The Works of John Bunyan, vol 1 by John Bunyan (best book clubs txt) 📖

Again; why not live upon Christ alway? and especially as he standeth the mediator between God, and the soul, defending thee with the merit of his blood, and covering thee with his infinite righteousness from the wrath of God and curse of the law. Can there be any greater comfort ministered to thee than to know thy person stands just before God? Just and justified from all things that would otherwise swallow thee up? Is peace with God and assurance of heaven of so little respect with thee that thou slightest the very foundation thereof, even faith in the blood and righteousness of Christ? and are notions and whimsies of such credit with thee that thou must leave the foundation to follow them? But again; what mystery is desirable to be known that is not to be found in Jesus Christ, as Priest, Prophet, or King of saints? In him are hid all the treasures of them, and he alone hath the key of David to open them (Col 2:1,2; Rev 3:7). Paul was so taken with Jesus Christ, and the knowledge of this, that he was crucified for us, that he desired, nay, determined not to know any thing else among the Corinthians, that itched after other wisdom (1 Cor 2:2).

Object. But I see not that in Christ now, that I have seen in him in former days. Besides, I find the Spirit lead me forth to study other things.

Answ. To the first part of this objection I would answer several things.—The cause why thou seest not that in Christ now, which thou hast seen in him in former days, is not in Christ, but in thy faith; he is the same, as fresh, and as good, and as full of blessedness, as when thou didst most rejoice in him (Heb 1:11,12).

And why not now, as well as formerly? God is never weary of being delighted with Jesus Christ; his blood is always precious with God; his merits being those in which justice hath everlasting rest, why shouldst thou wander or go about to change thy way? (Prov 8:30; Jer 2:36). Sin is the same as ever, and so is the curse of the law.

The devil is as busy as ever; and beware of the law in thy members.

Return, therefore, to thy rest, O soul! for he is thy life, and the length of thy days. Guilt is to be taken off now, as it was years ago; and whether thou seest it or no, thou sinnest in all thy works. How, then, canst thou stand clear from guilt in thy soul who neglectest to act faith in the blood of the Lamb? There thou must wash thy robes, and there thou must make them white (Rev 7:14,15).

I conclude, then, thou art a polluted, surfeited, corrupted, hardened creature, whosoever thou art, that thus objectest.

But I find, sayest thou, as if the Spirit led me forth to study other matters.

Answ.—First. What other matters? What matters besides, above, or beyond the glorious gospel of Jesus Christ, and of our acceptance with God through him? What spirit, or doctrine, or wisdom soever it be that centres not in, that cometh not from, and that terminates not within, the bonds of the gospel of Jesus Christ, is not worthy the study of the sons of God; neither is it food for the faith of Jesus Christ, for that is the flesh of Christ, and that is eternal life (John 6:5). Whither will you go? Beware of the spirit of Antichrist; for ‘many false spirits are gone out into the world.’

I told you before, that the Spirit of God is ‘the Spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Christ,’ and that without and besides the Lord Jesus it discovereth nothing (Eph 1:17). It is sent to testify of him; it is sent to bring his words to our remembrance; it is sent to take of his things and show them unto us (John 14,15,16). Wherefore, never call that the Spirit of Jesus which leads you away from the blood and righteousness of Christ; that is but the spirit of delusion and of the devil, whose teachings end in perdition and destruction. Tempt not Christ as they of old did.

But how did they tempt him? Why, in loathing the manna, which was the type of his flesh and blood, which we are to eat of by believing.

I say, tempt him not, lest you be destroyed by the serpents, by the gnawing guilt of sin; for, take away Christ, and sin remains, and there is no more sacrifice for sin: if so, thou wilt be destroyed by the destroyer (Num 21:5-7; 1 Cor 10:10). But again—

Second. Living by faith begets in the heart a son-like boldness and confidence to Godward in all our gospel duties, under all our weaknesses, and under all our temptations. It is a blessed thing to be privileged with a holy boldness and confidence Godward, that he is on our side, that he taketh part with us and that he will plead our cause ‘with them that rise up against us’ (2 Cor 2:14, 4:17,18; Gal 2:20). But this boldness faith helpeth us to do, and also manageth in our heart. This is that which made Paul always triumph and rejoice in God and the Lord Jesus (Phil 3:3; Rom 5:11).

