John Buchan - "Mr Standfast"

Rabindranath Tagore (trans.) - "Songs of Kabir"

Anthony Trollope - "La Mere Bauche from Tales of All Countries"

Richard Johnson - "An Address to the Inhabitants Of The Colonies, established in"

New Philadelphia Book Publisher Highlights Local Talent
Book and Publishing News from Publishers Newswire(tm)

Looking for Child to be on Cover of a New Book, 'The Model Child'
PHILADELPHIA, Pa. -- The Philadelphia literary world will celebrate the launch of two new players today, April 10th: Kay Square Press, a new publishing company focused on Philadelphia-area artists, their stories, and their art; and Kay Square's first release, 'With the Rich and Mighty: Emlen Etting of Philadelphia' (ISBN: 978-0-9815129-0-7), a critical biography by Kenneth C. Kaleta.

FlatSigned Press Alleges Don Imus Remarks Damage Legacy of President Gerald R. Ford
NEW YORK, N.Y. -- Nathan Yungerberg, an accomplished model scout and professional child photographer is launching a nation-wide casting call to find the cover model for his highly anticipated book release, 'The Model Child: A Parents Guide to the Child Modeling Industry' (ISBN: 978-0-9817018-0-6).

Books: The Works of John Bunyan Volume 1

J >> John Bunyan >> The Works of John Bunyan Volume 1




Christ, then, by his death saveth us as we are sinners, enemies,
and in a state of condemnation by sin; and Christ by his life saveth
us as considered justified, and reconciled to God by his blood. So,
then, we have salvation from that condemnation that sin had brought
us unto, and salvation from those ruins that all the enemies of our
souls would yet bring us unto, but cannot; for the intercession of
Christ preventeth. 4 (Rom 6:7-10)

Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law. Whatever the law
can take hold of to curse us for, that Christ has redeemed us from,
by being made a curse for us. But this curse that Christ was made
for us, must be confined to his sufferings, not to his exaltation,
and, consequently, not to his intercession, for Christ is made no
curse but when he suffered; not in his intercession: so then, as
he died he took away the curse, and sin that was the cause thereof,
by the sacrifice of himself, (Gal 3:13), and by his life, his
intercession, he saveth us from all those things that attempt to
bring us into that condemnation again.

The salvation, then, that we have by the intercession of Christ,
as was said--I speak now of them that are capable of receiving
comfort and relief by this doctrine--is salvation that follows
upon, or that comes after, justification. We that are saved as to
justification of life, need yet to be saved with that that preserveth
to glory; for though by the death of Christ we are saved from the
curse of the law, yet attempts are made by many that we may be kept
from the glory that justified persons are designed for; and from
these we are saved by his intercession.

A man, then, that must be eternally saved is to be considered, (a.)
As an heir of wrath. (b.) As an heir of God. An heir of wrath he
is in himself by sin; an heir of God he is by grace through Christ.
(Eph 2:3, Gal 4:7) Now, as an heir of wrath he is redeemed, and as
an heir of God he is preserved; as an heir of wrath he is redeemed
by blood, and as an heir of God he is preserved by this intercession.
Christ by his death, then, puts me, I being reconciled to God
thereby, into a justified state, and God accepts me to grace and
favour through him. But this doth not hinder but that, all this
notwithstanding, there re, that would frustrate me of the end to
which I am designed by this reconciliation to God, by redemption
through grace; and from the accomplishing of this design I am saved
by the blessed intercession of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Object. 1. Perhaps some may say, we are not saved from all punishment
of sin by the death of Christ; and if so, so not from all danger
of damnation by the intercession of Christ.

Answ. We are saved from all punishment in hell fire by the death of
Christ. Jesus has 'delivered us from the wrath to come.' (1 Thess
1:10) So that as to this great punishment, God for his sake has
forgiven us all trespasses. (Col 2:13) But we being translated
from being slaves to Satan to be sons of God, God reserveth yet
this liberty in his hand to chastise us if we offend, as a father
chastiseth his son. (Deut 8:5) But this chastisement is not in legal
wrath, but in fatherly affection; not to destroy us, but that still
we might be made to get advantage thereby, even be made partakers
of his holiness. This is, that we might 'not be condemned with the
world.' (Heb 12:5-11, 1 Cor 11:32) As to the second part of the
objection; there do, as we say, many things happen betwixt or between
the cup and the lip; many things attempt to overthrow the work
of God, and to cause that we should perish through our weakness,
notwithstanding the price that hath by Christ been paid for us. But
what saith the Scripture? 'Who shall separate us from the love of
Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine,
or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written, For thy sake
we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the
slaughter. Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors
through him that loved us. For I am persuaded, that neither death,
nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things
present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other
creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which
is in Christ Jesus our Lord.' (Rom 8:35-39)

Thus the apostle reckoneth up all the disadvantages that a justified
person is incident to in this life, and by way of challenge
declares, that not any one of them, nor all together, shall be able
to separate us from the love of God, that is towards us by Christ,
his death, and his intercession.

