The Doctrine of the Law and Grace Unfolded, Title page – To the reader
THE DOCTRINE OF THE LAW and GRACE UNFOLDED: OR, A Discourse touching the Law and Grace. The nature of the one, and the nature of the other: shewing what they are, as they are the two Covenants; and likewise who they be, and what their Conditions are, that be under either of these two Covenants. WHEREIN, For the better Understanding of the Reader, there is several Questions answered touching the Law and Grace, very easie to be read, and as easie to be understood, by those that are the Sons of Wisdom, the Children of the second Covenant. ALSO, Several Titles set over the several Truths contained in this Book, for thy sooner finding of them; which are those following the Epistle.
Published by that Poor and Contemptible Creature, John Bunyan of Bedford.
The Law made nothing perfect, but the bringing in of a better Hope did; by the which we draw nigh to God,
Heb. 7. 19.
Therefore we conclude, that a man is justified by Faith, without the Deeds of the Law,
Rom. 3. 28.
To him therefore that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his Faith is counted for Righteousness,
Rom. 4. 5.
LONDON, Printed for Nath. Ponder at the Peacock in the Poultry. 1685.
The Epistle to the Reader.
Reader,
IF at any time there be held forth by the Preacher, the freeness and fulness of the Gospel, together with the readiness of the Lord of Peace to receive those that have any desire thereto; presently it is the spirit of the World to cry out, Sure this man disdains the Law, slights the Law, and counts that of none effect; and all because there is not, together with the Gospel, mingled the Doctrine of the Law, (which is not a right dispensing of the Word according to truth and knowledge.) Again, if there be the terror, horror, and severity of the Law, discovered to a People by the Servants of Jesus Christ, (though they do not speak of it, to the end People should trust to it, by relying on it as it is a Covenant of Works; but rather that they should be driven further from that Covenant, even to embrace the tenders and priviledges of the second) yet, poor Souls, because they are unacquainted with the natures of these two Covenants, or either of them; therefore, say they, here is nothing but preaching of the Law, thundering of the Law; when alas, if these two be not held forth (to wit) the Covenant of Works, and the Covenant of Grace, together with the nature of the one, and the nature of the other; Souls will never be able neither to know what they are by Nature, nor what they lie under. Also, neither can they understand what Grace is, nor how to come from under the Law, to meet God, in, and through that other most glorious Covenant; through which, and only through which, God can communicate of himself, grace, Glory, yea, even all the good things of another World.
I having considered these things, together with others, have made bold to present yet once more to thy view (my Friend) something of the mind of God, to the end, if it shall be but blessed to thee, thou mayest be benefited thereby. For verily these things are not such as are ordinary, and of small concernment, but do absolutely concern thee to know, and that experimentally too, if ever thou do partake of the glory of God through Jesus Christ, and so escape the terrour and unsupportable vengeance, that will otherwise come upon thee through his Justice, because of thy living and dying in thy Transgressions against the Law of God. And therefore while thou livest here below, it is thy duty (if thou wish thy self happy for the time to come) to give up thy self to the studying of these two Covenants, treated of in the ensuing Discourse; and so to study them, untill thou through grace, do, not only get the notion of the one and of the other in thy head; but untill thou do feel the very power, life, and glory of the one and of the other. For take this for granted, he that is dark as touching the scope, intent, and nature of the Law, is also dark as to the scope nature, and glory of the Gospel: And also he that hath but a notion of the one, will hardly have any more than a notion of the other.
And the reason is this, because so long as People are ignorant of the nature of the Law, and of their being under it, that is, under the curse and condemning power of it, by reason of their sin against it; so long they will be careless, and negligent as to the enquiring after the true knowledge of the Gospel. Before the Commandement came, (that is in the spirituality of it) Paul was alive, (that is) thought himself safe, which is clear, Rom. 7. 9, 10. compared with the 3. of Phil. the 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11. ver. &c. But vvhen that came, and vvas indeed discovered unto him by the Spirit of the Lord, then Paul dies (Rom. 7.) to all his former life (Phil. 3.) and that man vvhichwhich before could content himself to live, though ignorant of the Gospel, cryes out novv, I count all things but loss, for the excellency of the knowledge of Jesus Christ my Lord, ver. 8. Therefore, I say, so long they vvill be ignorant of the nature of the Gospel, and hovv glorious a thing it is to be found vvithin the bounds of it; for we use to say, That man that knoweth not himself to be sick, that man will not look out for himself a Physician; and this Christ knew full well, where he saith, The whole have no need of a Physician, but them that are sick: that is, none will in truth desire the Physician, unless they know they be sick. That man also, that hath got but a notion of the Law (a notion, that is the Knowledge of it in the Head, so as to discourse and talk of it) if he hath not felt the power of it, and that effectually too, he, it is to be feared, will at the best be but a Notionest in the Gospel; he will not have the experimental Knowledge of the same in his Heart: nay, he will not seek, nor heartily desire after it, and all because, as I said before, he hath not Experience of the wounding, cutting, killing nature of the other.
