Works of John Bunyan Volume II Part 41

Now these things are nothing else but conscience, nature, or the law, for a natural man hath nothing else that dwelleth within him to convince him of sin; only these things have a new name put upon them. And poor creatures hearing the name Christ, being ignorant of the nature of Christ, do presently close in with these things, supposing, nay, verily believing that these are the Spirit of Christ. Which things being thus received, if at any time one come and oppose them, and tell them that it is an error that they have taken up, to think that that which is in an unregenerate man is the Spirit of Christ, and contrarywise telleth them plainly, that it is but their own conscience that doth convince them, or the law written in their hearts by nature. Nay, say they, it is the light of Christ in the conscience, when there is no scripture hath any such manner of expressions, only a fancy of their own, taken up without ground from the word.

2. But the soul being possessed with this doctrine, presently its heart riseth against anything that doth contradict it, and is filled with a secret enmity against it. Now the way that Satan takes to bring this about, is to persuade poor souls, that all these thoughts that do any wise contradict the principles received, is but a temptation of the devil. And if at any time there be the doctrine of Jesus held forth in truth, his death, burial, resurrection, ascension, and intercession; now without in the presence of his Father for sinners, and that there is salvation no where else but in the merits of the firstborn Mary, which is Jesus Christ, without the works of the law (Rom 3:28). Presently with envy they are enraged and cry, "Dost thou not know that every man hath a measure of the spirit given to him? Follow that, listen to that, turn thy mind to that, and walk in the light of that." When alas, there is no such thing as the Spirit of Christ in every man, as I said, and proved before at large; only the devil hath gotten this way to call conscience Christ, the law Christ; and hereby to entangle the soul with the name of a thing, without the thing itself.

But now the soul is set down in its principles, and he that doth any way confute that spirit, presently it falls a raging, and cries out, serpent, liar, wolf, dragon, devil, be silent with thy serpentine wisdom, and smoke of the bottomless pit. Now in this the devil is wonderfully cunning; for least he should indeed be discovered, he doth set the face hard against the truth, and counteth it such a deadly enemy, that he will not, cannot bear it; but lets fly against it all the h.e.l.lish words and madness he can: And now he begins first to cry, avoid Satan. All which is only to harden him in whom he doth dwell, more and more against the truth.

Now he doth also harden souls in delusions, by presenting the ugly and base conversations of a company of covetous wretches, who do profess themselves to be the ministers of the gospel, but are not; now poor creatures being shaking and doubtful what way to take, seeing the conversation of these men to be wicked, and the doctrine of these deluders covered with a seeming holiness; they presently embrace it, saying, surely these men are in the right way; they cry down the priests, whose lives we also see to be profane, they are very strict in their ways, and if such be not good men, who are? But yet that which is most taking is (through the corruption and pride that is naturally in the heart of man) these men propose such a way to salvation, as is in the compa.s.s of a man's own ability, even works of righteousness done by him, which is very agreeable to man's nature, which would willingly be saved, but would not be altogether beholden to G.o.d for it: and these works not being wrought by the priests or national ministers, but by the other, though in opposition to the righteousness of Christ, the Messias G.o.d-man, poor souls not only suck in these erroneous principles, but are hardened in them against the doctrine of G.o.d and his Son Jesus Christ, by their unG.o.dly conversation; and thus dishonour the Son of G.o.d. But come brethren, let us be patient, stablish our hearts, wait but a while, and I doubt not but you will see that those who dishonour our Jesus shall soon be brought down, both Ranters, Quakers, priests, and people also, that shall continue in opposing him either in doctrine or practice; for our G.o.d hath said, "Ah! I will ease me of my adversaries."

Now, a few words more to those who do believe in Christ aright, and lay him for their foundation.

First, Bless G.o.d that you are not carried away with the delusions that are on foot in this generation. Secondly, See that you are labourers after a more experimental knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ; fly more to his birth, death, blood, resurrection, ascension and intercession: and fetch refreshing for your souls more and more from him without, through the operation of his Spirit within; and though the fruits of the Spirit be excellent, and to be owned where they are found; yet have a care you take not away the glory of the blood of Christ shed on the cross without the gates of Jerusalem, and give it them; which you will do, if you do content yourselves, and satisfy your consciences with this; that you find the fruits of the Spirit within you, and do not go for peace and consolation of conscience to the blood of Jesus shed on the cross.

