death happened to others; but especially when I thought of myself that I must quickly come to judgment.

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

Hopeful. 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 tor

ment to me.

Christian. And how did you do then? Hopeful. I thought I must endeavour to mend my life; for else, thought I, I am sure to be damned.

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

Christian. And did you think yourself well then?

Hopeful. Yes, for a while; but at the last my trouble came tumbling upon me again, and that over the neck of all my reformation.

Christian. How came that about, since you were now reformed?

66

Hopeful. There were several things brought it upon me; especially such sayings as these: "All our righteousnesses are as filthy rags:' "By the works of the law no man shall be justified:" When ye have done all these things, say, We are unprofitable," (Isa. lxiv. 6; Luke xvii. 10; Gal. ii. 16;) with many more such like. From whence I began to reason with myself thus: If all my righteousnesses are as filthy rags; if by the deeds of the law no man can be justified; and if, when we have done all, we are unprofitable-then it is but a folly to think of heaven by the law. I further thought thus: If a man runs a hundred pounds into a shop-keeper's debt, and after that shall pay for all that he shall fetch-yet, if this old debt stands still in the book uncrossed, for that *Thus you see in conversion, the Lord does not act upon us by force and compulsion, as though we were inanimate stocks or stones, or irrational animals, or 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 mercy and salvation. When the heavenly light of truth makes manifest what we are, and the danger we are

the shop-keeper may sue him, and cast him into prison till he shall pay the debt.

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

Hopeful. Why, I thought thus with myself: I have by my sins run a great way into God's book, and that my now reforming will not pay off that score; therefore I should think still, under all my present amendments, "But how shall I be freed from that damnation that I brought myself in danger of by my former transgressions?"

Christian. A very good application: but pray go on.

Hopeful. Another thing that hath troubled me, even since my late amendment, is, that if I look narrowly into the best of what I now do, I still see sin, new sin, mixing 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 day to send me to hell, though my former life had been faultless.*

Christian. And what did you do then?

Hopeful. Do! I could not tell what to do, till I 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 sinned, neither my own, nor all the righteousness of the world could save me.t

Christian. And did you think he spake true? Hopeful. Had he told me so when I was pleased and satisfied with mine own amendment, I had called him fool for his pains; but now, since I see mine own infirmity, and the sin which cleaves to my best performance, I have been forced to be of his opinion.

Christian. 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?

Hopeful. I must confess the words at first sounded strangely: but after a little more talk in, then we should flee from the wrath to come, to Christ the refuge set before us.

Here is the touchstone, to try whether conviction and conversion are from the Spirit of truth or not. Many talk of conviction and conversion, who are yet unchanged in heart, and strong in confidence of a righteousness of their own, or of being made righteous in themselves, instead of looking solely to, and trusting wholly in, the infinite mercy and blood of Christ Jesus, and desiring to be found in him. All conviction and conversion short of this, leaves the soul short of Christ's righteousness, of hope, and of heaven.

and company with him, I had full conviction about it.

Christian. And did you ask him what man this was, and how you must be justified by him? Rom. iv.; Col. i.; Heb. x.; 2 Pet. i.

Hopeful. Yes, and he told me it was the Lord Jesus, that dwelleth on the right hand of the Most High. And thus, said he, you must be justified by him-even by trusting to what he hath done by himself in the days of his flesh, and suffered when he did hang on the tree. I asked him further, how that man's righteousness could be of that efficacy to justify another before God? And he told me, He was the mighty God, did what he did, and died the death also, not for himself, but for me, to whom his doings and the worthiness of them should be imputed, if I believed on him.

Christian. And what did you do then? Hopeful. I made my objections against my believing, for that I thought he was not willing to save me.

Christian. And what said Faithful to you then?

Hopeful. He bid me go to him and see. Then I said it was presumption. He said, No, for I was invited to come. Matt. xi. 28. Then he gave me a book of Jesus' inditing, to encourage me the more freely to come: and he said, 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, (Ps. xcv. 6; Jer. xxix. 12, 13; Dan. vi. 10,) with all my heart and soul, the Father to reveal him to me. Then I asked him further, how I must make my application to him? And he said, Go, and thou shalt find him upon a mercy-seat, (Ex. xxv. 22; Lev. xvi. 2; Heb. iv. 16,) where he sits, all the year long, to give pardon and forgiveness to them that come. I told him that I knew not what to say when I came. And he bid me say to this effect-"God, be merciful to me a sinner," and make me to know and be

Pray mind this. The grand object of a sensible sinner is righteousness, (or holiness.) He has it not in himself. This be knows. Where is it to be found? In Christ only. This is a revealed truth; and without faith in this, every sinner must be lost. Consider, it is at the peril of your souls, that you reject the righteousness of Christ, and do not believe that God imparts it for the justification of the ungodly. O ye stouthearted, self-righteous sinners, ye who are far from righteousness, know this and tremble.

