respecting the Doctrine of imputed Righteousness.

which the soul layeth hold upon Christ (if it be right) must be wrought by the exceeding greatness of his mighty power; (Matt. xi. 27. 1 Cor. xii. 3. Eph. i. 17-19;) the working of which faith, I perceive, poor Ignorance, thou art ignorant of. Be awakened, see thine own wretchedness, and flee 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.

IGNOR. You go so fast I cannot keep pace with yoù; do you go on before: I must stay a while behind.

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; stop, do not fear;
Good counsel, taken well, serves; therefore hear.
But if thou yet shalt slight it, thou wilt be
The loser, Ignorance, I'll warrant thee".

There are many professors who have a zeal for God, and therefore go on pilgrimage, as Ignorance did; but it is not according to knowledge. Like him, being ignorant of God's righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, they have not subnitted themselves to the righteousness of God: for Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth, Rom. x. 2—4. Ignorant of the original corruption of the human heart, they speak with self-complacency and satisfaction of their good thoughts, good desires, good heart, and good life; and refuse to admit the scriptural statement of the total depravity of man by nature. Ignorant of the nature and claims of God's righteous law, they conclude that their sincere obedience will be accepted for their justification through the merits of Christ. Ignorant of the nature and influence of faith in Christ for justification, without the deeds of the law, they charge that doctrine with leading to licentiousness of conduct. Ignorant of the illuminating influence of the Holy Spirit, in making Christ known to the mind as the Lord our righteousness and strength, they treat the doctrine of divine agency with contempt, as the evidence of a distracted mind, or of a whimsical head. Such sentiments as those of Ignorance respecting justification are fantastical, false, unscriptus al, and deceptive. According to them.

Conversation of Christian and Hopefui

Then Christian addressed himself thus 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 this 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?

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? have they at no time, think you, convictions of sin, and so consequently fear 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

the righteousness of Christ, instead of being the procuring cause of the pardon and acceptance of the ungodly, only supplies the deficiency of their own works. But if righteousness in whole or in part, come by the law, Christ is dead in vain. It is proper to exhort such self-deceivers to open their eyes upon their own righteousness and to flee to the righteousness of him who is God over all blessed for ever, that they may thus be delivered from condemnation, even though such plain dealing should give them offence, and drive them from our company.

1

respecting the Nature of true or right Fear.

much to men's good, and to make them right at their beginning to go 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." (Job xxviii. 28. Psal. cxi. 10. Prov. i. 7; ix. 10.)

HOPE. How will you describe right fear?

CHR. True or right fear is discovered by three things: 1. By its rise: it is caused by saving conviction for sin.

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 any thing 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

we are.

CHR. We have not now above two miles further to go thereon.-But let us return to our matter.

Now the ignorant know not that such convictions, that tend to put them in fear, are for their good, and therefore they seek to stifle them.

HOPE. How do they seek to stifle them?

CHR. 1. They think that those fears are wrought by the devil, (though indeed they are wrought by 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

Conversation of Christian and Hopeful

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, and therefore they resist them with all their might.

HOPE. I know something of this myself; before I knew myself it was sowith me".

CHR. Well, we will leave, at this time, our neighbour Ignorance by himself, and fall upon another profitable question.

HOPE. With all my heart: but you shall still 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 Graceless, a town about two miles off of Honesty, and he dwelt next door to one Turnback.

CHR. Right; he dwelt under the same roof with him. Well, that man was much awakened once: I believe that then he had some sight of his sins, and of the wages that were due thereto.

HOPE. I am of your mind, for (my house not

b Self righteous persons are not so weil satisfied with themselves and their performances, as not to have many fears that they shall lose their souls; but finding these fears uncomfortable, they endeavour to stifle them, and thus get rid of their convictions. Believers, on the contrary, encourage fear, because they see there is just cause for them to fear, on account of their sinfulness. Their fears lead them to flee for refuge to the Lord Jesus, and influence them to regard the precepts of the word of God, lest by sinning they should grieve the Holy Spirit, by whom they are sealed to the day of redemption,—or should make the generation of God's people to offend. It is a new covenant blessing,-I will put my fear in their hearts, that they shall not depart from me, Jer. xxxii. 40. Persons ignorant of the causes and operation of fear never think such convictions are for their good, but conclude that they came from the devil, though thev are the operations of the Holy Spirit. They think such fears destroy their faith, which indeed is not faith, but presumption; and they are determined not to give up the good pinion which they have of the merit of their works.

as to the Reason of Declension in Religion.

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 go 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 about him, let us a little enquire into the reason of the sudden backsliding of him and such others.

CHR. It be may very profitable; but do you' begin.

HOPE. Well then, there are in my judgment four reasons for it:

1. Though the consciences of such men are awakened, yet their minds are not changed: therefore, when the power of guilt weareth away, that which provoketh them to be religious ceaseth; wherefore they naturally return to their old course again; even as we see the dog that is sick of what he hath 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 troubleth his stomach: but now, when his sickness is over, and so the stomach eased, his desires being not at all alienated 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 Pet. ii. 22.)-Thus, I say, being hot for heaven, by virtue only of the sense and fear of the torments of hell, as that sense of hell and fear 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.