Therefore learn of the saints, or rather of the Spirit (Rev 5:9).

who teacheth to sing this song, "Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof, for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to G.o.d by thy blood."

And as for you that cannot yet well endure to think you should be justified by the blood of the Son of Mary shed on the cross without the gate, I say to you, "Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and ye perish from the way, when his wrath is kindled but a little.

Blessed are all they that put their trust in him" (Psa 2:12).

FOOTNOTES:

1 Bunyan's epistle to "Some Gospel Truths Opened."

2 For the proof of this, read the good love of G.o.d to David, Peter, and others, which did most woefully sin again after they were converted.

3 Here is another of his false accusations of me.

4 See margin of the bible.--Ed.

5 There is nothing new under the sun. It appears from this that there was a tee-total movement in the time of the commonwealth.

For the meaning of hatband, see editor's advertis.e.m.e.nt.--Ed.

6 "To famble," to falter, or stammer in speech: obsolete.--Ed. 4

A DISCOURSE UPON THE PHARISEE AND THE PUBLICAN

WHEREIN SEVERAL GREAT AND WEIGHTY THINGS ARE HANDLED: AS, THE NATURE OF PRAYER, AND OF OBEDIENCE TO THE LAW, WITH HOW FAR IT OBLIGES CHRISTIANS, AND WHEREIN IT CONSISTS.

WHEREIN IS ALSO SHEWED, THE EQUALLY DEPLORABLE CONDITION OF THE PHARISEE, OR HYPOCRITICAL AND SELF-RIGHTEOUS MAN; AND OF THE PUBLICAN, OR SINNER THAT LIVES IN SIN, AND IN OPEN VIOLATION OF THE DIVINE LAWS. TOGETHER WITH THE WAY AND METHOD OF G.o.d'S FREE GRACE IN PARDONING PENITENT SINNERS; PROVING THAT HE JUSTIFIES THEM BY IMPUTING CHRIST'S RIGHTEOUSNESS TO THEM.

BY JOHN BUNYAN, AUTHOR OF THE PILGRIM'S PROGRESS.

ADVERTIs.e.m.e.nT BY THE EDITOR.

This important treatise unvails, in few but telling words, the nature of prayer, about which mankind has made most awful mistakes.

Mult.i.tudes conceive that the heart-searching G.o.d can be influenced and propitiated by eloquent words and forms of prayer; whilst the few, who are taught by the Holy Spirit, feel and know that the ardent desire, the aspirations, the fervent wishes of the mind, can alone be accepted by the Eternal; and even then only through the merits of the Redeemer.

The first edition appeared in 1635, and it soon became a very popular book. The use and application announced at the end do not appear to have been published, unless the author meant one of his later productions to answer that purpose. The twelfth edition has no date on the t.i.tle page; to it is added Bunyan's last Sermon, and his dying sayings,--"Licensed, Sept. 10th, 1688"; but this announcement had been probably continued from some earlier edition.

The number of cheap reprints of this little volume may account, in some measure, for the amazing errors which crept in and deformed the book; for with the exception of "Grace Abounding," "The Pilgrim," and "The Holy War," few books have been so carelessly and disgracefully printed. For more than a century Bunyan has been represented as saying, "How did G.o.d deal with sinners before his righteousness was actually in being." In fact, no reader can conceive the mutilated state in which this valuable treatise has been published, unless by actual comparison with those printed before the author's decease. Some considerable omissions, doubtless, arose from political causes. Bunyan died very shortly before the glorious revolution in 1688,--and in drawing a faithful portrait of a publican or tax gatherer, he supposed the country to be conquered by a foreign power. "Would it not be an insufferable thing? yea, did not that man deserve hanging ten times over, that should, being a Dutchman, fall in with a French invader, and farm at his hands, those cruel and grievous taxations, which he, in barbarous wise, should at his conquest lay upon them; and exact and force them to be paid with an over, and above of what is appointed." He goes on to argue, that if this would be a severe trial at the hand of a foreigner, how much more oppressive would it appear if exercised by a fellow countryman. "If these things are intolerable, what shall we think of such men as shall join to all this compliance with a foreign prince, to rob the church of G.o.d? yea, that shall become a man in power under them, to wring out of the hand of a brother, his estate; yea, his bread and livelihood."