†There may be, and often are, very great discouragements found in every sinner's heart, when he first

lieve in Jesus Christ: for I see, that if his righteousness had not been, or I have not faith in that righteousness, I am utterly cast away.* Lord, I have heard that thou art a merciful God, and hast ordained that thy son Jesus Christ should be the Saviour of the world: and, moreover, that thou art willing to bestow him upon such a poor sinner as I am, (and I am a sinner indeed!) Lord, take therefore this opportunity, and magnify thy grace in the salvation of my soul, through thy son Jesus Christ. Amen.

Christian. And did you do as you were bidden?

Hopeful. Yes, over, and over, and over. Christian. And did the Father reveal the Son to you?

Hopeful. Not at first, nor second, nor third, nor fourth, nor fifth, no, nor sixth time either.† Christian. What did you do then?

Hopeful. What? why I could not tell what to do.

Christian. Had you not thoughts of leaving off praying?

Hopeful. Yes, and a hundred times twice told.
Christian. And what was the reason you did

not?

Hopeful. I believed that that was true which had been told me, to wit, that without the righteousness of this Christ, all the world could not save me; and therefore, thought I with myself, 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 surely come, and will not tarry.' Hab. ii. 3. So I continued, until the Father showed me his Son.‡

Christian. And how was he revealed unto you?

Hopeful. I did not see him with my bodily eyes, but with the eyes of my understanding, (Eph. i. 18, 19,) and thus it was :---One day I was very sad, I think sadder than at any one time of my life; and this sadness was through a fresh sight of the greatness and vileness of my sins. And as I was then looking for nothbegins to seek the Lord. But he has Christ's faithful word of promise, "Seek and ye shall find," &c. Luke

xi. 9.

The true nature of faith is, to believe and rest upon the word of truth, and wait with humble fervency of soul for the promised comfort. That faith which is the gift of God, leads the soul to wait upon and cry to God, and not to rest till it has some blessed testimony from God, of interest in the love and favour of God in Jesus Christ. But oh, how many professors rest short of this!

ing but hell, and the everlasting damnation of my soul, suddenly, as I thought, I saw the Lord Jesus look down from heaven upon me, and saying, "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved." Acts xvi. 30, 31.

But I replied, "Lord, I am a great, a very great sinner:" and he answered, “My grace is sufficient for thee." Then I said, “But, Lord, what is believing?" And then I saw from that saying, "He that cometh to me shall never hunger, and he that believeth on me shall 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 affection after salvation by Christ, he indeed believed in Christ. 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." John 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 came into the world to save sinners:" "he is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth:" "he died for our sins, and rose again for our justification:" "he loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood:" he is Mediator betwixt God and

us: "he ever liveth to make intercession for us." 1 Tim. i. 15; Rom. x. 4; Heb. vii. 24, 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 which 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.

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

Hopeful. 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 Lord Jesus: yea, I thought that, had I now a thousand gallons of blood in my body, I could spill it all for the sake of the Lord Jesus.

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. Christian. Ay, ay, I see him: he careth not for our company.

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

Ignorance. I take my pleasure in walking alone, even more a great deal than in company; unless I like it better.

Then said Christian to Hopeful, (but softly,) Did not I 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

Hopeful. 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?

* Reader, never think that you are fully convinced of the whole truth; nor believe fully on Christ according to the Scriptures, unless you have seen as much need of Christ's glorious righteousness to justify, as of his precious blood to pardon you. Both are re

tween God and your soul now?

Ignorance. I hope well, for I am always full of good motions, that come into my mind to comfort me as I walk.†

Christian. What good motions? pray tell us. vealed in the Gospel; both are the objects of faith: by both is the conscience pacified, the heart purified, the soul justified, and Jesus glorified, in the heart, lip and life.

f Many sincere souls are often put to a stand, while

Ignorance. Why I think of God and heaven. Christian. So do the devils and damned souls. Ignorance. But I think of them and desire them.

Christian. So do many that are never like to come there. "The soul of the sluggard desires, and hath nothing." Prov. xiii. 4.

