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Saved By Grace, By J O H N.B U N Y A N. |
QUEST. III.–WHO ARE THEY THAT ARE TO BE SAVED BY GRACE?
come now to the third particular–namely, to show you who they
are that are to be saved by grace.
[Who are not saved.]
First. Not the self-righteous, not they that have no need of the physician. "The
whole have no need of the physician," saith Christ. "I came not to call
the righteous, but sinners to repentance" (Mark 2:17). And again, "He hath
filled the hungry with good things, and the rich he hath sent empty away" (Luke
1:53). Now when I say not the self- righteous nor the rich, I mean not that they
are utterly excluded; for Paul was such an one; but he saveth not such without he
first awaken them to see they have need to be saved by grace.
Second. The grace of God saveth not him that hath sinned the unpardonable sin. There
is nothing left for him "but a certain fearful looking for of judgment, - which
shall devour the adversaries" (Heb 10:26,27).
Third. That sinner that persevereth in final impenitency and unbelief shall be damned
(Luke 13:3,5; Rom 2:2-5; Mark 16:15,16).
Fourth. That sinner whose mind the god of this world hath blinded, that the glorious
light of the gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, can never shine into him,
is lost, and must be damned (2 Cor 4:3,4).
Fifth. The sinner that maketh religion his cloak for wickedness, he is a hypocrite,
and, continuing so, must certainly be damned (Psa 125:5; Isa 33:14; Matt 24:50,51).
Sixth. In a word, every sinner that persevereth in his wickedness, shall not inherit
the kingdom of heaven–"Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the
kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers,
nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, nor thieves, nor covetous,
nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God."
"Let no man deceive you with vain words; for because of these things cometh
the wrath of God upon the children of disobedience" (1 Cor 6:9-12; Eph 5:5,6).
[Who are saved.] Question. But what kind of sinners shall then be saved?
Answ. Those of all these kinds that the Spirit of God shall bring [to] the Father
by Jesus Christ; these, I say, and none but these, can be saved, because else the
sinners might be saved without the Father, or without the Son, or without the Spirit.
Now, in all that I have said, I have not in the least suggested that any sinner is
rejected because his sins, in the nature of them, are great; Christ Jesus came into
the world to save the chief of sinners. It is not, therefore, the greatness of, but
the continuance in, sins that indeed damneth the sinner. But I always exclude him
that hath sinned against the Holy Ghost. That it is not the greatness of sin that
excludeth the sinner is evident–
1. From the words before the text, which doth give an account of what kind of sinners
were here saved by grace, as namely, they that were dead in trespasses and sins,
those that walked in these sins, "according to the course of this world, according
to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children
of disobedience: among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the
lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were
by nature the children of wrath, even as others" (Eph 2:2,3).
2. It is evident also from the many sinners that we find to be saved, by the revealed
will of God. For in the Word we have mention made of the salvation of great sinners,
where their names and their sins stand recorded for our encouragement; as, (1.) You
read of Manasseh, who was an idolater, a witch, a persecutor, yea, a rebel against
the word of God, sent unto him by the prophets; and yet this man was saved (2 Chron
33:2-13; 2 Kings 21:16). (2.) You read of Mary Magdalene, in whom were seven devils;
her condition was dreadful, yet she was saved (Luke 8:2; John 20). (3.) You read
of the man that had a legion of devils in him. O how dreadful was his condition!
and yet by grace he was saved (Mark 5:1-10). (4.) You read of them that murdered
the Lord Jesus, and how they were converted and saved (Acts 2:23). (5.) You read
of the exorcists, how they closed with Christ, and were saved by grace (Acts 19:13).
(6.) You read of Saul the persecutor, and how he was saved by grace (Acts 9:15).
Object. But, thou sayest, I am a backslider.
Answ. So was Noah, and yet he found grace in the eyes of the Lord (Gen 9:21,22).
So was Lot, and yet God saved him by grace (Gen 19:35; 2 Peter 2:7-9). So was David,
yet by grace he was forgiven his iniquities (2 Sam 12:7-13). So was Solomon, and
a great one too; yet by grace his soul was saved (Psa 89:28-34). So was Peter, and
that a dreadful one; yet by grace he was saved (Matt 26:69-74; Mark 16:7; Acts 15:7-11).
Besides, for further encouragement, read Jeremiah 3, 33:25,26, 51:5, Ezekiel 36:25,
Hosea 14:1-4; and stay thyself, and wonder at the riches of the grace of God.
Quest. But how should we find out what sinners shall be saved? All, it seems, shall
not. Besides, for aught can be gathered by what you have said, there is as bad saved
as damned, set him that hath sinned the unpardonable sin aside.
Answ. True, there are as bad saved as damned; but to this question: They that are
effectually called, are saved. They that believe on the Son of God shall be saved.
They that are sanctified and preserved in Christ shall be saved. They that take up
their cross daily, and follow Christ, shall be saved.
Take a catalogue of them thus: "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt
be saved" (Mark 16:16; Acts 16:31). "If thou shalt confess with thy mouth
the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the
dead thou shalt be saved" (Rom 10:9). Be justified by the blood of Christ, and
thou shalt be saved (Rom 5:9). Be reconciled to God by the death of his Son, and
thou shalt be saved by his life (Rom 5:10). "And it shall come to pass, that
whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved" (Acts 2:21).
See some other scriptures. "He shall save the humble person" (Job 22:29).
"Thou wilt save the afflicted people" (Psa 18:27). "He shall save
the children of the needy" (Psa 72:4). "He shall save the souls of the
needy" (Psa 72:13). "O thou, my God, save thy servant that trusteth in
thee" (Psa 86:2). "He will fulfill the desire of them that fear him, he
also will hear their cry, and will save them" (Psa 145:19).
[Caution.] But, sinner, if thou wouldst indeed be saved, beware of these four things–
1. Beware of delaying repentance; delays are dangerous and damnable; they are dangerous,
because they harden the heart; they are damnable, because their tendency is to make
thee outstand the time of grace (Psa 95:7; Heb 3-12).
2. Beware of resting in the word of the kingdom, without the spirit and power of
the kingdom of the gospel; for the gospel coming in word only saves nobody, for the
kingdom of God or the gospel, where it comes to salvation, is not in word but in
power (1 Thess 1:4-6; 1 Cor 4:19).
3. Take heed of living in a profession, a life that is provoking to God; for that
is the way to make him cast thee away in his anger.
4. Take heed that thy inside and outside be alike;, and both conformable to the Word
of his grace; labour to be like the living creatures which thou mayest read of in
the book of the prophet Ezekiel, whose appearance and themselves were one [10] (Eze 10:22).
In all this, I have advertised you not to be content without the power and Spirit
of God in your hearts, for without him you partake of none of the grace of the Father
or Son, but will certainly miss of the salvation of the soul.
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