158 THK PILGRIM’S PROGRESS.

thoughts, and that our heart, with all its depths, is always open unto His eyes; also
when we think that all our righteousness stinks in His nostrils, and that therefore He
cannot abide to see us stand before Him in any confidence, even in all our best per-
formances.

I@vor. Do you think that I am such a fool as to think God can see no farther than
I? or that I would come to God in the best of my performances ?

yuRIs. Why, how dost thou think in this matter ?

Icvor. Why, to be short, I think I must believe in Christ for justification.

Curis. How! think thou must believe in Christ, when thou seest not thy need of
Him! Thou neither seest thy original nor actual infirmities; but hast such an opinion
of thyself, and of what thou dost, as plainly renders thee to be one that did never see
a necessity of Christ’s personal righteousness to justify thee before God. How, then,
dost thou say, “I believe in Christ ?”

Jenor. I believe well enough, for all that.

Curis. How dost thou believe?

Iaxor. I believe that Christ died for sinners; and that I shall be justified before
God from the curse, through His gracious acceptance of my obedience to His law.
Or thus: Christ makes my duties that are religious acceptable to His Father, by virtue
of His merits, and so shall I be justified.

Curis. Let me give an answer to this confession of thy faith.

1. Thou believest with a fantastical faith ; for this faith is nowhere described in the
Word.

2. Thou believest with a false faith, because it taketh justification from the personal
righteousness of Christ, and applies it to thy own.

3. This faith maketh not Christ a justifier of thy person, but of thy actions, and of
thy person for thy actions’ sake, which is false.

4. Therefore this faith is deceitful, even such as will leave thee under wrath in the
day of God Almighty; for true justifying faith puts the soul, as sensible of its lost
condition by the law, upon flying for refuge unto Christ’s righteousness (which
righteousness of His is not an act of grace, by which He maketh, for justification, thy
obedience accepted with God, but His personal obedience to the law, in doing and
suffering for us what that required at our hands) ; this righteousness, I say, true faith
accepteth ; under the skirt of which the soul being shrouded, and by it presented as
spotless before God, it is accepted, and acquit from condemnation.

Ienor. What! would you have us trust to what Christ in his own person has done
without us? This conceit would loosen the reins of our lusts, and tolerate us t live