I say therefore, if thou wouldest know the Authority and Power of the Gospel, labour first to know the Power and Authority of the Law; for I am verily persuaded, that the want of this one thing, namely, the Knowledge of the Law, is one cause why so many are ignorant of the other. That man that doth not know the Law, doth not know indeed and in truth, that he is a Sinner; and that man that doth not know he is a Sinner, doth not know savingly that there is a Saviour.
Again, That man that doth not know the nature of the Law, that man doth not know the nature of Sin; and that man that knoweth not the nature of Sin, will not regard to know the nature of a Saviour. This is proved, John 8. 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36. ver. This People were Professors, and yet did not knovv the Truth (the Gospel,) and the reason was, because they did not knovv themselves, and so not the Lavv. I vvould not have thee mistake me, Christian Reader, I do not say, that the Lavv of it self vvill lead any Soul to Jesus Christ; but the Soul, being killed by the Lavv, through the operation of its severity seizing on the Soul, then the man, if he be enlightened by the Spirit of Christ, to see vvhere Remedy is to be had, vvill not, through Grace, be contented vvithout the real and saving Knovvledge, through Faith, of him.
If thou vvouldest then vvash thy Face clean, first take a Glass and see vvhere it is dirty; that is, If thou vvould'st indeed have thy Sins vvashed avvay by the Blood of Christ, labour first to see them in the Glass of the Lavv, (Jam. 1.) and do not be afraid to see thy besmeared Condition, but look on every Spot thou hast; for he that looks on the foulness of his Face by the halfs, vvill vvash by the halfs: even so he that looks on his Sins by the halfs, he vvill seek for Christ by the halfs. Reckon thy self therefore, I say, the biggest Sinner in the World, and be persuaded, that there is none vvorse than thy self; then let the Guilt of it seize on thy Heart, then also go in that case and condition to Jesus Christ, and plunge thy self into his Merits, and the vertue of his Blood; and after that thou shalt speak of the things of the Lavv, and of the Gospel, experimentally; and the very Language of the Children of God shall seelingly drop from thy Lips, and not till then.
Let this therefore learn thee thus much, He that hath not seen his lost Condition, hath not seen a safe Condition; he that did never see himself in the Devils Snare, did never see himself in Christ's Bosom. This my Son was dead, and is alive again. Was lost and is found, with whom we all had our Conversation in time past. But now are (so many of us as believe) returned to Jesus Christ, the chief Shepherd and Bishop of our Souls.
I say therefore, if thou do find in this Treatise, in the first place, something touching the Nature, End, and extent of the Lavv, do not thou cry out therefore all on a sudden, saying, Here is nothing but the Terror, Horror, and thundering Sentences of the Lavv.
Again, If thou do find in the second part of this Discourse, something of the freeness and fullness of the Gospel; do not thou say then neither, here is nothing but Grace, therefore surely an under valuing of the Lavv. No, but read it quite thorovv, and so consider of it; and (I hope) thou shalt find the tvvo Covenants (vvhichwhich all men are under either the one or the other) discovered, and held forth in their Natures, Ends, Bounds, together vvith the state and condition of them that are under the one, and of them that are under the other.
There be some that through Ignorance do say, hovv that such men as preach Terror and Amazement to Sinners, are besides the Book, and are Ministers of the Letter, the Law, and not of the Spirit, the Gospel; but I would answer them, citing them to the 16. of Luke, from the nineteenth Verse to the end; and the 1 Cor. 6. 9, 10. and Gal. 3. 10. Rom. 3. from the ninth Verse to the nineteenth: only this Caution I would give by the way, how that they which preach Terror, to drive Souls to the obtaining of Salvation, by the Works of the Law, that preaching is not the right Gospel-preaching. Yet when Saints speak of the sad state that men are in by Nature, to discover to Souls their need of the Gospel, this is honest preaching (see Romans 3. the 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, &c.) and he that doth do so, he doth the Work of a Gospel-Minister.
