Works of John Bunyan: The Greatness of The Soul, And Unspeakableness of the Loss Thereof; What Force There Is In The Promise To Make Them Come To Christ, 264.

 

"Shall come TO ME."—To me. By these words, there is further insinuated, though not expressed, a double cause of their coming to him. First. There is in Christ a fullness of all-sufficiency of that, even of all that is necessary to make us happy. Second. Those who indeed come to him, therefore come to him so that they may receive it at his hand.

First. For the first of these, there is in Christ a fullness of all-sufficiency of all that, even of all that is needful to make us happy. Hence it is said, "For it pleased the Father that in him should all fullness dwell" (Col 1:19). And again, "Of his fullness have all we received, and grace for grace" (John 1:16). It is also said of him, that his riches are unsearchable—" the unsearchable riches of Christ" (Eph 3:8). Hear what he says of himself, "Riches and honor are with me; yes, durable riches and righteousness. My fruit is better than gold, yes, than fine gold; and my revenue is better than choice silver. I lead in the way of righteousness, amid the paths of judgment; that I may cause those who love me to inherit substance. And I will fill their treasures" (Prov 8:18–21).

This is in general. But, more particularly,

1. There is that light in Christ, that is sufficient to lead them out of, and from all that darkness, in the midst of which all others, but them that come to him, stumble, fall, and perish: "I am the light of the world," saith he, "he that followed me shall not walk in darkness but shall have the light of life" (John 8:12). Man by nature is in darkness, walks in darkness, and knows not whither he goes, for darkness has blinded his eyes; neither can anything but Jesus Christ lead men out of this darkness. Natural conscience cannot do it; the Ten Commandments, though in the heart of man, cannot do it. This prerogative belongs only to Jesus Christ.

2. There is that life in Christ, that is to be found nowhere else (John 5:40). Life, as a principle in the soul, shall be acted upon and enabled to do that which, through him, is pleasing to God. "He that believeth in," or cometh to, "me," saith he, as the Scripture hath said, "out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water" (John 7:38). Without this life, a man is dead, whether he is bad, or good; that is, good in his own, and other men's esteem. There is no true and eternal life, but what is in the ME that speaks in the text.

There is also life for those that come to him, to be had by faith in his flesh and blood. "He that eats me, even he shall live by me" (John 6:57). And this is a life against that death that comes by the guilt of sin, and the curse of the law, under which all men are, and forever must be, unless they eat the ME that speaks in the text. "Whoso finds ME," saith he, "find life;" deliverance from that everlasting death and destruction, that, without me, he shall be devoured by (Prov 8:35). Nothing is more desirable than life, to him that hath in himself the sentence of condemnation; and here only is life to be found. This life, to wit, eternal life, this life is in his Son; that is, in him that saith in the text, "All that the Father hath given me shall come to me" (1 John 5:10).

3. The person speaking in the text, is he alone, by whom poor sinners have admittance to, and acceptance with the Father, because of the glory of his righteousness, by and in which he presented them amiable and spotless in his sight; neither is there any way besides him so to come to the Father: "I am the way," says he, "and the truth, and the life; no man cometh to the Father but by me" (John 14:6). All other ways to God are dead and damnable; the destroying cherubim stand with flaming swords, turning every way to keep all others from his presence (Gen 3:24). I say, all others but them that come by him. "I am the door; by me," saith he, "if any man enters in, he shall be saved" (John 10:9).

The person speaking in the text is HE, and only HE, that can give stable and everlasting peace; therefore, saith he, "My peace I give unto you." My peace, which is peace with God, peace of conscience, and that of an everlasting duration,. My peace, peace that cannot be matched, "not as the world giveth, give I unto you;" for the world's peace is carnal and transitory, but mine is Divine and eternal. Hence it is called the peace of God, and that passed all understanding.

4. The person speaking in the text has enough of all things truly spiritually good, to satisfy the desires of every longing soul. "Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirsts, let him come unto me, and drink." And to him that is athirst, "I will give of the fountain of the water of life freely" (John 7:37, Rev 21:6).

5. The person speaking in the text has the power to perfectly defend, and deliver those that come to him for safety. "All power," saith he, "is given unto me in heaven and earth" (Matt 28:18).

Thus, I might multiply instances of this nature in abundance. But,

Second. They who in truth, do come to him, therefore come to him so that they might receive it at his hand. They come for light, they come for life, they come for reconciliation with God: they also come for peace, they come that their soul may be satisfied with spiritual good and that they may be protected by him against all spiritual and eternal damnation; and he alone can give them all this, to the filling of their joy to the full, as they also find when they come to him. This is evident,

1. From the plain declaration of those that already are come to him. "Being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God" (Rom 5:1, 2).

2. It is evident also, that while they keep their eyes upon him, they never desire to change him for another, or to add to themselves some other thing, together with him, to make up their spiritual joy. "God forbid," saith Paul, "that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ." "Yeah, doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ, and be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith" (Phil 3:8, 9).

3. It is evident from their earnest desires that others might be made partakers of their blessedness. "Brethren," said Paul, "my heart's desire and prayer to God for Israel is, that they might be saved." That is, in that way, he expected to save himself. As he saith also to the Galatians, "Brethren," saith he, "I beseech you, be as I am; for I am as ye are;" that is, I am a sinner as you are. Now, I beseech you, seek life, as I am seeking it; as who should say, For there is sufficiency in the Lord Jesus both for me and you.

