The Acceptable Sacrifice, Title page – To the reader
The Acceptable Sacrifice: OR THE EXCELLENCY OF A Broken Heart: SHEWING THE Nature, Signs and Proper Effects OF A CONTRITE SPIRIT.
BEING The LAST WORKS of that Eminent Preacher, and Faithful Minister of Jesus Christ, Mr. JOHN BUNYAN of Bedford.
With a Preface pre…x… thereunto, by a… Eminent Minister of the …pel in LONDON.
LONDON, Printed for, and are to be Sold by George L…ki… at the Two Swans without Bishopsgates. 1689.
Price Bound One Shilling.
A PREFACE TO THE READER.
THE Author of the ensuing Discourse (Now with God, reaping the Fruit of all his Labour, Diligence and Success in his Masters Service) did experience in himself (through the Grace of God) the Nature, Excellency and Comfort of a truly Broken, and Contrite Spirit. So that what is here written, is but a Transcript out of his own Heart: For God (who had much work for him to do) was still Hewing and Hammering him by his Word, and sometimes also by more than ordinary Temptations and Desertions: The Design, and also the Issue thereof, through Gods Goodness, was the humbling and keeping of him Low in his own Eyes. The truth is, (as himself sometimes acknowledged) he always needed the Thorn in the Flesh, and God in mercy sent it him, least under his Extraordinary Circumstances, he should be exalted above measure: which perhaps was the evil that did more easily beset him, than any other. But the Lord was pleased to over-rule it to work for his Good, and to keep him in that Broken Frame which is so acceptable unto him, and concerning which it is said, That he healeth the Broken in Heart, and bindeth up their wounds, Psal. 147. 3. And indeed it is a most necessary qualification that should always be found in the Disciples of Christ, who are most eminent, and as Stars of the first Magnitude in the Firmament of the Church: Disciples in the highest form of Profession need to be thus qualified in the exercise of every Grace, and the performance of every Duty: It is that which God doth principally, and more especially look after, in all our Approaches, and Accesses to him. It is to him that God will look, and with him God will dwell, who is poor, and of a Contrite Spirit, Isa. 57. 15. and 66. 2. And the reason why God will manifest so much respect to one so qualified, is, because he carries it so becomingly towards him: He comes and lies at Feet, and discovers a quickness of sence, and apprehensiveness of whatever may be dishonourable and distasteful to God, Psal. 38. 4. And if the Lord doth at any time but shake his Rod over him, he comes trembling, and kisses the Rod, and says, It is the Lord, let him do what seemeth him Good, 1 Sam. 3. 18. He is sensible he hath sinned and gone astray like a lost Sheep, and therefore will justifie God in his severest Proceedings against him. This broken heart is also apliable, and flexible Heart, and prepared to receive whatsoever impressions God shall make upon it, and is ready to be moulded into any frame that shall best please the Lord. He says with Samuel, Speak, Lord, for thy Servant heareth, 1 Sam. 3. 10. And with David, When thou sayedst, Seek ye my Face; my heart said unto thee, Thy Face, Lord, will I seek: Psal. 27. 8. And so with Paul, who tremblingly said, Lord, what wilt thou have me to do? Acts 9. 6.
Now therefore surely such a Heart as this is must needs be very delightful to God: He says to us, My Son, give me thy Heart, Prov. 23. 16. But doubtless he means there a Broken Heart: An unbroken Heart we may keep to our selves; it is the Broken Heart which God will have us to give to him. For indeed it is all the amends that the best of us are capable of making, for all the injury we have done to God, in sinning against him: We are not able to give better satisfaction for breaking God's Laws, then by breaking our own Hearts; this is all that we can do of that kind, for the Blood of Christ only must give the due and full satisfaction to the Justice of God for what Provocations we are at any time guilty of: But all that we can do, is to accompany the acknowledgments we make of miscarriages with a broken and Contrite Spirit. Therefore we find that when David had committed those two foul sins of Adultery and Murder, against God, he saw that all his Sacrifices signified nothing to the expiating of his Guilt; therefore he brings to God a Broken Heart, which carried in it the best expression of indignation against himself, as of the highest respect he could shew to God, 2 Cor. 7. 11.
The day in which we live, and the present circumstances which the People of God, and these Nations are under, do loudly proclaim a very great necessity of being in this broken and tender frame: For who can foresee what will be the issue of these violent Fermentations that are amongst us? Who knows what will become of the Ark of God? Therefore it is a seasonable duty, with old Eli, to sit trembling for it. Do we not also hear the sound of the Trumpet, the Alarm of Wars; and ought we not with the Prophet, cry out, My Bowels, My Bowels! I am pained at my very heart; my heart maketh a noise in me, I cannot hold my Peace, &c. Jer. 4. 19. Thus was that Holy Man affected with the consideration of what might befall Jerusalem, the Temple and Ordinances of God, &c. as the consequence of the present dark Dispensations they were under: Will not a humble posture best become us when we have humbling Providences in prospect? Mercy and Judgment seem to be strugling in the same Womb of Providence; and which will come first out, we know not: But neither of them … we comfortably meet; but with a broken and contrite Spirit. If Judgment comes, Josiah's posture of Tenderness will be the best we can be found in; and also to say with David, My flesh trembleth for fear of thee, and I am afraid of thy Judgments, Psal. 119. 120. It is very sad when God smites, and we are not grieved; which the Prophet complains of, Thou hast stricken them, but they have not grieved, &c. They have made their Faces harder than Rock, they have refused to return, Jer 5. 3.
