Various - "Literary and Philosophical Essays"

Louis Antoine Fauvelet de Bourrienne - "Memoirs of Napoleon Bonaparte, V3"

Upton Sinclair - "Jimmie Higgins"

Marcus Aurelius - "Meditations "

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

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Books: The Works of John Bunyan Volume 3

J >> John Bunyan >> The Works of John Bunyan Volume 3




CHR. Then said Christian to his fellow, Now do I see myself in an
error. Did not the Shepherds bid us beware of the flatterers? As
is the saying of the wise man, so we have found it this day, "A
man that flattereth his neighbour, spreadeth a net for his feet"
(Prov. 29:5).

HOPE. They also gave us a note of directions about the way, for
our more sure finding thereof; but therein we have also forgotten
to read, and have not kept ourselves from the paths of the destroyer.
Here David was wiser than we; for, saith he, "Concerning the works
of men, by the word of thy lips, I have kept me from the paths of
the destroyer" (Psa. 16:4). Thus they lay bewailing themselves in
the net. At last they espied a Shining One coming towards them,
with a whip of small cord in his hand. When he was come to the
place where they were, he asked them whence they came, and what
they did there. They told him that they were poor pilgrims going
to Zion, but were led out of their way by a black man, clothed in
white, who bid us, said they, follow him, for he was going thither
too. Then said he with the whip, It is Flatterer, a false apostle,
that hath transformed himself into an angel of light (Prov. 29:5;
Dan. 11:32; 2 Cor. 11:13, 14). So he rent the net, and let the men
out. Then said he to them, Follow me, that I may set you in your
way again. So he led them back to the way which they had left to
follow the Flatterer. Then he asked them, saying, Where did you lie
the last night? They said, With the Shepherds, upon the Delectable
Mountains. He asked them then, if they had not of those Shepherds
a note of direction for the way. They answered, Yes. But did you,
said he, when you were at a stand, pluck out and read your note?
They answered, No. He asked them, Why? They said, they forgot. He
asked, moreover, if the Shepherds did not bid them beware of the
Flatterer. They answered, Yes, but we did not imagine, said they,
that this fine-spoken man had been he[264] (Rom. 16:18).

Then I saw in my dream, that he commanded them to lie down; which,
when they did, he chastised them sore, to teach them the good way
wherein they should walk, (Deut. 25:2); and as he chastised them,
he said, "As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten; be zealous,
therefore, and repent" (Rev. 3:19; 2 Chron. 6:26, 27). This done,
he bid them go on their way, and take good heed to the other
directions of the Shepherds. So they thanked him for all his
kindness, and went softly along the right way, singing-

Come hither, you that walk along the way; See how the pilgrims
fare that go astray! They catched are in an entangling net, 'Cause
they good counsel lightly did forget: 'Tis true, they rescued were,
but yet you see, They're scourg'd to boot. Let this your caution
be.

Now, after a while, they perceived, afar off, one coming softly
and alone, all along the highway to meet them. Then said Christian
to his fellow, Yonder is a man with his back toward Zion, and he
is coming to meet us.

HOPE. I see him, let us take heed to ourselves now, lest he should
prove a flatterer also. So he drew nearer and nearer, and at last
came up unto them. His name was Atheist, and he asked them whither
they were going.

CHR. We are going to the Mount Zion.

Then Atheist fell into a very great laughter.

CHR. What is the meaning of your laughter?

ATHEIST. I laugh to see what ignorant persons you are, to take
upon you so tedious a journey, and yet are like to have nothing
but your travel for your pains.

CHR. Why, man, do you think we shall not be received?

ATHEIST. Received! There is no such place as you dream of in all
this world.[265]

CHR. But there is in the world to come.

ATHEIST. When I was at home in mine own country, I heard as you
now affirm, and from that hearing went out to see, and have been
seeking this city this 20 years; but find no more of it than I
did the first day I set out (Jer. 22:12; Eccl. 10:15).

