Works of John Bunyan Volume I Part 149

6. There is a faith that is called in Scripture a dead faith, the faith of devils, or of the devil; they also that have only this, they are like the devil, and as sure to be d.a.m.ned as he, notwithstanding their faith, if they get no better into their hearts; for it is far off from enabling of them to lay hold of Jesus Christ, and so to put Him on for eternal life and sanctification, which they must do if ever they be saved (James 2:19,26).

But all these are short of the saving faith of G.o.d's elect, as is manifest; I say, first, Because these may be wrought, and not by that power so exceedingly stretched forth. Secondly, Because these are wrought, partly, (1.) By the sense of seeing--namely, the miracles--not by hearing; and, (2.) The rest is wrought by a traditional or historical influence of the words in their heads, not by a heavenly, invisible, almighty, and saving operation of the Spirit of G.o.d in their hearts.

7. I do suppose also that there is a faith that is wrought upon men through the influence of those gifts and abilities that G.o.d gives sometimes to those that are not His own by election, though by creation; my meaning is, some men, finding that G.o.d hath given them very great gifts and abilities,--as to the gifts of preaching, praying, working miracles, or the like--I say, therefore do conclude that G.o.d is their Father, and they are His children; the ground of which confidence is still begotten, not by the glorious operation of the Spirit, but by a considering of the great gifts that G.o.d hath bestowed upon them as to the things before-mentioned. As thus, (1.) the poor soul considers how ignorant it was, and now how knowing it is. (2.) Considering how vain it formerly was, and also now how civil it is, presently makes this conclusion--Surely G.o.d loves me, surely He hath made me one of His, and will save me. This is now a wrong faith, as is evident, in that it is placed upon a wrong object; for mark, this faith is not placed a.s.suredly on G.o.d's grace alone, through the blood and merits of Christ being discovered effectually to the soul, but upon G.o.d through those things that G.o.d hath given it, as of gifts, either to preach, or pray, or do great works, or the like, which will a.s.suredly come to nought as sure as G.o.d is in Heaven, if no better faith and ground of faith be found out for thy soul savingly to rest upon.

As to the second clause of the objection, which runs to this effect, G.o.d loves men upon the account of their believing, I answer, that G.o.d loves men before they believe; He loves them, He calls them, and gives them faith to believe--"But G.o.d, who is rich in mercy, for His great love wherewith He loved us," when? when we believed, or before? "even when we were dead in sins," and so, far off from believers, "hath quickened us together with" Christ, "by grace ye are saved" (Eph 2:4,5).

Now, also, I suppose that thou wilt say in thy heart, I would you would show us then what is saving faith; which thing it may be I may touch upon a while hence, in the next thing that I am to speak unto. O they that have that are safe indeed!

SECOND. WHO AND HOW MEN ARE ACTUALLY BROUGHT INTO THE NEW COVENANT.

The SECOND thing that I am to speak unto is this--WHO they are that are actually brought into this free and unchangeable grace; and also HOW they are brought in.

Answ. Indeed, now we come to the pinch of the whole discourse; and if G.o.d do but help me to run rightly through this, as I do verily believe He will, I may do thee, reader, good, and bring glory to my G.o.d.

The question containeth these two branches--FIRST. Who are brought in; SECOND. How they are brought in.

[FIRST. Who are brought in?] The first is quickly answered--"Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners," Jewish sinners, Gentile sinners, old sinners, young sinners, great sinners, the chiefest of sinners. Publicans and harlots--that is, wh.o.r.es, cheaters, and exactors--shall enter into the Kingdom of Heaven (1 Tim 1:15; Rom 5:7-11; 1 Cor 6:9,11; Matt 21:31). "For I come not," saith Christ, "to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance" (Mark 2:17).