4. It is evident also, by the triumph that such men make over all their enemies, both bodily and ghostly: "Now thanks be unto God," said Paul, "which always causes us to triumph in Christ." And, "Who shall separate us from the love of Christ," our Lord? and again, "O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is your victory? The sting of death is sin, and the strength of sin is the law; but thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ" (2 Cor 2:14; Rom 8:35; 1 Cor 15:55, 56).

5. It is evident also, for they are made by the glory of that which they have found in him, to suffer and endure what the devil and hell itself hath or could invent, as a means to separate them from him. Again, "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 day long, we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. Nay, in all these things, we are more than conquerors, through him who 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).

"Shall come TO ME." Oh! the heart-attracting glory that is in Jesus Christ, when he is discovered, to draw those to him that is given to him of the Father; therefore, those that came of old, rendered this as the cause of their coming to him: "And we beheld his glory, as of the only begotten of the Father" (John 1:14). And the reason why others come not, but perish in their sins, is for want of a sight of his glory: "If our gospel be hidden, it is hidden to them that are lost: in whom the God of this world hath blinded the minds of them that believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them" (2 Cor 4:3, 4).

Works of John Bunyan: The Greatness of The Soul, And Unspeakableness of the Loss Thereof; What Force There Is In The Promise To Make Them Come To Christ, 263.

 

Object. 5. But how, if they have exceeded many in sin and made themselves far more abominable? They are the leading sinners in the county, town, or family.

Answ. What then? Shall that hinder the execution of Shall-come? It is not transgressions, nor sins, nor all their transgressions in all their sins, if they by the Father are given to Christ to save them, that shall hinder this promise, that it should not be fulfilled upon them. “In those days, and in that time,” saith the Lord, “the iniquity of Israel shall be sought for, and there shall be none; and the sins of Judah, and they shall not be found” (Jer 50:20). Not that they had none, for they abounded in transgression, (2 Chron 33:9; Eze 16:48), but God would pardon, cover, hide, and put them away, by his absolute promise, by which they are given to Christ to save them. “And I will cleanse them from all their iniquity, whereby they have sinned against me; and I will pardon all their iniquities, whereby they have transgressed against me. And it shall be to me a name of joy, praise, and an honor before all the nations of the earth, which shall bear all the good that I do unto them; and they shall fear and tremble for all the goodness and for all the prosperity that I procure unto it” (Jer 33:8, 9).

Object. 6. But how, if they do not have faith and repentance? How shall they come then?

Answ. Why, he that saith, They shall come, shall he not make it good? If they come, they shall come; and he that hath said, they shall come, if faith and repentance be the way to come, as indeed they are, then faith and repentance shall be given to them! for shall-come must be fulfilled on them.

1. Faith shall be given to them. “I will also leave in the midst of thee an afflicted and poor people, and they shall trust in the name of the Lord.” “There shall be a root of Jesse, and he that shall rise to reign over the Gentiles; in him shall the Gentiles trust” (Zeph 3:12; Rom 15:12).

2. They shall have repentance. He is exalted to give repentance. “They shall come weeping, and seeking the Lord their God.” And again, “With weeping and supplication will I lead them” (Acts 5:31; Jer 31:9).

I told you before, that an absolute promise has all conditional ones in the belly of it, and also a provision to answer all those qualifications, that they propound to him that seek their benefit. And it must be so; for if Shall-come be an absolute promise, as indeed it is, then it must be fulfilled upon every one of those concerned therein. I say it must be fulfilled, if God can, by grace, and his absolute will, fulfill it. Besides, since coming and believing are all one, according to John 6:35, “He that cometh to me shall never hunger, and he that believeth on me shall never thirst,” then, when he saith they shall come, it is as much as to say, they shall believe, and consequently repent, to the saving of the soul.

So then the present want of faith and repentance cannot make this promise of God of any effect; because this promise has in it to give what others call for and expect. I will give them a heart, I will give them my Spirit; I will give them repentance, I will give them faith. Mark these words: “If any man is in Christ, he is a new creature.” But how came he to be a “new creature,” since none can create but God? Why, God indeed doth make them “new creatures.” “Behold,” said He, “I make all things new.” And hence it follows, even after he had said they are “new creatures,” “and all things are of God;” that is, all this new creation stands in the several operations, and special workings of the Spirit of grace, who is God (2 Cor 5:17–18).

Object. 7. But how shall they escape all those dangerous and damnable opinions, that, like rocks and quick sands, are in the way in which they are going?

Answ. Indeed, this age is an age of errors, if ever there was an age of errors in the world; but yet the gift of the Father, laid claim to by the Son in the text, must escape them, and, in conclusion, come to him. There is a company of Shall-comes in the Bible that doth secure them; not but that they may be assaulted by them; yea, and also for the time entangled and detained by them from the Bishop of their souls, but these Shall-comes will break those chains and fetters, that those given to Christ are entangled in, and they shall come, because he hath said they shall come to him.

Indeed, errors are like that whore of whom you read in the Proverbs, that sits in her seat in the high places of the city, “to call passengers who go right on their ways” (Prov 9:13–16). But the persons, as I said, that by the Father are given to the Son to save them, are, at one time or another, secured by “shall come to me.”

