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HOPEFUL instructed to pray.

to come: and he said, concerning that book, that every jot and tittle thereof stood firmer than heaven and earth.* Then I asked him what I must do when I came? And he told me I must intreat 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 to him? And he said, Go, and thou shalt find him upon a mercyseat, where he sits, all the year long, to give pardon and forgiveness to them that come. I told him that I knew not what to say when I came. And he bid me say to this effect-" God be merciful to me "a sinner," and make me to know and believe

* Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away, Matt. xxiv. 35.

† O come, let us worship and bow down; let us kneel before the LORD our Maker. Ps. cxv. 6. Then shall ye call upon me, and ye shall go and pray unto me, and I will hearken unto you. And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart. Jer. xxix. 12, 13. Now when Daniel knew that the writing was signed, he went into his house; and, his windows being open in his chamber towards Jerusalem, he kneeled upon his knees three times a day, and prayed, and gave thanks before his God, as he did aforetime. Dan, vi, 10.

And there will I meet with thee, and I will commune with thee from above the mercy-seat, from between the two cherubims which are upon the ark of the testimony, of all things which I will give thee in commandment unto the children of Israel. Exod. xxv, 22. And the LORD said unto Moses, Speak unto Aaron thy brother, that he come not all times into the holy place within the vail, before the mercy-seat which is upon the ark, that he die not: for I will appear in the cloud upon the mercy-seat, Lev. xvi. 2. Let us, therefore, come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need. Heb. iv. 16.

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HOPEFUL Continues to pray.

in JESUS CHRIST: for I see, that if his righteous

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ness had not been, or I have not faith in that righteousness, 1 am utterly cast away. LORD I 'have heard that thou art a merciful God, and 'hast ordained that thy Son JESUS CHRIST should 'be the Saviour of the world: and, moreover, that 'thou art willing to bestow him upon such 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 JESUS CHRIST. Amen.'

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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 the first, nor second, nor third, nor fourth, nor fifth, no nor at the sixth 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 pray ing.

HOPE. Yes, and a hundred times twice told. CHR. And what was the reason you did not? HOPE. I believed that that was true which had been told me, to wit, that without the righteousness of this CHRIST, all the world could not save me : and therefore, thought I with myself, if I leave off I die, and I can but die at the throne of grace. And withal this came into my mind, "If it tarry

CHRIST was revealed to him.

"wait for it, because it will surely come, and will "not tarry." Heb. ii. 3. So I continued praying until the FATHER shewed me the SoN.

CHR. And how was he revealed unto you? HOPE. I did not see him with my bodily eyes, but with the eyes of my understanding,* and thus it was: One day as I was very sad, I think sadder than at any one time in my life and this sadness was through a fresh sight of the greatness and vileness of my sins. And as I was then looking for nothing but hell, and the everlasting damnation of my soul, suddenly, as I thought, I saw the LORD JESUS look down from heaven upon me, and saying, "Believe on the LORD JESUS CHRIST, and "thou shalt be saved." Acts xvi. 31.

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But I replied, LORD, I am a great, a very great 'sinner' and he answered, "My grace is sufficient "for thee." Then I said, 'But, LORD, what is believing?' And then I saw from that saying, "He

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"that cometh to me shall never hunger, and he "that believeth on me shall never thirst." John vi. 35; that believing and coming was all one; and that he that came, that is, run out in his heart and affections after salvation by CHRIST, he indeed believed in CHRIST. Then the water stood in mine eyes, and I asked further, But, LORD, may such

The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints, and what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power. Eph. 18, 19.

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The effect of this revelation

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a great sinner as I am, be indeed accepted of thee, and be saved by thee?' And I heard him say, "And him that cometh to me, I will in no wise cast "out." John vi. 37. Then I said, But how, LORD, 'must I consider of thee in my coming to thee, that my faith may be placed aright upon thee!' Then he said," "CHRIST JESUS came into the world to save sinners." 1 Tim. i. 15. "He is the end of

"the law for righteousness to every one that be"lieves," Rom. x. 4. " He died for our sins, and "rose again for our justification." "He loved us and "washed us from our sins in his own blood." "He is mediator between GoD and us,' "" He ever "liveth to make intercession for us." Heb. vii. 24, 35. 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 our 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 to see that all the world, notwithstanding all the righteousness thereof, is in a state of condemnation: it made me see that GoD

The Pilgrims wait for IGNORANCE.

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 mine 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 name of the LORD J' Sus; 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. Ay, ay, 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 warrant you he thinketh otherwise.

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?

IGNO. 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 I not tell you he cared not for our company?

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