These paragraphs, and much more, were omitted, probably, from a fear of giving offence to the new government, and, until the present edition, they had not been restored. In Bunyan's time, severe and awful persecutions fell upon the church of G.o.d in England, and he must have felt the utmost compa.s.sion, mingled with deep abhorrence, for those emissaries of Satan, the Informers, who plundered mercilessly all who refused obedience to the order of common prayer. These men, aided by fanatic justices and clergymen, reduced many pious families to the severest sufferings, while thousands fled to the wilds of America for that refuge among men called savages, which was denied them by their much more savage countrymen. It is distressing to read the narrative, published in 1670, of those proceedings in Bedford, while Bunyan was an inmate in its jail. The porters, charged to a.s.sist in carrying off the people's goods, ran away, saying, that "they would be hanged, drawn, and quartered, before they would a.s.sist in that work"; two of them were sent to gaol for thus refusing to aid in this severe enforcement of impious laws. This populous town "was so thin of people that it looked more like a country village than a corporation; and the shops being generally shut down, it seemed like a place visited with the pest, where usually is written upon the door--Lord, have mercy upon us." When in the presence of the justice the officers took all his goods from Thomas Arthur, he appealed to the humane feelings of the magistrate on behalf of his children,--"Sir, shall my children starve," to which he replied, "yes, your children shall starve." All these bitter sufferings were inflicted for worshipping G.o.d according to the directions of his holy word. Can we wonder then that Bunyan uses hard words. He felt that state hierarchies were anti-christian; their fruit declared that those who supported them by such cruelties were aliens and enemies to the church of Christ.

As a theological treatise, this of the Pharisee and Publican is invaluable. It is clear and perfectly intelligible to every candid and prayerful inquirer. When our author is proving the impossibility of a sinner's recommending himself to the divine favour by any imperfect good works of his own, he draws a vivid picture.

A lord invites his friends to a sumptuous banquet, the provision is bountiful and in rich abundance, when some of the guests take a few mouldy crusts out of their pockets and lay them on their plates, lest the prince had not provided a sufficient repast for his friends; "would it not be a high affront to, a great contempt of, and a distrust in, the goodness of the Lord." We are bound to produce good works as a fruit of faith--a proof of love to him that hath redeemed us, but not to recommend us to his favour. The picture of such a feast drawn by John Bunyan must make upon every reader a deep, a lasting, an indelible impression. How bitter and how true is the irony, when the Pharisee is represented as saying, "I came to thy feast out of civility, but for thy dainties I need them not, I have enough of my own; I thank thee for thy kindness, but I am not as those that stand in need of thy provisions, nor yet as this Publican." And how excellent is the reasoning and the Christian philosophy of that paragraph which was suppressed after Bunyan's death. The language is bold and striking, but it exhibits the unvarnished truth; an inward change of nature is the only cause of good and acceptable works--good or evil actions are but the evidences of our state by grace or by nature--they do not work that change or produce that state. It is a soul-humbling view of our state of death by sin, or of life by the righteousness and obedience of Christ. Bunyan's train of reasoning on Romans 5 is worthy of our profound consideration,--"When we were enemies we were reconciled to G.o.d by the death of his Son." What is a sinful man in himself, or in his approach to G.o.d, but as stubble fully dry in the presence of a consuming fire, unless he is washed and cleansed by the atoning sacrifice of Jesus.

May the glorified spirit of Bunyan rejoice among the angels of heaven, over souls converted by the instrumentality of this solemn and searching treatise.

GEORGE OFFOR.

TO THE READER.

Courteous Reader,

I have made bold once again to present thee with some of my meditations; and they are now about the PHARISEE and the PUBLICAN: Two men in whose condition the whole world is comprehended, both as to their state now, and condition at the judgment.

