Works of John Bunyan Volume II Part 142

This house then is no nurse to idleness; Fig-trees are here to keep, and vines to dress; Here's work for all; yea, work that must be done; Yet work, like that, to playing in the sun; The toil's a pleasure, and the labour sweet, Like that of David's dancing in the street; The work is short, the wages are for ever, The work like me, the wages like the giver

No drone must hide himself under those eaves; Who sows not, will in harvest reap no sheaves.

The slothful man himself, may plainly see, That honey's gotten by the working bee.

But here's no work for life, that's freely given; Meat, drink, and cloths, and life, we have from heav'n; Work's here enjoined, 'cause it is a pleasure, Vice to suppress, and augment heavenly treasure Moreover, 'tis to shew, if men profess The faith, and yet abide in idleness, Their faith is vain, no man can ever prove He's right, but by the faith that works by love.

If this good counsel is by thee rejected; If work and labour is by thee neglected; If thou, like David, lollest on thy bed; Or art like to a horse, pamper'd and fed With what will fire thy l.u.s.ts, and so lay snares For thine own soul, when thou shalt be i' th' wars: Then take what follows, sin must be detected, And thou without repentance quite rejected.

This is the house of G.o.d, his dwelling-place, 'Tis here that we behold his lovely face; But if it should polluted be with sin, And so abide, he quickly will begin To leave it desolate, and then woe to it, Sin and his absence quickly will undo it.

And since sin is, of things the worst of all, And watcheth like a serpent on a wall, Or flyeth like an eagle in the air, Or runs as desperate ships, void of all care, Or, (as great Solomon hath wisely said) Is as the way of wantons with a maid, Who tick, and toy, and with a tempting giggle Provoke to l.u.s.t, and by degrees, so wriggle Them into their affections, that they go The way to death, so do themselves undo: As it is said, this mischief to prevent, Let all men watch, yea, and be diligent Observers of its motions, and then fly, This is the way to live, and not to die.

He that would never fall, must never slip, Who would obey the call, must fear the whip.

G.o.d would also that every stander by That in the gra.s.s doth see the adder lie, Should cry as he did, death is in the pot, That many by its poison perish not.

But if that beastly thing shall hold its hold, And make the man possessed basely bold In pleading for it, or shall it deny, Or it shall seek to cover with a lie; Then take more aid, and make a fresh a.s.sault At it again, diminish not the fault, But charge it home. If yet he will not fear, But still unto his wickedness adhere, Then tell the house thereof. But if he still Persist in his abomination will, Then fly him, 'cause he is a leprous man, Count him with heathens and the publican.

But if he falls before thee at the first, Then be thou to him faithful, loving, just.

Forgive his sin, tell it not to a brother, Lest thou thyself be served so by another.

If he falls not, but in the second charge, Spread not his wickedness abroad at large.

But, if thou think his sorrow to be sound, Forgive his sin, and hide it under ground.

If he shall stand the first and second shot; If he before the church, repenteth not, Deal with him as the matter shall require, Let not the house for him be set on fire.

If after all, he shall repent and turn To G.o.d, and you, you must not let him burn For ever under sense of sin and shame, You must his sin forgive in Christ his name.

Confirm your love to him in Christ, you must, By all such ways as honest are, and just.

Shy be not of him, carry't not aloof, But rather give him of your love such proof, That he may gather thence, ye do believe To mercy Christ again doth him receive.

Two things, monish you, as to this, I would; The first, to shew the church wherein she should In all her actions so herself behave, As to convince the fault, she would save His soul; and that 'tis for this very thing, She doth him unto open judgment bring.

Then would I shew the person they reject, What will, without repentance, be th' effect Of this tremendous censure, so conclude; Leaving my judgment to the mult.i.tude Of those who sober and judicious be, Begging of each of them a prayer for me.

1. This house, in order to this work, must be Affected with the sin and misery, Of this poor creature, yea, must mourn and weep, To think such tares, in your neglect, or sleep, Should spring up here, nor must they once invent To think, till he's cast out, you're innocent.

2. Thus leaven, the whole lump has leavened; Israel was guilty of what Achan did; And so must stand, until they purged are, Till Achan doth, for sin, his burden bear.

The reason is, Achan a member was Of that great body, and by nature's laws, The hand, foot, eye, tongue, ear, or one of these, May taint the whole with Achan's foul disease.

The church must too be sensible of this, Some lep'rous stones make all the house amiss: And as the stones must thence removed be, In order to the house's sanct.i.ty, So it must purged be (in any wise) Before 'tis counted clean (by sacrifice).

3. Next have a care, lest sin, which you should purge Becomes not unto you a farther scourge, The which it will, if such shall judges be, Which from its spots and freckles are not free; Pluck thou the beam first out of thine own eye, Else the condemned will thee vilify And say, let not the pot the kettle judge; If otherwise, it will beget a grudge, A great one 'twixt the church and him that sinned, Nor by such means, can ever such be winned To a renew'd embrace of holiness; More like be tempted further to transgress.

4. Again, let those that loud against it cry, See they don't entertain it inwardly; Sin, like to pitch, will to the fingers cleave, Look to it then, let none himself deceive; 'Tis catching; make resistances afresh, Abhor the garment spotted by the flesh.

Some at the dimness of the candle puff, Who yet can daub their fingers with the snuff.

5. Beware, likewise, lest rancour should appear Against the person, do in all things fear: Bewail the man, while you abhor his sin; Pity his soul; the flesh you still are in; Thyself consider thou may'st tempted be, Hast thou no pity, who will pity thee?

