Works of John Bunyan Volume II Part 136

5. Consider, that this is the way to convince all men, that the power of G.o.d's things hath taken hold of thy heart I speak to them that hold the head 20and say what thou wilt, if thy faith be not accompanied with a holy life, thou shalt be judged a withered branch, a wording professor, salt without savour, and as lifeless as a sounding bra.s.s, and a tinkling cymbal (John 15; Matt 13:1 Cor 13:1, 2). For, say they, show us your faith by your works, for we cannot see your hearts (James 2:18). But I say on the contrary, if thou walk as becomes thee who art saved by grace, then thou wilt witness in every man's conscience, that thou art a good tree; now thou leavest guilt on the heart of the wicked (1 Sam 24:16, 17). Now thou takest off occasion from them that desire occasion; and now thou art clear from the blood of all men (2 Cor 11:12; Acts 20:26, 31-35). This is the man also that provoketh others to good works. The ear that heareth such a man shall bless him; and the eye that seeth him shall bear witness to him. 'Surely,' saith David, 'he shall not be moved for ever: The righteous shall be in everlasting remembrance'

(Heb 10:24; Job 29:11; Psa 112: 6).

6. Again, The heart that is fullest of good works, hath in it at least room for Satan's temptations. And this is the meaning of Peter, where he saith, 'Be sober, be vigilant;' that is, be busying thyself in faith and holiness, 'because, your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour' (1 Peter 5:8). 'He that walketh uprightly, walketh safely; and they that add to faith, virtue; to virtue, knowledge; to knowledge, temperance; to temperance, brotherly kindness; and to these charity; and that abounds therein, he shall neither be barren nor unfruitful; he shall never fall; but so an entrance shall be ministered to him abundantly, into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ' (2 Peter 1:5-10; Prov 10:9).

7. The man who is fullest of good works, he is fittest to live and fittest to die: 'I am now,' at any time, 'ready to be offered,'

saith fruitful Paul (2 Tim 4:6). Whereas he that is barren, he is neither fit to live, nor fit to die: to die, he himself is convinced he is not fit, and to live G.o.d himself saith he is not fit; 'cut him down, why doth he c.u.mber the ground?' (Luke 8:7).

Lastly, Consider, to provoke thee to good works, thou shalt have of G.o.d when thou comest to glory, a reward for everything thou dost for him on earth. Little do the people of G.o.d consider, how richly G.o.d will reward, what from a right principle and to a right end, is done for him here; not a bit of bread to the poor, not a draught of water to the meanest of them that belong to Christ, or the loss of a hair of your head, shall in that day go without its reward (Luke 14:13, 14; Matt 10:42).

'For our light affliction,' and so all other pieces of self-denial, 'which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory' (2 Cor 4:17). I tell thee, Christian, be but rich in good works, and thou shalt have more than salvation; thy salvation thou hast freely by grace through Christ, without works (Eph 2:8-10), but now being justified and saved, and as the fruits hereof, renewed by the Holy Ghost; after this, I say, thou shalt be rewarded for every work that proved good; 'For G.o.d is not unrighteous to forget your work and labour of love, which ye have showed toward his name, in that ye have ministered to the saints, and do minister' (Heb 6:10; 1 Cor 3:14). Moses counted the reward that he was to have, for a short suffering with the people of G.o.d, of greater worth than the treasures of Egypt, the smiles of the king, or the honour of his kingdom (Heb 11:25-27). In a word, let the disappointments that do, and shall most surely befall the fruitless professors, provoke thee to look with all diligence to thy standing. For,

1. Such a one is but deceived and disappointed touching the work of grace he supposeth to be in his heart; he thinks he is a Christian, and hath grace, as faith, hope, and the like, in his soul, yet no fruits of these things manifest themselves in him; indeed his tongue is tipt with a talk and tattle of religion. Poor man, poor empty man! Faith without works is dead; thy hope shall be as the giving up of the ghost; thy gifts with which thy soul is possessed, are but such as are common to reprobates; thou art therefore disappointed; G.o.d reputes thee still but wicked, though thou comest and goest to the place of the Holy (James 2:19, 20; Job 11:20; 1 Cor 13:1-3).