Wherefore in reading this little book thou must needs read thyself.

I do not say thou must understand thy condition; for it is the gift of G.o.d must make thee do that. Howbeit, if G.o.d will bless it to thee, it may be a means to bring thee to see whose steps thou art treading, and so at whose end thou art like to arrive.

And let me beg this at thy hand, now thou art about to read; reserve thy judgment or sentence as to me, until thou hast pa.s.sed through the discourse.

Justification is treated of here, and the way for men to be saved.

I have also O PUBLICAN here, as my skill hath served me, for thy encouragement, set before thee the Pharisee and the Publican in their colours, and shewed thee, that though the Publican seemed to be far behind, yet in running he got the prize from the lofty Pharisee. I say, Art thou a Pharisee? Here is a Pharisee for thee!

Art thou a Publican? Here is a Publican for thee!

G.o.d give thee the Publican's heart, if thou art in the Publican's sins, that thou mayest partake with the Publican, of mercy.--So wisheth thy friend.

JOHN BUNYAN.

A DISCOURSE UPON THE PHARISEE AND PUBLICAN.

"TWO MEN WENT UP INTO THE TEMPLE TO PRAY; THE ONE A PHARISEE, AND THE OTHER A PUBLICAN: THE PHARISEE STOOD AND PRAYED THUS WITH HIMSELF, G.o.d, I THANK THEE, THAT I AM NOT AS OTHER MEN ARE, EXTORTIONERS, UNJUST, ADULTERERS, OR EVEN AS THIS PUBLICAN. I FAST TWICE IN THE WEEK, I GIVE t.i.tHES OF ALL THAT I POSSESS. AND THE PUBLICAN, STANDING AFAR OFF, WOULD NOT LIFT UP SO MUCH AS HIS EYES UNTO HEAVEN, BUT SMOTE UPON HIS BREAST, SAYING, G.o.d BE MERCIFUL TO ME A SINNER." LUKE 18:10-13.

In the beginning of this chapter you read of the reason of the parable of the unjust judge and the poor widow; namely, to encourage men to pray. He spake a parable to THIS END, that men ought always to pray and not to faint. And a most sweet parable for that purpose it is: For if through importunity, a poor widow-woman may prevail with an unjust judge; and so consequently with an unmerciful and hard-hearted tyrant; how much more shall the poor, afflicted, distressed, and tempted people of G.o.d, prevail with, and obtain mercy at the hands of a loving, just and merciful G.o.d? The unjust judge would not hearken to, nor regard, the cry of the poor widow for a while: "But afterward he said within himself, Though I fear not G.o.d, nor regard man; yet because this widow troubleth me, I will avenge her, lest by her continual coming she weary me."

Hark, saith Christ, "what the unjust judge saith. And shall not G.o.d avenge his own elect, which cry day and night unto him?" I tell you, that he will avenge them speedily.

This is therefore a very comfortable parable to such of the saints, that are under hard usages by reason of evil men, their might, and tyranny. For by it we are taught to believe and expect, that G.o.d, though for a while he seemeth not to regard, yet will, in due time and season, arise and set such in safety from them that puff at them. (Psa 12:5)

Let the good Christian pray always; let him pray and not faint at seeming delays; for if the widow by importunity prevailed with the unjust judge, how much more shall he with his heavenly Father. "I tell you, [says Christ,] that he will avenge them speedily."

But now, forasmuch as this parable reacheth not (so directly) the poor publican in the text, therefore our Lord begins again, and adds to that another parable, this parable, which I have chosen for my text. By the which he designeth two things: First, The conviction of the proud and self-conceited Pharisee. Secondly, The raising up and healing of the cast down and dejected Publican.

And observe it, as by the first parable he chiefly designeth the relief of those that are under the hand of cruel tyrants: So by this he designeth the relief of those that lie under the load and burden of a guilty and disquieted conscience.

This therefore is a parable that is full of singular comfort to such of the sinners in the world, that are clogged with guilt, and a sense of sin; and that lie under the apprehensions of, and that are driven to G.o.d by, the sense of the judgment, that for sin is due unto them.

In my handling of this text, I shall have respect to these things.