Hope.  Yes, and he told me it was the Lord Jesus, that dwelleth on the right hand of the Most High.  And thus, said he, you must be justified by him, even by trusting to what he hath done by himself, in the days of his flesh, and suffered when he did hang on the tree.  I asked him further, how that man’s righteousness could be of that efficacy to justify another before God?  And he told me he was the mighty God, and did what he did, and died the death also, not for himself, but for me; to whom his doings, and the worthiness of them, should be imputed, if I believed on him. [Heb. 10, Rom. 6, Col. 1, 1 Pet. 1]

{348} Chr.  And what did you do then?

Hope.  I made my objections against my believing, for that I thought he was not willing to save me.

Chr.  And what said Faithful to you then?

Hope.  He bid me go to him and see.  Then I said it was presumption; but he said, No, for I was invited to come. [Matt. 11:28] Then he gave me a book of Jesus, his inditing, to encourage me the more freely to come; and he said, concerning that book, that every jot and tittle thereof stood firmer than heaven and earth. [Matt. 24:35] Then I asked him, What I must do when I came; and he told me, I must entreat upon my knees, with all my heart and soul, the Father to reveal him to me. [Ps. 95:6, Dan. 6:10, Jer. 29:12,13] Then I asked him further, how I must make my supplication to him?  And he said, Go, and thou shalt find him upon a mercy-seat, 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 in Jesus Christ; for I see, that if his righteousness had not been, or I have not faith in that righteousness, I 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. [Exo. 25:22, Lev. 16:2, Num. 7:89, Heb. 4:16]

{349} Chr.  And did you do as you were bidden?

Hope.  Yes; over, and over, and over.

Chr.  And did the Father reveal his 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 praying?

Hope.  Yes; an 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, “Though it tarry, wait for it; because it will surely come, it will not tarry.” [Heb. 2:3] So I continued praying until the Father showed me his Son.