Works of John Bunyan Volume II Part 27

Thirdly, The more thou art rooted and set down from heaven in the faith of these truths of Christ, to believe fully the glorious reality of them, and their interest in them, the more heavenly peace and joy thou wilt have (1 Peter 1:7,8) and also thou wilt hereby attain the more true holiness and purity of heart and life, 'purifying their hearts by faith' (Acts 15:9). And then the more thou hast of the right faith of Christ, and of his things in thy heart, the more strong and valiant wilt thou be in spirit, to do any work private or public for Jesus Christ, like Stephen, who being full of faith, and of the Holy Spirit, was also full of power (Acts 6:8).

In this book thou hast also laid down from the scriptures, how Jesus Christ is without the saints as Man, and yet dwelleth within them, that is, something of his divine nature or his blessed Spirit dwells within them, which Spirit is sometime called, The Spirit of Christ (Rom 8:9). He that hath not the Spirit of Christ, &c.

and sometime called Christ, 'If Christ be in you' &c. (Rom 8:10).

And also how we may know whether it be Christ and the Spirit of Christ within, or a false spirit calling itself Christ, and that is thus; If it be indeed Christ within, that is, the Spirit of Christ G.o.d-man; why then it teaches that man or woman in whom it is, to apply, and trust in Christ without for salvation; Christ as born of the Virgin Mary, as fulfilling the law without them, as dying without the gate of Jerusalem as a sacrifice for sin; it teaches them to trust in the Man Christ as rising again out of the grave without them, as ascending into, and interceding in heaven without for them; and as to come from that heaven again in his flesh to judge the world. Thus the man Christ himself saith, 'When he [the Spirit of truth] is come, &c. he shall glorify me' (John 16:13,14). He shall make you more to prize, admire and glorify me, who am both G.o.d and man, and who shall be absent from you touching my body. Then follows, for he shall take of mine (of my glorious things) and shew them to you; he shall take my divine and human nature, my birth, my person and offices, my obedience, death, satisfaction, my resurrection, ascension and intercession, and of my second coming in the clouds with my mighty angels to judgment, and shall shew them, or clear them up to you: He shall take of my salvation, which I have wrought for you in my own person without you: And he shall take of my glory and exaltation in the heavens, and shew to you. Now to mind this one thing, and to be set down in a right understanding of it, by the Spirit, from the scriptures, will be of great concernment to thee and me; for, for want of this, many professors have split themselves, some looking only on what Christ hath done and suffered without them, resting in an historical, traditional, and indeed a fancied faith of it, without looking for the Spirit of Jesus Christ to come with power into their hearts, without which they cannot rightly know, nor rightly believe in Christ the Son of G.o.d without them, so as to have any share or interest in him, 'If any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his' (Rom 8:9). Others have been depending too much upon something they call Christ, and the righteousness of Christ within them, in opposition to Christ and his righteousness without them, from which all true saints have their justification and comfort, it being received through the operation of the Spirit which dwells in them; and however these may talk much of Christ within them, yet it is manifest, that it is not the Spirit of Christ, but the spirit of the devil; in that it doth not glorify, but slight and reject the man Christ and his righteousness which was wrong without them: Reader, in this book thou wilt not meet with high flown airy notions, which some delight in, counting them high mysteries, but the sound, plain, common, (and yet spiritual and mysterious) truths of the gospel, and if thou art a believer, thou must needs reckon them so, and the more, if thou hast not only the faith of them in thy heart, but art daily living in the spiritual sense and feeling of them, and of thy interest in them. Neither doth this treatise offer to thee doubtful controversial things, or matters of opinions, as some books chiefly do, which when insisted upon, the weightier things of the gospel have always done more hurt than good: But here thou hast things certain, and necessary to be believed, which thou canst not too much study. Therefore pray, that thou mayest receive this word which is according to the scriptures in faith and love, not as the word of man, but as the word of G.o.d, without respect of persons, and be not offended because Christ holds forth the glorious treasure of the gospel to thee in a poor earthen vessel, by one who hath neither the greatness nor the wisdom of this world to commend him to thee; for as the scripture, saith Christ, (who was low and contemptible in the world himself) ordinarily chooseth such for himself, and for the doing of his work (1 Cor 1:26-28). Not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many n.o.ble are called: But G.o.d hath chosen the foolish things of the world, &c. This man is not chosen out of an earthly, but out of the heavenly university, the church of Christ, which church, as furnished with the Spirit, gifts, and graces of Christ, was in the beginning, and still is, and will be to the end of the world, that out of which the word of the Lord, and so all true gospel ministers must proceed, whether learned or unlearned, as to human learning (1 Cor 12:27,28). And though this man hath not the learning or wisdom of man, yet, through grace he hath received the teaching of G.o.d, and the learning of the Spirit of Christ, which is the thing that makes a man both a Christian and a minister of the gospel. 'The Lord G.o.d hath given me the tongue of the learned,'