A sinner in the Scripture is described in general to be a transgressor of the law--"Whosoever commiteth sin, transgresseth the law; for sin is the transgression of the law" (1 John 3:4). But particularly; they are described in a more particular way, as, 1. Such as in whom dwelleth the devil (Eph 2:2,3). 2. Such as will do the service of him (John 8:44). 3. Such as are enemies to G.o.d (Col 1:21) 4. Such as are drunkards, wh.o.r.emasters, liars, perjured persons, covetous, revilers, extortionists, fornicators, swearers, possessed with devils, thieves, idolaters, witches, sorcerers, conjurors, murderers, and the like (1 Cor 6:9,10; 2 Chron 33:1-13; Acts 2:36,37; 9:1-6; 19:9; 1 Tim 1:14-16). These are sinners, and such sinners that G.o.d hath prepared Heaven, happiness, pardon of sin, and an inheritance of G.o.d, with Christ, with saints, with angels, if they do come in and accept of grace, as I might prove at large; for G.o.d's grace is so great, that if they do come to Him by Christ, presently all is forgiven them; therefore never object that thy sins are too great to be pardoned; but come, taste and see how good the Lord is to any whosoever come unto Him.

[SECOND.] The second thing is, How are these brought into this Everlasting Covenant of Grace?

Answ. When G.o.d doth in deed and in truth bring in a sinner into this most blessed covenant, [Come to the Touchstone, sinner]. for so it is, He usually goeth this way--

First. He slays or kills the party to all things besides Himself, and His Son Jesus Christ, and the comforts of the Spirit. For the clearing of this I shall show you, 1. With what G.o.d kills; 2. How G.o.d kills; 3. To what G.o.d kills those whom He makes alive in Jesus Christ.

1. [What G.o.d kills]. When G.o.d brings sinners into the Covenant of Grace, He doth first kill them with the Covenant of Works, which is the moral law, or Ten Commandments. This is Paul's doctrine, and also Paul's experience. It is his doctrine where he saith, "The ministration of death, written and engraven in stones--the ministration of condemnation," which is the law, in that place called the letter, "killeth" (2 Cor 3:6-9). The letter, saith he, killeth; or the law, or the ministration of death, which in another place is called "the voice of words" (Heb 12:19), because they have no life in them, but rather death and d.a.m.nation, through our inability to fulfill them, doth kill (Rom 8:3; 2 Cor 6). It is his experience where he saith, "I was alive" that is, to my own things, "without the law once," that is, before G.o.d did strike him dead by it, "but when the commandment came," that is, to do and exercise its right office on me, which was to kill me, then "sin revived, and I died," and I was killed. "And the commandment," or the law, "which was ordained to" be unto "life, I found to be unto death. For sin, taking occasion by the commandment, deceived me, and by it slew me" (Rom 7:9-11).

2. But how doth G.o.d kill with this law, or covenant?

1. By opening to the soul the spirituality of it--"The law is spiritual," saith he, "but I am carnal, sold under sin" (Rom 7:14).

Now the spirituality of the law is discovered this way--

(1.) By showing to the soul that every sinful thought is a sin against it. Ay, sinner, when the law doth come home indeed upon thy soul in the spirituality of it, it will discover such things to thee to be sins that now thou lookest over and regardest not; that is a remarkable saying of Paul when he saith, "Sin revived, and I died." Sin revived, saith he; as if he had said, Those things that before I did not value nor regard, but looked upon them to be trifles, to be dead, and forgotten; but when the law was fastened on my soul, it did so raise them from the dead, call them into mind, so muster them before my face, and put such strength into them, that I was overmastered by them, by the guilt of them. Sin revived by the commandment, or my sins had mighty strength, life, and abundance of force upon me because of that, insomuch that they killed me (Matt 5:28).

(2.) It showeth that every such sin deserveth eternal d.a.m.nation.

Friends, I doubt there be but few of you that have seen the spirituality of the law of works. But this is one thing in which it discovereth its spirituality, and this is the proper work of the Law.

