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

2. ‘Sit thou at my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool’ (Psa 110:1; Matt 22:44; Heb 1:13). The honour of sitting at God’s right hand was given him because he died, and offered his body once for all. ‘This man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God, from henceforth expecting till his enemies be made his footstool’ (Heb 10:12,13).

Expecting, since God accepted his offering, that those that refused him should be trodden under foot; that is, sunk by him into and under endless and insupportable vengeance. But would God have given the world such an account of his sufferings, that by one offering he did perfect for ever them that are sanctified? yea, and would he have threatened to make those foes his footstool that shall refuse to venture themselves upon his offering—for they are indeed his foes—had not his eternal Majesty been well pleased with the price he paid to God for sinners; had he not obtained eternal redemption for them?

3. He shall come ‘from heaven with his mighty angels, in flaming fire, taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ’ (2 Thess 1:7,8).

Here he expressly telleth us wherefore they shall be punished; because ‘they know not God, and obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ’; where also is notably intimated that he that obeyeth not the gospel of Christ knoweth not God, neither in his justice nor mercy. But what is the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ but good tidings of good things—to wit, forgiveness of sins by faith in his blood, an inheritance in heaven by faith in his blood, as the whole of all the foregoing discourse hath manifested? Now, I say, can it be imagined that God would threaten to come upon the world with this flaming, fiery vengeance to punish them for their non-subjection to his Son’s gospel, if there had not been by himself paid to God full price for the souls of sinners, if he had not obtained eternal redemption by his blood for sinners?

4. ‘And Enoch also, the seventh from Adam, prophesied of these, saying, Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousand of his saints, to execute judgment upon all, and to convince all that are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds, which they have ungodly committed, and of all their hard speeches which ungodly sinners have spoken against him’ (Jude 14,15).

The Lord that is here said to come with ten thousands of his saints is Jesus Christ himself; and they that come with him are called his saints, because given to him by the Father, for the sake of the shedding of his blood. Now in that he is said to come to execute judgment upon all, and especially those that speak hard speeches against him, it is evident that the Father tendereth his name, which is Jesus, a Saviour, and his undertaking for our redemption; and as evident that the hard speeches intended by the text are such as vilify him as Saviour, counting the blood of the covenant unholy, and trampling him that is Prince of the covenant under the feet of their reproachful language; this is counted a putting of him to open shame, and a despising the riches of his goodness (Heb 6:10; Rom 2). Time would fail to give you a view of the revilings, despiteful sayings, and of the ungodly speeches which these abominable children of hell let fall in their pamphlets, doctrines, and discourses against the Lord the King. But the threatening is, he shall ‘execute judgment upon them for all their ungodly deeds, and for all the hard speeches which ungodly sinners have spoken against him.’

5. ‘Beware therefore, lest that come upon you which is spoken of in the prophets; Behold, ye despisers, and wonder, and perish: for I work a work in your days, a work which you shall in no wise believe, though a man declare it unto you’ (Acts 13:40,41).

This work is the same we have been all this while treating of—to wit, redemption by the blood of Christ for sinners, or that Christ hath paid full price to God for sinners, and obtained eternal redemption for them. This is manifest from verses 23 to 29 of this chapter.

Now, observe, there are and will be despisers of this doctrine, and they are threatened with the wrath of God—‘Behold, ye despisers, and wonder, and perish.’ But would God so carefully have cautioned sinners to take heed of despising this blessed doctrine, and have backed his caution with a threatening that they shall perish, if they persist, had not he himself received by the blood of Christ full price for the souls of sinners?

Third. As God threateneth, so he punisheth those that refuse his Son, or that seek to vilify or make insignificant the doctrine of righteousness by faith in him.

1. He punished them with the abidings of his wrath—‘He that believeth not the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abideth on him’ (John 3:36).

The wrath of God for men; for sin stands already condemned by the law; and the judgment is, that they who refuse the Lord Jesus Christ shall have this wrath of God for ever lie and abide upon them; for they want a sacrifice to pacify wrath for the sin they have committed, having resisted and refused the sacrifice of the body of Christ. Therefore it cannot be that they should get from under their present condition who have refused to accept of the undertaking of Christ for them.

Besides, God, to show that he taketh it ill at the hands of sinners that they should refuse the sacrifice of Christ, hath resolved that there shall be no more sacrifice for sin. Therefore ‘if we sin willfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins’ (Heb 10:26). God doth neither appoint another, neither will he accept another, whoever brings it. And here those sayings are of their own natural force: ‘How shall we escape if we neglect so great salvation?’ And again, ‘See that ye refuse not him that speaketh. For if they escaped not who refused him that spake on earth (Moses), much more shall not we escape, if we turn away from him (Christ) that speaketh from heaven’ (Heb 2:3, 12:25).

