A HOLY LIFE THE BEAUTY OF Christianity OR An EXHORTATION to CHRISTIANS to be HOLY By JOHN BUNYAN Holiness becomes thy House O Lord for ever LONDON Printed by B. W. for Benj. Alsop at the Angel and Bible in the Poultry 1684. AN INTRODUCTION To the following DISCOURSE WHen I write of Justification before God from the dreadful curse of the Law then I must speak of nothing but Grace Christ the Promise and Faith but when I speak of our Justification before Men then I must joyn to these good Works For Grace Christ and Faith are things invisible and so not to be seen by another otherwise than through a life that becomes so blessed a Gospel as has declared unto us the remission of our sins for the sake of Jesus Christ. He then that would have Forgiveness of Sins and so be delivered from the Curse of God must believe in the Righteousness and Blood of Christ but he that would shew to his Neighbours that he hath truly received this Mercy of God must do it by good Works for all things else to them is but talk As for example A Tree is known to be what it is to wit whether of this or that kind by it's Fruit. A Tree it is without Fruit but so long as it so abideth there is ministred occasion to doubt what manner of Tree it is A Professor is a Professor though he hath no good Works but that as such he is truly godly he is foolish that so concludeth Not that Works make a Man good for the Fruit maketh not a good Tree it is the Principle to wit Faith that makes a Man good and his works that shew him to be so What then why all Professors that have not good Works flowing from their Faith are naught are Bramble-bushes are nigh unto Cursing whose end is to be burned For Professors by their fruitlesness declare that they are not of the planting of God nor the Wheat but Tares and Children of the Wicked one Not that Faith needeth good works as an help to Justification before God For in this matter Faith will be ignorant of all good Works except those done by the Person of Christ. Here then the good Man worketh not but believeth for he is not now to carry to God but to receive at his Hand the matter of his Justification by Faith nor is the matter of his Justification before God ought else but the good deeds of another Man to wit Christ Jesus But is there therefore no need at all of good Works because a Man is justified before God without them or can that be called a justifying Faith that has not for its Fruit good Works Verily good works are necessary though God need them not nor is that Faith as to Justification with God worth a rush that abideth alone or without them There is therefore a twofold Faith of Christ in the World and as to the notion of Justifying Righteousness they both concur and agree but as to the manner of application there they vastly differ The one to wit the non-saving faith standeth in speculation and naked knowledg of Christ and so abideth idle but the other truly seeeth and receives him and so becometh Fruitful And hence the true justifying Faith is said to receive to imbrace to obey the Son of God as tendred in the Gospel by which expressions is shewed both the nature of Justifying Faith in its actings in point of Justification and also the cause of its being full of good Works in the World A gift is not made mine by my seeing of it or because I know the nature of the thing so given but then it is mine if I receive and imbrace it yea and as to the point in hand if I yield my self up to stand and fall by it Now he that shall not only see but receive not only know but imbrace the Son of God to be justified by him cannot but bring forth good Works because Christ who is now received and imbraced by Faith leavens and seasons the Spirit of this Sinner through his Faith to the making of him capable so to be Faith made Sarah receive Strength to conceive Seed and we are Sanctified through Faith which is in Christ. For Faith hath joyned Christ and the Soul together and being so joyned the Soul is one Spirit with him not essentially but in agreement and oneness of design Besides when Christ is truly received and imbraced to the justifying of the sinner in that Mans Heart he dwels by his Word and Spirit through the same Faith also Now Christ by his Spirit and Word must needs season the Soul he thus dwells in so then the Soul being seasoned it seasoneth the Body and Body and Soul the Life and Conversation We know it is not the Seeing but taking of a potion that maketh it work as it should nor is the Blood of Christ a Purge to this or that Conscience except received by Faith Shall that then be counted right believing in Christ unto justification that amounts to no more than to an idle speculation or naked knowledg of him shall that knowledg of him I say be counted such as only causes the Soul to behold hold but moveth it not to good Works No verily For the true beholding of Jesus to justification and Life changes from glory to glory Nor can that Man that hath so believed as that by his Faith he hath received and imbraced Christ for Life before God be destitute of good works for as I said the Word and Spirit comes also by this Faith and dwels in the Heart and Conscience now shall a Soul where the Word and Spirit of Christ dwels be a Soul without good Works Yea shall a Soul that has received the Love the Mercy the Kindness Grace and Salvation of God through the Sorrows Tears Groans Cross and Cruel Death of Christ be yet a Fruitless Tree God forbid This faith is as the Salt which the Prophet cast into the Spring of bitter Water it makes the Soul good and serviceable for ever If the receiving of a temporal Gift naturally tends to the making of us to move our Cap and Knee and binds us to be the Servant of the Giver shall we think that Faith will leave him who by it has received Christ to be as unconcerned as a Stock or Stone or that it 's utmost excellency is to provoke the Soul to a lip-labour and to give Christ a few fair Words for his Pains and Grace and so wrap up the business No no the Love of Christ constraineth us thus to judge that it is but reasonable since he gave his all for us that we should give our some for him Let no Man then deceive himself as he may and will if he takes not heed with true Notions but examine himself concerning his Faith to wit Whether he hath any and if some Whether of that kind that will turn to