2. Therefore all thy joy and comfort must needs fall short of saving comfort, and so leave thee in the suds notwithstanding; thy joy is the joy of the Pharisees (John 5:35), and thy gladness as that of Herod (Mark 6:20), and the longest time it can last, it is but a Scripture-moment (Job 20:5). Alas! in all thy gladness and content with thy religion, thou art but like the boy that plays with bra.s.s instead of gold; and with counters instead of that which will go for current coin. Thus, 'if a man think himself to be something when he is nothing, he deceiveth [or disappoints] himself' (Gal 6:3).

3. This is not all, but look thou certainly for an eternal disappointment in the day of G.o.d; for it must be; thy lamp will out at the first sound the trump of G.o.d shall make in thine ears; thou canst not hold up at the appearance of the Son of G.o.d in his glory; his very looks will be to thy profession as a strong wind is to a blinking candle, and thou shalt be left only to smoke.

Oh the alteration that will befal a foolish virgin! She thought she was happy, and that she should have received happiness with those that were right at the heart; but behold the contrary, her lamp is going out, she is now to seek for saving grace, when the time of grace is over? Her heaven she thought of, is proved a h.e.l.l, and her G.o.d is proved a devil. G.o.d hath cast her out of his presence, and claps the door upon her. She pleads her profession, and the like, and she hath for her answer repulses from heaven. 'So are the paths of all that forget G.o.d; and the hypocrite's hope shall perish; whose hope shall be cut off, and whose trust shall be a spider's web. He shall lean upon his house but it shall not stand; he shall hold it fast, but it shall not endure' (Matt 25:1-10; Luke 8:25, 26; Job 8:13-15).

Take heed therefore; thy soul, heaven, and eternity, lies at stake; yea, they turn either to thee or from thee upon the hinge of thy faith; if it be right, all is thine: if wrong, then all is lost, however thy hopes and expectations are to the contrary: 'For in Jesus Christ neither circ.u.mcision availeth any thing, nor uncirc.u.mcision; but faith which worketh by love. Let no man deceive you with vain words: for because of these things cometh the wrath of G.o.d upon the children of unbelief. 21 For the earth which drinketh in the rain that cometh oft upon it, and bringeth forth herbs meet for them by whom it is dressed, receiveth blessing from G.o.d: but that which beareth thorns and briars is REJECTED, and is nigh unto cursing, whose end is to be burned' (Gal 5:6; Eph 5:3-6; Heb 6:7, 8).

Object. But what shall I do, who am so cold, slothful, and heartless, that I cannot find any heart to do any work for G.o.d in this world? Indeed time was when his dew rested all night upon my branches, and when I could with desire, with earnest desire, be doing and working for G.o.d; but, alas! now it is otherwise.

Answer.

If this be true, thy case is sad, thou art to be pitied; the Lord pity thee. And for thy recovery out of this condition, I would give thee no other counsel than was given to Ephesus when she had lost her first love.

1. 'Remember,' saith Christ, 'from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works,' &c. (Rev 2:5).

Mark: Thy first work is to enter into a serious considering, and remembrance from whence thou art fallen. Remember that thou hast left thy G.o.d, the stay of thy soul, and him without whom there is no stay, comfort, or strength, for thee either to do or suffer anything in this world: 'Without me,' saith he, 'ye can do nothing'

(John 15:5). A sad condition; the remembrance of this, for certain, is the first step to the recovering a backsliding heart; for the right remembrance of this doth bring to mind what loss that soul hath sustained that is in this condition, how it hath lost its former visits, smiles, and consolations of G.o.d. When thy conscience was suppled with the blood of thy Saviour; when every step thou tookest was, as it were, in honey and b.u.t.ter; and when thy heart could meditate terror with comfort (Job 29:2-6; Isa 33:14-19).

Instead of which, thou feelest darkness, hardness of heart, and the thoughts of G.o.d are terrible to thee (Psa 77:3). Now G.o.d never visits thee; or if he doth, it is but as a wayfaring man, that tarrieth but for a night (Jer 14:8, 9).

