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Hopeful gives an Account of himself.

all that he shall fetch: yet if this old debt stand still in the book uncrossed, the shopkeeper may sue him for it, and cast him into prison till he shall pay the debt.

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

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

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

HOPE. Another thing that hath troubled me ever since my late amendments is, that if I look narrowly into the best of what I do now, I still see sin, new sin, mixing itself with the best of what 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.

CHR. And what did you then?

HOPE. DO? I could not tell what to do, till I brake 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 in the world could save me.

CHR. And did you think he spake true?

HOPE. Had he told me so when I was pleased and satisfied with my own amendments, I had called him fool for his pains; but now, since I have seen my own infirmity, and the sin which cleaves to my best performances, I have been forced to be of his opinion.

CHR. But did you think, when at first he suggest

Hopeful gives an Account of bimself.

ed it to you, that there was such a man to be found, of whom it might justly be said that he never com mitted sin?

HOPE. I must confess the words at first sounded strangely; 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 justified by him?

HOPE. Yes, and he told me it was the Lord Jesus, that dwelleth on the right hand of the Most High. (Heb. x. 12, 21. Rom. iv. 5. Col. i. 14. 1 Pet. i. 19.) 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 this man's righteousness could be of that efficacy, as to justify another before God. And he told me, he was the mighty God, and 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.

CHR. And what did you do then?

Then I

HOPE. I made my objections against my believing, for that I thought he was not willing to save me. CHR. And what said Faithful to you then? HOPE. He bid me go to him and see. said it was presumption. He said, No; for that 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 said concerning that book, that every jot and title 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 (Psalm xcv. 6. Dan. vi. 10.) with all my heart and soul, (Jer. xxix. 12, 13.) the Father to reveal him to me. Then I asked him further, how I must make my supplication to him; and he said, Go, and thou shalt find

Hopeful gives an Account of himself.

him upon a mercy seat, where he sits, all the year long, to give pardon and forgiveness to them that come. (Ex. xxv. 22. Lev. xvi. 2. Num. vii. 89. Heb. iv. 16.) 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 know and believe in Jesus Christ; for I see, that if his righte ousness 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. 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.

CHR. And did you do as you were bidden?
HOPE. Yes, over, and over, and over.

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CHR. And did the Father reveal the Son to you? HOPE. Not at the first, nor second, nor third, nor fourth, nor fifth, no, nor at the sixth 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; a hundred times twice told.

CHR. And what was the reason you did not?

HOPE. 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, Though it tarry, wait for it; because it will surely come, it will not tarry. (Hab. ii. 3.) So I continued praying, until the Father showed me his Son.

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Hopetui gives an Account of himseit

CHR. And how was he revealed unto you?

HOPE. 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 saduess was through a fresh sight of the greatness and vileness of my sins. And as I was then looking for nothing but hell, and the everlasting damnation of my soul, suddenly, as I thought, I saw the Lord Jesus looking down from heaven upon me, and saying, "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved." (Acts xvi. 31.)

But I replied, Lord, I am a great, a very great sinner: and he answered, "My grace is sufficient for thee." (2 Cor. xii. 9.) 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 are all one; and that he that comes, that is, that runs out in his heart and affections after salvation by Christ, he indeed believes in Christ. Then the water stood in my 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 Jesus came into the world to save sinners." (1 Tim. i. 15.) He is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth. (Rom. x. 4. and chap. iv.) He was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justification. (Rom. iv. 25.) He loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood. (Rev. i. 5.) He is mediator between God and man. (1 Tim. ii. 5.) He ever liveth to

Hopeful gives an Account of himself.

make intercession for us. (Heb. vii. 25.) From all which I gathered, that I must look for righte ousness to his person, and for satisfaction for my sins to 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, my eyes full of tears, and my affections running over with love to the name, people, and ways of Jesus Christ.

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 is 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 my own ignorance; for there never came a 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 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."

CHR. Ay, ay, 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'll warrant you he thinketh otherwise.

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