_Ignorance._ You talk too high for me? I am a poor sinner, and I believe in Christ, and that is enough.
_Christian._ I fear, hell is full of such poor sinners as thou. But how dost thou believe in Christ?
_Ignorance._ Why, I believe Christ died for sinners, and that my sins will be forgiven, through God’s gracious acceptance of my sincerity and best endeavours to obey his laws.
_Christian._ 1. Thou believest then with a fantastical faith; for this faith is no where described in the word. 2. Thou believest with a false faith; because thou takest justification from the blood and righteousness of Christ, and appliest it to thy own. 3. This first maketh Christ not a justifier ♦of thy person, but of thy actions; and of thy person, for the sake of thy actions. Therefore this faith is utterly deceitful, and will leave thee under wrath in the day of the Lord.
♦ “rf” replaced with “of”
True justifying faith puts the soul, as sensible of its lost condition by the law, upon flying for refuge to the blood and righteousness of Christ. And this righteousness of his is not an act of grace, by which he maketh thy obedience acceptable to God for thy justification.
No, but Christ did and suffered what was required at our hands; and for the sake of what he did and suffered, we are pardoned and accepted of God.
_Ignorance._ And so you would have us do nothing! We may live as we list; since we are justified by faith alone!
_Christian._ As thy name is, so art thou. Thou art ignorant of the fruits of faith in the blood of Christ. He that believeth in Christ, loveth God; and whosoever loveth him keepeth his commandments.
_Hopeful._ Was Christ ever revealed to you?
_Ignorance._ What, you are for new revelations! And receiving the Holy Ghost, I suppose! I believe what both you and all the rest of you say about these matters, is all whim and enthusiasm, the effects of mere imagination, or a distempered brain.
_Hopeful._ Why, man, _None knoweth the Son save he unto whom the Father revealeth him: and no man calleth Jesus Lord, but by the Holy Ghost_.
_Ignorance._ That is _your_ faith but it is not _mine_: yet mine, I doubt not is as good as yours; though I have not my head filled with so many whims and fancies.
_Christian._ Give me leave to put in a word: you ought not to speak so slightly of this matter: for _no man can know_ Jesus Christ, _save he to whom the Father revealeth him_: and that faith whereby the soul layeth hold on Christ, must be wrought by _the exceeding greatness of his mighty power_. Of this faith I perceive thou art wholly ignorant. Awake thou that sleepest. Know thyself. See thy own weakness. Fly to the Lord Jesus, and by his righteousness thou shalt be delivered from condemnation.
_Ignorance._ You walk so fast, I cannot keep pace with you; go on, I must stay awhile behind.
Do you think, said _Hopeful_, that such men as these have never any convictions of sin?
_Christian._ Without doubt they have, more or less, but they desperately stifle them.
_Hopeful._ Nay, why should they stifle them?
_Christian._ 1. Because they think these fears are wrought by the devil, which indeed are wrought of God. 2. They think also, they have no reason thus to fear, and therefore harden themselves in presumptuous confidence. 3. They see these fears would rob them of their beloved self-righteousness, and therefore resist them with all their might.
*Now I saw in my dream, that by this time they were got over the inchanted ground, and entering into the country of _Beulah_, the way lying directly over it. They were now far beyond the _valley of the ♦Shadow of Death_, and also out of the reach of giant _Despair_; neither could they, from this place, so much as see _Doubting-castle_. In this country there is no darkness at all, the sun shining night and day; there are no storms or tempests, but the air is always calm and serene. Here the flowers all the year appear in the earth, throughout the perpetual spring: and they continually heard the singing of birds, and the voice of the turtle in the land. They were now within sight of the city they were going to; and met with several of the inhabitants of it. Yea, in this land their Lord himself commonly walked. It being on the borders of heaven. In this land also the contract between the bride and bridegroom was renewed: and _as a bridegroom rejoiceth over the bride, so did their God rejoice over them_. Here they had no want of corn or wine, but abundance of all things, being in a land that flowed with milk and honey. Mean time they heard voices out of the city, loud voices, saying, _Say ye to the daughter of Zion, behold thy salvation cometh_: and all the inhabitants of the country called them, _the holy people, the redeemed of the Lord_.
♦ “Shadom” replaced with “Shadow”