Again, there are others that say, because we do preach the free, full, and exceeding Grace discovered in the Gospel, therefore we make void the Law; which indeed, unless the Gospel be held forth in the Glory thereof without Confusion, by mingling the Covenant of Works therewith, the Law cannot be established. Do we through Faith, or preaching of the Gospel, make void the Law? Nay, stay, saith Paul, God forbid. We do thereby establish the Law, Rom. 3. 31.
And verily, he that will indeed establish the Law, or set it in its own place, (for so I understand the Words) must be sure to hold forth the Gospel in its right colour and nature; for if a man be ignorant of the nature of the Gospel, and the Covenant of Grace, they, or he, will be very apt to remove the Law out of its place, and that because they are ignorant, not knowing what they say, nor whereof they affirm.
And let me tell you, if a man be ignorant of the Covenant of Grace, and the bounds and boundlesness of the Gospel, though he speaks and makes mention of the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and also of the Name of the New Covenant, and the Blood of Christ; yet at this very time, and in these very Words, he will preach nothing but the Law, and that as a Covenant of Works.
Reader, I must confess it is a wonderful mysterious thing, and he had need have a wiser Spirit than his own that can rightly set these two Covenants in their right places, that when he speaks of the one, he doth not justle the other out of its place. O, to be so well enlightned, as to speak of the one, that is the Law, for to magnifie the Gospel; and also, to speak of the Gospel, so as to establish (and yet not to idolize) the Law, nor any particular thereof, it is rare, and to be heard and found but in very few mens Breasts.
If thou should'st say, what is it to speak to each of these two Covenants, so as to set them in their right places, and also to use the terror of the one, so as to magnifie and advance the Glory of the other?
To this I shall answer also, read the ensuing Discourse but with an understanding Heart, and it is like thou wilt find a Reply therein to the same purpose, which may be to thy satisfaction.
Reader, if thou do find this Book empty of fantastical Expressions, and without light, vain, whimsical Scholarlike terms, thou must understand, it is because I never went to School to Aristotle or Plato, but was brought up at my Father's House, in a very mean condition, among a Company of poor Country-men. But if thou do find a parcel of plain, yet sound, true, and home Sayings, attribute that to the Lord Jesus, his Gifts and Abilities, which he hath bestowed upon such a poor Creature as I am, and have been. And if thou, being a seeing Christian, dost find me coming short, though rightly touching at some things, attribute that either to my Brevity, or, if thou wilt, to my Weaknesses, (for I am full of them.) A word or two more, and so I shall have done with this.
And the first is, Friend, if thou do not desire the Salvation of thy Soul, yet I pray thee to read this Book over with serious Consideration; it may be it will stir up in thee some desires to look out after it, which at present thou mayest be without.
Secondly, if thou do find any stirrings in thy Heart, by thy reading such an unworthy man's Works as mine are; be sure that in the first place thou give Glory to God, and give way to thy Convictions, and be not too hasty in getting them off from thy Conscience; but let them so work till thou do see thy self by nature, void of all Grace, as Faith, Hope, Knowledge of God, Christ, and the Covenant of Grace.
Thirdly, then in the next place, fly in all haste to Jesus Christ, thou being sensible of thy lost Condition without him, secretly perswading of thy Soul, that Jesus Christ standeth open armed to receive thee, to wash away thy Sins, to cloath thee with his Righteousness; and is willing, yea, heartily willing, to present thee before the Presence of the Glory of God, and among the innumerable Company of Angels with exceeding Joy. This being thus, in the next place, do not satisfie thy self with these secret and first Perswasions, which do, or may encourage thee to come to Jesus Christ; but be restless, till thou do find by blessed experience, the glorious Glory of this the second Covenant extended unto thee, and sealed upon thy Soul with the very. Spirit of the Lord Jesus Christ. And that thou mayest not slight this my Counsel, I beseech thee in the second place, consider these following things.
