to Faithful,

Hope. Do! I could not tell what to do, This made him "till I break my Mind to Faithful; for he break his Mind and I were well acquainted. And he told who told him me, that unless I could obtain the Righ- the Way to be teousness of a Man that never had finned, Javed. neither mine own, nor all the Righteoufnefs of the World could fave me.

Chr. And did you think he spake true? Hope. Had he told me fo when I was pleafed and fatisfied with mine own Amendments, I had called him Fool for his Pains; but now fince I fee mine own Infirmity, and the Sin which cleaves to my beft Performance, I have been forced to be of his Opinion.

Chr. But did you think, when at first he fuggefted it to you, that there was fuch a Man to be found, of whom it might juftly be faid, that he never committed Sin?

Hope. I must confefs the Words at firft At which he founded strangely, but after a little niore ftarted at preTalk and Company with him, I had full fent.

Conviction about it.

Chr. And did you ask him what Man this was, and how you must be juftified by him?

1 Pet. 1.

Hope. Yes, and he told me it was the Heb. 10. Lord Jefus, that dwelleth on the right Rom. 4. Hand of the Moft High: * And thus, Col. 1. said he, you must be justified by him, even A more by trufting to what he hath done by him particular felf in the Days of his Flesh, and fuffer- Discovery of ed when he did hang on the Tree. I the Way to be asked him further, how that Man's Righ-Javed. teoufnefs could be of that Efficacy, as to justify another before GOD? And he told

He doubts of
Acceptation.

Mat. 11. 28.

me, He was the Mighty GOD, and did
what he did, and died the Death also, not
for himfelf, but for me; to whom his
Doings, and the Worthiness of them,
fhould be imputed, if I believed on him.
Chr. And what did you do then?
Hope. I made my Objections against my
Believing, for that I thought he was not
willing to fave me.

Chr. And what faid Faithful to you

then ?

Hope. He bid me go to him and fee. He is better Then I faid it was Prefumption. inftructed.

Dan. 6. 10. Jer. 29. 12,

He faid No, for I was invited to come. Then he gave me a Book of Jefus's inditing, to encourage nie the more freely to come; Matt. 24. 25. and he faid concerning that Book, That Pfalm 95.6. every Jot and Tittle thereof ftood firmer than Heaven and Earth. Then I asked him, what I muft do when I came: And he told me I muft entreat upon my Knees, with all my Heart and Soul, the Father to reveal him to me. Then I asked him further, how I must make my Supplication Exod. 25. 22. to him? And he faid, Go, and thou shalt Lev. 16.9. find him upon a Mercy Seat, where he Num.11.7,8. fits all the Year long, to give Pardon and Heb. 4. 6. Forgivenefs to them that come. I told him, that I knew not what to fay when I He is bid to came. And he bid me fay to this Effect: God be merciful to me a Sinner, and make me to know and believe in Jefus Chrift; for I fee, that if his Righteoufness had not been, or I have not Faith in that Righteoufnefs, I am utterly caft away. Lord, I have heard that thou art a merciful God, and haft ordained that thy Son Jefus

pray.

Jefus Chrift fhould be the Saviour of the World: And moreover, that thou art willing to bestow upon fuch a poor Sinner as I am (and I am a Sinner indeed) Lord, take therefore this Opportunity, and magnify thy Grace in the Salvation of my Soul, through thy Son Jefus Chrift. Amen.

Chr. And did you do as you were bidden?

Hope. Yes, over, and over, and over. Chr. And did the Father reveal the Son to you?

Hope. Not at firft, nor fecond, nor third, nor fourth, nor fifth; no, nor at the fixth Time neither.

Chr. What did you do then?

Hope. What! why I could not tell what to do.

Chr. Had you not Thoughts of leaving off Praying?

He prays.

Hope. Yes, and a hundred Times twice He thought to told. leave off

Chr. And what was the Reason you did praying.

not?

Hope. I believed that that was true, ‡ Durft not which hath been told me, to wit, That leave praying, without the Righteoufnefs of this Chrift, and why? all the World could not fave me; and therefore thought I with myself, if I leave off, I die, and can but die at the Throne of Grace. And whithal this came into my Mind, if it tarry, wait for it, because it Heb. z. 3. will furely come, and will not tarry. So I continued praying, until the Father fhewed me his Son.

Chr. And how was he revealed unto

you?

N 4

Hope.

Ehp. 1. 18.

19.
Chrift is re-

and bow.

Hope. I did not fee him with my bodily Eyes, but with the Eyes of mine Undervealed to him ftanding: and thus it was. One Day I was very fad, I think fadder than at any one Time of my Life, and this Sadness was through a fresh Sight ef the Greatness and Vilenefs of my Sins. And as I was then looking for nothing but Hell, and the everlafting Damnation of my Soul, fuddenly, as I thought, I faw the Lord Jefus look Acts 16. 30, down from Heaven upon me, and faying, Believe on the Lord Jefus Christ, and thou fhalt be faved.

31.

But I replied, Lord, I am a great, a very great Sinner: And he anfwered, My 2 Cor. 12. 9. Grace is fufficient for thee. Then I said, but Lord, what is Believing? And then John 6. 35. I faw from that Saying, [He that cometh to me fhall never hunger, and he that believeth on me fhall never thirst] that Believing and Coming was all one; and that he that came, that is, ran out in his Heart and Affections after Salvation by Chrift, he indeed believed in Chrift. Then the Water stood in mine Eyes, and I asked further, But, Lord, may fuch a great Sinner as I am, be indeed accepted of thee, and be faved by thee? And I heard him fay, And him that cometh to me, I will in no wife caft out. Then I faid, but how, Lord, muft I confider of thee in my coming to thee, that my Faith must be placed aright upon thee? Then he faid, Chrift came into the World to fave Sinners. He is the End of the Law of Righteousness to every one that believes. He died for our Sins, and rose again for our Juftification:

John 6. 16.

1 Tim. 1. 15. Rom. 10. 4. Chap. 4.

He

He loved us, and wafhed us from our Sins in his own Blood: He is a Mediator betwixt God and us: He ever liveth to make Interceffion for us. From all which 1 gathered, That I muft look for Righteoufness 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 fubmitting 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 Jefus Chrift.

Chr. This was a Revelation of Chrift to your Soul indeed: But tell me particularly what Effect this had upon your Spirit?

Hope. It made me fee that all the World, notwithstanding all the Righteousness thereof, is in a State of Condemnation : It made me fee that God the Father, though he be Juft, can justly justify the coming Sinner: It made me greatly afhamed of the Vileness of my former Life, and confounded me with the Senfe of mine own Ignorance; for there never came a Thought into my Heart before now, that fhewed me fo the Beauty of Jefus Chrift: It made me love a Holy Life, and long to do fomething for the Honnour and Glory of the Name of the Lord Jefus: Yea, I thought that if I had now a thousand Gallons of Blood in my Body, I could fpill it all for the Sake of the Lord Jefus.