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saying, 'He that cometh to me shall never hunger, and he that believeth on me shall never thirst;' that believing and coming was all one; and that he that came, that is, ran out in his heart and affections after salvation by Christ, he indeed believed 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 for our justification.' Ro. iv. 25. 'He loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood.' Re. i. 5. 'He is mediator betwixt God and us.' 1 Ti. ii. 5. 'He 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, mine eyes full of tears, and mine affections running over with love to the name, people, and ways of Jesus Christ.1.

6

CHR. This was a revelation of Christ to your soul indeed; but tell me particularly what effect this had upon your spirit.2

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.)

gallons of blood in my body, I could spill it all for the sake of the Lord Jesus.3

I saw then in my dream that Hopeful looked back and saw Ignorance, whom they had left behind, coming after. Look, said he to Christian, how far yonder youngster loitereth behind.

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.

CHR. That is true; but I warrant you he thinket otherwise.

HOPE. That I think he doth; but, however, let us tarry for him. So they did.

Young Ignor

ance comes up again; their talk.

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 xxviii. 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.5 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.)

IGNOR. But I think of them, and leave all for evil, and that continually.' Ge. vi. 5.

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.' Pr. xxviii. 26.

IGNOR. This is spoken of an evil heart, but mine is a good one.

CAR. 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.

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 thought concerning thyself in thy life. But let 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

CHR. Who told thee that thy heart and life of the good way, that they have not known it. agree together?

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.

Ro. ili. 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

IGNOR. What be good thoughts respecting our nostrils, and that, therefore, he cannot abide to see selves?

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us stand before him in any confidence, even in all our best performances.

IGNOR. Do you think that I am such a fool as to think God can see no further than I? or, that I would come to God in 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 Christ for justification.

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God, it is accepted, and acquit from condemnation.5

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

1. Thou believest with a fantastical faith; for of the true effects of saving faith in this righteousthis faith is nowhere described in the Word.

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

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 I-(Mason.)

2 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 none 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 janthe rest of you, say about that mat- gles with them, ter, is but the fruit of distracted brains.

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

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.)

6 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.)

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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 soul,' No. 229; and many others.— (ED.)

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CHR. Give me leave to put in a word. You ought not so slightly to speak of this matter; for this I will boldly affirm, even as my good companion hath done, that no man can know Jesus Christ but by the revelation of the Father, Mat. xi 27; yea, and faith too, by which the soul layeth hold upon Christ, if it be right, must be wrought by the exceeding greatness of his mighty power; the working of which faith, I perceive, poor Ignorance, thou art ignorant of. 1 Co. xii. 3. Ep. i. 18, 19. Be awakened then, see thine own wretchedness, and fly to the Lord Jesus; and by his righteousness, which is the righteousness of God, for he himself is God, thou shalt be delivered from condemnation.1 IGNOR. You go so fast, I cannot keep pace with The talk broke you. Do you go on before; I must up. stay a while behind.2 Then they said—

Well, Ignorance, wilt thou yet foolish be, To slight good counsel, ten times given thee? And if thou yet refuse it, thou shalt know, Ere long, the evil of thy doing so. Remember, man, in time, stoop, do not fear; Good counsel taken well, saves: therefore hear, But if thou yet shalt slight it, thou wilt be The loser (Ignorance) I'll warrant thee. Then Christian addressed thus himself to his fellow:

CHR. 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, It pities me much for this poor man, it will certainly go ill 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?

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CHR. 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?

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1 That sinner is not thoroughly awakened, who does not see his need of Christ's righteousness to be imputed to him. Nor is he quickened, who has not fled to Christ as the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth.' Ro. x. 4. -(Mason.)

2 Ignorant professors cannot keep pace with spiritual pilgrims, nor can they relish the doctrine of making Christ all in all, in the matter of justification and salvation, and making the sinner nothing at all, as having no hand in the work, nor getting any glory to himself by what he is able to do of himself. Free grace and free will; Christ's imputed righteousness, and the notion of man's personal righteousness, cannot accord.(Mason.)

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 The good use of them right, at their beginning to go fear. 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,' Fr. i. 7; ix. 10. Ps. cxi. 10. Job xxviii. 28.

