Evangelist questions Christian.

much to me, and got me at last to yield: so I came hither: but when I beheld this hill, and how it hangs over the way, I suddenly made a stand, lest it should fall on my head.

Evan. What said that gentleman to you?

Chr. Why, he asked me whither I was going? And I told him.

Evan. And what said he then?

Chr. He asked me if I had a family; and I told him. But said I, I am so loaded with the burden that is on my back, that I cannot take pleasure in them as formerly.

Evan. And what said he then?

Chr. He bid me with speed get rid of my burden and I told him it was ease I sought. 1 And said I, I am therefore going to yonder gate, to receive further direction how I may get to the place of deliverance. So he said, that he would show me a better way, and shorter, not so attended with difficulties as the way, Sir, that you set me in; which way, said he, will direct you to a gentleman's house that has skill to take off these burdens;

so I believed him, (e) and turned out of that way into this, if haply, I might be soon eased of my burden. But when I came to this place, and beheld things as they are, I stopped for fear, as I said of danger; but I now know not what to do. (f)

whereby they infect many souls with pernicious errors, and pestilent heresies, turning them from Christ and the hope of justification and eternal life, through him ONLY, to look and rely upon their own works, in whole, or in part, for salvation.

(e) As the belief of the truth lies at the foundation of the hope of eternal life, and is the cause of any one becoming a pilgrim; so the belief of a lie is the cause of any one's turning out of the way which leads to glory.

(f) Legality will bring the soul to perplexity; and cause him to stop for fear, unless he is suffered to go on, blinded by pride and self-righteousness, to his own destruction.

Worldly Wiseman described by Evangelist.

Evan. Then, said Evangelist, stand still a little, that I may shew thee the words of God. So he stood trembling. Then said Evangelist, See* that you refuse not him that speaketh; for if they escaped not, who refused him that spake on earth, much more shall not we escape, if we turn away from him that speaketh from heaven. He said. moreover, Now the just shall live by faith: but if any man draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him.† He also did thus apply them; thou art the man that art running into this misery; thou hast begun to reject the counsel of the Most High, and to draw back thy foot from the way of peace, even almost to the hazarding of thy perdition. (g)

Then Christian fell down at his feet as dead, crying, "Woe is me, for I am undone!" At the sight of which, Evangelist caught him by the right hand, saying, all manner of sin and blasphemies shall be forgiven unto men; be not faithless, but believing. Then did Christian again a little revive, and stood up trembling, as at first, before Evangelist. (h)

Then Evangelist proceeded, saying, Give more earnest heed to the things that I shall tell thee of. I will now shew thee who it was that deluded thee, and who it was also to whom he sent thee. The man that met thee, is one Worldly Wiseman, and

(g) See the danger of turning from the faith of Christ, to trust in any degree, to our own works for justification and eternal life. Beware of legal teachers, and of thy own legal spirit.

See the amazing

(b) See the glory of gospel grace to sinners. love of Christ in dying for sinners. O remember the price, which Christ obtained the pardon of your sins, at nothing less than his own most precious blood! Believe his wonderful love. Rejoice in his glorious salvation. Live in the love of him, in the hatred of your sins, and in humbleness of mind before him,

What a Christian must abhor.

rightly he is so called: partly, * because he savoureth only the doctrine of the world (therefore he always goes to the town of Morality to church), and partly, because he loveth that doctrine best; for it saveth him from the cross; and because he is of this carnal temper; therefore he seeketh to pervert my ways, though right. Now there are three things in this man's counsel that thou must utterly abhor.

1. His turning thee out of the way.

2. His labouring to render the cross odious to thee.

3. And his setting thy feet in that way that leadeth unto the ministration of death. (i)

First, thou must abhor his turning thee out of the way; yea, and thine own consenting thereto; because this is to reject the counsel of God, for the sake of the counsel of a Worldly Wiseman. The Lord says, Strive to enter in at the straight gate, (the gate to which I send thee :) § for straight is the gate that leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.From this little wicket-gate, and from the way thereto, hath this wicked man turned thee, to the bringing of thee almost to destruction; hate, therefore, his turning thee out of the way, and abhor thyself for hearkening to him.