And therefore, it is said, God will guide them with his eye, with his counsels, by his Spirit, and that in the way of peace; by the springs of water, and into all truth (Psa 32:8; 73:24; John 16:13; Luke 1:79; Isa 49:10). So then he that hath such a guide, and all that the Father giveth to Christ shall have it, he shall escape those dangers, he shall not err in the way; yea, though he be a fool, he shall not err therein, (Isa 35:8), for of every such a one it is said, “Thine ears shall hear a word behind thee, saying, This is the way, walk ye in it, when ye turn to the right hand, and when ye turn to the left” (Isa 30:21).

There were thieves and robbers before Christ’s coming, as there are also now; but, said he, “The sheep did not hear them.” And why did they not hear them, but because they were under the power of Shall-come, that absolute promise, that had that grace in itself to bestow upon them, as could make them able to rightly distinguish voices, “My sheep hear my voice.” But how did they hear it? Why, to them, it is given to know and to hear, and that distinguishingly (John 10:8, 16; 5:25; Eph 5:14).

Further, the very plain sentence of the text makes provision against all these things; for, saith it, “All that the Father giveth me shall come to me;” that is, shall not be stopped, or be allured to take up anywhere short of ME, nor shall they turn aside, to abide with any besides ME.

Tagged And Uns

Works of John Bunyan: The Greatness of The Soul, And Unspeakableness of the Loss Thereof; What Force There Is In The Promise To Make Them Come To Christ, 262.

 

Object. 3. They shall, you say; but how if they will not; and, if so, then what can Shall-come do?

Answ. True, some men say, “We are lords; we will come no more unto you” (Jer 2:31). But as God says in another case, if they are concerned about Shall come to me, they “shall know whose words shall stand, mine or theirs” (Jer 41:28). Here, then, is the case; we must now see who will be the liar, he that saith, I will not; or he that saith, He shall come to me. You shall come, says God; I will not come, saith the sinner. Now, as sure as he is concerned in this Shall-come, God will make that man eat his own words; for I will not, is the unadvised conclusion of a crazy-headed sinner; but Shall-come was spoken by him that is of power to perform his word. “Son, go work to-day in my vineyard,” said the Father. But he answered, and said, I will not come. What now? will he be able to stand to his refusal? will he pursue his desperate denial? No, “he afterward repented and went.” But how did he come to that repentance? Why, it was wrapped up for him in the absolute promise; and therefore, notwithstanding he said, “I will not, he afterward repented and went.” By this parable Jesus Christ sets forth the obstinacy of the world's sinners, as touching their coming to him; they will not come, though threatened: yea, though life be offered them upon condition of coming.

But now, when Shall-come, the absolute promise of God, comes to be fulfilled upon them, then they come; because by that promise, a cure is provided against the rebellion of their will. “Thy people shall be willing in the day of thy power (Psa 110:3). Thy people—what people? Why, the people that thy Father has given you. The obstinacy and plague that are in the will of that people, shall be taken away; and they shall be made willing; Shall-come will make them willing to come to you.

He who had seen Paul amid his outrages against Christ, his gospel, and people, would hardly have thought that he would ever have been a follower of Jesus Christ, especially since he went not against his conscience in his persecuting of them. He thought sincerely that he ought to do what he did. But we may see what Shall-come can do when it comes to being fulfilled upon the soul of a rebellious sinner: he was a chosen vessel, given by the Father to the Son; and now the time is come that Shall-come was to take him in hand, behold, he is over-mastered, astonished, and with trembling and reverence, in a moment becomes willing to be obedient to the heavenly call (Acts 9).

And were not they far gone, that you read of, (Acts 2) who had their hands and hearts in the murder of the Son of God; and to show their resolved never to repent of that horrid fact, said, “His blood be on us and on our children?” But must their obstinacy rule? Must they be bound to their own ruin, by the rebellion of their stubborn wills? No, not those of these the Father gave to Christ; wherefore, at the times appointed, Shall-come breaks in among them; the absolute promise takes them in hand; and then they come indeed, crying out to Peter, and the rest of the apostles, “Men and brethren, what shall we do?” No stubbornness of man’s will can stand when God hath absolutely said the contrary; Shall-come can make them come “as doves to their windows,” that had afore resolved never to come to him.

The Lord spoke unto Manasseh, and to his people, by the prophets, but would he hear? No, he would not. But shall Manasseh come off thus? No, he shall not. Therefore, he being also one of those whom the Father had given to the Son, and so falling within the bounds and reach of Shall-come, at last Shall-come, takes him in hand, and then he comes indeed. He comes bowing and bending; he humbles himself greatly, and made supplication to the Lord, and prayed unto him; and he was entreated of him, and had mercy upon him (2 Chron 30:10).

The thief upon the cross, at first, did rail with his fellow Jesus Christ; but he was one that the Father had given to him, and, therefore, Shall-come must handle him and his rebellious will. And behold, so soon as he is dealt withal, by that absolute promise, how soon he buckled, leaves his railing, falls to supplicating of the Son of God for mercy; “Lord,” saith he, “Remember me when thou comes into thy kingdom” (Matt 27:44; Luke 23:40-42).

Object. 4. They shall come, say you, but how if they be blind, and see not the way? For some are kept off from Christ, not only by the obstinacy of their will but by the blindness of their mind. Now, if they are blind, how shall they come?

Answ. The question is not, Are they blind? But, Are they within the reach and power of Shall-come? If so, that Christ that said, they shall come, will find their eyes, or a guide or both, to bring them to himself. “Must is for the king.” If they shall come, they shall come. No impediment shall hinder.

