I conclude that I was not yet a true Christian; for, said I in my heart, I have contented myself with the praise of men, and so have lost all my labour and pains in performing duties; for they have been no better than outside performances, and, therefore, they must all fall down in a moment. I have not served God with all my heart; and, therefore, I see I must either go further, or else I shall never be happy. Whereupon I set about the keeping of the law in good earnest, and laboured to perform duties, not only outwardly, but also inwardly from my heart; I heard, and read, and prayed, and laboured, to bring my heart, and forced my soul to every duty; I called upon the Lord in good earnest, and told him, that whatsoever he would have me to do, I would do it with all my heart, if he would but save my soul. And then I also took notice of the inward corruptions of my heart, the which I had not formerly done, and was careful to govern my thoughts, to moderate my passions, and to suppress the motions and risings of lusts, to banish pride and speculative wantonness, and all vain and sinful desires of my heart; and then I thought myself not only an outside Christian, but also an inside Christian, and therefore a true Christian indeed. And so I went on comfortably a good while, till I considered that the law of God requires passive obedience as well as active: and therefore I must be a sufferer as well as a doer, or else I could not be a Christian indeed; whereupon I began to be troubled at my impatience under God's correcting hand, and at those inward murmurings and discontents which I found in my spirit in time of any outward calamity that befel me; and then I laboured to bridle my passions, and to submit myself quietly to the will of God in every condition; and then did I also, as it were, begin to take penance upon myself, by abstinence, fasting, and afflicting my soul; and made pitiful lamentations in my prayers, which were sometimes also accompanied with tears, the which I was persuaded the Lord did take notice of, and would reward me for it; and then I was persuaded that I did keep the law, in yielding obedience both actively and passively. And then was I confident I was a true Christian, until I considered, that those Jews, of whom the Lord complains, Isa. lviii. did as much as I; and that caused me to fear that all was not right with me as yet. Whereupon I went to another minister, and told him that though I had done thus and thus, and suffered thus and thus; yet was I persuaded, that I was in no better a condition than those Jews. O yes!

said he; you are in a better condition than they: for they were hypocrites, and served not God with all their hearts as you do. Then I went home contentedly, and so went on in my wonted course of doing and suffering, and thought all was well with me, until I bethought myself, that before the time of my conversion, I had been a transgressor from the womb; yea, in the womb, in that I was guilty of Adam's transgression: so that I considered that although I kept even with God for the time present and to come, yet that would not free me from the guiltiness of that which was done before; whereupon. I was much troubled and disquieted in my mind. Then I went to a third minister of God's holy word, and told how the case stood with me, and what I thought of my state and condition. He cheered me up, bidding me be of good comfort: for however my obedience since my conversion would not satisfy for my former sins; yet, inasmuch as, at my conversion, I had confessed, lamented, deplored, bewailed, and forsaken them, God, according to his rich mercy and gracious promise, had mercifully pardoned and forgiven them. Then I returned home to my house again, and went to God by earnest prayer and supplication, and besought him to give me assurance of the pardon and forgiveness of my guiltiness of Adam's sin, and all my actual transgressions before my conversion; and as I had endeavoured myself to be a good servant before, so I would still continue in doing my duty most exactly; and so, being assured that the Lord had granted this my request, I fell to my business according to my promise; I heard, I read, I prayed, I fasted, I mourned, I sighed, and groaned; and watched over my heart, my tongue, and ways, in all my doings, actions, and dealings, both with God and man. But after a while, I growing better acquainted with the spiritualness of the law, and the inward corruptions of my own heart, I perceived that I had deceived myself, in thinking that I had kept the law perfectly; for, do what I could, I found many imperfections in my obedience; for I had been, and was still subject to sleepiness, drowsiness, and heaviness, in prayers and hearing, and so in other duties; I failed in the manner of performance of them, and in the end why I performed them, seeking myself in every thing I did: and my conscience told me I failed in my duty to God in this, and in my duty to my neighbour in that. And then I was much troubled again: for I considered that the law of God requires, and is not satisfied without an exact and perfect obedience. And then I went to

the same minister again, and told him how I had purposed, promised, striven, and endeavoured, as much as possibly I could, to keep the law of God perfectly; and yet by woeful experience I had found, that I had, and did still transgress in many ways; and therefore I feared hell and damnation. "Oh! but," said he, "do not fear; for the best of Christians have their failings, and no man keepeth the law of God perfectly; and therefore go on, and do as you have done, in striving to keep the law perfectly; and in what you cannot do, God will accept the will for the deed; and wherein you come short, Christ will help you out." And this satisfied and contented me very much. So I returned home again, and fell to prayer, and told the Lord, that now I saw I could not yield perfect obedience to his law, and yet I would not despair, because I did believe, that what I could not do Christ had done for me: and then I did certainly conclude, that I was now a Christian indeed, though I was not so before: and so have I been persuaded ever since. And thus, sir, you see I have declared unto you, both how it hath been with me formerly, and how it is with me for the present; wherefore I would entreat you to tell me plainly and truly what you think of my condition.*