CHR. We have both heard and believe that there is such a place to
be found.

ATHEIST. Had not I, when at home, believed, I had not come thus
far to seek; but finding none (and yet I should, had there been
such a place to be found, for I have gone to seek it further than
you), I am going back again, and will seek to refresh myself with
the things that I then cast away, for hopes of that which, I now
see, is not.[266]

CHR. Then said Christian to Hopeful his fellow, Is it true which
this man hath said?

HOPE. Take heed, he is one of the flatterers; remember what it hath
cost us once already for our hearkening to such kind of fellows.
What! no Mount Zion? Did we not see, from the Delectable Mountains,
the gate of the city?[267] Also, are we not now to walk by faith?
Let us go on, said Hopeful, lest the man with the whip overtake
us again[268] (2 Cor. 5:7).

You should have taught me that lesson, which I will round[269] you
in the ears withal: "Cease, my son, to hear the instruction that
causeth to err from the words of knowledge" (Prov. 19:17). I say,
my brother, cease to hear him, and let us "believe to the saving
of the soul" (Heb. 10:39).

CHR. My brother, I did not put the question to thee, for that I
doubted of the truth of our belief myself, but to prove thee, and
to fetch from thee a fruit of the honesty of thy heart. As for
this man, I know that he is blinded by the god of this world. Let
thee and I go on, knowing that we have belief of the truth, "and
no lie is of the truth" (1 John 2:21).

HOPE. Now do I rejoice in hope of the glory of God. So they turned
away from the man; and he, laughing at them, went his way.

I saw then in my dream, that they went till they came into a
certain country, whose air naturally tended to make one drowsy,
if he came a stranger into it. And here Hopeful began to be very
dull and heavy of sleep; wherefore he said unto Christian, I do
now begin to grow so drowsy that I can scarcely hold up mine eyes;
let us lie down here, and take one nap.[270]

CHR. By no means, said the other; lest, sleeping, we never awake
more.

HOPE. Why, my brother? Sleep is sweet to the labouring man; we
may be refreshed if we take a nap.[271]

CHR. Do you not remember that one of the Shepherds bid us beware
of the Enchanted Ground?[272] He meant by that, that we should
beware of sleeping; "Therefore let us not sleep, as do others,
but let us watch and be sober"[273] (1 Thess. 5:6).

HOPE. I acknowledge myself in a fault; and had I been here alone,
I had by sleeping run the danger of death. I see it is true that
the wise man saith, "Two are better than one." Hitherto hath thy
company been my mercy, and thou shalt have a good reward for thy
labour. (Eccl. 4:9). CHR. Now then, said Christian, to prevent
drowsiness in this place, let us fall into good discourse.

HOPE. With all my heart, said the other.

CHR. Where shall we begin?

HOPE. Where God began with us. But do you begin, if you please.

CHR. I will sing you first this song-

When saints do sleepy grow, let them come hither, And hear how
these two pilgrims talk together: Yea, let them learn of them, in
any wise, Thus to keep ope their drowsy slumb'ring eyes. Saints'
fellowship, if it be manag'd well, Keeps them awake, and that in
spite of hell.

CHR. Then Christian began, and said, I will ask you a question.
How came you to think at first of so doing as you do now?

HOPE. Do you mean, how came I at first to look after the good of
my soul?

CHR. Yes, that is my meaning.

HOPE. I continued a great while in the delight of those things
which were seen and sold at our fair; things which, I believe now,
would have, had I continued in them still, drowned me in perdition
and destruction.

CHR. What things were they?

HOPE. All the treasures and riches of the world. Also I delighted
much in rioting, revelling, drinking, swearing, lying, uncleanness,
Sabbath-breaking, and what not, that tended to destroy the soul.
But I found at last, by hearing and considering of things that are
Divine, which indeed I heard of you, as also of beloved Faithful,
that was put to death for his faith and good living in Vanity Fair,
that "the end of these things is death" (Rev. 6:21-23). And that
for these things' sake, "cometh the wrath of God upon the children
of disobedience" (Eph. 5:6).