(3.) G.o.d, with a discovery of this, doth also discover His own Divine and infinite justice, of which the law is a description, which backs what is discovered by the law, and that by discovering of its purity and holiness to be so Divine, so pure, so upright, and so far of from winking at the least sin, that He doth by that law, without any favour, condemn the sinner for that sin (Gal 3:10). Now, when He hath brought the soul into this praemunire,13 into this puzzle, then,

2. He showeth to the soul the nature and condition of the law as to its dealings with, or forbearing of, the sinner that hath sinned against it; which is to pa.s.s an eternal curse upon both soul and body of the party so offending, saying to him, Cursed be the man that continueth not in everything that is written in the Book of the Law to do it; for, saith the law, this is my proper work; first, to show thee thy sins; and when I have done that, then, in the next place, to condemn thee for them, and that without all remedy, as from ME, or anything within my bounds, for I am not to save any, to pardon any--nay, not to favour any in the least thing that have sinned against me; for G.o.d did not send me to make alive, but to discover sin, and to condemn for the same. Now, so soon as this is presented to thy conscience, in the next place, the Lord also by this law doth show that now there is no righteous act according to the tenor of that covenant that can replieve him, or take him off from all this horror and curse that lies upon him; because that is not an administration of pardon, as I said before, to forgive the sin, but an administration of d.a.m.nation, because of transgression.

O, the very discovery of this striketh the soul into a deadly swoon, even above half dead! But when G.o.d doth do the work indeed, He doth, in the next place, show the soul that he is the man that is eternally under this covenant by nature, and that it is he that hath sinned against this law, and doth by right deserve the curse and displeasure of the same, and that all that ever he can do will not give satisfaction to that glorious justice that did give this law; holy actions, tears of blood, selling all, and giving it to the poor, or whatever else can be done by thee, it comes all short and is all to no purpose (Phil 3). I will warrant him, he that seeth this, it will kill him to that which he was alive unto before, though he had a thousand lives. Ah, sinners, sinners, were you but sensible indeed of the severity and truth of this, it would make you look about you to purpose! O, how would it make you strive to stop at that that now you drink down with delight! How many oaths would it make you bite asunder! Nay, it would make you bite your tongues to think that they should be used as instruments of the devil to bring your souls into such an unspeakable misery; then also we should not have you hang the salvation of your souls upon such slender pins as now you do; no, no; but you would be in another mind then. O, then we should have you cry out, I must have Christ; what shall I do for Christ? how shall I come at Christ? Would I was sure, truly sure of Christ. My soul is gone, d.a.m.ned, cast away, and must for ever burn with the devils, if I do not get precious Jesus Christ!

3. In the next place, when G.o.d hath done this, then He further shows the soul that that covenant which it is under by nature is distinct from the Covenant of Grace; and also they that are under it are by nature without any of the graces which they have that are under the Covenant of Grace; as, (1.) That it hath no faith (John 16:9). (2.) No hope (Eph 2:12). Nor none of the Spirit to work these things in it by nature. (4.) Neither will that covenant give to them any peace with G.o.d. (5.) No promise of safeguard from His revenging law by that covenant. (6.) But lieth by nature liable to all the curses, and condemnings, and thunderclaps of this most fiery covenant. (7.) That it will accept of no sorrow, no repentance, no satisfaction, as from thee. (8.) That it calls for no less than the shedding of thy blood. (9.) The d.a.m.nation of thy soul and body.

(10.) And if there be anything proffered to it by thee, as to the making of it amends, it throws it back again as dirt in thy face, slighting all that thou canst bring.

Now, when the soul is brought into this condition, then it is indeed dead, killed to that to which it was once alive. And therefore,

3. In the next place, to show you to what it is killed: and that is,

1. To sin. O, it dares not sin! it sees h.e.l.l-fire is prepared for them that sin, G.o.d's justice will not spare it if it live in sin; the Law will d.a.m.n it if it live in sin; the devil will have it if it follows its sins. [Here I am speaking of one that is effectually brought in]. O, I say, it trembles at the very thoughts of sin! Ay, if sin do but offer to tempt the soul, to draw away the soul from G.o.d, it cries, it sighs, it shunneth the very appearance of sin, it is odious unto it. If G.o.d would but serve you thus that love your pleasures, you would not make such a trifle of sin as you do.