First, if thou do get off thy Convictions, and not the right way, (which is by seeing thy Sins washed away by the Blood of Jesus Christ) it is a question whether ever God will knock at thy Heart again or no; but rather say, Such a one is joyned to Idols; let him alone. Hos. 4. 17. Though he be in a natural state, let him alone. Though he be in, or under the Curse of the Law, let him alone. Though he be in the very hand of the Devil, let him alone. Though he be a going post-haste to Hell, let him alone. Though his Damnation will not only be Damnation for Sins against the Law, but also for slighting the Gospel, yet, let him alone. My Spirit, my Ministers, my Word, my Grace, my Mercy, my Love, my Pity, my common Providences, shall no more strive with him, let him alone. O sad! O miserable! who would slight Convictions that are on their Souls, which tend so much for their good?
Secondly, if thou shalt not regard how thou do put off Convictions, but put them off without the precious Blood of Christ being savingly applied to thy Soul; thou art sure to have the mispending of that Conviction to prove the hardning of thy Heart against the next time thou art to hear the Word preached or read. This is commonly seen, that those Souls that have not regarded those Convictions that are at first set upon their Spirits, do commonly (and that by the just Judgments of God upon them) grow more hard, more sensless, more feared and sottish in their Spirits; for some, who formerly would quake and weep, and relent under the hearing of the Word, do now for the present sit so sensless, so feared, and hardned in their Consciences, that certainly if they should have Hell-fire thrown in their Faces, as it is sometimes cried up in their Ears, they would scarce be moved; and this comes upon them as a just Judgment of God, 2 Thess. 2. 11, 12.
Thirdly, if thou do slight these, or those Convictions, that may be set upon thy Heart, by reading of this Discourse, or hearing of any other good man preach the Word of God sincerely; thou wilt have the stifling of these or those Convictions to account and answer for at the Day of Judgment: not only thy Sins that are commonly committed by thee in thy Calling and common Discourse, but thou shalt be called to a reckoning for slighting Convictions, disregarding of Convictions, which God useth as a special means to make poor Sinners see their lost Condition, and the need of a Saviour. Now here I might add many more Considerations besides these, to the end thou mayest be willing to tend, and listen to Convictions; as,
First, consider thou hast a precious Soul, more worth than the whole World; and this is commonly worked upon (if ever it be saved) by Convictions.
Secondly, this Soul is (for certain) to go to Hell, if thou shalt be a slighter of Convictions.
Thirdly, if that go to Hell, thy Body must go thither too, and then never to come out again, Now consider this, you that (are apt to) forget God, (and his Convictions) lest he tear you in pieces, and there be none to deliver, Psal. 50. 22.
But if thou shalt be such a one, that shalt, notwithstanding thy reading of thy Misery, and also of God's Mercy, still persist to go on in thy Sins; know in the first place, that here thou shalt be left, by the things that thou readest, without excuse; and in the World to come thy Damnation will be exceedingly aggravated, for thy not regarding of them, and turning from thy Sins; which was not only reproved by them, but also for rejecting of that Word of Grace that did instruct thee how, and which way, thou should'st be saved from them. And so farewel, I shall leave thee, and also this Discourse, to God, who I know will pass a righteous Judgment both upon that and thee. I am yours, though not to serve your Lusts and filthy minds, yet to reprove, instruct, and according to that proportion of Faith and Knowledge which God hath given me, to declare unto you the way of Life and Salvation. Your Judgings, Railings, Surmizings, and disdaining of me, that I shall leave till the fiery Judgment comes, in which the Ostender shall not go unpunished, be he you or me; yet I shall pray for you, wish well to you, and do you what good I can. And that I might not write or speak in vain, Christian, pray for me to our God, with much Earnestness, Fervency, and frequently, in all your Knockings at our Fathers door, because I do very much stand in need thereof; for my Work is great, my Heart is vile, the Devil lieth at watch, the World would fain be saying, aha, aha, thus we would have it; and of my self, keep my self I cannot; trust my self I dare not; if God do not help me, I am sure it will not be long before my Heart deceive me, and the World have their Advantage of me; and so God be dishonoured by me, and thou also ashamed to own me. O therefore be much in Prayer for me, thy Fellow, I trust in that glorious Grace that is conveyed from Heaven to Sinners, by which they are not only sanctified here in this World, but shall be glorified in that which is to come. Unto which, the Lord of his Mercy bring us all.
JOHN BUNYAN.