transgressor and so concluded to be one that loveth not Christ tho' I make a noise of my obedience to Christ and of my partaking of his significative ordinances The Jews of old made a great noise with their significative ordinances whiles they lived in the breach of the moral Law but their practice of significative ordinances could not save them from the judgement and displeasure of their God They could frequent the Temple keep their feasts slay their Sacrifices and be mighty apt about all their significative things But they loved Idols and lived in the breach of the second Table of the Law Wherefore God cast them out of his presence hark what the Prophet saith of them Come to Bethel and transgress at Gilgal multiply transgression and bring your Sacrifices every morning and your tithes after three years And offer a Sacrifice of thanksgiving with leaven and proclaim and publish the free-will offerings For this liketh you O ye Children of Israel saith the Lord God Thus as I said the hypocrite gives us the slip for when he heareth that love is in the keeping of the Commandments of God then he betakes him to the more external parts of worship and neglecteth the more weighty matters to the provoking of the God of Israel Secondly As love to God is shewed by keeping of his Commandments So love to my Neighbour is the keeping of the Commandments of God likewise By this we know that we love the Children of God when we love God and keep his Commandments For this is the love of God in us both to God and Man that we keep his Commandments and his Commandments are not grievous He that keepeth not Gods Commandments loves neither God nor Men. Thus then we must learn to love one anothâ—r He that keepeth Gods Commandment doth to his brother what is right for that is Gods Commandment He that keeps Gods Commandment doth to his Brother even as he would be done unto himself for that is Gods Commandment He that keeps Gods Commandment shutteth not up his bowels of Compassion from him for the contrary is his Commandment Further He that keepeth Gods Commandment sheweth his Brother what he must do to honour the Christ that he professeth aright Therefore he that keeps the Commandment loves his brother Yea the keeping of the Commandment is loving the Brethren But if all love which we pretend to have one to another were tryed by this one Text how much of that that we call so would be found to be nothing less Preposterous are our Spirits in all things nor can they be guided right but by the word and spirit of God the which the good Lord grant unto us plentifully that we may do that which is well pleasing in his sight through Jesus Christ our Lord. Yea and that there may by them be wrought sound repentance in us for all that hath been done by us amiss lest he give Jacob to the spoil and Israel to the Robbers for that they have sinned against him by not walking in his ways and by not being obedient to his Law Let me add lest God doth not only punish us in the sight and by the hand of the wicked but imbolden them to say it was God that set them on yea lest they make those sins of ours which we have not repented of not only there bye-word against us to after generations but the argument one to another of their justification for all the evil that they shall be suffered to do unto us saying when men shall ask them wherefore hath the Lord done thus unto this Land What meaneth the heat of this great anger even because they have forsaken the covenant of the Lord God of their Fathers and walked not in his ways John Bunyan A HOLY LIFE THE BEAUTY OF Christianity 2. Tim. 2.19 And let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity TImothy unto whom this Epistle was writ was an Evangelist that is inferior to Apostles and extraordinary Prophets and above ordinary Pastors and Teachers And he with the rest of those under his circumstances was to go with the Apostles hither and thither to be disposed of by them as they saw need for the further edification of those who by the Apostolical Ministry were converted to the Faith And hence it is that Titus was left at Creet and that this Timothy was left at Ephesus For they were to do a work for Christ in the world which the Apostles were to begin and leave upon their hand to finish Now when the Apostles departed from places and had left these Evangelists in their stead usually there did arise some bad Spirits among those people where these were left for the furtherance of the Faith This is manifest by both the Epistles to Timothy and also by that to Titus wherefore Paul upon whom these two Evangelists waited for the fulfilling of their Ministry writeth unto them while they abode where he left them concerning those turbulent Sprits which they met with and to teach them how yet further they ought to behave themselves in the house of God which is the Church of the living God the pillar and ground of truth And to this purpose he gives them severally divers instructions as the judicious Reader may easily understand by which he incourageth them to the prosecution of that service which for Christ they had to do for those people where he had left them and also instructeth them how to carry it towards their disturbers which last he doth not only Doctrinally but also by shewing them by his example and practice what he would have them do This done he laboureth to comfort Timothy with the remembrance of the stedfastness of Gods eternal decree of Election because grounded on his foreknowledge saying tho' Hymeneus and Philetus have erred from the Faith and by their fall have overthrown the Faith of some Yet the foundation of God standeth sure having this Seal the Lord knoweth them that are his Now lest this last hint should still incourage some to be remiss and carnally secure and foolish as I suppose this Doctrine abused had incouraged them to be before Therefore the Apostle immediately conjoyneth to it this exhortation And let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity Two truths strangely but necessarily joyned together because so apt to be severed by the children of men for many under the pretence of their being elected neglect to pursue Holiness and many of them again that pretend to be for Holiness quite exclude the Doctrine and motives that election gives thereto Wherefore the Apostle that he might set mens notions as to these things right he joyns these two together signifying thereby that as electing love doth instate a man in the blessing of eternal Life so Holiness is the path thereto and that he that refuseth to depart from iniquity shall be damned notwithstanding he may think himself secured from Hell by