The Thessalonians’ darkness did not hinder them from being the children of light; “I have come,” said Christ, “that they which see not might see.” And if he saith, See, ye “blind that have eyes,” who shall hinder it? (Eph 5:8; John 9:39; Isa 29:18; 43:8).

This promise, therefore, is, as I said, a big-bellied promise, having in the bowels of it, all things that shall occur to the complete fulfillment of itself. They shall come. But it is objected, that they are blind. Well, Shall-come is still the same, and continued to say, “They shall come to me.” Therefore he saith again, “I will bring the blind by a way that they know not, I will lead them in paths that they have not known; I will make darkness light before them, and crooked things straight. These things will I do unto them, and not forsake them” (Isa 42:16).

Mark, I will bring them, though they are blind; I will bring them by a way they know not; I will—I will, and therefore “they shall come to me.”

T

Works of John Bunyan: The Greatness of The Soul, And Unspeakableness of the Loss Thereof; What Force There Is In The Promise To Make Them Come To Christ, 261.

 

(5.) Absolute promises are therefore sufficient to bring about their own fulfillment; the conditional has not so. The absolute promise is therefore big-bellied because it hath in itself a fullness of all desired things for us; and will, when the time of that promise comes, yield to us mortals that which will verily save us; yea, and make us capable of answering the demands of the conditional promise. Wherefore, though there be a real, yea, an eternal difference, in these things, with others, betwixt the conditional and absolute promise; yet again, in other respects, there is a blessed harmony betwixt them; as may be seen in these particulars. The conditional

promise calls for repentance, and the absolute promise gives it (Acts 5:31). The conditional promise calls for faith, and the absolute promise gives it (Zeph 3:12; Rom 15:12). The conditional promise calls for a new heart, and the absolute promise gives it (Eze 36:25–26). The conditional promise calls for holy obedience and the absolute promise gives it or causes it (Eze 36:27).

5. And as they harmoniously agree in this, so again the conditional promise blessed the man, who is endowed with its fruit by the absolute promise. As, for instance, the absolute promise maketh men upright; and then the conditional follows, saying, “Blessed are the undefiled in the way, who walk in the law of the Lord” (Psa 119:1). The absolute promise giveth to this man the fear of the Lord; and then the conditional followed, saying, “Blessed is every one that feared the Lord” (Psa 128:1). The absolute promise giveth faith, and then this conditional follows, saying, “Blessed is she that believed” (Zeph 3:12; Luke 1:45). The absolute promise brings free forgiveness of sins; and then it says the condition, “Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered” (Rom 4:7). The absolute promise says, that God’s elect shall hold out to the end; then the conditional follows with his blessings, “He that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved” (1 Peter 1:4-6; Matt 24:13).

Thus do the promises gloriously serve one another and us, in this harmonious agreement.

Now, the promise under consideration is absolute. “All that the Father giveth me shall come to me.”

This promise therefore is, as is said, a big-bellied promise, and hath in itself all those things to bestow upon us that the conditional calleth for at our hands. They shall come! Shall they come? Yes, they shall come. But how, if they want those things—those graces, power, and hearts—without which they cannot come? Why, Shall-come answer all this, and all things else that may in this manner be objected. And here, I will take the liberty to amplify things.

[Objections to the absoluteness of this promise (the force of SHALL-COME) answered.]

Object. 1. But they are dead, dead in trespasses and sins, how shall they then come?

Answ. Shall-come can raise them from this death. “The hour is coming, and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God, and they that hear shall live.” Thus, therefore, is this impediment by Shall-come removed out of the way. They shall heal, and they shall live.

Object. 2. But they are Satan’s captives; he takes them captive at his will, and he is stronger than them: how then can they come?

Answ. Shall-come has also provided help for this. Satan had bound that daughter of Abraham so, that she could by no means lift herself up; but yet Shall-come set her free both in body and soul. Christ will have them turned from the power of Satan to God. But what! Must it be, if they turn themselves, or do something to merit him turning? No, he will do it freely, of his own goodwill. Alas! Man, whose soul is possessed by the devil, is turned whithersoever that governor listeth, is taken captive by him, notwithstanding its natural powers, at his will; but what will he do? Will he hold him when Shall-come puts forth itself, Will he then let him come to Jesus Christ? No, that cannot be! His power is but the power of a fallen angel, but Shall-come is the Word of God. Therefore, Shall-come must be fulfilled; “and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.”

There were seven devils in Mary Magdalene, too many for her to get from under the power of; but when the time has come that Shall-come was to be fulfilled upon her, they give place, fly from her, and she indeed comes to Jesus Christ, according as it is written, “All that the Father giveth me shall come to me.”

The man that was possessed with a legion, (Mark 5), was too much by them captivated for him by human force to come; yea, had he had, to boot, all the men under heaven to help him, had he that said, He shall come, withheld his mighty power: but when this promise was to be fulfilled upon him, then he comes; nor could all their power hinder his coming. It was also this Shall-come that preserved him from death; when by these evil spirits he was hurled hither and thither; and it was by the virtue of Shall-come that at last he was set at liberty from them, and enabled indeed to come to Christ. “All that the Father giveth me shall come to me.”

Tagged A

Works of John Bunyan: The Greatness of The Soul, And Unspeakableness of the Loss Thereof; What Force There Is In The Promise To Make Them Come To Christ, 260.