6. See that the ground be good on which you go: Sin, but not virtue show dislike unto.

Take heed of hypocritical intentions, And quarrel not at various apprehensions About some smaller matter, lest it breed Needless debates, and lest that filthy seed Contention, should o'errun your holy ground, And lest not love, but nettles there are found.

7. You must likewise allow each man his grains, For that none perfect are, sin yet remains, And human frailties do attend the best; To bear and forbear here, will tend to rest.

Vain jangling, jars, and strifes will there abound, Where moles are mountains made, or fault is found, With every little, trivial, petty thing; This spirit snib, or 'twill much mischief bring Into this house, and 'tis for want of love, 'Tis entertain'd: it is not of the dove.

8. For those that have private opinions too We must make room, or shall the church undo: Provided they be such as don't impair Faith, holiness, nor with good conscience jar: Provided also those that hold them shall Such faith hold to themselves, and not let fall Their fruitless notions in their brother's way, Do this, and faith and love will not decay.

9. We must also in these our dealings shew We put a difference 'twixt those sins that do Clash with the light of nature, and what we Perceive against the faith of Christ to be.

Those against nature, nature will detect; Those against faith, faith from them must direct The judgment, conscience, understanding too, Or there will be no cure, whate'er you do.

When men are caught in immoralities, Nature will start, the conscience will arise To judgment; and if impudence doth recoil, Yet guilt, and self-condemnings will embroil The wretch concerned, in such unquietness Or shame, as will induce him to confess His fault, and pardon crave of G.o.d and man, Such men with ease therefore we conquer can.

But 'tis not thus with such as swerve in faith With them, who, as our wise Apostle saith, Entangled are at unawares, with those Cunning to trap, to snare, and to impose By falsifyings, their prevarications: No, these are slyly taken from their stations, Unknown to nature; yea, in judgment they Think they have well done to forsake the way.

Their understanding, and their judgment too Doth like, or well approve of what they do.

These are, poor souls, beyond their art and skill, Ta'en captive by the devil, at his will, Here therefore you must patience exercise, And suffer long, ye must not tyrannize It over such, but must all meekness shew; Still dropping of good doctrine as the dew, Against their error; so its churlishness You conquer will, and may their fault redress.

The reason why we must not exercise That roughness here, as where conviction lies In nature, is because those thus ensnared Want nature's light and help to be repair'd.

A spirit hath them taken, they are gone, Delusions supernat'ral they're on The wing of; They are out o' th' reach of man Nothing but G.o.d, and gospel reach them can.

Now since we cannot give these people eyes, Nor regulate their judgment, wherein lies, Our work with them, if not, as has been said, In exercising patience. While display'd The holy word before their faces is, By which alone they must see what's amiss With their poor souls, and so convert again, To him with whom salvation doth remain.

Obj. But they are turbulent, they would confound The truth, and all in their perdition drown'd.

Ans. If turbulent and mischievous they are, Imposing their opinions without care Who they offend, or do destroy thereby.

Then must the church deal with them presently, Lest tainted be the whole with their delusion, And brought into disorder and confusion.

XI.

THE PRESENT CONDITION OF THOSE THUS DEALT WITH.

The man that worthily rejected is, And cast out of this house, his part in bliss Is lost for ever, turns he not again, True faith and holiness to entertain.

Nor is it boot, for who are thus cast out, Themselves to flatter, or to go about To shift the censure; nothing here will do, Except a new conversion thou come to.

He that is bound on earth, is bound in heaven, Nor is his loosing, but the sin forgiven; Repentance too, forgiveness must precede, Or thou must still abide among the dead.

XII.

AN EXPOSTULATION WITH SUCH TO RETURN.

O shame! Is't not a shame for men to be For sin, spu'd out from good society!

For man enlightened to be so base!

To turn his back upon the G.o.d of grace!

For one who for his sins has mourn'd and cry'd, To slight him, who for sin hath bled and died!

What fool would sell his part in paradise, That has a soul, and that of such a price?

What parallel can suit with such so well, As those, for sin cast down from heaven to h.e.l.l!

But let me tell thee, here is aggravation; The angels, though they did fall from their station Had not the caution thou hast had; they fell; This thou hast seen, and seeing, didst rebel.

One would a thought, the noise of this their fall, A warning; yea, a warning, and a call, Should unto thee have been, to have a care Of falling too: O how then didst thou dare, Since G.o.d did not spare them, thus to presume To tempt him in his wrath, thee to consume.

Nor did the angels from a Jesus fall, Redeemed they were not, from a state of thrall; But thou! as one redeem'd, and that by blood, Redemption hast despised; and the mud Or mire of thine own filth again embracest: A dying bleeding Jesus thou disgracest!

What wilt thou do? see's not how thou hast trod Under thy foot, the very Son of G.o.d?

O fearful hand of G.o.d! And fearful will Thy doom be, when his wrath thy soul shall kill.

Yea, with a signal these must hear their sin, This dirty sow from mire has washed been, Yet there did wallow, after wash'd she was; So to procure a l.u.s.t, obtain'd this loss.

O shame! is't not a shame for man to be, So much averse to his felicity, That none can make him leave to play the fool, Till to the devil he be put to school, To learn his own salvation to prize?

O fool! must now the devil make thee wise?

O sot! that will in wickedness remain, Unless the devil drives thee back again.

Hast quite forgot how thou wast wont to pray, And cry out for forgiveness night and day?

Or dost thou count they were but painted fears Which from thine eyes did squeeze so many tears?

Remember man, thy prayers and tears will cry Thee down to h.e.l.l, for thine apostacy.

Who will not have what he has prayed for, Must die the death, his prayer shall him abhor.