2. It is killed to the Law of G.o.d as it is the Covenant of Works.

O, saith the soul, the law hath killed me to itself, "I through the law am dead to the law" (Gal 2:19). The law is another thing than I did think it was. I thought it would not have been so soul-destroying, so d.a.m.ning a law! I thought it would not have been so severe against me for my little sins, for my playing, for my jesting, for my dissembling, quarreling, and the like. I had some thoughts, indeed, that it would hew great sinners, but let me pa.s.s! and though it condemned great sinners, yet it would pa.s.s me by! But now, would I were free from this covenant, would I were free from this law! I will tell thee that a soul thus worked upon is more afraid of the Covenant of Works than he is of the devil; for he sees it is the law that doth give him up into his hands for sin; and if he was but clear from that, he should not greatly need to fear the devil. O, now every particular command tears the caul of his heart; now every command is a great gun well charged against his soul; now he sees he had as good run into a fire to keep himself from burning, as to run to the law to keep himself from d.a.m.ning; and this he sees really, ay, and feels it too, to his own sorrow and perplexity. 14

3. The soul also now is killed to his own righteousness, and counts that but dung, but dross, not worth the dirt hanging on his shoes.

O! then, says he, thou filthy righteousness! how hast thou deceived me! How hast thou beguiled my poor soul! (Isa 64:6). How did I deceive myself with giving of a little alms; with abstaining from some gross pollutions; with walking in some ordinances, as to the outside of them! How hath my good words, good thinkings, good meanings, as the world calls them, deceived my ignorant soul! I want the righteousness of faith, the righteousness of G.o.d; for I see now there is no less will do me any good.

4. It is also killed to its own faith, its notion of the Gospel, its own hope, its own repentings, its own promises and resolutions, to its own strength, its own virtue, or whatsoever it had before.

Now, saith the soul, that faith I thought I had, it is but fancy; that hope I thought I had, I see it is by hypocritical, but vain and groundless hope. [These things would be too tedious to enlarge upon]. Now the soul sees it hath by nature no saving faith, no saving hope, no grace at all by nature, by the first covenant. Now it crieth out, How many promises have I broken! and how many times have I resolved in vain, when I was sick at such a time, and in such a strait at such a place! Indeed, I thought myself a wise man once, but I see myself a very fool now. O, how ignorant am I of the Gospel now, and of the blessed experience of the work of G.o.d on a Christian heart! In a word, it sees itself beset by nature with all evil, and dest.i.tute of all good, which is enough to kill the stoutest, hardest-hearted sinner that ever lived on the earth. O, friends, should you be plainly dealt withal by this discovery of the dealing of G.o.d with a sinner when He makes him a saint, and would seriously try your selves thereby, as G.o.d will try you one day, how few would there be found of you to be so much as acquainted with the work of G.o.d in the notion, much less in the experimental knowledge of the same! And indeed, G.o.d is fain to take this way with sinners, thus to kill them with the old covenant to all things below a crucified Christ.

Six reasons of this discourse.

1. Because otherwise there would be none in the world that would look after this sweet Jesus Christ. There are but a few that go to Heaven in all, comparatively; and those few G.o.d is fain to deal with them in this manner, or else His Heaven, His Christ, His glory, and everlasting happiness must abide by themselves, for all sinners.

Do you think that Mana.s.seh would have regarded the Lord, had He not suffered his enemies to have prevailed against him? (2 Chron 33:1-16).

Do you think that Ephraim would have looked after salvation, had not G.o.d first confounded him with the guilt of the sins of his youth?

(Jer 31:18). What do you think of Paul? (Acts 9:4-6). What do you think of the jailer? (Acts 16:30-32). What do you think of the three thousand? (Acts 2:36,37). Was not this the way that the Lord was fain to take to make them close in with Jesus Christ? Was He not fain to kill them to everything below a Christ, that were driven to their wits' ends, insomuch that they were forced to cry out, "What shall we do to be saved?" I say, G.o.d might have kept Heaven and happiness to Himself, if He should not go this way to work with sinners. O stout-hearted rebels! O tender-hearted G.o.d!