* It is not necessary, for saving this account of Nomista's case from the odious charge of forgery, that the particulars therein mentioned should have been real facts; more than (not to speak of scripture parables,) it is necessary to save the whole book from the same imputation, that the speeches therein contained should have passed, at a certain time, in a real conference of four men, called Evangelista, Nomista, Antinomista, and Neophitus; yet I make no question but it is grounded on matters of fact, falling out by some casuist's inadvertency, excess of charity to, or shifting converse with, the afflicted, as to their soul exercise, or by means of corrupt principles. And as the former are incident to good men of sound principles at any time, which calls ministers on such occasions to take heed to the frame of their own spirits, and to be much in the exercise of dependence on the Lord, lest they do hurt to souls instead of doing them good; so the latter is at no time to be thought strange, since there were found, even in the primitive apostolical churches, some who were reputed godly, zealous Gospel ministers, especially by such as had little savour of Christ on their own souls, who nevertheless, in their zeal for the law, perverted the gospel of Christ, Gal. i. 6, 7, and iv. 17. Whether Nomista was of opinion, that the covenant of works was still in force or not, our Lord Jesus Christ taught that it was, Luke x. 25-28; and so does the apostle, Gal. iii. 10; and unbelievers will find it so to their everlasting ruin. For, our Lord Jesus, who now offers to be Mediator for them who believe on him, shall, at the last day, come armed with flaming fire, to judge, condemn, and destroy all them who have not believed God, have not received the offer of grace made in the gospel, nor obeyed the doctrine thereof, but remain in their natural state, under the law or covenant of works."-Practical Use of Saving Knowledge, tit. For convincing a man of Judgment by the Law, part. 2,

Evan. Why, truly, I must tell you, it appears to me by this relation, that you have gone as far in the way of the cove nant of works as the apostle Paul did before his conversion : but yet, for aught I see, you have not gone the right way to the truth of the Gospel; and therefore I question whether you be as yet truly come to Christ.

Neoph. Good sir, give me leave to speak a few words. By the hearing of your discourse concerning the covenant of works, and the covenant of grace, I was moved to fear that I was out of the right way; but now having heard my neighbour Nomista make such an excellent relation, and yet you to question whether he truly be come to Christ or no, makes me conclude absolutely, that I am far from Christ. Surely, if he, upon whom the Lord hath bestowed such excellent gifts and graces, and who hath lived such a godly life as I am sure he hath done, be not right, then woe be

unto me.

Evan. Truly, for aught I know, you may be in Christ before him.

Nom. But, I pray you, sir, consider, that though I am now thoroughly convinced, that till of late I went on in the way of the covenant of works; yet seeing that I at last came to see my need of Christ, and have verily believed that in what I come short of fulfilling the law he will help me out, methinks I should be truly come to Christ.

Evan. Verily, I do conceive that this gives you no surer evidence of your being truly come to Christ, than some of your strict Papists have. For it is the doctrine of the Church of Rome, that if a man exercise all his power, and do his best to fulfil the law, then God, for Christ's sake, will pardon all his infirmities, and save his soul. And therefore you shall see many of your Papists very strict and zealous in the performance of duties, morning and evening, so many Ave Marias and so many Pater Nosters; yea, and many of them do great deeds of charity, and great works of hospitality; and all upon such grounds, and to such ends as these. The Papists (says Calvin) cannot abide this saying, "By faith alone;" for they think that their own works are in part a cause of their salvation; and so they make a hotch-potch and mingle-mangle, that is neither fish nor flesh, as men say.

Nom. But stay, sir, I pray; you are mistaken in me; for though I hold that God doth accept of my doing my best to fulfil the law, yet I do not hold with the Papists, that my doings are meritorious; for I believe that God accepts not

what I do, either for the work or worker's sake, but only for Christ's sake.

Evan. Yet do you but still go hand in hand with the Papists; for though they do hold that their works are meritorious, yet they say it is by the merit of Christ that they become meritorious; or, as some of the moderate sort of them say, "Our works, sprinkled with the blood of Christ, become meritorious." But this you are to know, that as the justice of God requires a perfect obedience, so does it require that this perfect obedience be a personal one; viz. it must be the obedience of one person only; the obedience of two must not be put together, to make up a perfect obedience * so that, if you desire to be justified before God, you must either bring to him a perfect righteousness of your own, and wholly renounce Christ; or else you must bring the perfect righteousness of Christ, and wholly renounce your

own.

Ant. But believe me, sir, I would advise him to bring Christ's, and wholly renounce his own, as, I thank the Lord, I have done.

Evan. You say very well; for, indeed, the covenant of grace terminates itself only on Christ and his righteousness; God will have none to have a hand in the justification and salvation of a sinner, but Christ only. And to say as the thing is, neighbour Nomista, Christ Jesus will either be a whole Saviour, or no Saviour; he will either save you alone, or not save you at all. Acts iv. 12, "For among men there is given no other name under heaven, whereby we must be saved," says the apostle Peter; and Jesus Christ himself says, John xiv. 6, "I am the way, the truth, and the life; and no man cometh to the Father but by me.' So that, as Luther truly says, "besides this way Christ, there is no way but wandering, no verity but hypocrisy, no life but eternal death." And verily says another godly writer, "we can neither come to God the Father, be reconciled unto him, nor have any thing to do with him, by any other way or means, but only by Jesus Christ; for we shall not any where find the favour of God, true innocency, righteousness, satisfaction for sin, help, comfort, life, or salvation, any where but only in Jesus

*For in that case, the obedience both of the one and of the other is imperfect, and so is not conform to the law; therefore it can in no wise be accepted for righteousness: but according to justice proceeding upon it, the soul that hath it must die, because a sinful soul, Ezek. xviii. 4.

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