 

4. This word, shall come, engaged Christ to communicate all manner of grace to those thus given him to make them effectively come to him. “They shall come;” that is, not if they will, but if grace, all grace, if power, wisdom, a new heart, and the Holy Spirit, and all joining together, can make them come. I say, This word shall come, being absolute, hath no dependence upon our own will, power, or goodness; but it engaged for us even God himself, Christ himself, and the Spirit himself. When God had made that absolute promise to Abraham, that Sarah “should have a son,” Abraham did not at all look at any qualification in himself, because the promise looked at none; but as God had, by the promise, absolutely promised him a son; so he considered now not his own body dead, nor yet the barrenness of Sarah’s womb. “He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God; and being fully persuaded that what he had promised he was able also to perform” (Rom 4:20, 21). He had promised, and he had promised absolutely, that Sarah would have a son.

Therefore, Abraham sees that he, to wit, God, must fulfill the condition of it. Neither is this expectation of Abraham disapproved by the Holy Ghost, but it is accounted good and laudable; it being that by which he gave glory to God. The Father, also, hath given to Christ a certain number of souls for him to save; and he hath said, “They shall come to him.” Let the church of God then live in a joyful expectation of the utmost accomplishment of this promise; for assuredly it shall be fulfilled, and not one-thousandth part of a title thereof shall fail. “They shall come to me.”

[Second, In particular.] And now, before I go any further, I will more particularly inquire into the nature of an absolute promise.

1. We call that an absolute promise that is made without any condition; or more fully, that is an absolute promise of God, or of Christ, that maketh over to this or that man any saving, spiritual blessing, without a condition to be done on our part for the obtaining thereof. And this we have in hand is such a one. Let the best Master of Arts on earth show me, if he can, any condition in this text depending upon any qualification in us, which is not by the same promise concluded, shall be by the Lord Jesus effected in us.

2. An absolute promise, therefore, is, as we say, without if or and; that is, it requires nothing of us, that itself might be accomplished. It saith not, They shall, if they will; but they shall: not, they shall, if they use the means; but, they shall. You may say, that a will and the use of the means are supposed, though not expressed. But I answer, No, by no means; that is, as a condition of this promise. If they are at all included in the promise, they are included there as the fruit of the absolute promise, not as if it expected the qualification to arise from us. “Thy people shall be willing in the day of thy power” (Psa 110:3). That is another absolute promise. But does that promise imply a willingness in us, as a condition of God’s making us willing? They shall be willing, if they are willing; or, they shall be willing, if they will be willing. This is ridiculous; there is nothing of this supposed. The promise is absolute as to us; all that it engages in for its own accomplishment is, the mighty power of Christ and his faithfulness to accomplish.

3. The difference, therefore, between the absolute and conditional promises is this:

(1.) They differ in their terms. The absolute promises say, I will, and you shall: the other, I will, if you will; or, Do this, and thou shalt live (Jer 4:1; 31:31–33; Eze 18:30–32; 36:24–34; Heb 8:7–13; Matt 19:21).

(2.) They differ in their way of communicating good things to men; the absolute ones communicate things freely, only of grace; the other, if there be that qualification in us, that the promise calls for, not else.

(3.) The absolute promises therefore engage God, the other engage us: I mean, God only, us only.

(4.) Absolute promises must be fulfilled; conditional promises may, or may not be fulfilled. The absolute ones must be fulfilled, because of the faithfulness of God; the others may not, because of the unfaithfulness of men.

Works of John Bunyan: The Greatness of The Soul, And Unspeakableness of the Loss Thereof; What Force There Is In The Promise To Make Them Come To Christ, 259.

 

SECOND, “Shall come to me.” Now we come to show WHAT FORCE THERE

IS IN THIS PROMISE TO MAKE THEM COME TO HIM. “All that the Father

giveth me, shall come to me.” I will speak to this promise, First,

In general. Second, In particular.

[First], In general. This word SHALL is confined to these ALL that are given to Christ. “All that the Father giveth me shall come to me.” Hence I conclude,

1. That coming to Jesus Christ aright is an effect of their being, of God, given to Christ before. Mark, They shall come. Who? Those that are given. They come because they were given, “thine they were, and thou gave them me.” Now, it is indeed a singular comfort to them that they are coming in truth to Christ, to think that they come because they were given by the Father before to him. Thus, then, may the coming soul reason with himself as he comes. Am I coming, indeed, to Jesus Christ? This coming of mine is not to be attributed to me or my goodness, but to the grace and gift of God to Christ. God gave first my person to him, and, therefore, he has now given me a heart to come.

2. This word, shall come, maketh thy coming not only the fruit of the gift of the Father, but also of the purpose of the Son; for these words are a divine purpose; they show us the heavenly determination of the Son. “The Father hath given them to me, and they shall; yea, they shall come to me.” Christ is as full in his resolution to save those given to him as is the Father in giving them. Christ prizes the gift of his Father; he will lose nothing of it; he is resolved to save it every whit by his blood, and to raise it up again at the last day; and thus he fulfills his Father’s will, and accomplishes his own desires (John 6:39).

3. These words, shall come, make thy coming to be also the effect of an absolute promise; coming sinner, thou art concluded in a promise; thy coming is the fruit of the faithfulness of an absolute promise. It was this promise, by the virtue of which thou at first receives strength to come; and this is the promise by which thou shalt be effectively brought to him. It was said to Abraham, “At this time will I come, and Sarah shall have a son.” This son was Isaac. Mark! “Sarah shall have a son;” There is the promise. And Sarah had a son; there was the fulfilling of the promise; and, therefore, Isaac called the child of the promise (Gen 17:19; 18:10; Rom 9:9).