This also brings to mind how the case is altered with thee, touching thy confidence in G.o.d for thy future happiness, how uncertain thou now art of thy hopes for heaven, how much this life doth hang in doubt before thee (Deu 28:65, 66).

2. 'Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent.'

These are words well put together; for a solid considering of what I have lost in my declining, will provoke in my heart a sorrow, and G.o.dly heaviness, whereby I shall be forced to bemoan my condition, and say, 'I will go and return to my first husband, for then was it better with me than now' (Hos 2:7). And believe it, the reason of G.o.d's standing off from giving the comfortable communion with himself, it is that thou mightest first see the difference between sticking close to G.o.d, and forsaking of him; and next, that thou mightest indeed acknowledge thy offence, and seek his face (Hos 5:15). He taketh no pleasure in thy forlorn condition; he had rather thou shouldest have him in thy bosom, only he will have it in his own way. 'He looketh upon men, and if any say, I have sinned, and perverted that which was right, and it profited me not; [then] he will deliver his soul from going into the pit, and his life shall see the light' (Job 33:27, 28).

3. 'Remember from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works.'

As there should be a remembering and a repenting so there should be a hearty doing our first works; a believing as before, a laying hold of the things of heaven and glory, as at the first; for now is G.o.d returned to thee, as before (Zech 1:16). And though thou mayest, through the loss of thy locks, with Samson, be weak at the first, yet, in short time, thy hair will grow again; that is, thy former experience will in short s.p.a.ce be as long, large, and strong, as in the former times. Indeed at the first thou wilt find all the wheels of thy soul rusty, and all the strings of thine heart out of tune; as also when thou first beginnest to stir, the dust and filth of thy heart will, like smoke, trouble thee from that clear beholding the grace of thy G.o.d, and his love to thy soul; but yet wait, and go on, and though thou findest thyself as unable to do anything as thou formerly couldest; yet I say, up, and be doing, and the Lord will be with thee; for he hath not despised the day of thy small things (1 Chron 22:16; Zech 4:10).

I know thou wilt be afflicted with a thousand temptations to drive thee to despair, that thy faith may be faint, &c. But against all them set thou the word of G.o.d, the promise of grace, the blood of Christ, and the examples of G.o.d's goodness to the great backsliders that are for thy encouragement recorded in the scriptures of truth; and remember, that turning to G.o.d after backsliding, is the greatest piece of service thou canst do for him, and the greatest honour thou canst bring to the blood of Christ; and know farther, that G.o.d, to show his willing reception of so unworthy a creature, saith, there shall be joy in heaven at thy conversion to him again (Luke 15:7, 10).

TO CONCLUDE.

If thou yet, notwithstanding what hath been said, dost remain a backslider:

1. Then remember that thou must die; and remember also, that when the terrors of G.o.d, of death, and a backslidden heart, meet together, there will be sad work in that soul; this is the man that hangeth tilting over the mouth of h.e.l.l, while death is cutting the thread of his life.

2. Remember, that though G.o.d doth sometimes, yea, often, receive backsliders, yet it is not always so. Some draw back into perdition; for, because they have flung up G.o.d, and would none of him, he in justice flings up them and their souls for ever (Prov 1:24-28).

I have observed, that sometimes G.o.d, as it were in revenge for injury done him, doth s.n.a.t.c.h away souls in the very nick of their backsliding, as he served Lot's wife, when he turned her into a pillar of salt, even while she was looking over her shoulder to Sodom (Gen 19:26). An example that every backslider should remember with astonishment (Luke 17:32).

Thus have I, in few words, written to you, before I die, a word to provoke you to faith and holiness, because I desire that you may have the life that is laid up for all them that believe in the Lord Jesus, and love one another, when I am deceased. Though there I shall rest from my labours, and be in paradise, as through grace I comfortably believe, yet it is not there, but here, I must do you good. Wherefore, I not knowing the shortness of my life, nor the hindrance that hereafter I may have of serving my G.o.d and you, I have taken this opportunity to present these few lines unto you for your edification.

