Great-heart. Pardon by the deed done, is Pardon obtained by some one, for another that hath need thereof: Not by the Person pardoned, but in the way, saith another, in which I have obtained it. So then to speak to the question more large, The pardon that you and Mercy and these Boys have attained, was obtained by another, to wit, by him that let you in at the Gate: And he hath obtain'd A comment upon what was said at the Gate, or a discourse of our being justified by Christ. it in this double way. He has performed Righteousness to cover you, and spilt blood to wash you in. Chris. But if he parts with his Righteousness to us: What will be have for himself? Great-heart. He has more Righteousness than you have need of, or than he needeth himself. Chris. Pray make that appear. Great-heart. With all my heart, but first I must premise that he of whom we are now about to speak, is one that has not his Fellow. He has two Natures in one Person, plain to be distinguished, impossible to be divided. Unto each of these Natures a Righteousness belongeth, and each Righteousness is essential to that Nature. So that one may as easily cause the Nature to be extinct, as to separate its Justice or Righteousness from it. Of these Righteousnesses therefore, we are not made partakers so, as that they, or any of them, should be put upon us that we might be made just, and live thereby. Besides these there is a Righteousness which this Person has, as these two Natures are joyned in one. And this is not the Righteousness of the God-head, as distinguished from the Manhood; nor the Righteousness of the Manhood, as distinguished from the Godhead; but a Righteousness which standeth in the Union of both Natures and may properly be called, the Righteousness that is essential to his being prepared of God to the capacity of the Mediatory Office which he was to be intrusted with. If he parts with his first Righteousness, he parts with his God-head; if he parts with his second Righteousness, he parts with the purity of his Manhood; if he parts with this third, he parts with that perfection that capacitates him to the Office of Mediation. He has therefore another Righteousness which standeth in performance, or obedience to a revealed Will: And that is it that he puts upon Sinners, and that by which their Sins are covered. Wherefore he saith, as by one mans disobedience many were made Sinners: So by the obedience of one shall many be made Righteous. Rom. 5. 19. Chris. But are the other Righteousnesses of no use to us? Great heart. Yes, for though they are essential to his Natures and Office, and so cannot be communicated unto another, yet it is by Virtue of them that the Righteousness that justifies, is for that purpose efficacious. The Righteousness of his God-head gives Virtue to his Obedience; the Righteousness of his Man-hood giveth capability to his obedience to justifie, and the Righteousness that standeth in the Union of these two Natures to his Office, giveth Authority to that Righteousness to do the work for which it is ordained. So then, here is a Righteousness that Christ, as God, has no need of, for he is God without it: here is a Righteousness that Christ, as Man, has no need of to make him so, for he is perfect Man without it. Again, here is a Righteousness that Christ as God man has no need of, for he is perfectly so without it. Here then is a Righteousness that Christ, as God, as Man, as God-man has no need of, with Reference to himself, and therefore he can spare it, a justifying Righteousness, that he for himself wanteth not, and therefore he giveth it away. Hence 'tis called the gift of Righteousness. This Righteousness, since Christ Jesus the Lord, has made himself under the Law, must be given away: For the Law doth not only bind him that is under it, to do justly; but to use Charity: Wherefore he must, he ought by the Law, if he hath two Coats, to give one to him that has none. Now our Lord hath indeed two Coats, one for himself, and one to spare: Wherefore he freely bestows one upon those that have none. And thus Christiana, and Mercy, and the rest of you that are here, doth your Pardon come by deed, or by the work of another man? Your Lord Christ is he that has worked, and given away what he wrought for to the next poor Beggar he meets. Rom. 5. 17. But again, in order to Pardon by deed, there must something be paid to God as a price, as well as something prepared to cover us withal. Sin has delivered us up to the just Curse of a Righteous Law: Now from this Curse we must be justified by way of Redemption, a price being paid for the harms we Ro. 4. 24. have done, and this is by the Blood of your Lord: Who came and stood in your place, and stead, and died your Death for your Transgressions. Thus has he ransomed you from your Transgressions by Blood, and covered your polluted and deformed Souls with Righteousness For the sake of which, God passeth by you, and will not hurt you, when he comes to Judge the World. Gala. 3. 