CHR. And did you presently fall under the power of this conviction?

HOPE. No, I was not willing presently to know the evil of sin,
nor the damnation that follows upon the commission of it; but
endeavoured, when my mind at first began to be shaken with the
Word, to shut mine eyes against the light thereof.

CHR. But what was the cause of your carrying of it thus to the
first workings of God's blessed Spirit upon you?

HOPE. The causes were, 1. I was ignorant that this was the work
of God upon me. I never thought that by awakenings for sin, God
at first begins the conversion of a sinner. 2. Sin was yet very
sweet to my flesh, and I was loath to leave it. 3. I could not tell
how to part with mine old companions, their presence and actions
were so desirable unto me. 4. The hours in which convictions were
upon me, were such troublesome and such heart-affrighting hours,
that I could not bear, no not so much as the remembrance of them
upon my heart.[274]

CHR. Then, as it seems, sometimes you got rid of your trouble?

HOPE. Yes, verily, but it would come into my mind again, and then
I should be as bad, nay, worse than I was before.

CHR. Why, what was it that brought your sins to mind again?

HOPE. Many things; as,

1. If I did but meet a good man in the streets; or,

2. If I have heard any read in the Bible; or,

3. If mine head did begin to ache; or,

4. If I were told that some of my neighbours were sick; or,

5. If I heard the bell toll for some that were dead; or,

6. If I thought of dying myself; or,

7. If I heard that sudden death happened to others;

8. But especially, when I thought of myself, that I must quickly
come to judgment.

CHR. And could you at any time, with ease, get off the guilt of
sin,[275] when, by any of these ways, it came upon you?

HOPE. No, not I, for then they got faster hold of my conscience;
and then, if I did but think of going back to sin (though my mind
was turned against it), it would be double torment to me.

CHR. And how did you do then?

HOPE. I thought I must endeavour to mend my life; for else, thought
I, I am sure to be damned.

CHR. And did you endeavour to mend? HOPE. Yes; and fled from not
only my sins, but sinful company too; and betook me to religious
duties, as prayer, reading, weeping for sin, speaking truth to
my neighbours, &c. These things did I, with many others, too much
here to relate.

CHR. And did you think yourself well then?

HOPE. Yes, for a while; but, at the last, my trouble came tumbling
upon me again, and that over the neck of all my reformations.

CHR. How came that about, since you were now reformed?

HOPE. There were several things brought it upon me, especially
such sayings as these: "All our righteousnesses are as filthy rags"
(Isa. 64:6). "By the works of the law shall no flesh be justified"
(Gal. 2:16). "When ye shall have done all those things, say, We
are unprofitable" (Luke 17:10); with many more such like. From
whence I began to reason with myself thus: If ALL my righteousnesses
are filthy rags; if, by the deeds of the law, NO man can be
justified; and if, when we have done ALL, we are yet unprofitable,
then it is but a folly to think of Heaven by the law. I further
thought thus: If a man runs a hundred pounds into the shopkeeper's
debt, and after that shall pay for all that he shall fetch; yet,
if this old debt stands still in the book uncrossed, for that the
shopkeeper may sue him, and cast him into prison till he shall
pay the debt.

CHR. Well, and how did you apply this to yourself?

HOPE. Why, I thought thus with myself: I have, by my sins, run
a great way into God's book, and that my now reforming will not
pay off that score; therefore I should think still, under all my
present amendments, But how shall I be freed from that damnation
that I have brought myself in danger of, by my former transgressions?

CHR. A very good application; but, pray, go on.

HOPE. Another thing that hath troubled me, even since my late
amendments, is, that if I look narrowly into the best of what I
do now, I still see sin, new sin, mixing itself with the best of
that I do; so that now I am forced to conclude, that notwithstanding
my former fond conceits of myself and duties, I have committed
sin enough in one duty to send me to hell,[276] though my former
life had been faultless.[277]

CHR. And what did you do then?