2. Because then, and not till then, will sinners accept of Jesus Christ on G.o.d's terms. So long as sinners can make a life out of anything below Christ, so long they will not close with Christ without indenting; 15

But when the G.o.d of Heaven hath killed them to everything below Himself and His Son, then Christ will down on any terms in the world. And, indeed, this is the very reason why sinners, when they hear of Christ, yet will not close in with Him; there is something that they can take content in besides Him. The prodigal, so long as he could content himself with the husks that the swine did eat, so long he did keep him away from his father's house; but when he could get no nourishment anywhere on this side of his father's house, then saith he, and not till then, "I will arise, and go to my father," etc.

I say, this is the reason, therefore, why men come no faster, and close no more readily, with the Son of G.o.d, but stand halting and indenting 16 about the terms they must have Christ upon; for, saith the drunkard, I look on Christ to be worth the having; but yet I am not willing to lose ALL for him; all but my pot, saith the drunkard; and all but the world, saith the covetous. I will part with anything but l.u.s.t and pride, saith the wanton. But if Christ will not be had without I forsake all, cast away all, then it must be with me as it was with the young man in the Gospel, such news will make me sorry at the very heart.

But now, when a man is soundly killed to all his sins, to all his righteousness, to all his comforts whatsoever, and sees that there is no way but the devil must leave him, but he must be d.a.m.ned in h.e.l.l if he be not clothed with Jesus Christ; O, then, saith he, give me Christ on any terms, whatsoever He cost; though He cost me friends, though He cost me comforts, though He cost me all that ever I have; yet, like the wise merchant in the Gospel, they will sell all to get that pearl. I tell you, when a soul is brought to see its want of Christ aright, it will not be kept back; father, mother, husband, wife, lands, livings, nay, life and all, shall go rather than the soul will miss of Christ. Ay, and the soul counteth Christ a cheap Saviour if he can get him upon any terms; now the soul indents17 no longer. Now, Lord, give me Christ upon any terms, whatsoever He cost; for I am a dead man, a d.a.m.ned man, a castaway, if I have not Christ. What say you, O you wounded sinners? Is not this true as I have said? Would you not give ten thousand worlds, if you had so many, so be you might be well a.s.sured that your sins shall be pardoned, and your souls and bodies justified and glorified at the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ?

3. The Lord goeth this way for this reason also, that it might make the soul sensible what it cost Christ to redeem it from death and h.e.l.l. When a man cometh to feel the sting and guilt of sin, death and h.e.l.l upon his conscience, then, and not till then, can he tell what it cost Christ to redeem sinners. O! saith the soul, if a few sins are so terrible, and lay the soul under such wrath and torment, what did Christ undergo, who bare the sins of thousands and thousands, and all at once?

This also is one means to make souls tender of sin (it is the burned child that feareth the fire), to make them humble in a sense of their own vileness, to make them count everything that G.o.d giveth them a mercy, to make much of the least glimpse of the love of G.o.d, and to prize it above the whole world. O sinners, were you killed indeed [to sin], then Heaven would be Heaven, and h.e.l.l would be h.e.l.l indeed; but because you are not wrought upon in this manner, therefore you count the ways of G.o.d as bad as a good man counteth the ways of the devil, and the ways of the devil and h.e.l.l as good as a saint doth count the ways of G.o.d.

4. Again, G.o.d is fain to go this way, and all to make sinners make sure of Heaven. So long as souls are senseless of sin, and what a d.a.m.nable state they are in by nature, so long they will even dally with the Kingdom of Heaven and the salvation of their own poor souls; but when G.o.d cometh and showeth them where they are, and what it is like to become of them if they miss of the crucified Saviour, O, then, saith the soul, would I were sure of Jesus; what shall I do to get a.s.surance of Jesus? And thus is G.o.d forced, as I may say, to whip souls to Jesus Christ, they being so secure, so senseless, and so much their own enemies, as not to look out after their own eternal advantage.

5. A fifth reason why G.o.d doth deal thus with sinners it is, because He would bring Christ and the soul together in a right way. Christ and sinners would never come together in a beloved posture, they would not so suitably suit each other, if they were not brought together this way, the sinner being killed. O, when the sinner is killed, and indeed struck dead to everything below a naked Jesus, how suitably then doth the soul and Christ suit one with another.