Object. 2. It may be further objected, that the apostle doth here
leave out sin, unto which we know the saints are subject, after
justification. And sin of itself, we need no other enemies, is of
that nature as to destroy the whole world.

Answ. Sin is sin, in the nature of sin, wherever it is found. But
sin as to the damning effects thereof is taken away from them unto
whom righteousness is imputed for justification. Nor shall any or
all the things aforementioned, though there is a tendency in every
one of them to drive us unto sin, drown us, through it, in perdition
and destruction. I am persuaded, says Paul, they shall never be
able to do that. The apostle, therefore, doth implicitly, though to
expressly, challenge sin, yea, sin by all its advantages; and then
glorieth in the love of God in Christ Jesus, from which he concludeth
it shall never separate the justified. Besides, it would now have
been needless to have expressly here put in sin by itself, seeing
before, he had argued that those he speaks of were freely justified
therefrom.

One word more before I go to the second head. The Father, as I
told you, has reserved to himself a liberty to chastise his sons,
to wit, with temporal chastisements, if they offend. This still
abideth to us, notwithstanding God's grace, Christ's death, or
blessed intercession. And this punishment is so surely entailed
to the transgressions that we who believe shall commit, that it
is impossible that we should be utterly freed therefrom; insomuch
that the apostle positively concludeth them to be bastards, what
pretences to sonship soever they have, that are not, for sin,
partakers of fatherly chastisements.

For the reversing of this punishment it is that we should pray, if
perhaps God will remit it, when we are taught to say, 'Our Father,
forgive us our trespasses.' And he that admits of any other sense
as to this petition, derogates from the death of Christ, or faith,
or both. For either he concludes that for some of his sins Christ
did not die, or that he is bound to believe that God, though he
did, has not yet, nor will forgive them, till from the petitioner
some legal work be done; forgive us, as we forgive them that
trespass against us. (Matt 6:14,15) But now, apply this to temporal
punishments, and then it is true that God has reserved a liberty in
his hand to punish even the sins of his people upon them; yea, and
will not pardon their sin, as to the remitting of such punishment,
unless some good work by them be done; 'If ye forgive not men their
trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.'
(Matt 6:15, 18:28-35)

And this is the cause why some that belong to God are yet so under
the afflicting hand of God; they have sinned, and God, who is
their Father, punisheth; yea, and this is the reason why some who
are dear to God have this kind of punishment never forgiven, but
it abides with them to their lives' end, goes with them to the
day of their death, yea, is the very cause of their death. By this
punishment they are cut off out of the land of the living. But all
this is that they might 'not be condemned with the world.' (1 Cor
11:32)

Christ died not to save from this punishment; Christ intercedes
not to save from this punishment. Nothing but a good life will save
from this punishment; nor always that either.

The hidings of God's face, the harshness of his providences, the severe
and sharp chastisements that ofttimes overtake the very spirits of
his people, plainly show that Christ died not to save from temporal
punishments, prays not to save from temporal punishments--that
is, absolutely. God has reserved a power to punish, with temporal
punishments, the best and dearest of his people, if need be.5 And
sometimes he remits them, sometimes not, even as it pleases him.
I come now to the second thing.

[Christ saves to the uttermost.]

Second, I shall now show you something of what it is for Christ, by
his intercession, to save to the 'uttermost.' 'He is able to save
them to the uttermost.'

This is a great expression, and carrrieth with it much. 'Uttermost'
signifieth to the outside, to the end, to the last, to the furthest
part. And it hath respect both to persons and things. (Gen 49:26,
Deut 30:4, Matt 5:26, Mark 13:27, Luke 15)

1. To persons. Some persons are in their own apprehensions
even further from Christ than anybody else; afar off, a great way
off, yet a-coming, as the prodigal was. Now, these many times are
exceedingly afraid; the sight of that distance that they think is
betwixt Christ and them makes them afraid. As it is said in another
case, 'They that dwell in the uttermost parts are afraid at thy
tokens.' (Psa 65:8) So these are afraid they shall not speed, not
obtain that for which they come to God. But the text says, He is
able to save to the uttermost, to the very hindermost, them that
come to God by him.