HOPE. Do! I could not tell what to do, until I brake my mind to
Faithful, for he and I were well acquainted. And he told me, that
unless I could obtain the righteousness of a man that never had
sinned, neither mine own, nor all the righteousness of the world,
could save me.

CHR. And did you think he spake true?

HOPE. Had he told me so when I was pleased and satisfied with
mine own amendment, I had called him fool for his pains; but now,
since I see mine own infirmity, and the sin that cleaves to my
best performance, I have been forced to be of his opinion.

CHR. But did you think, when at first he suggested it to you,
that there was such a man to be found, of whom it might justly be
said, that He never committed sin?

HOPE. I must confess the words at first sounded strangely, but
after a little more talk and company with him, I had full conviction
about it.

CHR. And did you ask him what man this was, and how you must be
justified by Him?

HOPE. Yes, and he told me it was the Lord Jesus, that dwelleth on
the right hand of the Most High. And thus, said he, you must be
justified by Him, even by trusting to what He hath done by Himself
in the days of His flesh, and suffered when He did hang on the
tree. I asked him further, how that man's righteousness could be
of that efficacy to justify another before God? And he told me He
was the mighty God, and did what He did, and died the death also,
not for Himself, but for me; to whom His doings, and the worthiness
of them, should be imputed, if I believed on Him (Heb. 10; Rom.
4; Col. 1; 1 Peter 1).

CHR. And what did you do then?

HOPE. I made my objections against my believing, for that I thought
He was not willing to save me.

CHR. And what said Faithful to you then?

HOPE. He bid me go to Him and see. Then I said it was presumption;
but he said, No, for I was invited to come (Matt. 11:28). Then he
gave me a book of Jesus, His inditing, to encourage me the more
freely to come; and he said, concerning that book, that every
jot and tittle thereof stood firmer than Heaven and earth (Matt.
24:35). Then I asked him, What I must do when I came; and he told
me, I must entreat upon my knees, with all my heart and soul, the
Father to reveal Him to me (Psa. 95:6; Dan. 6:10; Jer. 29:12, 13).
Then I asked him further, how I must make my supplication to Him?
And he said, Go, and thou shalt find Him upon a mercy-seat, where
He sits all the year long, to give pardon and forgiveness to them
that come. I told him that I knew not what to say when I came.
And he bid me say to this effect, God be merciful to me a sinner,
and make me to know and believe in Jesus Christ; for I see, that
if His righteousness had not been, or I have not faith in that
righteousness, I am utterly cast away.[278] Lord, I have heard
that Thou art a merciful God, and hast ordained that Thy Son Jesus
Christ should be the Saviour of the world; and moreover, that thou
art willing to bestow Him upon such a poor sinner as I am (and I
am a sinner indeed), Lord, take therefore this opportunity, and
magnify Thy grace in the salvation of my soul, through Thy Son
Jesus Christ. Amen. (Exo. 25:22; Lev. 16:2; Num. 7:89; Heb. 4:16).

CHR. And did you do as you were bidden?

HOPE. Yes; over, and over, and over.

CHR. And did the Father reveal His Son to you?

HOPE. Not at the first, nor second, nor third, nor fourth, nor
fifth; no, nor at the sixth time neither.

CHR. What did you do then?

HOPE. What! why I could not tell what to do.

CHR. Had you not thoughts of leaving off praying?

HOPE. Yes, a hundred times twice told.

CHR. And what was the reason you did not?

HOPE. I believed that that was true which had been told me, to
wit, that without the righteousness of this Christ, all the world
could not save me; and therefore, thought I with myself, if I leave
off I die, and I can but die at the throne of grace. And withal,
this came into my mind, "Though it tarry, wait for it; because it
will surely come, it will not tarry" (Hab. 2:3). So I continued
praying until the Father showed me His Son.[279]

CHR. And how was He revealed unto you?

