The Pilgrims meet with Ignorance.

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 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.·

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 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 shewed 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.

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'll warrant you he thinketh otherwise.

Conversation of Christian, Hopeful, and Ignorance.

HOPE. 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?

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 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 said, Come, how do you? how stands it between God and your soul now?

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

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

IGNOR. But I think of them, and leave all for them. CHR. That I doubt: for leaving of 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." Prov, xxviii. 26.

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

CHR. 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

respecting the Agreement of Heart and Life.

hopes of that thing for which he has yet no ground to hope.

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

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

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 has 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.

IGNOR. What be good thoughts respecting ourselves?

CHR. Such as agree with the word of God.

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

CHR. 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 ima gination 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..

Hopeful gives an Account of himself.

bours were sick; or, 5. If I heard the bell toll for some that were dead; or, 6. If I thought of dying myself; or, 7. If I heard that sudden death happened to others; s. But especially when I thought of myself, that I must quickly come to judgment.

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

HOPE. 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 torment to me.

CHR. And how did you do then?

HOPE. I thought I must endeavour to mend my life; for else, thought I, I am sure to be damned. CHR. And did you endeavour to amend?

HOPE. Yes; and fled not only from 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 other, too much here to relate.

CHR. And did you think yourself well then?

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

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

HOPE. 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. Gal. ii. 16. Luke xvii. 10. 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

Hopeful gives an Account of himself.

man runs a hundred pounds into the shopkeeper'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 the shopkeeper may sue him, 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 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."

CHR. A very good application :-but pray go on. HOPE. Another thing that hath troubled me, even 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 do then?

HOPE. 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'.

Here is the touchstone to try whether conviction and conversion are from the Spirit of truth, or not. Many talk of conviction and conversion work, who are yet whole in heart, and strong in confidence of a righteousness of their own, or of being made righteous by themselves, instead of looking solely to, and trusting wholly in, the infinitely perfect and everlastingly glorious righteousness of the God-man, Christ Jesus, and desiring to be clothed in that, and found in him. All conviction and conversion short of this, leaves the soul destitute of evangelical righteousness, of hope, and of heaven.