Two sorts of men seem to be far, very far from God. (1.) The town
sinner. (2.) The great backslider. (Neh 1:9) But both these, if they
come, he is able to save to the uttermost. He is able to save them
from all those dangers that they fear will prevent their obtaining
of that grace and mercy they would have to help them in time of
need. The publicans and harlots enter into the kingdom of heaven.

2. As this text respecteth persons, so it respecteth things. There
are some things with which some are attended that are coming to
God, by Christ, that make their coming hard and very difficult.

(1.) There is a more than ordinary breaking up of the corruptions
of their nature. It seems as if all their lusts and vile passions
of the flesh were become masters, and might now do what they will
with the soul. Yea, they take this man and toss and tumble him like
a ball in a large place. This man is not master of himself, of his
thoughts, nor of his passions--'His iniquities, like the wind, do
carry him away.' (Isa 64:6) He thinks to go forward, but this wind
blows him backward; he laboureth against this wind, but cannot find
that he getteth ground; he takes what advantage opportunity doth
minister to him, but all he gets is to be beat out of heart, out
of breath, out of courage. He stands still, and pants, and gapeth
as for life. 'I opened my mouth, and panted,' said David, 'for I
longed for thy commandments.' (Psa 119:131) He sets forward again,
but has nothing but labour and sorrow.

(2.) Nay, to help forward his calamity, Satan [and his] angels will
not be wanting, both to trouble his head with the fumes of their
stinking breath, nor to throw up his heels in their dirty places--'And
as he was yet a-coming, the devil threw him down and tare him.'
(Luke 9:42) How many strange, hideous, and amazing blasphemies have
those, some of those, that are coming to Christ, had injected and
fixed upon their spirits against him. Nothing so common to such,
as to have some hellish wish or other against God they are coming
to, and against Christ, by whom they would come to him. These
blasphemies are like those frogs that I have heard of, that will
leap up, and catch hold of, and hang by their claws. Now help,
Lord; now, Lord Jesus, what shall I do? Now, Son of David, have
mercy upon me! I say, to say these words is hard work for such an
one. But he is able to save to the uttermost this comer to God by
him.

(3.) There are also the oppositions of sense and reason hard
at work for the devil, against the soul; the men of his own house
are risen up against him. One's sense and reason, one would think,
should not fall in with the devil against ourselves, and yet
nothing more common, nothing more natural, than for our own sense
and reason to turn the unnatural, and are both against our God and
us. And now it is hard coming to God. Better can a man hear and
deal with any objections against himself, than with those that
himself doth make against himself. They lie close, stick fast,
speak aloud, and will be heard; yea, will haunt and hunt him, as
the devil doth some, in every hole and corner. But come, man, come;
for he is able to save to the uttermost!

(4.) Now guilt is the consequence and fruit of all this; and what
so intolerable a burden as guilt! They talk of the stones, and of
the sands of the sea; but it is guilt that breaks the heart with
its burden. And Satan has the art of making the uttermost of every
sin; he can blow it up, make it swell, make every hair of its head
as big as a cedar. He can tell how to make it a heinous offence,
and unpardonable offence, an offence of that continuance, and
committed against so much light, that, says he, it is impossible
it should ever be forgiven. But, soul, Christ is able to save to
the uttermost, he can 'do exceeding abundantly above all that we
ask or think.' (Eph 3:20)

(5.) Join to all this the rage and terror of men, which thing of
itself is sufficient to quash and break to pieces all desires to
come to God by Christ; yea, and it doth do so to thousands that are
not willing to go to hell. Yet thou art kept, and made to go panting
on; a whole world of men, and devils, and sin, are not able to
keep thee from coming. But how comes it to pass that thou art so
hearty, that thou settest thy face against so much wind and weather? I
dare say it arises not from thyself, nor from any of thine enemies.
This comes from God, though thou art not aware thereof; and is
obtained for thee by the intercession of the blessed Son of God,
who is also able to save thee to the uttermost, that comest to God
by him.