This therefore is a mighty demonstration that Christ by what he hath done hath paid full price to God for the souls of sinners, because God so severely threateneth, and also punisheth them that refuse to be justified by his blood: he threateneth, as you have heard, and punisheth, by leaving such men in their sins, under his heavy and insupportable vengeance here.

2. ‘He that believeth not shall be damned,’ damned in hellfire (Mark 16:16). ‘He that believeth not.’ But what should he believe?

Why,

(1.) That Jesus is the Saviour. ‘If,’ saith he, ‘ye believe not that I am he, ye shall die in your sins.’

(2.) He that believeth not that he [Jesus] hath undertaken and completely perfected righteousness for us, shall die in his sins, shall be damned, and perish in hellfire; for such have no cloak for their sin, but must stand naked to the show of their shame before the judgment of God, that fearful judgment. Therefore, after he had said, ‘there remaineth’ for such ‘no more sacrifice for sin,’

he adds, ‘but a certain fearful looking for of judgment’; there is for them left nothing but the judgment of God, and his fiery indignation, which shall devour the adversaries. ‘He that despised Moses’ law died without mercy under two or three witnesses; of how much sorer punishment, suppose ye, shall he be thought worthy, who hath trodden under foot the Son of God, and hath counted the blood of the covenant, wherewith he was sanctified, an unholy thing, and hath done despite unto the Spirit of grace’ (Heb 10:28,29).

See here, if fury comes not up now into the face of God; now is mention made of his fearful judgment and fiery indignation. Now, I say, is mention made thereof, when it is suggested that some have light thoughts of him, count his blood unholy, and trample his sacrificed body under the feet of their reproaches; now is he a consuming fire, and will burn to the lowest hell. ‘For we know him that hath said, Vengeance belongeth unto me, I will recompense, saith the Lord. And again, The Lord shall judge his people’ (Heb 10:30). These words are urged by the Holy Ghost on purpose to beget in the hearts of the rebellious reverend thoughts, and a high esteem of the sacrifice which our Lord Jesus offered once for all upon Mount Calvary unto God the Father for our sins; for that is the very argument of the whole epistle.

It is said to this purpose, in one of Paul’s epistles to the Thessalonians, that because men receive not the love of the truth, that they might be saved; ‘for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie; that they might be damned’ (2 Thess 2:11,12).

‘The truth’ mentioned in this place is Jesus Christ. ‘I am the truth,’ saith he (John 14:6). The love of the truth is none else but the love and compassion of Jesus Christ in shedding his blood for man’s redemption. ‘Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends’ (John 15:13). This, then, is the love of the Truth (of Jesus), that he hath laid down his life for us. Now, that the rejecters of this love should by this their rejecting procure such wrath of God against them, that rather than they shall miss of damnation, himself will choose their delusions for them, and also give them up to the effectual working of these delusions, what doth this manifest but that God is displeased with them that accept not of Jesus Christ for righteousness, and will certainly order that their end shall be everlasting damnation?

therefore Jesus Christ hath paid full price to God for sinners, and obtained eternal redemption for them.

THE USE OF THE DOCTRINE.

I come now to make some use of and to apply this blessed doctrine of the undertaking of Jesus Christ, and of his paying full price to God for sinners, and of his obtaining eternal redemption for them.

THE FIRST USE.

[FIRST.] By this doctrine we come to understand many things which otherwise abide obscure and utterly unknown, because this doctrine is accompanied with the Holy Ghost, that revealer of secrets, and searcher of the deep things of God (1 Peter 1:2; Eph 1:17; 1 Cor 2). The Holy Ghost comes down with this doctrine as that in which it alone delighteth; therefore is it called ‘the Spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge’ of Jesus Christ. He giveth also ‘the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ’ (2 Cor 4:6). Little of God is known in the world where the gospel is rejected; the religious Jew and the wise Gentile may see more of God in a crucified Christ than in heaven and earth besides; for in him ‘are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge,’ not only in his person as God, but also in his undertakings as Mediator (Col 2:3). Hence Paul telleth us, that he ‘determined not to know anything among’ the Corinthians but ‘Jesus Christ and him crucified’

(1 Cor 2:2). I say, more of God is revealed to us in this doctrine than we can see of him in heaven and earth without it.