nor can we though we never so much love God do our duty as we are injoyned if we do not know it The law is cast behind the back of many when it should be carried in the hand and heart that we might do it to the end the Gospel which we profess might be glorified in the world Let then the law be with thee to love it and do it in the spirit of the Gospel that thou be not unfruitful in thy life Let the law I say be with thee not as it comes from Moses but from Christ for though thou art set free from the law as a Covenant for life yet thou still art under the law to Christ and it is to be received by thee as out of his hand to be a rule for thy conversation in the world What then thou art about to do do it or leave it undone as thou shalt find it approved or forbidden by the law And when ought shall come into thy mind to be done and thou art at a stand and at a loss about the lawfulness or unlawfulness thereof then betake thy self to the law of thy God which is in thy hand and ask if this thing be good or to be avoided If this were practised by professors there would not be so much iniquity found in their Beds their Houses their Shops and their conversations as there is Secondly As thou must be careful to find out the lawfulness or unlawfulness of a thing before thou puttest forth thy hand thereto so thou must also consider again whether that which is lawful is expedient A thing may be lawful in it self and may yet be unlawful to thee to wit if there be an inconveniency or an inexpediency attending the doing of it All things are lawful for me says the Apostle but all things are not expedient all things are lawful for me but all things edifie not This then thou must consider and this also thou must practise But this is a hard lesson and impossible to be done except thou art addicted to self-denial For this Text and so the practice of what is contained therein has respect chiefly to another to wit to thy neighbour and his advantage and edification and it supposeth yea injoyneth thee if thou wilt depart from iniquity to forbear also some things that are lawful and consequently profitable to thee for the sake of and of love to thy neighbour But how little of this is found among men Where is the man that will forbear some lawful things for fear of hurting the weak thereby Alas how many are there that this day profess that will not forbear palpable wickedness No though the salvation of their own souls are endangered thereby and how then should these forbear things that are lawful even of godly tenderness to the weakness of their neighbour Thus much have I thought good to speak in answer to this question what iniquity should we depart from that religiously name the name of Christ and now we will make some use of what hath been spoken And the first shall be an use of examination Art thou a professor Dost thou religiously name the name of Christ If so I ask dost thou according to the exhortation here Depart from iniquity I say examine thy self about this matter and be thou faithful in this work for the deceit in this will fall upon thine one pate Deceive thy self thou maiest but beguile God thou shalt not Be not deceived God is not mocked for what a man soweth that shall he reap Wherefore let no man deceive himself either in professing while he lives viciously or in examining whether his profession of this name and his life and conversation do answer one another What departing from iniquity is I have already shewed in the former part of this book Wherefore I shall not here handle that point farther only press upon thee the necessity of this exhortation and the danger of the not doing of it faithfully The necessity of it is urged 1. From the deceitfulness of mans heart which will flatter him with promises of peace and life both now and hereafter though he live in iniquity while he professeth the name of Christ. For there are that say in their hearts or that have their hearts say unto them I shall have peace though I walk in the imagination of my heart to add drunkenness to thirst And what will become of them that so do you may see by that which followeth in the Text. The heart therefore is not to be trusted for it will promise a man peace in the way of death and damnation I doubt not but many are under this fearful judgment to this day What means else their quietness of mind their peace and boasts of Heaven and glory though every step they take as to life and conversation is an apparent step to Hell and Damnation these sayings The heart is deceitful and he that trusts his heart is a fool were not written without a cause Let as many therefore as would examine themselves about this matter have a jealous eye over their own heart and take heed of being beguiled thereby let them mix hearty prayer with this matter unto God that he will help them to be faithful to themselves in this so great a matter yea let them compare their lives with the holy Commandment and judge by that rather than by the fleshly fondness that men naturally are apt to have for and of their own actions For by the Verdict of the word thou must stand and fall both now at Death and in the day of Judgment Take heed therefore of thy Heart thy carnal heart when thou goest into thy Life to make a search for iniquity Take the word with thee and by the word do thou examin thy self 2. It is urged from the cunning of Satan Wouldest thou examin thy self faithfully as to this thing then take heed of the flatteries of the Devil Can he help it thou shalt never find out the iniquity of thy heels He will labour to blind thy mind to harden thy heart to put such vertuous names upon thy foulest vices that thou shalt never unless thou stoppest thine ear to him after a godly sort truly examin and try thy ways according as thou art commanded Wherefore take heed of him for he will be ready at thy side when thou goest about this work Now for thy help in this matter set God the Holy God the All-seeing God the sin-revenging God before thine eyes for our God is a consuming fire And believe that he hath pitcht his eyes upon thy heart also that he pondereth all thy goings and that thy judgment as to thy faithfulness or unfaithfulness in this work must proceed out of the mouth of God This will be thy help in this thing that is if thou usest it faithfully also this will be thy hindrance if thou shalt neglect it and suffer thy self to be abused by the Devil 3.