But such as know the power of his Anger, will have a deep awe of God upon their Hearts, and observing him in all his Motions, will have the greatest apprehensions of his Displeasure. So that when he is coming forth in any terrible Dispensation, they will according to their duty prepare to meet him with a humbled and broken heart. But if he should appear to us in his Goodness, and further lengthen out the day of our Peace and Liberty, yet still the Contrite Frame will be most seasonable; then will be a proper time, with Job, to abhor our selves in dust and ashes: Job 42. 6. And to say with David, Who are we, that thou hast brought us … to! 2 Sam. 7. 18.
But we must still know that this broken tender Heart is not a Plant that grows in our own Soil, but is the peculiar gift of God himself. He that made the Heart, must break the heart: We may be under heart-breaking Providences, and yet the heart remain altogether unbroken; as it was with Pharach; whose heart, though it was under the Hammers of ten terrible Judgments, immediately succeeding one another, yet continued hardened against God. The Heart of Man is harder than Hardness it self, till God softneth and breaks it; Men move not, they relent not, let God thunder never so terribly; let God in the greatest earnest cast abroad his Firebrands, Arrows, and Death, in the most dreadful representations of Wrath and Judgment, yet still man trembles not, nor is any more astonished than if in all this God were but in jest, till he comes and falls to work vvith him, and forces him to cry out, What have I done? What shall I do?
Therefore let us have recourse to him, vvho as he gives the new heart, so also therevvith the broken heart. And let mens hearts be never so hard, if God comes once to deal effectually vvith them, they shall become mollified and tender; as it vvas vvith those hardned Jews, vvho by vvicked and cruel hands murdered the Lord of Life; though they stouted it out a great vvhile, yet hovv suddenly, vvhen God brought them under the Hammer of his Word and Spirit, in Peter's powerful Ministry, vvere they broken, and being pricked in their hearts cryed out, Men and Brethren what shall we do? Acts 2. 37.
And the like instance vve have in the Jailor, vvho vvas a most barbarous hard hearted vvretch; yet vvhen God came to deal vvith him, he Was soon tamed, and his heart became exceeding soft and tender, Act. 16. 29, 30.
Men may speak long enough, and the heart not at all be moved; but, The voice of the Lord is powerful; the voice of the Lord is full of Majesty, and breaketh the Rocks and Cedars: He turns the Rock into a standing Water, the Flint into a Fountain of Waters. And this is a Glorious work indeed, that Hearts of Stone should be disolved and melted into waters of Godly Sorrow, working Repentance not to be Repented of, 2 Cor. 7. 10.
When God speaks Effectually, the stoutest Heart must melt and yield; Wait upon God then for the Softning thy Heart, and avoid whatsoever may be a means of Hardening it; as the Apostle cautions the Hebrews, Take heed, least ye be Hardened through the deceitfulness of Sin. Heb. 3. 1….
Sin is Deceitful, and will Harden all those that indulge it; the more Tender any man is to his Lust, the more will he be Hardened by it. There is a native Hardness in every duplicate page duplicate page mans Heart; and though it may be softned by Gospel means, yet if those means be afterwards neglected, the Heart will fall to its Native Hardness again; as it is with the Wax and the Clay.
Therefore how much doth it behoove us to keep close to God, in the use of all Gospel means, whereby our Hearts being once softened, may be alwayes kept so? Which is best done by Repeating the use of those means which were at first blessed for the Softning of them.
The following Treatise may be of great use to the People of God (through his Blessing accompanying it) to keep their hearts Tender and Broken, when so many after their hardness, and impenitent heart, are treasuring up Wrath, against the day of Wrath. Rom. 2. 5.
O let none who peruse this Book, herd with that generation of Hardened Ones, but be a companion of all those that mourn in Zion, and whose hearts are Broken for their own, the Churches, and the Nations Provocations; who indeed are the only likely ones that will stand in the gap to divert Judgments. When Shishack King of Egypt with a great Host came up against Judah, and having taken their Frontier fenced Cities, they sat down before Jerusalem, which put them all under a great Consternation; but the King and Princes upon this, humble themselves; the Lord sends a Gracious Message to them by Shemajah the Prophet, the import whereof was, That because they humbled themselves, the Lord would not destroy them, nor pour out his Wrath upon them by the hand of Shishak, 2 Chr. 12. 5, 6, 7.
The greater the Party is of Mourning Christians, the more hope we have that the Storm impending, may be blown over, and the Blessings enjoyed may yet be continued: As long as there is a Sighing Party, we may hope to be yet Preserved; at least such will have the Mark set upon them selves, which shall distinguish them from those whom the Slaughtermen shall receive Commission to destroy. Ezek. 9. 4.
But I shall not further enlarge the Porch, as designing to make way for the Readers Entrance into the House, where I doubt not but he will be pleased with the Furniture and Provision he finds in it. And I shall only further assure him, that this whole Book was not only prepared for, but also put unto the Press by the Author himself, whom the Lord was pleased to Remove (to the great Loss, and unexpressible Grief of many precious Souls) before the sheets could be all wrought off.
And now, as I hinted in the beginning, that what was Transcribed out of the Author's heart, into the Book, may be Transcribed out of the Book, into the hearts of all who shall Peruse it, is the Desire and Prayer of
Sept. 21. 1699. A Lover and Honourer of all Saints as such, George Cokayn.