Sarah will have a son. But how, if Sarah is past age? Why, still, the promise continues to say, Sarah shall have a son. But how, if Sarah is barren? Still, the promise says, Sarah shall have a son. But Abraham’s body is now dead? Why, the promise is still the same, Sarah shall have a son. Thus, you see what virtue there is in an absolute promise; it has enough in its own bowels to accomplish the thing promised, whether there are means or no means in us to effect it. Wherefore, this promise in the text, being an absolute promise, by virtue of it, not by virtue of ourselves, or by our own inducements, do we come to Jesus Christ: for so are the words of the text: “All that the Father giveth me shall come to me.”

Therefore, every sincere follower of Jesus Christ is also called a child of the promise. “Now we, brethren, as Isaac was, are the children of promise,” (Gal 4:28); that is, we are the children that God hath promised to Jesus Christ, and given to him; yea, the children that Jesus Christ hath promised shall come to him. “All that the Father giveth me shall come.”

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Works of John Bunyan: The Greatness of The Soul, And Unspeakableness of the Loss Thereof; Objections That Usually Lie in The Way Of Coming To Christ, 258.

 

Object. But is not the door of mercy shut against some before they die?

Answ. Yea; and God forbids that prayers should be made to him for them (Jer 6:16; Jude 22).

Quest. Then, why may I not doubt that I may be one of these?

Answ. By no means, if thou art coming to Jesus Christ; because when God shuts the door upon men, he gives them no heart to come to Jesus Christ. “None come but those to whom it is given of the Father.” But thou comes, therefore it is given to you by the Father.

Be sure, therefore, that if the Father has given you a heart to come to Jesus Christ, the gate of mercy still stands open to you. For it stands not with the wisdom of God to give strength to come to the birth, and yet to shut up the womb, (Isa 66:9); to give grace to come to Jesus Christ, and yet shut up the door of his mercy upon thee. “Incline your ear,” saith he, “and come unto me: hear, and your soul shall live; and I will make an everlasting covenant with you, even the sure mercies of David” (Isa 55:3).

Object. But it is said, that some knocked when the door was shut.

Answ. Yes; but the texts in which these knockers are mentioned, refer to the day of judgment, and not to the coming of the sinner to Christ in this life. See the texts, Matthew 15:11, and Luke 13:24,25. These, therefore, concern you nothing at all, that art is coming to Jesus Christ, thou art coming now! “Now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation” (2 Cor 6:2). Now God is upon the mercy seat; now Christ Jesus sits by, continually pleading the victory of his blood for sinners; and now, even as long as this world lasts, this word of the text shall still be free, and fully fulfilled; “And him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out.”

Sinner, the greater sinner thou art, the greater need of mercy thou hast, and the more will Christ be glorified thereby. Come then, come and try; come, taste, and see how good the Lord is to an undeserving sinner!

Object. 6. But, says another, I have fallen since I began to come to Christ; therefore, I fear I did not come aright, and so consequently, Christ will not receive me.

Answ. Falls are dangerous, for they dishonor Christ, wound the conscience, and cause the enemies of God to speak reproachfully. But it is no good argument, I am fallen, therefore I was not coming right to Jesus Christ. If David, Solomon, and Peter, had thus objected against themselves, they had added to their griefs; and yet, at least they had as much cause as you. A man whose steps are ordered by the Lord, and whose goings the Lord delights in, may yet be overtaken with a temptation that may cause him to fall 11 (Psa 37:23,24). Did not Aaron fall; yea, and Moses himself? What shall we say of Hezekiah and Jehosaphat? There are, therefore, falls and falls; falls pardonable and falls unpardonable. Falls unpardonable are falls against light, from the faith to the despising of, and trampling upon Jesus Christ and his blessed undertakings (Heb 6:2-5; 10:28,29). Now, as for such, there remains no more sacrifice for sin. Indeed, they have no heart, no mind, and no desire to come to Jesus Christ for life, therefore they must perish. Nay, says the Holy Ghost, “It is impossible that they should be renewed again unto repentance.” Therefore these God had no compassion for, neither ought we; but for other falls though they are dreadful, and God will chastise his people for them, they do not prove thee a graceless man, one not coming to Jesus Christ for life.

It is said of the child in the gospel, that while “he was yet a coming, the devil threw him down, and tare him” (Luke 9:42). Dejected sinner, it is no wonder that thou hast caught a fall in coming to Jesus Christ. Is it not rather to be wondered at, that thou hast not caught before this a thousand times a thousand falls? considering, 1. What fools we are by nature. 2. What weaknesses are in us. 3. What mighty powers the fallen angels, our implacable enemies, are. 4. Considering also how often the coming man is benighted in his journey; and also what stumbling blocks do lie in his way. 5. Also his familiars, who were so before, now watch for his halting and seek by what means they may to cause him to fall by the hand of their strong ones.

What then? Must we, because of these temptations, incline to fall? No. Must we not fear falls? Yes. “Let him that thinketh he stands take heed lest he fall” (1 Cor 10:12). Yet let him not utterly be cast down; “The Lord uphold all that fall, and raised up those that are bowed down.” Make not light of falls! Yet, hast thou fallen? “Ye have,” said Samuel, “done all this wickedness; yet turn not aside from following the Lord,” but serve him with a perfect heart, and turn not aside, “for the Lord will not forsake his people,” and he counted the coming sinner one of them, “because it hath pleased the Lord to make you his people” (1 Sam 12:20-22).

