Works of John Bunyan: The Greatness of The Soul And Unspeakableness of the Loss Thereof; Inferences from Thus Coming to God by Christ, 221.

 

And now I come to draw some inferences from this point as well, as I have already done from those going before it. You see that I have now been speaking to you of the man that comes to God, both concerning the way he comes and also concerning the manner of spirit in which he comes, and hence I may well infer,

First, he is no fool, no fool according to the best judgment that comes to God by Christ. The world indeed will count him one; for the things that be of the Spirit of God are foolishness to them; but indeed, and in the verdict of true judgment, he is not so.

1. For that, he now seeks and intermeddles with all wisdom. He has chosen to be concerned with the very head and fountain of wisdom; for Christ is the wisdom of God, and the way to the Father by Christ is the greatest of mysteries; and to choose to walk in that way, the fruits of the most sage advice; wherefore he is not a fool that thus concerns himself. (Prov 18:1, 1 Cor 1)

2. It is not a sign of foolishness to prevent ruin, is it? They are the prudent men that foresee evil and hide themselves, and the fools that go on and are punished. (Prov 18:8, 27:12) Why, this man foresees an evil, the greatest evil, sin, and the punishment of the soul for sin in hell; and he flies to Christ, who is the refuge that God has provided for penitent sinners; and is this a sign of a fool? God make me such a fool, and thee that read these lines such a fool, and then we shall be wiser than all men that are counted wise by the wisdom of this world. Is it a sign of a fool to agree with one’s adversary while we are in the way of him, even before he delivers us to the judge? Yes, it is a piece of the highest wisdom.

Is he a fool who chooses for himself long-lasting things, or is he one whose best things will rot in a day? Sinners, ‘before your pots can feel the thorns [before you can see where you are], God shall take you away as with a whirlwind, both living and in his wrath.’ (Psa 58:9) But this man has provided for things; like the tortoise, he has a shell on his back, so strong and sound that he fears not to suffer a loaden cart to go over him. The Lord is his rock, his defense, his refuge, his high tower, unto which he doth continually resort.

Was the unjust steward a fool in providing for himself hereafter? for providing friends to receive him to harbor when others should turn him out of their doors? (Luke 16:8,9) No more is he that gets another house for his harbor before death shall turn him out of doors here.

3. As he that cometh to God by Christ is no fool, so he is no little-spirited fellow. There is a generation of men in this world that count themselves as men of the largest capacities, yet the greatness of their desires lifts them no higher than things below. If they can, with their net of craft and policy, encompass a bulky lump of earth, oh, what a treasure they have engrossed themselves in! Meanwhile, the man in the text has laid siege to heaven, has found out the way to get into the city, and is resolved, with and by God’s help, to make that his own. Earth is a drossy thing in this man’s account; earthly greatness and splendors are like vanishing bubbles in this man’s esteem. None but God, as the end of his desires, none but Christ, as the means to accomplish this his end, are things counted great by this man. No company now is acceptable to this man but the Spirit of God, Christ and angels, and saints, as fellow heirs with himself. All other men and things he deals with as strangers and pilgrims were wont to do. This man’s mind soars higher than the eagle or stork of the heavens. He is for musing about things that are above, and their glory, and for thinking what shall come to pass hereafter.

4. But as I have shown you what he is not, so now let me, by a few words, tell you what he is.