&c. (Is 50:4 compared with Luke 4:18) where Christ, as man, saith, 'The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor,' &c. He hath, through grace taken these three heavenly degrees, to wit, union with Christ, the anointing of the Spirit, and experience of the temptations of Satan, which do more fit a man for that mighty work of preaching the gospel, than all university learning and degrees that can be had.

My end in writing these few lines is not to set up man, but having had experience with many other saints of this man's soundness in the faith, of his G.o.dly conversation, and his ability to preach the gospel, not by human art, but by the Spirit of Christ, and that with much success in the conversion of sinners when there are so many carnal empty preachers, both learned and unlearned; I say having had experience of this, and judging this book may be profitable to many others, as well as to myself: I thought it my duty upon this account (though I be very unfit for it) to bear witness with my brother to the plain and simple (and yet glorious) truths of our Lord Jesus Christ. And now reader, the Lord give thee and me a right understanding in these things, that we may live and die not with a traditional notional dead faith, but with a right spiritual lively faith of Christ in our heart, wrought by the mighty power of G.o.d; such a faith as may make Jesus Christ more real and precious to us than any thing in the world, as may purify our hearts, and make us new creatures, that so we may be sure to escape the wrath to come, and after this life enjoy eternal life and glory through the Lord Jesus Christ, to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.

Farewell, thine to serve thee in the Lord Jesus, JOHN BURTON.

SOME GOSPEL TRUTHS OPENED, &c.

Forasmuch as many have taken in Hand to set forth their several Judgments concerning the Son of the Virgin Mary, the Lord JESUS CHRIST; and some of those many having most grossly erred from the simplicity of the Gospel, it seemed good to me, having had some Knowledge of these things, to write a few words, to the end, if the Lord will, Souls might not be so horribly deluded by those several corrupt Principles that are gone into the World concerning him.

Now, that there is such a thing as a Christ, I shall not spend much time in proving of; only I shall shew you, that he was first promised to the fathers, and afterwards expected by their children: But before I do that, I shall speak a few words concerning G.o.d's FORE-ORDAINING AND PURPOSING, THAT A CHRIST, A SAVIOUR, SHOULD BE, AND THAT BEFORE THE WORLD BEGAN. Now G.o.d in his own wisdom and counsel, knowing what would come to pa.s.s, as if it were already done (Rom 4:17). He knowing that man would break his commandments, and so throw himself under eternal destruction, did in his own purpose fore-ordain such a thing as the rise of him that should fall, and that by a Saviour, 'According as he hath chosen us in him, [meaning the Saviour] before the foundation of the world'

(Eph 1:4). That is, G.o.d seeing that we would transgress, and break his commandment, did before choose some of those that would fall, and give them to him that should afterward purchase them actually, though in the account of G.o.d, his blood was shed before the world was (Rev 13:8). I say, in the account of G.o.d, his Son was slain!

that is, according to G.o.d's purpose and conclusion, which he purposed in himself before the word was; as it is written (2 Tim 1:9), 'Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began.' As also, in 1 Peter 1:20, Where the Apostle speaking of Christ, and the redemption purchased by him for sinners, saith of him, 'Who verily was fore-ordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last days for you, who by him do believe in G.o.d, that raised him up from the dead.' G.o.d having thus purposed in himself, that he would save some of them that by transgression had destroyed themselves, did with the everlasting Son of his love, make an agreement, or bargain, that upon such and such terms, he would give him a company of such poor souls as had by transgression fallen from their own innocency and uprightness, into those wicked inventions that they themselves had sought out (Eccl 7:29). The agreement also how this should be, was made before the foundation of the world was laid (t.i.tus 1:2). The Apostle, speaking of the promise, or covenant made between G.o.d and the Saviour (for that is his meaning,) saith on this wise; 'In hope of eternal life, which G.o.d that cannot lie, promised before the world began.' Now this promise, or covenant was made with none but with the Son of G.o.d, the Saviour. And it must needs be so; for there was none with G.o.d before the world began, but he by whom he made the world, as in Proverbs 8 from verse 22 to verse 31 which was and is, the Son of his love.

This covenant, or bargain, had these conditions in it.