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Works of John Bunyan: The Greatness of The Soul, And Unspeakableness of the Loss Thereof; Objections That Usually Lie in The Way Of Coming To Christ, 257.

7. I read of some who follow Christ in chains; I say, to come after him in chains. “Thus saith the Lord, The labor of Egypt, and merchandise of Ethiopia and of the Sabeans, men of stature, shall come over unto thee, and they shall be thine: they shall come after thee: in chains they shall come over, and they shall fall down unto thee: they shall make supplication unto thee, saying—Surely there is none else” to save (Isa 45:14). Surely they that come after Christ in chains, come to him in great difficulty, because their steps, by the chains, are straitened. And what chains are so heavy as those that discourage you? Thy chain, which is made up of guilt and filth, is heavy; it is a wretched bond about thy neck, by which thy strength doth fail (Lam 1:14; 3:18). But come, though thou comes in chains; it is glory to Christ that a sinner comes after him in chains. Though troublesome to thee, the chinking of thy chains is not, nor can be an obstruction to thy salvation; it is Christ’s work and glory to save you from your chains, enlarge your steps, and set you at liberty. The blind man, though called, surely could not come to Jesus Christ, but Christ could stand still, and stay for him (Mark 10:49). True, “He rode upon the wings of the wind;” but yet he is long-suffering, and his long-suffering is salvation to him that cometh to him (2 Peter 3:9).

8. Hadst thou seen those that came to the Lord Jesus in the days of his flesh, how slowly, how hobblingly, they came to him, because of their infirmities. Also, how friendly, kindly, and graciously, he received them, and gave them the desire of their hearts, thou would not, as thou dost, make such objections against thyself, in thy coming to Jesus Christ.

Object. 5. But, says another, I fear I come too late; I doubt I have staid too long; I am afraid the door is shut.

Answ. Thou canst never come too late to Jesus Christ if thou dost come. This is manifest in two instances.

1. By the man that came to him at the eleventh hour. This man was idle all day long. He had a whole gospel day to come in, and he played it all away save only the last hour thereof. But at last, at the eleventh hour, he came and went into the vineyard to work with the rest of the laborers, that had borne the burden and heat of the day. Well, but how was he received by the lord of the vineyard? Why, when pay-day came, he had even as much as the rest; yea, had his money first. True, the others murmured at him; but what did the Lord Jesus answer them? “Is thine eye evil, because I am good? I will give unto this last, even as unto thee” (Matt 20:14,15).

2. The other instance is the thief upon the cross. He came late also, even as at an hour before his death; yea, he stayed from Jesus Christ as long as he had liberty to be a thief, and longer too; for could he have deluded the judge, and by lying words have escaped his just condemnation, for ought I know, he had not come as yet to his Saviour; but being convicted, and condemned to die, yea, fastened to the cross, that he might die like a rogue, as he was in his life; behold the Lord Jesus, when this wicked one, even now, desired mercy at his hands, tells him, and that without the least reflection upon him, for his former misspent life, “To-day shalt thou be with me in paradise” (Luke 23:43). Let no man turn this grace of God into wantonness. My design is now to encourage the coming soul.

Works of John Bunyan: The Greatness of The Soul, And Unspeakableness of the Loss Thereof; Objections That Usually Lie in The Way of Coming To Christ, 256.

 

3. Thou mayest be vehement in thy spirit in coming to Jesus Christ, and yet be plagued with sensible sloth; so was the church when she cried, “Draw me, we will run after thee;” and Paul, when he said, “When I would do good, evil is present with me” (Song 14; Rom 7; Gal 5:19). The works, struggles, and oppositions of the flesh, are more manifest than are the works of the Spirit in our hearts. So they are sooner felt than they are. What then? Let us not be discouraged at the sight and feeling of our infirmities, but run faster to Jesus Christ for salvation.

4. Get thy heart warmed with the sweet promise of Christ’s acceptance of the coming sinner, and that will make thee make more haste unto him. Discouraging thoughts are like unto cold weather, they benumb the senses, and make us go ungainly about our business; but the sweet and warm leads of the promise are like the comfortable beams of the sun, which liven and refresh. You see how little the bee and fly do play in the air in winter; why, does the cold hinder them from doing it; But when the wind and sun are warm, who is as busy as they?

5. But again, he who comes to Christ, flies for his life. Now, no man flies for his life, who thinks he speeds fast enough on his journey; no, he could not; he would willingly take a mile at a time. O my sloth and heartlessness, sayest thou! “Oh, that I had wings like a dove! For then would I fly away, and be at rest. I would hasten my escape from the windy storm and tempest” (Psa 55:6, 8).

Poor coming soul, thou art like the man that would ride full gallop, whose horse will hardly trot! Now, the desire of his mind is not to be judged by the slow pace of the dull jade he rides on, but by the hitching, kicking, and spurring, as he sits on his back. Thy flesh is like this dull jade; it will not gallop after Christ; it will be backward, though thy soul and heaven lie at stake. But be of good comfort, Christ judged not according to the fierceness of outward motion (Mark 10:17) but according to the sincerity of the heart and inward parts (John 1:47; Psa 51:6; Matt 26:41).

