood. To feed on Jesus is by respecting him as made of God a curse for our sin. I have been pleased with observing, that Done of the signs and wonders in Egypt could deliver the children of Israel thence, until the lamb was slain.-(Bunyan on Justification, vol. ii. p. 330.)

ness of Christ, which is, to bow and win over the heart to God in Christ, to love his name, his Word, ways, and people, and not as thou ignorantly imaginest.

HOPE. Ask him if ever he had Christ revealed to him from heaven."

IGNOR. What! you are a man for revelations ! I believe that what both you, and all Ignorance jan. the rest of you, say about that matter, is but the fruit of distracted brains.

gles with them,

HOPE. Why, man! Christ is so hid in God from the natural apprehensions of the flesh, that he cannot by any man be savingly known, unless God the Father reveals him to them.7

5 Under these four heads, we have a most excellent detec tion of a presumptive and most dangerous error which now greatly prevails, as well as a scriptural view of the nature of true faith, and the object it fixes on wholly and solely for justification before God, and acceptance with God. Reader, for thy soul's sake, look to thy foundation. See that thou build upon nothing in self, but all upon that sure foundation which God hath laid, even his beloved Son, and his perfect righteousness.—(Mason.)

This, by all natural men, is deemed the very height of enthusiasm; but a spiritual man knows its blessedness, and rejoices in its comfort. It is a close question. What may we understand by it? Doubtless, what Paul means when he says, 'It pleased God to reveal his Son in me,' Ga. i. 15, 16: that is, he had such an internal, spiritual, experimental sight, and knowledge of Christ, and of salvation by him, that his heart embraced him, his soul cleaved to him, his spirit rejoiced in him; his whole man was swallowed up with the love of him, so that he cried out in the joy of his soul, This is my beloved and my friend-my Saviour, my God, and my salvation. He is the chief of ten thousand, and altogether lovely. We know nothing of Christ savingly, comfortably, and experimentally, till he is pleased thus to reveal himself to us. Mat. xi. 27. This spiritual revelation of Christ to the heart is a blessing and comfort agreeable to, and consequent upon, believing on Christ, as revealed outwardly in the Word. Therefore, every believer shonld wait, and look, and long, and pray for it. Beware you do not despise it; if you do, you will betray your ignorance of spiritual things, as Ignorance did.—(Mason.)

7 Many of these revelations appear in the Grace Abounding, as that scripture fastened on my heart,' No. 201; that sentence darted in upon me,' No. 204; these words did with great power break in upon me,' No. 206; suddenly this sentence fell upon my scul,' No. 229; and many others.— (Ev.)