First, That the Saviour should take upon him flesh and blood, the same nature that the sons of men were partakers of (sin only excepted) (Heb 2:14, 4:15). And this was the will or agreement that G.o.d had made with him: And therefore when he speaks of doing the will of G.o.d (Heb 10:5) he saith, 'a body hast thou prepared me,' (as according to thy promise (Gen 3:15) which I was to take of a woman,) and in it I am come to do thy will, O G.o.d, as it is written of me in the volume of thy book (v 7).

Second, The Saviour was to bring everlasting righteousness to justify sinners withal (Dan 9:24,25). The Messias, or Saviour, shall bring in everlasting righteousness, and put an end to iniquity, as it is there written, 'To make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness.' This, I say, was to be brought into the world by the Saviour, according to the covenant, or agreement, that was between G.o.d and Christ before the world began, which G.o.d, that cannot lie, promised at that time (t.i.tus 1:2).

Third, He was to accomplish this everlasting righteousness by spilling his most precious blood, according to the terms of the covenant, or bargain; and therefore when G.o.d would shew his people what the agreement was that he and the Saviour had made, even before the covenant was accomplished and sealed actually. See for this Zechariah 9 (where he is speaking of him that should be the Saviour,) verse 11, 'As for thee also [meaning the Saviour] by the blood of thy covenant,' or as some render it, whose covenant is by blood (which is all to one purpose) 'I [meaning G.o.d] have sent forth thy prisoners out of the pit wherein is no water.'

The meaning is this: As for thee also, seeing the covenant, or bargain that was made between me and thee before the world was, is accomplished in my account, as if it were actually and really done, with all the conditions that were agreed upon by me and thee; I have therefore, according to that agreement that was on my part, sent forth the prisoners, and those that were under the curse of my law, out of the pit wherein there is no water; seeing thou also hast completely fulfilled in my account whatsoever was on thy part to be done, according to our agreement. And thus is that place to be understood in John 17:9, 'I pray for them: I pray not for the world, but for them which thou hast given me' (which I covenanted with thee for) 'thine they were and thou gavest them me,' (but on such and such conditions as are before-mentioned (Zech 9)). And again, 'According as he hath chosen us in him, [that is, in Christ,] before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love' (Eph 1:4). Now, seeing this was thus concluded upon by those that did wish well to the souls and bodies of poor sinners, after the world was made by them, and after they had said, 'let us make man in our image, after our likeness' (Gen 1:26). And after man, whom G.o.d had made upright, had by transgression fallen from that state into which G.o.d at first placed him, and thrown himself into a miserable condition by his transgression, then G.o.d brings out of his love that which he and his Son had concluded upon, and begins now to make forth that to the world, which he had purposed in himself before the world began (Eph 1:4,9; 2 Tim 1:9).

1. Now the first discovery that was made to a lost creature of the love of G.o.d, was made to fallen Adam (Gen 3:15). Where it is said, 'I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed'; which is the Saviour (Gal 4:4), 'It shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.' This was the first discovery of the love of G.o.d to lost man: This was the gospel which was preached to Adam in his generation; in these words was held forth to them in that generation, that which should be farther accomplished in after generations.

2. Another discovery of the love of G.o.d in the gospel, was held forth to Noah, in that he would have him to prepare an ark to save himself withal; which ark did type out the Lord that was to come, and be the Saviour of those whom he before had covenanted for with G.o.d the Father. 'And G.o.d said unto Noah, The end of all flesh is come before me;--make thee an ark of gopher wood' (Gen 6:13,14, 7:1). 'The Lord said unto Noah, Come thou and all thy house into the ark; for thee have I seen righteous before me in this generation.'

3. G.o.d breaks out with a farther discovery of himself in love to that generation in which Abraham lived, Where he saith, 'And in thee, [that is, from thee shall Christ come through, in whom]

shall all families of the earth be blessed' (Gen 12:3). This was also a farther manifestation of the good will of G.o.d to poor lost sinners; and through this discovery of the gospel, did Abraham see that which made him rejoice (John 8:56).

4. When the time was come that Moses was to be a prophet to the people of his generation, then G.o.d did more gloriously yet break forth with one type after another, as the blood of bulls, and lambs, and goats: Also sacrifices of divers manners, and of several things, which held forth that Saviour more clearly which G.o.d had in his own purpose and decree determined to be sent; for these things (the types) were a shadow of that which was to come, which was the substance (Heb 9:9,10, 10:1,5-7). Now when these things were thus done, when G.o.d had thus signified to the world, what he intended to do in after times, presently all that had faith to believe that G.o.d would be as good as his word, began to look for, and to expect that the Lord should accomplish and bring to pa.s.s what he had promised, what his hand and counsel had before determined to be done.

(1.) Now Abraham begins to look for what G.o.d had promised and signified; namely, that he would send a Saviour into the world in his appointed time, which thing being promised, Abraham embraces, being persuaded of the certainty of it; as in Hebrews 11:13. And this did fill his heart with joy and gladness, as I said before; for 'he saw it, and was glad' (John 8:56).

(2.) Jacob also, while he was blessing his sons, concerning things to come, breaks forth with these words, 'I have waited for thy salvation' (Gen 49:18). He was also put in expectation of salvation to come by this Saviour.

(3.) David was in earnest expectation of this, which was held forth by types and shadows in the law; for as yet the Saviour was not come, which made him cry out with a longing after it, 'O that the salvation of Israel were come out of Sion' (Psa 53:6). And again, 'O that the salvation of Israel were come out of Sion!'

(Psa 14:7). The thing that David waited for, was not in his time come, though before his time it was promised; which makes him cry out, O that it were come, that it were come out of Sion! Where, by the way, take notice, that the true salvation and Saviour of Israel was to come out of Sion, that is, out of the church of G.o.d, touching the flesh, as it is written; A prophet shall the Lord your G.o.d raise up unto you of your brethren like unto me (Deut 18:15,18). And again, 'I have laid help upon one that is mighty; I have exalted one chosen out of the people' (Psa 89:19; Rom 9:5).

'Whoso are the fathers, and of whom as concerning the flesh Christ came, who is over all, G.o.d blessed for ever.' Christ, as concerning the flesh, did come of the fathers.

(4.) Isaiah did prophesy of this, that G.o.d would thus save his people; yea, he breaks forth with these words, 'But Israel shall be saved in the LORD with an everlasting salvation' (Isa 45:17). He also tells them how it shall be accomplished in that 53d chapter.

Yea, he had such a glorious taste of the reality of it, that he speaks as though it had been actually done.

(5.) In the days of Jeremiah, this that G.o.d had promised to the fathers, was not yet accomplished; in chapter 23:5 he saith, 'Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that I will [mark, it was not yet done] but I will [saith G.o.d] raise unto David a righteous branch, and a king shall reign and prosper.--In his days Judah shall be saved, and Israel shall dwell safely; and this is his name wherewith he shall be called, THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS.'

(6.) He was also to come in Zechariah's time (Zech 3:8). Where he saith 'for, behold, I will bring forth my servant the BRANCH.'

(7.) He was not come in the time of Malachi neither, though he was indeed at that time near his coming. For he saith himself, 'Behold, I will send my messenger, [meaning John the baptist,]

and he shall prepare the way before me: and the Lord whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple, even the messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in: behold he shall come, saith the Lord of hosts' (Mal 3:1; Isa 40:3; Luke 1:76).

(8.) Old Simeon did also wait for the consolation of Israel a long time (Luke 2:25). Where it is said, 'And, behold, there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon; and the same man was just and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel.' That is, waiting for him that was to be the Saviour, as is clear, if you read with understanding a little farther: 'And it was revealed unto him by the Holy Ghost, that he should not see death, before he had seen the Lord's Christ' (v 26).

And thus have I in brief shewed you, 1. That there is such a thing as Christ. 2. That this Christ was promised and signified out by many things before he did come. 3. How he was waited for, and expected before the time that G.o.d had appointed in the which he should come.

The SECOND THING that I will (through the strength of Christ) prove, is this, THAT HE THAT WAS OF THE VIRGIN, IS HE THAT IS THE SAVIOUR.

FIRST, And first, I shall lay down this for a truth; That it is not any Spirit only by, and of itself, without it do take the nature of man, that can be a Saviour of man from eternal vengeance.

Or thus: That that [which] will be a Saviour of man, must in the nature of man satisfy and appease the justice and wrath of G.o.d.

And the arguments that I do bring to prove it by, are these.

First, Because it was man that had offended; and justice required that man must give the satisfaction: And therefore, when he that should be the Saviour, was come, he 'took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men' (Phil 2:7; Heb 2:14).

Because 'the children are partakers of flesh and blood; he also himself likewise took part of the same'; To what end? 'that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil.' And is that all? No; but also that he might 'deliver them who through fear of death, were all their lifetime subject to bondage' (v 15).