Ignorance. But I think of them, and leave all for them.

Christian. That I doubt: for leaving of all is an 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?

Ignorance. My heart tells me so.

Christian. The wise man says, "He that trusts his own heart is a fool." Prov. xxviii. 26.

Ignorance. This is spoken of an evil heart; but mine is a good one.

Christian. But how dost thou prove that? Ignorance. It comforts me in hopes of heaven. Christian. 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 has yet no ground to hope.

Ignorance. But my heart and life agree together; and therefore my hope is well grounded.

Christian. Who told thee that thy heart and life agree together?

Ignorance. My heart tells me.

Christian. 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.

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

Christian. 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.

Ignorance. Pray, what count you good thoughts, and a life according to God's commandments?

they find and feel the workings of corruption in their nature, and when they hear others talk so highly of themselves without any complainings of the plague 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. But divine teaching causes a Christian to see, know, and feel the worst of himself, that he may glory of nothing in or of himself, but that all his glorying should be of what precious Christ is to him, and what he is in Christ. See the contrary of all this exempli

Christian. There are good thoughts of divers kinds; some respecting ourselves; some, God; some, Christ; and some, other things.

Ignorance. What be good thoughts respecting ourselves?

Christian. Such as agree with the word of God.

Ignorance. When do our thoughts of ourselves agree with the word of God?

Christian. 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." It saith also, that "every imagination of the heart of a man is only evil, and that continually." Gen. vi. 5; Rom. iii. And again, “The imagination of man's heart is evil from his youth." Now then, when we think thus of ourselves, having sense thereof, then are our thoughts good ones, because according to the word of God.

Ignorance. I will never believe that my heart is thus bad.*

Christian. 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 the thoughts of our hearts and ways agree with the judgment which the word giveth of both, then are both good, because agreeing thereto. Ignorance. Make out your meaning.

Christian. Why the word of God saith, that man's ways are crooked ways, not good, but perverse it saith, they are naturally out of the good way, that they have not known it. Ps. cxxv. 5; Prov. ii. 15. 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.

Ignorance. What are good thoughts concerning God?

fied in Ignorance, in whom we behold, as in a mirror, many professors who are strangers to their own hearts: hence are deceived into vain self-confidence.

No; no man naturally can. But this is a sure sign that the light from heaven hath not yet shined into the heart, and made it manifest, how superlatively wicked the heart is, and consequently, how it deceives ignorant professors with a notion of being good in themselves, and keeps them from wholly relying upon Christ's atonement for pardon and justification unto life.

Christian. 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 in 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.

Ignorance. 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?

Christian. Why, how dost thou think in this matter?

Ignorance. Why, to be short, I think I must believe in Christ for justification.

Christian. 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 thou doest, as plainly renders thee to be one that did never see a necessity of Christ's personal righteousness to justify thee before God.* How then dost thou say, I believe in Christ?

Ignorance. I believe well enough for all that. Christian. How dost thou believe?

Ignorance. I believe that Christ died for sinners; and that I shall be justified before God from the curse, through his gracious acceptance

Here we see how naturally the notion of man's righteousness blinds his eyes to, and keeps his heart from believing, that Christ alone justifies a sinner in the sight of God: and yet such talk 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!

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.

Under these four heads, we have a most excellent detection of a presumptive and most dangerous error

of my obedience to his laws. Or thus, Christ makes my duties, that are religious, acceptable to his Father by virtue of his merits, and so shall I be justified.†

Christian. Let us give an answer to this confession of thy faith.

1. Thou believest with a fantastical faith; for this faith is no where described in the word.

2. Thou believest with a false faith; because thou takest justification from the personal righteousness of Christ, and appliest 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 fleeing 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 of 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 God, it is accepted, and acquitted from condemnation.‡

Ignorance. What! would ye have us trust to what Christ in his own person hath 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? ||

Christian. Ignorance is thy name; and as

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 you build upon nothing in self, but all upon that sure foundation which God hath laid, even his beloved Son.

No sooner can you propose to an ignorant professor, Christ's righteousness alone for justification, but he instantly displays his ignorance of the power of the truth, and the influence of faith, by crying out, "Antinomianism! Oh, you are for destroying holiness at the root, and for bringing in licentiousness like a flood!" Thus pride works by a lie, and is supported by self-righteousness, in opposition to God's grace, and submission to Christ's righteousness. This is a spreading heresy of the flesh, which most dreadfully prevails at this day. Be not deceived.