Then here is a naked sinner for a righteousness Jesus, a poor sinner to a rich Jesus, a weak sinner to a strong Jesus, a blind sinner to a seeing Jesus, an ignorant, careless sinner to a wise and careful Jesus. O, how wise is G.o.d in dealing thus with the sinner! He strips him of his own knowledge, that He may fill him with Christ's; He killeth him for taking pleasure in sin, that he may take pleasure in Jesus Christ, etc.

6. G.o.d goeth this way with sinners, because He would have the glory of their salvation. Should not men and women be killed to their own things, they would do sacrifice unto them, and instead of saying to the Lamb, "THOU ART WORTHY," they would say their own arm, their own right hand hath saved them; but G.o.d will cut off boasting from ever entering within the borders of eternal glory; for He is resolved to have the glory of the beginning, the middle, and the end; of the contriving, and saving, and giving salvation to them that enter in to the joys of everlasting glory (Rom 3:27; Eph 2:8,9; t.i.tus 3:5; Rev 5:9). "That they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that He might be glorified"

(Isa 61:3). I might have run through many things as to this; but I shall pa.s.s them, and proceed.

Second. Now, the soul being this killed to itself, [The soul that hath the right work of G.o.d upon its heart, is not only killed to itself, but also made alive to Christ]. its sins, its righteousness, faith, hope, wisdom, promises, resolutions, and the rest of its things which it trusted in by nature; in the next place, it hath also given unto it a most glorious, perfect, and never-fading life, which is--

1. A life imputed to it, yet so really, that the very thought of it in the soul hath so much operation and authority, especially when the mediation of it is mixed with faith, as to make it, though condemned by the law, to triumph, and to look its enemies in the face with comfort, notwithstanding the greatness of the mult.i.tude, the fierceness of their anger, and the continuation of their malice, be never so hot against it.

This imputed life--for so it is--is the obedience of the Son of G.o.d as His righteousness, in His suffering, rising, ascending, interceding, and so consequently triumphing over all the enemies of the soul, and given to me, as being wrought on purpose for me.

So that, is there righteousness in Christ? that is mine. Is there perfection in that righteousness? that is mine. Did He bleed for sin? it was for mine. Hath He overcome the law, the devil, and h.e.l.l? the victory is mine, and I am counted the conqueror, nay, more than a conqueror, through Him that hath loved me. And I do count this a most glorious life; for by this means it is that I am, in the first place, proclaimed both in Heaven and earth guiltless, and such an one who, as I am in Christ, am not sinner, and so not under the law, to be condemned, but as holy and righteous as the Son of G.o.d Himself, because He Himself is my holiness and righteousness, and so likewise having by this all things taken out of the way that would condemn me.

Sometimes I bless the Lord my soul hath had the life that now I am speaking of, not only imputed to me, but the very glory of it upon my soul; for, upon a time, when I was under many condemnings of heart, and feared, because of my sins, my soul would miss of eternal glory, methought I felt in my soul such a secret motion of this--Thy righteousness is in Heaven, together with the splendour and shining of the Spirit of Grace in my soul, which gave me to see clearly that my righteousness by which I should be justified from all that could condemn, was the Son of G.o.d Himself in His own Person, now at the right hand of His Father representing me complete before the Mercy-seat in His Ownself; so that I saw clearly that night and day, wherever I was, or whatever I was a doing, still there was my righteousness just before the eyes of Divine glory; so that the Father could never find fault with me for any insufficiency that was in my righteousness, seeing it was complete; neither could He say, Where is it? because it was continually at His right hand. 18

Also, at another time, having contracted guilt upon my soul, and having some distemper of body upon me, I supposed that death might now so seize upon as to take me away from among men; then, thought I, what shall I do now? is all right with my soul? Have I the right work of G.o.d on my soul? Answering myself, "No, surely"; and that because there were so many weaknesses in me; yes, so many weaknesses in my best duties. For, thought I, how can such an one as I find mercy, whose heart is so ready to evil, and so backward to that which is good, so far as it is natural. Thus musing, being filled with fear to die, these words come in upon my soul, "Being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus"