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T H E By J O H N.B U N Y A N. 1659. The last book John Bunyan wrote before being placed in Bedford Prison for twelve years. |
A WORD OF EXPERIENCE.
ow, before I go any further, I must needs speak a word from my
own experience of the things of Christ; and the rather, because we have a company
of silly ones in this day of ignorance that do either comfort themselves with a notion
without the power, or else do both reject the notion and the power of this most glorious
Gospel; therefore, for the further conviction of the reader, I shall tell him, with
David, something of what the Lord hath done for my soul; and indeed a little of the
experience of the things of Christ is far more worth than all the world. It would
be too tedious for me to tell thee here all from the first to the last; but something
I shall tell thee, that thou mayest not think these things are fables. [This conviction
seized on my soul one Sabbath day, when I was at play, being one of the first that
I had, which when it came, though it scared me with its terror, yet through the temptation
of the devil, immediately striking in therewith, I did rub it off again, and became
as vile for some time as I was before, like a wretch that I was]. [21]
Reader, when it pleased the Lord to begin to instruct my soul, He found me one of
the black sinners of the world; He found me making a sport of oaths, and also of
lies; and many a soul- poisoning meal did I make out of divers lusts, as drinking,
dancing, playing, pleasure with the wicked ones of the world. The Lord finding of
me in this condition, did open the glass of His Law unto me, wherein He showed me
so clearly my sins, both the greatness of them, and also how abominable they were
in His sight, that I thought the very clouds were charged with the wrath of God,
and ready to let fall the very fire of His jealousy upon me; yet for all this I was
so wedded to my sin, that, thought I with myself, I will have them though I lose
my soul, (O wicked wretch that I was!) but God, the great, the rich, the infinite
merciful God, did not take this advantage of my soul to cast me away, and say, Then
take him, Devil, seeing he cares for Me no more; no, but He followed me still, and
won upon my heart, by giving me some understanding, not only into my miserable state,
which I was very sensible of, but also that there might be hopes of mercy; also taking
away that love to lust, and placing in the room thereof a love to religion; and thus
the Lord won over my heart to some desire after the means, to hear the Word, and
to grow a stranger to my old companions, and to accompany the people of God, together
with giving of me many sweet encouragements from several promises in the Scriptures.
But after this, the Lord did wonderfully set my sins upon my conscience, those sins
especially that I had committed since the first convictions; temptations also followed
me very hard, and especially such temptations as did tend to the making me question
of the very way of salvation—viz., whether Jesus Christ was the Saviour or no; and
whether I had best to venture my soul upon His blood for salvation, or take some
other course.
But being through grace kept close with God, in some measure, in prayer and the rest
of the ordinances, but went about a year and upwards without any sound evidence as
from God to my soul touching the salvation that comes by Jesus Christ. But, at the
last, as I may say, when the set time was come, the Lord, just before the men called
Quakers came into the country, did set me down so blessedly in the truth of the doctrine
of Jesus Christ, that it made me marvel to see, first, how Jesus Christ was born
of a virgin, walked in the world awhile with His disciples, afterwards hanged on
the Cross, spilt His blood, was buried, rose again, ascended above the clouds and
heavens, there lives to make intercession, and that He also will come again at the
last day to judge the world, and take His saints unto Himself.
These things, I say, I did see so evidently, even as if I had stood when He was in
the world, and also when He was caught up. I having such a change as this upon my
soul, it made me wonder; and musing with myself at the great alteration that was
in my spirit—for the Lord did also very gloriously give me in His precious Word to
back the discovery of the Son of God unto me, so that I can say, through grace, it
was according to the Scriptures (1 Cor 15:1-4). And as I was musing with myself what
these things should mean, methought I heard such a word in my heart as this—I have
set thee down on purpose, for I have something more than ordinary for thee to do;
which made me the more marvel, saying, What, my Lord, such a poor wretch as I? Yet
still this continued, I have set thee down on purpose, and so forth, with more fresh
incomes of the Lord Jesus, and the power of the blood of His Cross upon my soul,
even so evidently that I saw, through grace, that it was the blood shed on Mount
Calvary that did save and redeem sinners, as clearly and as really with the eyes
of my soul as ever, me thought, I had seen a penny loaf bought with a penny; which
things then discovered had such operation upon my soul, that I do hope they did sweetly
season every faculty thereof. Reader, I speak in the presence of God, and He knows
I lie not; much of this, and such like dealings of His, could I tell thee of; but
my business at this time is not so to do, but only to tell what operation the blood
of Christ hath had over and upon my conscience, and that at several times, and also
when I have been in several frames of spirit.