(6.) And for a conclusion as to this, I will add, that there is
much of the honour of the Lord Jesus engaged as to the saving of
the coming man to the uttermost: 'I am glorified in them,' saith
he. (John 17:10) He is exalted to be a Saviour. (Acts 5:31) And if
the blessed One doth count it an exaltation to be a Saviour, surely
it is an exaltation to be a Saviour, and a great one. 'They shall
cry unto the Lord because of the oppressors, and he shall send
them a Saviour, and a great one, and he shall deliver them.' (Isa
19:20) If it is a glory to be a Saviour, a great Saviour, then
it is a glory for a Saviour, a great one, to save, and save, and
save to the uttermost--to the uttermost man, to the uttermost sin,
to the uttermost temptation. And hence it is that he saith again,
speaking of the transgressions, sins, and iniquities that he would
pardon, that it should turn to him for 'a name of joy, a praise,
and an honour before all nations.' (Jer 33:9) He therefore counts
it an honour to be a great Saviour, to save men to the uttermost.

When Moses said, 'I beseech thee, show me thy glory,' the answer
was, 'I will make all my goodness pass before thee, and I will
proclaim the name of the Lord before thee.' (Exo 33:18,19) And when
he came indeed to make proclamation, then he proclaimed, 'The Lord,
The Lord God, merciful and gracious, long-suffering, and abundant
in goodness and truth, keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving
iniquity and transgression and sin, and that will by no means clear
the guilty.' (Exo 34:6,7) That will by no means clear them that
will not come to me that they may be saved.

See here, if it is not by himself accounted his glory to make his
goodness, all his goodness, pass before us. And how can that be,
if he saveth not to the uttermost them that come unto God by him?
For goodness is by us noways seen but by those acts by which it
expresseth itself to be so. And, I am sure, to save, to save to
the uttermost, is one of the most eminent expressions by which we
understand it is great goodness. I know goodness has many ways to
express itself to be what it is to the world; but then it expresseth
its greatness when it pardons and saves, when it pardons and saves
to the uttermost. My goodness, says Christ, extends not itself to
my Father, but to my saints. (Psa 16:2,3) My Father has no need
of my goodness, but my saints have, and therefore it shall reach
forth itself for their help, in whom is all my delight. And, 'Oh
how great is thy goodness, which thou hast laid up for them that
fear thee; which thou hast wrought for them that trust in thee
before the sons of men'! (Psa 31:19) It is therefore that which
tendeth to get Christ a name, a fame, and glory, to be able to save
to the uttermost them that come to God by him.

[In Christ's ability to save, lieth our safety.]

But some may say, What is the meaning of this word able? 'Wherefore
he is able to save.' He is able to save the uttermost. How comes it
to pass that his power to save is rather put in than his willingness;
for willingness, saith the soul, would better have pleased me. I
will speak two or three words to this question. And,

First, By this word able is suggested to us the sufficiency of his
merit, the great worthiness of his merit; for, as Intercessor, he
sticks fast by his merit; all his petitions, prayers, or supplications
are grounded upon the worthiness of his person as Mediator, and
on the validity of his offering as priest. This is the more clear,
if you consider the reason why those priests and sacrifices under
the law could not make the worshippers perfect. It was, I say, because
there wanted in them worthiness and merit in their sacrifices. But
this man, when he came and offered his sacrifice, he did by that
one act 'perfect for ever them that are sanctified,' or set apart
for glory. 'But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for
sins, for ever sat down on the right hand of God.' (Heb 10:1-12)

When Moses prayed for the people of Israel, thus he said, 'And
now, I beseech thee, let the power of my Lord be great, according
as thou hast spoken.' But what had he spoken? 'The Lord is long-suffering,
and of great mercy, forgiving iniquity and transgression, and by
no means clearing the guilty--Pardon, I beseech thee, the iniquity
of this people according unto the greatness of thy mercy, and as
thou hast forgiven this people, from Egypt even until now.' (Num
14:17-19)

Second, Has he but power, we know he is willing, else he would not
have promised; it is also his glory to pardon and save. So, then,
in his ability lies our safety. What if he were never so willing,
if he were not of ability sufficient, what would his willingness
do? But he has showed, as I said, his willingness by promising:
'Him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out.' (John 6:37) So
that now our comfort lies in his power, in that he is able to make
good his word. (Rom 4:20,21) And this also will then be seen, when
he hath saved them that come to God by him, when he hath saved them
to the uttermost; not to the uttermost of his ability, but to the
uttermost of our necessity; for to the uttermost of his ability I
believe he will never be put to it to save his church; not for that
he is loath so to save, but because there is no need so to save; he
shall not need to put out all his power, and to press the utmost of
his merit for the saving of his church. Alas! there is sufficiency
of merit in him to save a thousand times as many more as are like
to be saved by him; 'he is able to do exceeding abundantly above
all that we ask or think.'

