Works of John Bunyan: JUSTIFICATION BY AN IMPUTED RIGHTEOUSNESS; OR, NO WAY TO HEAVEN BUT BY JESUS CHRIST. Proofs of the first position. 337

 

Third. take heed of fleshly wisdom. Reasoning so much with the law. 'I thought verily that I ought to do many things against the name of Jesus,' and so to have sought for life by the law; my reason told me so. Thus, reason will say: Here is a righteous law, the rule of life and death; besides, what can be better than to love God, and my neighbor as myself? Again; God has thus commanded, and his commands are just and good; therefore, doubtless, life must come by the law. Further, to love God and keep the law is better than to sin and break it; seeing men lose heaven by sin, how should they get it again?

Fourth. Man's ignorance of the gospel suited well with the doctrine of the law; they fall in love with God's righteousness through their ignorance of God's righteousness (Rom 10:1-4). Yea, they do not only suit, but, when joined in the act, the one strengthened the other; that is, the law strengthened our blindness, and bound the veil more fast about the face of our souls. The law suited much our blindness of mind; for until this day remains the veil untaken away in the reading of the Old Testament; especially in the reading of that which was written and engraved on stones; to wit, the ten commandments, that perfect rule for holiness; which veil was done away in Christ (2 Cor 3:15,16). But 'even to this day, when Moses is read, the veil is over their hearts'; they are blinded by the duties enjoined by the law from the sight and hopes of forgiveness of sins by grace. 'Nevertheless, when IT,' the heart, 'shall turn to the Lord, the veil shall be taken away.' The law, then, doth veil the heart from Christ, and holds the man so down to doing and working for the kingdom of heaven, that he quite forgets the forgiveness of sins by mercy through Christ. Now this veiling or blinding by the law is occasioned—

1. Because of the contrariety of doctrine in the law to that in the gospel. The law requires obedience to all its demands upon pain of everlasting burnings; the gospel promises forgiveness of sins to him that worketh not, but believeth. Now the heart cannot receive both these doctrines; it must either let go of doing or believing. If it believes, it is dead to do; if it is set to do for life, it is dead to believing. Besides, he that shall think both to do and believe for justification before God from the curse, he seeks for life but as it were by the law, he seeks for life but as it were by Christ; and he being not direct in either, shall for certain be forsaken of either. Wherefore? Because he seeks it not by faith, but as it were by the works of the law' (Rom 9:32).