6. Ziba, in appearance, came to David much faster than did Mephibosheth; but yet his heart was not as upright in him to David as was his. It is true, Mephibosheth had a check from David; for, said he, “Why went not thou with me, Mephibosheth?” But when David came to remember that Mephibosheth was lame, for that was his plea—” thy servant is lame” (2 Sam 19), he was content and concluded, he would have come after him faster than he did; and Mephibosheth appealed to David, who was in those days as an angel of God, to know all things that are done in the earth, if he did not believe that the reason of his backwardness lay in his lameness, and not in his mind. Why, poor coming sinner, thou canst not come to Christ with that outward swiftness of a courier as many others do; but doth the reason of thy backwardness lie in thy mind and will, or in the sluggishness of the flesh? Canst thou say sincerely, “The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak” (Matt 26:41). Yea, canst thou appeal to the Lord Jesus, who knows perfectly the very inmost thought of thy heart, that this is true? Then take this for thy comfort, he hath said, “I will assemble her that halted—I will make her that halted a remnant,” (Micah 4:6), “and I will save her that halted” (Zeph 3:19). What canst thou have more from the sweet lips of the Son of God? But,

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Works of John Bunyan: The Greatness of The Soul, And Unspeakableness of the Loss Thereof; Objections That Usually Lie in The Way Of Coming To Christ, 255.

Object. 3. But I cannot believe that I come to Christ aright, because sometimes I am apt to question his very being and office to save.

Thus to do is horrible, but mayest thou not judge amiss in this matter? How can I judge amiss, when I judge as I feel? Poor soul! Thou mayest judge amiss for all that. Why, says the sinner, do I think that these questions come from my heart. Let me answer. That which comes from thy heart, comes from thy will and affections, from thy understanding, judgment, and conscience, for these must acquiesce in thy questioning if thy questioning is with thy heart. And how sayest thou, for to name no more, dost thou with thy affection and conscience thus question? Answ. My conscience trembles when such thoughts come into my mind, and my affections are otherwise inclined.

Then I conclude, that these things are either suddenly injected by the devil, or else they are the fruits of that body of sin and death that yet dwells within you, or perhaps from both together.

If they come wholly from the devil, as they seem because thy conscience and affections are against them, or if they come from that body of death that is in thee, and be not thou curious in inquiring from whether of them they come, the safest way is to lay enough at thy own door; nothing of this should hinder thy coming, nor make thee conclude thou comes not aright. 7 And before I leave thee, let me a little query with thee about this matter.

1. Dost thou like these wicked blasphemies? Answ. No, no, their presence and work kill me.

2. Dost thou mourn for them, pray against them, and hate thyself because of them? Answ. Yes, yes; but that which afflicts me is, I do not prevail against them.

3. Dost thou sincerely choose, mightiest thou have thy choice, that thy heart might be affected and taken with the best, most heavenly, and holy things? Answ. With all my heart, and death the next hour, if it were God’s will, rather than thus to sin against him.

Well then, thy not liking of them, thy mourning for them, thy praying against them, and thy loathing thyself because of them, with thy sincere choosing of those thoughts for thy delectation that are heavenly and holy, clearly declares, that these things are not countenanced either with thy will, affections, understanding, judgment, or conscience. So, that thy heart is not in them, but that rather they come immediately from the devil or arise from the body of death that is in thy flesh, of which thou oughts’ thus to say, “Now, then, it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me” (Rom 7:17).

I will give thee a pertinent instance. In Deuteronomy 22, thou mayest read of a betrothed damsel, one betrothed to her beloved, one that had given him her heart and mouth, as thou hast given thyself to Christ; yet was she met with as she walked in the field, by one that forced her, because he was stronger than she. Well, what judgment now doth God, the righteous judge, pass upon the damsel for this? “The man only that lay with her,” saith God, “shall die. But unto the damsel thou shalt do nothing; there is in the damsel no sin worthy of death. For, as when a man rises against his neighbor, and slayed him, even so, is this matter; for he found her in the field, and the betrothed damsel cried, and there was none to save her” (Deut 22:25-27).

Thou art this damsel. The man that forced thee with these blasphemous thoughts, is the devil; and he lights upon thee in a fit place, even in the field, as thou art wandering after Jesus Christ; but thou cries out, and by thy cry did show, that thou abhorrest such wicked lewdness. Well, the Judge of all the earth will do right; he will not lay the sin at thy door, but at his that offered the violence. And for thy comfort take this into consideration, that he came to heal them “that were oppressed of the devil” (Acts 10:38).

Object. 4. But, saith another, I am so heartless, so slow, and, as I think, so indifferent in my coming, that, to speak the truth, I know not whether my kind of coming ought to be called a coming to Christ.

Answ. You know that I told you at first, that coming to Christ is a moving of the heart and affections towards him.

But, saith the soul, my dullness and indifference in all holy duties, demonstrate my heartlessness in coming; and to come, and not with the heart, signifies nothing at all.

1. The moving of the heart after Christ is not to be discerned, at all times, by thy sensible affectionate performance of duties, but rather by those secret groanings and complaints which thy soul makes to God against that sloth that attends thee in duties.

2. But grant it to be even as thou sayest it is, that thou comes so slowly, &c., yet, since Christ bids them come that come not at all, surely they may be accepted that come, though attended with those infirmities which thou at present groans under. He saith, “and him that cometh;” he saith not, If they come sensible; so fast; but, “and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out.” He saith also in the ninth of Proverbs, “As for him that wanted understanding,” that is, an heart (for oftentimes the understanding is taken for the heart), “come, eat of my bread, and drink of the wine which I have mingled.”

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