Secondly, thou must abhor his labouring to ren

* 1 John iv. 5.

‡ Luke xiii. 24.

+ Col. vi. 12.

§ Matt. vii. 13, 14.

(i) Gospel comfort cannot be enjoyed, till the soul is convinced of the evil, and rejects the doctrine of Legality, or trust in a whole dependence upon our own works for justification in whole or in part. Beware of compounding with Mr. Legality, so as to be justified by grace at first, and by works at last; for this is confounding grace and works, so as to exalt our vile selves, and to dishonour precious Christ and his glorious righteousness. This detestable heresy abounds greatly in the present day.

Affecting situation of Christian.

der the cross odious unto thee; for thou art to* "prefer it before the treasures in Egypt." Besides, the King of Glory hath told theet" that he that will save his life shall lose it :" and "he that comes after him, and hates not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple." I say therefore, for a man to labour to persuade thee that that shall be thy death without which the truth hath said, thou canst not have eternal life: this doctrine thou must abhor.

Thirdly, Thou must hate his setting of thy feet in the way that leadeth to the ministration of death. And for this thou must consider to whom he sent thee, and also how unable that person was to deliver thee from thy burden.

He to whom thou wast sent for ease, being by name Legality, is the son of the bond woman, which now is in bondage with her children, and is, in a mystery, this mount § Sinai, which thou hast feared, will fall on thy head. Now if she with her children are in bondage, how canst thou expect by them to be made free from thy burden. This Legality, therefore, is not able to set thee free from thy burden. No man was as yet ever rid of his burden by him; no, nor ever is like to be; ye cannot be justified by the works of the law; for by the deeds of the law, no man living can be rid of his burden; therefore, Mr. Worldly Wiseman is an alien, and Mr. Legality a cheat as for his son Civility, notwithstanding his simpering looks, he is but an hypocrite, and cannot help thee. Believe me, there is nothing in all this noise that thou hast heard of these sottish men, but a design to beguile thee of thy salvation, by

*Heb. xi. 25, 26.

+ Mark viii. 35. John xii. 25. Gal. iv. 21-27.

Matt. x. 39. Luke xiv. 26. § The bond-woman.

Christian comforted by Evangelist.

turning thee from the way in which I had set thee (k). After this, Evangelist called aloud to the heavens for confirmation of what he had said; and with that there came words and fire out of the mountain under which poor Christian stood, that made the hair of his flesh stand up; the words were thus pronounced, " As many as are of the works of the law, are under the curse:" for it is written, "Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the Jaw, to do them." (1)

Now Christian looked for nothing but death, and began to cry out lamentably, even cursing the time in which he met with Mr. Worldly Wiseman; still calling himself a thousand fools for hearkening to his counsel: he also was greatly ashamed to think that this gentleman's arguments, flowing only from the flesh, should have the prevalency with him as to cause him to forsake the right way. This done, he applied himself again to Evangelist in words and sense as follows:

Chr. Sir, (m) What think you? Is there hope? May I now go back, and go up to the Wicket-gate? Shall I not be abandoned for this, and sent back

* Gal. iii. 10.

(k) The gospel pays no respect to demure looks, and a sanctified face; but pronounces such cheats, hypocrites, and beguilers, who turn souls from the cross of Christ, and the way of salvation by him, to trust in any-wise to their own works for justification and salvation.

(1) Legality is as great an enemy to the cross of Christ, as Li centiousness; for it keeps the soul from coming to, believing in, and trusting wholly to the blood of Christ for pardon, and the righteousness of Christ for justification: so that it keeps the soul in bondage, and swells the mind with pride, while Licentiousness brings a scandal on the cross.

(in) Christian enquires if he may yet be happy. Legal hopes will bring on distress of soul, and despondency of spirit as well as outward sins: there is no hope of a sinner's being comforted by the cross of Christ, till he is made sensible of this.