13. Chris. Christiana affected with this way of Redemption. This is brave. Now I see that there was something to be learnt by our being pardoned by word and deed. Good Mercy, let us labour to keep this in mind, and my Children do you remember it also. But, Sir, was not this it that made my good Christians Burden fall from off his Shoulder, and that made him give three leaps for Foy? Great-heart. *How the Strings that bound Christians burden to him were cut. Yes, 'twas the belief of this, that cut those Strings that could not be cut by other means, and 'twas to give him a proof of the Virtue of this, that he was suffered to carry his Burden to the Cross. Chris. I thought so, for tho' my heart was lightful and joyous before, yet it is ten times more lightsome and joyous now. And I am persuaded by what I have felt, tho' I have felt but little as yet, that if the most burdened Man in the World was here, and did see and believe, as I now do, 'twould make his heart the more merry and blithe. Great-heart. There is not only comfort, and the ease of How affection to Christ is begot in the Soul. a Burden brought to us, by the sight and Consideration of these; but an indeared Affection begot in us by it: For who can, if he doth but once think that Pardon comes, not only by promise, but thus; but be affected with the way and means of his Redemption, and so with the man that hath wrought it for him? I Part pag. 168. me, thou Chris. True, methinks it makes my Heart bleed to think that Cause of admiration. in my Husbands Eyes, and that it made him trudg so nimbly on. I am persuaded he wished me with him; but vile wretch, that I was, I let him come all alone. O Mercy, that thy Father and Mother were here, yea, and Mrs. Timorous also. Nay I wish now with all my Heart, that here was Madam Wanton too. Surely, surely, their Hearts would be affected, nor could the fear of the one, nor the powerful Lusts of the other, prevail with them to go home again, and to refuse to become good Pilgrims. To be affected with Christ and with what he has don is a thing Great-heart. You speak now in the warmth of your Affections, will it, think you, be always thus with you? Besides, this is not communicated to every one, nor to every one that did see your Jesus bleed. There was that stood by, and that saw the Blood run from his Heart to the Ground, and yet was so far off this, that instead of lamenting, they laughed at him, and instead of becoming his Disciples, did harden their Hearts against him. So that all that you have my Daughters, you have by a peculiar impression made by a Divine contemplating upon what I have spoken to you. Remember that 'twas told you, that the Hen by her common call, gives no meat to her Chickens. This you have therefore by a special Grace. special. Simple and Now I saw still in my Dream, that they went on until they were come to the place that Simple, and Sloth and Presumption lay and slept in, when Christian went by on Pilgrimage. And behold they were hanged up in Irons a little way off on the other-side. Sloth and Guide, and Mercy. Then said Mercy to him that was their Conductor, What are those three men? and for what are they banged there? Great-heart. These three men, were Men of very bad Qualities, they had no mind to be Pilgrims themselves, and whosoever they could they hindred; they were for Sloth and Folly themselves, and whoever they could perswade with, they made so too, and withal taught them to presume that they should do well at last. They were asleep when Christian went by, and now you go by they are hanged. Mercy. But could they perswade any to be of their Opinion? Their Crimes. Who they pre- There was Slow-pace that they perswaded to do as they. They also prevailed with one Short-wind, with one Noheart, with one Linger-after-lust, and with one Sleepy-head, and with a young Woman her name was Dull, to turn out of the way and become as they. Besides, they brought up an ill report of the way. of your Lord, perswading others that he was a task-Master. They also brought up an evil report of the good Land, saying, 'twas not half so good as some pretend it was: They also began to vilifie his Servants, and to count the very best of them meddlesome, troublesome busie-Bodies: Further, they would call the Bread of God, Husks; the Comforts of his Children, Fancies, the Travel and Labour of Pilgrims, things to no purpose. Chris. Nay, said Christiana, if they were such, they shall never be bewailed by me, they have but what they deserve, and I think it is well that they hang so near the High-way that others may see and take warning. But had it not been well if their Crimes had been ingraven in some Plate of Iron or Brass, and left here, even where they did their Mischiefs, for a caution to other bad Men? Great-heart. So it is, as you as you well may perceive if you will go a little to the Wall. Mercy. No no, let them hang and their Names Rot, and their Crimes live for ever against them; I think it a high favour that they were hanged afore we came hither, who knows else what they might a done to such poor Women as we are? Then she turned it into a Song, saying, Now then, you three, hang there and be a Sign And thou my Soul of all such men beware, That unto Holiness Opposers are. Thus they went on till they came at the foot of the Hill Difficulty. Where again their good Friend, Mr. Great-heart, took an occasion to tell them of what happened there when Christian himself went by. So he had them first to the Spring. 1 Part pag. 171. Ezek. 34. 18. |