Consider what hath been said; and the Lord give you understanding in all things. Farewell.

FOOTNOTES

1 Hermotimus of Lucian. During one of these wanderings his wife thought him dead, and his body was burnt. Whether the poor soul, thus suddenly ejected, obtained another habitation is not narrated.

2 'Of their relations,' related or belonging to themselves. Ed.

3 Also where the gardener hath set them, there they stand, and quarrel not one with another. Pilgrim, part 2. Interpreter's House, vol. 3. 186; see also vol. 2. 570. Ed.

4 'Where the great red dragon Satan had his seat.'Dr. Gill's Commentary. See also Revelation 12 Ed.

5 This manly, bold, and upright statement of truth, was published in 1674, only two years afer the author's deliverance from twelve years and a half's incarceration in a damp, miserable jail, for nonconformity! None but those whose close communion with G.o.d inspires them with the confessor's courage, can understand the spirit which dictated such language. Had all dissenters used such faithful words, the church would long ago have been emanc.i.p.ated from persecution in this country. Ed.

6 This is a very extensive and awful delusion. To mistake the 'outward and visible sign' for the 'inward and spiritual grace' is a very general and fatal error. Of it's sad effects all religious parties have warned their members. It has done infinite mischief to the souls of men. Ed.

7 The queen of Sheba was as much or more delighted with the order, harmony, and happiness of Solomon's household than she was with all his splendour and magnificence. It is to this Bunyan refers in this quotation. Ed.

8 'Though the words of the wise--are as nails fastened by the master of a.s.semblies (Eccl. 12:11) yet sure their examples are the hammer to drive them in to take the deeper hold. A father that whipt his son for swearing, and swore himself while he whipt him, did more harm by his example than good by his correction.'Fuller's Holy State, p. 11. Ed.

9 How exceedingly admirable are all these scriptural directions, warnings, and cautions. Happy are those parents and their children where such wisdom is manifested in that painful duty of administering counsel and correction. Ed. 10 One of the Saxon laws was, that if a serf or villain work on Sunday by his lord's command, he shall be a free man. Spelman's Concilia, An. 692. Ed.

11 The rust of money in the rich man's purse, unjustly detained from the labourer, will poison and infect his whole estate. Fuller's Holy State, p. 16. Ed.

12 The apostle Peter, in his solemn injunctions to married persons, commences with the wife. Fuller observes upon this, 'And sure it was fitting that women should first have their lesson given them, because it is harder to be learned, and therefore they need have the more time to con it.' Holy State, p. 1. Ed.

13 'In her husband's absence she is wife and deputy husband, which makes her double the files of her diligence. At his return he finds all things so well, that he wonders to see himself at home when he was abroad.'Fuller's Holy State, p. 2. Ed.

14 'She never crosseth her husband in the spring-tide of his anger, but stays till it be ebbing water.'Fuller's Maxims. Ed.

15 Bunyan's words are 'to show pity,' probably taken from the word 'goodness' in the margin of the Bible; but lest it might be a typographical error, the usual rendering is given in this quotation.

Ed.

16 'What is the child but a piece of the parents wrapped up in another skin.'Flavel.

On seeing a Mother with her Infant asleep in her Arms.

'Thine is the morn of life, All laughing, unconscious of the evening with her anxious cares, Thy mother filled with the purest happiness and bliss Which an indulgent Heaven bestows upon a lower world, Watches and protects her dearest life, now sleeping in her arms.'

German Poem. Ed.

17 Bunyan's silence, in all his writings, concerning the state of his parents as to G.o.dliness, may lead us to fear that this fervent e.j.a.c.u.l.a.t.i.o.n had often been poured forth by his own soul on behalf of his father and mother. All that we know of them is, that they were poor, but gave their children the best education their means afforded; as to their piety he is silent. Ed.

18 'To the Greeks.' Bunyan in this follows the Puritan translation.

The word 'Greeks' is in the margin of the authorized Bible. Ed.