Second, The second argument is this; because, if a spirit only could have made satisfaction for the sin of mankind, and have subdued Satan for man, without the nature of man, either there had been weakness in Body when he made that promise to fallen Adam, That the seed of the woman should break the serpent's head; (for there hath been no need of and so no room for that promise) or else G.o.d having made it, would have appeared unfaithful, in not fulfilling his promise, by redeeming the world without it.

Third, If a spirit only could have made satisfaction, and so have saved man; then Christ needed not to have come into the world, and to have been born of a woman (Gal 4:4). But in that he must come into the world, and must be born of a woman, it is clear, that without this, he could not have been a Saviour: For he was made of a woman, made under the law, to this end, that he might redeem them that were under the law; implying, No subjection to this, (viz.

the taking of the nature of man) no redemption from the curse of the law. But Christ hath delivered from the curse of the law (all that believe in his name) being in their nature made a curse for them.

And this is the reason, why the fallen angels are not recovered from their d.a.m.nable estate, because, he did not take hold of their nature, 'For verily he took not on him the nature of angels; but he took on him the seed of Abraham' (Heb 2:16).

SECOND, Now then, seeing this is the very truth of G.o.d, I shall next prove, that Jesus that was born of the virgin, to be the Saviour. And,

First, I shall prove it by comparing some places of the Old and New testament together, and by some arguments drawn from the scriptures.

1. And first, see Genesis 3:15, where he is called the seed of the woman, saying, 'I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed'; and so was Jesus (Gal 4:4) where it is said, 'G.o.d sent forth his Son, made of a woman,' or born of a woman.

2. This woman must be a virgin (Isa 7:14) where it is said, 'A virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Imanuel.' And Jesus is he that was the fulfilling of this scripture (Matt 1:22,23), 'Now all this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a Son, and they shall call his name Imanuel.'

3. The Saviour must be of the tribe of Judah. And this Jacob prophesied of on his death-bed, saying, 'Judah, thou art he whom thy brethren shall praise,' or honour, 'thy hand shall be in the neck of thine enemies; thy father's children shall bow down before thee' (Gen 49:8).

And again (Micah 5:2), 'But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel.' Jesus also came of the tribe of Judah, and that will clearly appear, if you read (Matt 1). Matthew, he begins first with Abraham (v 2) and thence to Judah (v 3) from Judah to David (v 6) from David to Zorobabel (v 13) then to Jacob the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus (v 16).

Now Mary was one of the same house also, and for this consider, Jesus came from the loins of David (Matt1); but that he could not do, if Mary had not been of the seed of David: For Christ came from her, not from him, for Joseph 'knew her not till she had brought forth her first-born' (Matt 1:25). Again, the angel told her, that he was the son of David, saying, 'And the Lord G.o.d shall give unto him the throne of his father David' (Luke 1:32).

And again, The Jews knew this very well, or else they would have been sure to have laid it open before all the world; for they sought by all means to disown him. And though they did through the devilishness of their unbelief disown him, yet could they find no such thing as to question the right of his birth from Mary. If it had been to be done, they would no doubt have done it; they did not want malice to whet them on; neither did they want means so far as might help forward their malice; without manifest and apparent injury; for they had exact registers, or records of their genealogies, so that, if they had had any colour for it, they would sure have denied him to have been the son of David. There was reasoning concerning him when he was with them (John 7:27,43) and I do believe, part of it was about the generation of which he came.

And this was so commonly known, that the blind man that sat by the way-side could cry out, 'Jesus thou Son of David, have mercy on me.--Thou Son of David, have mercy on me' (Luke 18:38,39). It was so common, that he came from the loins of his father David according to the flesh, that it was not so much as once questioned.

'And when' Herod 'demanded of the chief priests and scribes of the people where Christ should be born. They said unto him, in Bethlehem of Judea: For thus it is written by the prophet, And thou Bethlehem, in the land of Juda, art not the least among the princes of Juda, for out of thee shall come a governor, that shall rule my people Israel' (Matt 1:4-6). (For out of thee) mark that; if Mary had not been of Judah, Christ had not come out of Judah, but Christ came out of Judah; therefore Mary is also a daughter of Judah. And this is evident, as saith the scripture, 'for--our Lord sprang out of Judah' (Heb 7:14).

Again, when Christ the Saviour was to come into the world, at that time the sceptre was to depart from Judah, according to the prophecy of Jacob. 'The sceptre shall not depart from Judah, nor a law-giver from between his feet, until s.h.i.+loh come' (Gen 49:10).

Now the sceptre was then departed from those that were Jews by nature, and also the law-giver, and Herod who was a stranger, and not of Judea, was king over them, as Caesar's deputy; and Caesar Augustus imposed laws on them.