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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, art thou weary of this discourse? HOPE. No, verily, but that I would know where

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3 Take heed of hardening thy heart at any time, against convictions or judgments. I bid you before to beware of a hard heart; now I bid you beware of hardening your soft heart. The fear of the Lord is the pulse of the soul. Pulses that beat best are the best signs of life; but the worst show that life is present. Intermitting pulses are dangerous. David and Peter had an intermitting pulse, in reference to this fear.-(Bunyan on the Fear of God, vol. i. pp. 487, 489.)

4 Mark well Christian's definition of fear.' It is one of those precious passages in which our author gives us the subject matter of a whole treatise in a few short and plain sentences. Treasure it up in your heart, and often ponder it there. It will prove, through the blessing of the Spirit, a special means of enlivening, when spiritual langour, in consequence of worldly ease, is creeping upon your soul.-(Andronicus.)

HOPE. How do they seek to stifle them? CHR. 1. They think that those fears are wrought by the devil (though indeed they are 2. In particular. 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,1 and therefore they resist them with all their might.

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:—

away,

back.

1. Though the consciences of such men are awakened, yet their minds are not Reasons why tochanged; therefore, when the power wardly ones go of guilt weareth that which provoked them to be religious ceaseth, wherefore they naturally turn to their own course again, even as we see the dog that is sick of what he has eaten, so long as his sickness prevails, he vomits and casts up all; not that he doth this of a free mind (if we may say a dog has a mind), but because it

HOFE. I know something of this myself; for, troubleth his stomach; but now, when his sickness before I knew myself, it was so with me."

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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 do now; but all of a sudden he grew acquainted with one Save-self, and then he became a stranger to me.

HOPE. Now, since we are talking avout him,

1 Pitiful old self-holiness.' Mind this phrase. Far was it from the heart of good Mr. Bunyan to decry personal holiness. It is nothing but self-holiness, or the holiness of the old man of sin; for true holiness springs from the belief of the truth, and love to the truth. All besides this only tends to selfconfidence, and self-applause.-(Mason.)

2 It is good to call to mind one's own ignorance, when in our natural estate, to excite humility of heart, and thankfulness to God, who made us to differ, and to excite pity towards those who are walking in nature's pride, self-righteousness, and selfconfidence.-(Mason.)

Temporary;' one who is doctrinally acquainted with the gospel, but a stranger to its sanctifying power. The reasons and manner of such men's declensions and apostasy are very justly and emphatically stated.-(Scott.)

is over, and so his stomach eased, his desire being not at all alienate 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.' 2 Pe. ii. 22. Thus I say, being hot for heaven, by virtue only of the sense and fear of the torments of hell, as their sense of hell, and the fears of damnation, chills and cools, so their desires for heaven and salvation cool also. So then it comes to pass, that when their guilt and fear is gone, their desires for heaven and happiness die, and they return to their course again.

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2. Another reason is, they have slavish fears that do overmaster them; I speak now of the fears that they have of men, for the fear of man bringeth a snare.' Pr. xxix. 25. So then, though they seem to be hot for heaven, so long as the flames of hell are about their ears, yet, when that terror is a little over, they betake themselves to second thoughts; namely, that it is good to be wise, and not to run (for they know not what) the hazard of losing all, or, at least, of bringing themselves into unavoidable and unnecessary troubles, and so they fall in with the world again.

3. The shame that attends religion lies also as a block in their way; they are proud and haughty, and religion in their eye is low and contemptible; therefore, when they have lost their sense of hell and wrath to come, they return again to their former course.

4. Guilt, and to meditate terror, are grievous to

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4 In Hoffman's poetical version of the Pilgrim,' this sentence is, ‘And nature will return, like Pope, to pork;' alluding to one of the Popes, who used daily to have a dish of pork; but, being sick, his physicians forbade it, when the Pope, in a rage, cried out, Give me my pork, in spite of God.'—(ED.)

A true description of the state of some professors. Here see the reason why so many saints, as they are called, fall away. From hence, some take occasion to deny the scriptural, soulcomforting doctrine, of the certain perseverance of God's saints unto eternal glory. So they display the pride of their own hearts, their ignorance of God's Word, while they make God's promises of no effect, and the gospel of his grace, only much ado about nothing.-(Mason.)

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