HOPE. I did not see Him with my bodily eyes, but with the eyes of
my understanding (Eph. 1:18, 19); and thus it was: One day I was
very sad, I think sadder than at any one time in my life, and this
sadness was through a fresh sight of the greatness and vileness
of my sins. And as I was then looking for nothing but hell, and
the everlasting damnation of my soul, suddenly, as I thought,
I saw the Lord Jesus look down from Heaven upon me, and saying,
"Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved" (Acts
16:31).

But I replied, Lord, I am a great, a very great sinner. And He
answered, "My grace is sufficient for thee"[280] (2 Cor. 12:9).
Then I said, But, Lord, what is believing? And then I saw from
that saying, "He that cometh to Me shall never hunger, and he that
believeth on Me shall never thirst"; that believing and coming
was all one; and that he that came, that is, ran out in his heart
and affections after salvation by Christ, he indeed believed in
Christ (John 6:35). Then the water stood in mine eyes, and I asked
further, But, Lord, may such a great sinner as I am, be indeed
accepted of Thee, and be saved by Thee? And I heard him say, "And
him that cometh to Me, I will in no wise cast out" (John 6:37).
Then I said, But how, Lord, must I consider of Thee in my coming
to Thee, that my faith may be placed aright upon Thee? Then He
said, "Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners" (1 Tim.
1:15). "He is the end of the law for righteousness to every one
that believeth" (Rom. 10:4). "He died for our sins, and rose again
for our justification" (Rom. 4:25). "He loved us, and washed us
from our sins in His own blood" (Rev. 1:5). "He is mediator betwixt
God and us" (1 Tim. 2:5). "He ever liveth to make intercession
for us" (Heb. 7:25). From all which I gathered, that I must look
for righteousness in His person, and for satisfaction for my sins
by His blood; that what He did in obedience to His Father's law,
and in submitting to the penalty thereof, was not for Himself, but
for him that will accept it for his salvation, and be thankful.
And now was my heart full of joy, mine eyes full of tears, and
mine affections running over with love to the name, people, and
ways of Jesus Christ.[281]

CHR. This was a revelation of Christ to your soul indeed; but tell
me particularly what effect this had upon your spirit.[282]

HOPE. It made me see that all the world, notwithstanding all the
righteousness thereof, is in a state of condemnation. It made me
see that God the Father, though He be just, can justly justify the
coming sinner. It made me greatly ashamed of the vileness of my
former life, and confounded me with the sense of mine own ignorance;
for there never came thought into my heart before now, that showed
me so the beauty of Jesus Christ. It made me love a holy life,
and long to do something for the honour and glory of the name of
the Lord Jesus; yea, I thought that had I now a thousand gallons
of blood in my body, I could spill it all for the sake of the Lord
Jesus.[283]

I saw then in my dream that Hopeful looked back and saw Ignorance,
whom they had left behind, coming after. Look, said he to Christian,
how far yonder youngster loitereth behind.

CHR. Aye, aye, I see him; he careth not for our company.

HOPE. But I trow it would not have hurt him, had he kept pace with
us hitherto.

CHR. That is true; but I warrant you he thinketh otherwise.

HOPE. That I think he doth; but, however, let us tarry for him.
So they did.

Then Christian said to him, Come away, man, why do you stay so
behind?

IGNOR. I take my pleasure in walking alone, even more a great deal
than in company, unless I like it the better.[284]

Then said Christian to Hopeful (but softly), Did I not tell you
he cared not for our company? But, however, said he, come up, and
let us talk away the time in this solitary place. Then, directing
his speech to Ignorance, he said, Come, how do you? How stands it
between God and your soul now?

IGNOR. I hope well; for I am always full of good motions, that
come into my mind, to comfort me as I walk (Prov. 28:26).

CHR. What good motions? pray, tell us.

IGNOR. Why, I think of God and Heaven.

