How we become partakers thereof.

Christ. But are the other righteousnesses of no use to us?

Great-heart. Yes; for though they are essential to his natures and offices, and cannot be commu'nicated unto another, yet it is by virtue of them that the righteousness that justifies is, for that purpose, efficacious. The righteousness of his Godhead gives virtue to his obedience; the righteousness of his manhood giveth capability to his obedience to justify; and the righteousuess that standeth in the union of these two natures to his office, giveth authority to that righteousness to do the work for which it was 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 Godman, has no need of, for he is perfectly so without it. Here then is a righteousness that Christ, as God, and as God-man, has uo need of, with reference to himself, and therefore he can spare it; a justifying righteousness, that he for himself wasteth not, and therefore giveth it away. Hence it is called the gift of righteousness. This righteousness, since Christ Jesus the Lord was made himself under the law, must be given away; for the law doth not only bind him that his under it, to do justly, but to use charity. Rom. v. 17. Wherefore, he must, or ought, by the law, if he hath two coats to give one to him that hath none. Now, our Lord, indeed, hath two

souls in the day of life, and administer divine consolation in the hour of death. Therefore, be strong in the faith of thy Lord's righteousness being thine, and thou shalt be joyful in hope, comfortable in love, and steady in all holy obedience.

How we become partakers thereof.

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 here, doth your pardon come by deed, or by the work of another man. Your Lord Christ is he that worked, and hath given away what he wrought for, to the next poor beggar he meets.

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 course of a righteous law; now from this course we must be justified by way of redemption, a price being paid for the harms we 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 sous with righteousness. (i) Rom. viii. 34. For the sake of which, God passeth by you, and will not hurt you, when he comes to judge the world. Gal. iii. 13.

Christ. This is brave: Now I see that there was something to be learned 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 Christian's burthen to fall off from his shoulder and that made him give three leaps for joy?

(i) Thus we see what God hath joined together, the life and death, the atonement and righteousness of his beloved Son for the salvation of our souls. Both enter into the essence of the faith in the gospel. Let us beware never to separate them in our views. We want both his blood to atone for our sins, and his righteousness to justify our souls. O give glory to Jesus for both, and triumph in both, from day to day, on earth, till you come to cast down your crown at his feet, and to crown Christ with all his glory in heaven.

The effects of the Cross.

Great-heart. Yes; it was the belief of this that cut off those strings, that could not be cut by other means; and it was to give him a proof of the virtue of this, that he was suffered to carry his burthen to

the cross

Christ. I thought so; for though my heart was lightsome and joyous before, yet it is ten times more lightsome and joyous now. And I am persuaded, by what I have felt (though 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, it would make his heart the more merry and blithe.

Great-heart. There is not only comfort, and the ease of a burthen, brought to us, by the sight and consideration of these, but an endeared affection begot in us by it: but who can (if he does but once think that pardon comes not only by promise, but thus) but be affected by the ways and means of redemption, and so with the man that hath wrought it for him. (k)

Christ. True; methinks it makes my heart bleed to think that he should bleed for me. Oh! thou loving One: Oh! thou blessed One! Thou deservest to have me; thou hast bought me; thou deservest to have me all: thou hast paid for me ten

(k) Come hither ye sons of the sorceress, who make a sport of holy raptures and heavenly ecstacies, begotten in the soul by the knowledge of redemption in the blood of Christ, the forgiveness of our sins. Laugh on till ye howl in destruction, for despising salvation by the blood of the Lamb; but we will exalt and triumph, sing of, and rejoice in, Jesus the God of our salvation, in spite of your sport at us: and notwithstanding all the frowns of contempt of you, too, who are dead formalists, and know nothing of having your hearts warmed, and your affections inflamed, by the love of a redeeming God and Saviour, and finding yourselves broken-hearted sinners before him, and pardoned and justified sinmers by him. O for more warm affections for our BELOVED.

The blessed effects of looking at the Cross.

thousand times more than I am worth? No marvel that this made the water stand in my husband's eyes, and that it made him trudge so nimbly on : I am persuaded he wished me to be 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 lust of the other, prevail with them to go home again, and refuse to become good pilgrims. (!)

Great-heart. You speak now in the warmth of your affection; 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 were that stood by, and that saw the blood run from the heart to the ground and yet were so far off this, that instead of lamenting, they laughed at him; and instead of becoming his

(1) Ó, brave Christiana! See what it is to have one's heart inflamed with a sense of the love of Christ. Here observe two things, 1st, That when the affections are thus powerfully carried out, it is no uncommon thing for the tongue to speak ungardedly. Thus Peter, upon the mount, said, " It is good to be bere; let us make three tabernacles. But he knew not what he said,” Mark ix. 5. So Christiana thinks every one would naturally be affected as she was, if they were present. But she forgets that what she sees and feels, is, of special, peculiar, and distinguishing grace. 2dly, Beware of thinking slightly of having the affections thus divinely inflamed: many poor, dry, formal professors, go on year after year, quite easy and contented, without any incomes of ravishing love and spiritual joy. They are content with the sure light of the moon, without the genial warmth of the sun; with cold notions of truth in their heads, without their hearts being warmed, and their affections carried out by the powerful influence of the love of Jesus; for, he says, Ask, and ye shall re

ceive, that your joy may be full." John xvi. 24.

Simple, Sloth, and Presumption, hung in chains.

disciples, did harden their hearts against him. So that all you have, my daughters, you have by peculiar impression, made by a divine contemplation upon what I have spoken to you. Remember that it was told you, that the hen, by her common call, gives no meat to her chickens. This you have, therefore, by a special grace. (m)

Now I saw still in my dream, that they went on until they were come to the place that Simple, Sloth, and Presumption, lay and slept in, when Christian went by on pilgrimage: and, behold, they were banged up in irons, a little way off on the other side.

Mercy. Then said Mercy unto him that was their guide and conducter, What are these three men? and for what are they hanged there ?

Great-heart. These three men were men of bad qualities they had no mind to be pilgrims themselves, and whomsoever they could, they hindred; they were for sloth and folly themselves, and whomsoever they could persuade, 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: (n)1⁄2

7

Mercy. But could they persuade any one to be of their opinion?

(m) Mind how tenderly Great-heart deals with warm-hearted Christiana. He does not attempt to damp her joy, and throw cold water upon the fire of her affections, but gently insinuates, first, the peculiar frame of mind she speaks from. 2dly. By a gentle hint, suggests, that she must not always expect to be in such rap tures; and, 3dly, reminds her, that her indulgences were of a peculiar nature, not common to all, but bestowed upon the faithful in Christ only. And that, therefore, amidst all her joyful feelings, she should know to whom she was indebted for them, and give all the glory to the God of all grace.

(n) God, as it were, gibbets some professors; and causes their names and characters to be publicly exhibited, as a terror to others. and as a warning to his own people.