He lived the life of faith; for faith sets a man in the favour of God by Christ, and makes a man see that what befals him in this life, it shall, through the wisdom and mercy of God, not only prove for his forwarding to heaven, but to augment his glory when he comes there. This man now stands on high, he lives, he is rid of slavish fears and carking cares, and in all his straits he hath a God to go to! Thus David, when all things looked awry upon him, ‘encouraged himself in the Lord his God’ (1 Sam 30:6). Daniel also believed in his God, and knew that all his trouble, losses, and crosses, would be abundantly made up in his God (Dan 6:23). And David said, ‘I had fainted unless I had believed’ (Psa 27:13). Believing, therefore, is a great preservative against all such impediments, and makes us confident in our God, and with boldness to come into his presence, claiming privilege in what he is and hath (Jonah 3:4,5). For by faith, I say, he seeth his acceptance through the Beloved, and himself interested in the mercy of God, and riches of Christ, and glory in the world to come (Heb 10:22,23; Eph 1:4-7). This man can look upon all the dangers in hell and earth without paleness of countenance; he shall meditate terror with comfort, ‘because he beholds the King in his beauty’ (Isa 33:17,18). Again—

Third. Living by faith makes a man exercise patience and quietness under all his afflictions; for faith shows him that his best part is safe, that his soul is in God’s special care and protection, purged from sin in the blood of Christ. Faith also shows him that after a little while he shall be in the full enjoyment of that which now he believes is coming: ‘We, through the Spirit, wait for the hope of righteousness by faith’ (Gal 5:5). Wherefore, upon this ground it is that James exhorteth the saints to whom he wrote, to patience, because they knew the harvest would in due time come (James 5:7-11). Faith lodgeth the soul with Christ: ‘I know,’ saith Paul, ‘on whom I have believed,’ and to whom I have committed my soul, ‘and am persuaded,’ I believe it, ‘that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day’; therefore it were no shame to him to wear a chain for his name and sake (2

Tim 1:12). O! it is a blessed thing to see, I say, by the faith of the Lord Jesus, that we are embarked in the same ship with him; this will help us greatly ‘both to hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the Lord’ (Psa 46:1-6; Lam 3:26). Further—

Fourth. I might add, that living by faith is the way to receive fresh strength from heaven, thereby to manage thine every day’s work with life and vigour; yea, every look by faith upon Jesus Christ, as thine, doth this great work. It is said, when Paul saw the brethren that came to meet him, ‘he thanked God, and took courage’

(Acts 28:15). O! how much more, then, shall the Christian be blessed with fresh strength and courage even at the beholding of Christ; whom ‘beholding as in a glass,’ we ‘are changed,’ even by beholding of him by faith in the word, ‘into the same image, from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord’ (2 Cor 3:18). But to be brief.

Fifth. Make conscience of the duty of believing, and be as afraid of falling short here as in any other command of God. ‘This is his commandment, that you believe’ (1 John 3:23). Believe, therefore, in the name of the Lord Jesus. This is the will of God, that you believe. Believe, therefore, to the saving of the soul (John 6:46). Unbelief is a fine-spun thread, not so easily discerned as grosser sins; and therefore that is truly ‘The sin that doth so easily beset us’ (Heb 12:1). The light of nature will show those sins that are against the law of nature; but the law of faith is a command beyond what flesh or nature teacheth; therefore to live by faith is so much the harder work; yet it must be done, otherwise thine other duties profit thee nothing. For if a man give way to unbelief, though he be most frequent in all other duties besides, so often as he worshippeth God in these, he yet saith, God is a liar in the other, even because he hath not believed: ‘He that believeth not God, hath made him a liar; because he believeth not the record that God gave of his Son. And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son’ (1 John 5:10,11). So then, when thou givest way to unbelief; when thou dost not venture the salvation of thy soul upon the justifying life that is in Christ—that is, in his blood, &c.,—at once, thou givest the lie to the whole testament of God; yea, thou tramplest upon the promise of grace, and countest this precious blood an unholy and unworthy thing (Heb 10:29). Now how, thou doing thus, the Lord should accept of thy other duties, of prayer, alms, thanksgiving, self-denial, or any other, will be hard for thee to prove. In the meantime remember, that faith pleaseth God; and that without faith it is impossible to please him. Remember also, that for this cause it was that the offering of Cain was not accepted: ‘By faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain’; for by faith Abel first justified the promise of the Messias, by whom a conquest should be obtained over the devil, and all the combination of hell against us: then he honoured Christ by believing that he was able to save him; and in token that he believed these things indeed, he presented the Lord with the firstlings of his flock, as a remembrance before God that he believed in his Christ (Heb 11:4).

And therefore it is said, ‘By faith he offered’; by which means the offering was accepted of God; for no man’s offering can be accepted with God but his that stands righteous before him first. But unbelief holdeth men under their guilt, because they have not believed in Christ, and by that means put on his righteousness. Again; he that believeth not,