Measure not, therefore, what he can do by what he has, doth, or
will do; neither do thou interpret this word, to the uttermost,
as if it related to the uttermost of his ability, but rather as it
relateth, for so it doth indeed, to the greatness of thy necessity.
For as he is able to save thee, though thy condition be, as it may
be supposed to be, the worst that ever man was in that was saved,
so he is able to save thee, though thy condition were ten times
worse than it is.

What! shall not the worthiness of the Son of God be sufficient to
save from the sin of man? or shall the sin of the world be of that
weight to destroy, that it shall put Christ Jesus to the uttermost
of the worth of his person and merit to save therefrom? I believe
it is blasphemy to think so. We can easily imagine that he can
save all the world--that is, that he is of ability to do it; but
we cannot imagine that he can do no more than we can think he can.
But our imagination and thoughts set no bound to his ability. 'He
is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think.'
But what that is, I say, no man can think, no man can imagine. So,
then, Jesus Christ can do more than ever any man thought he could
do as to saving; he can do we know not what. This, therefore, should
encourage comers to come to him; and them that come, to hope. This,
I say, should encourage them to let out, to lengthen, and heighten
their thoughts by the word, to the uttermost, seeing he can 'save
to the uttermost them that come to God by him.'6

[Inferences from the benefits of Christ's intercession.]

Third. And now I come to the third thing that I told you I should
speak to, and that is, to those inferences that may be gathered
from these words.

1. Are they that are justified by Christ's blood such as have need
yet to be saved by his intercession? Then from hence it follows that
justification will stand with imperfection. It doth not therefore
follow that a justified man is without infirmity; for he that is
without infirmity--that is, perfect with absolute perfection, has
no need to be yet saved by an act yet to be performed by a mediator
and his mediation.

When I say, justification will stand with imperfection, I do
not mean that it will allow, countenance, or approve thereof; but
I mean there is no necessity of our perfection, of our personal
perfection, as to our justification, and that we are justified
without it; yea, that that, in justified persons, remains. Again;
when I say that justification will stand with imperfection, I do
not mean that in our justification we are imperfect; for in that
we are complete; 'we are complete in him' who is our justice. (Col
2:10) If otherwise, the imperfection is in the matter that justifieth
us, which is the righteousness of Christ. Yea, and to say so would
conclude that wrong judgment proceedeth from him that imputeth that
righteousness to us to justification, since an imperfect thing is
imputed to us for justification. But far be it from any that believe
that God is true to imagine such a thing; all his works are perfect,
there is nothing wanting in them as to the present design.

[Quest.] But what then do we mean when we say, justification will
stand with a state of imperfection?

Answ. Why, I mean that justified men are yet sinners in themselves,
are yet full of imperfections; yea, sinful imperfections. Justified
Paul said, 'I know that in me, that is, in my flesh, dwelleth no
good thing.' (Rom 7:18) While we are yet sinners, we are justified
by the blood of Christ. Hence, again, it is said, 'he justifieth
the ungodly.' (Rom 4:5, 5:8,9) Justification, then, only covereth
our sin from the sight of God; it maketh us not perfect with inherent
perfection. But God, for the sake of that righteousness which by
his grace is imputed to us, declareth us quit and discharged from
the curse, and sees sin in us no more to condemnation.

[WHY THE JUSTIFIED NEED AN INTERCESSOR.]

And this is the reason, or one reason, why they that are justified
have need of an intercessor--to wit, to save us from the evil of
the sin that remains in our flesh after we are justified by grace
through Christ, and set free from the law as to condemnation.
Therefore, as it is said, we are saved; so it is said, 'He is able
also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing
he ever liveth to make intercession for them.' The godly, for now
we will call them the godly, though there is yet abundance of sin
in them, feel in themselves many things even after justification
by which they are convinced they are still attended with personal,
sinful imperfections.

[Imperfect in their feelings and inclinations.]--(1.) They
feel unbelief, fear, mistrust, doubting, despondings, murmurings,
blasphemies, pride, lightness, foolishness, avarice, fleshly lusts,
heartlessness to good, wicked desires, low thoughts of Christ, too
good thoughts of sin, and, at times, too great an itching after
the worst of immoralities.

(2.) They feel in themselves an aptness to incline to errors, as
to lean to the works of the law for justification; to question the
truth of the resurrection and judgment to come; to dissemble and
play the hypocrite in profession and in performance of duties; to
do religious duties rather to please man than God, who trieth the
heart.

(3.) They feel an inclination in them, in times of trial, to faint
under the cross, to seek too much to save themselves, to dissemble
the known truth for the obtaining a little favour with men, and to
speak things that they ought not, that they may sleep in a whole
skin.