As, first, sometimes, I have been so loaden with my sins, that I could not tell where
to rest, nor what to do; yea, at such times I thought it would have taken away my
senses; yet at that time God through grace hath all of a sudden so effectually applied
the blood that was spilt at Mount Calvary out of the side of Jesus, unto my poor,
wounded, guilty conscience, that presently I have found such a sweet, solid, sober,
heart-comforting peace, that it hath made me as if it [my terror] had not been, and
withal the same, I may say, and I ought to say, the power of it, hath had such a
powerful operation upon my soul, that I have for a time been in a strait and trouble
to think that I should love and honour Him no more, the virtue of His blood hath
so constrained me.
Again; sometimes methinks my sins have appeared so big to me that I thought one of
my sins have been as big as all the sins of all the men in the nation; ay, and of
other nations too, reader; these things be not fancies, for I have smarted for this
experience, but yet the least stream of the heart blood of this Man [22] Jesus hath vanished
all away, and hath made it to fly, to the astonishment of such a poor sinner; and
as I said before, hath delivered me up into sweet and heavenly peace and joy in the
Holy Spirit.
Again; sometimes when my heart hath been hard, dead, slothful, blind, and senseless,
which indeed are sad frames for a poor Christian to be in, yet at such a time, when
I have been is such a case, then hath the blood of Christ, the precious blood of
Christ, the admirable blood of the God of Heaven, that run out of His body when it
did hang on the Cross, so softened, livened, quickened, and enlightened my soul,
that truly, reader, I can say, O it makes me wonder!
Again; when I have been loaden with sin, and [I cannot stand here to tell thee of
particular temptations]. pestered with several temptations, and in a very sad manner,
then have I had the trial of the virtue of Christ's blood with the trial of the virtue
of other things; and I have found that when tears would not do, prayers would not
do, repentings and all other things could not reach my heart; O then, one touch,
one drop, one shining of the virtue of the blood, of that blood that was let out
with the spear, it hath in a very blessed manner delivered me, that it hath made
me to marvel. O! methinks it hath come with such life, such power, with such irresistible
and marvelous glory, that it wipes off all the slurs, silences all the outcries,
and quenches all the fiery darts, and all the flames of Hell-fire, that are begotten
by the charges of the Law, Satan, and doubtful remembrances of my sinful life.
Friends, as Peter saith to the church, so I say to you, I have not preached to you
cunningly devised fables in telling you of the blood of Christ, and what authority
it hath had upon my conscience; O no, but as Peter saith touching the coming of the
Lord Jesus into the world, so in some measure I can say of the blood of the Lord
Jesus Christ that was shed when He did come into the world. There is not only my
single testimony touching this; no, but there are all the Prophets do agree in advancing
this in writing, and also all the saints do now declare the same, in speaking forth
the amiableness and many powerful virtues thereof. "As for Thee also, by the
blood of Thy covenant," saith God to Christ, "I have sent forth Thy prisoners
out of the pit wherein is no water" (Zech 9:11). "We have redemption through
His blood" (Eph 1:7). Again, "We have redemption through His blood"
(Col 1:14). Our robes are washed and made "white in the blood of the Lamb"
(Rev 7:14). The devil is overcome through "the blood of the Lamb" (Rev
12:11). Yea, and conscience is purged, too, and that through the blood of the Lamb
(Heb 9:14). We have free recourse to the Throne of Grace through the blood of Jesus
(Heb 10:19). I could bring thee a cloud of witnesses out of all the types and shadows,
and out of the sundry Prophets, and much more out of the New Testament, but I forebear,
because I would not be too tedious to the reader in making too large a digression,
though I have committed here in this discourse no transgression, for the blood of
Christ is precious blood (1 Peter 1:18,19).
THE SECOND PART
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