CHR. So do the devils and damned souls.

IGNOR. But I think of them, and desire them.[285]

CHR. So do many that are never like to come there. "The soul of
the sluggard desireth, and hath nothing" (Prov. 13:4).

IGNOR. But I think of them, and leave all for them.

CHR. That I doubt; for leaving all is a hard matter; yea, a harder
matter than many are aware of. But why, or by what, art thou
persuaded that thou hast left all for God and Heaven?

IGNOR. My heart tells me so.

CHR. The wise man says, "He that trusts his own heart is a fool"[286]
(Prov. 28:26).

IGNOR. This is spoken of an evil heart, but mine is a good one.

CHR. But how dost thou prove that?

IGNOR. It comforts me in hopes of Heaven.

CHR. That may be through its deceitfulness; for a man's heart may
minister comfort to him in the hopes of that thing, for which he
yet has no ground to hope.

IGNOR. But my heart and life agree together, and therefore my hope
is well grounded.

CHR. Who told thee that thy heart and life agree together?

IGNOR. My heart tells me so.

CHR. Ask my fellow if I be a thief! Thy heart tells thee so! Except
the Word of God beareth witness in this matter, other testimony
is of no value.

IGNOR. But is it not a good heart that hath good thoughts? and is
not that a good life that is according to God's commandments?

CHR. Yea, that is a good heart that hath good thoughts, and that
is a good life that is according to God's commandments; but it is
one thing, indeed, to have these, and another thing only to think
so.

IGNOR. Pray, what count you good thoughts, and a life according
to God's commandments?

CHR. There are good thoughts of divers kinds; some respecting
ourselves, some God, some Christ, and some other thing.

IGNOR. What be good thoughts respecting ourselves?

CHR. Such as agree with the Word of God.

IGNOR. When do our thoughts of ourselves agree with the Word of
God?

CHR. When we pass the same judgment upon ourselves which the Word
passes. To explain myself-the Word of God saith of persons in a
natural condition, "There is none righteous, there is none that
doeth good" (Rom. 3). It saith also, that "every imagination of
the heart of man is only evil, and that continually" (Gen. 6:5).
And again, "The imagination of man's heart is evil from his youth"
(Gen. 8:21). Now then, when we think thus of ourselves, having
sense thereof then are our thoughts good ones, because according
to the Word of God.

IGNOR. I will never believe that my heart is thus bad.

CHR. Therefore thou never hadst one good thought concerning thyself
in thy life. But let me go on. As the Word passeth a judgment
upon our heart, so it passeth a judgment upon our ways; and when
our thoughts of our hearts and ways agree with the judgment which
the Word giveth of both, then are both good, because agreeing
thereto.

IGNOR. Make out your meaning.

CHR. Why, the Word of God saith that man's ways are crooked ways;
not good, but perverse (Psa. 125; Prov. 2:15). It saith they are
naturally out of the good way, that they have not known it (Rom.
3). Now, when a man thus thinketh of his ways; I say, when he
doth sensibly, and with heart humiliation, thus think, then hath
he good thoughts of his own ways, because his thoughts now agree
with the judgment of the Word of God.[287]

IGNOR. What are good thoughts concerning God?

CHR. Even as I have said concerning ourselves, when our thoughts
of God do agree with what the Word saith of Him; and that is, when
we think of His being and attributes as the Word hath taught, of
which I cannot now discourse at large; but to speak of Him with
reference to us: Then we have right thoughts of God, when we think
that He knows us better than we know ourselves, and can see sin
in us when and where we can see none in ourselves; when we think
He knows our inmost thoughts, and that our heart, with all its
depths, is always open unto His eyes; also, when we think that all
our righteousness stinks in His nostrils, and that, therefore, He
cannot abide to see us stand before Him in any confidence, even
in all our best performances.

IGNOR. Do you think that I am such a fool as to think God can see
no further than I? or, that I would come to God in the best of my
performances?