Works of John Bunyan — Volume 02

by John Bunyan

SECOND, I come now to those arguments that respect GOD THE FATHER.

First, Then, they that profess the name of Christ should depart from iniquity; because of God the Father, because God the Father has made Christ to be to us what he is; to wit, the Apostle and high-priest of our profession. 'He that honoureth not the Son, honoureth not the Father which hath sent him.' (1 Cor. 1:30; John 5:23; 15:8) Nor can the Father be honoured by us, but by our departing from iniquity. All our talk and profession of Christ, adds no glory to his Father, who has made him our King, and Priest, and Prophet, if it be not joined to an holy conversation. Wherefore, if you profess the name of Christ, and would hold the word in hand, that you have believed in him, depart from iniquity, for the Father's sake that hath sent him.

Second, As it is the Father which hath made Christ to us what he is; so it is the Father who hath called us to partake of Christ and all his benefits. 'Wherefore we must depart from iniquity that profess the name of Christ, that we may glorify him for his call.' (1 Cor. 1:9; Heb. 3:1) He has called us to the fellowship of his Son Jesus Christ; that is, to partake of all that good that is in him, as Mediator, and to be done by him for those that trust in him. Nor had we ever come out of a cursed and condemned condition, to Christ, for life and blessedness, but by the call of the Father; 'For it is not of works, but of him that calleth.' (Rom. 9:11) Now since he has called us to this privilege—even us whom he has called—and left others in their sins to perish by his judgments, it is meet we should depart from iniquity. (Heb. 3:1; 2 Peter 1:2, 3) Especially since the call by which he called us is heavenly, and holy, and because he has not only called us to glory, but to virtue.

Third, We that religiously name the name of Christ, should depart from iniquity, because God the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ has commanded us to do. Wherefore gird up the loins of your minds, be sober, and hope to the ene for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. As obedient children, not fashioning yourselves according to your former lusts in your ignorance; but as he that has called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation: because it is written, 'Be ye holy, as I am holy.'

Fourth, They that religiously name the name of Christ should depart from iniquity, that they may answer the end for which they are called to profess his name. The Father has, therefore, called them to profess his name, that they might be trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that he might be glorified. Dost thou then profess the name of Christ: bring forth those fruits that become that holy profession, that you may be called 'trees of righteousness,' and that God may be glorified for and by your professed subjection to the gospel of his Son. (Isa. 61:3)

Fifth, They that name—as afore—the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, should depart from iniquity, that they may shew to the world the nature and power of those graces, which God the Father has bestowed upon them that do religiously name the name of Christ. And the rather, because he that religiously nameth that name, declareth even by his so naming of him, that he has received grace of the Father, to enable him so to do. Now he cannot declare this by deeds, unless he depart from iniquity; and his declaring of it by words alone, signifies little to God or man. (Titus 1:16)

Sixth, We therefore that religiously name the name of Christ, should also depart from iniquity, because the Spirit of the Father will else be grieved. (Eph. 4:30) The countenancing of iniquity, the not departing therefrom, will grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by which you 'are sealed to the day of redemption;' and that is a sin of a higher nature that men commonly are aware of. He that grieveth the Spirit of God shall smart for it here, or in hell, or both. And that Spirit that sometimes did illuminate, teach, and instruct them, can keep silence, can cause darkness, can withdraw itself, and suffer the soul to sin more and more; and this last is the very judgment of judgments. He that grieves the Spirit, quenches it; and he that quenches it, vexes it; add he that vexes it, sets it against himself, and tempts it to hasten destruction upon himself. (1 Thess. 5:19) Wherefore take heed, professors, I say take heed, you that religiously name the name of Christ, that you meddle not with iniquity, that you tempt not the Spirit of the Lord to do such things against you, whose beginnings are dreadful, and whose end in working of judgments is unsearchable. (Isa. 63:10; Acts 5:9) A man knows not whither he is going, nor where he shall stop, that is but entering into temptation; nor whether he shall ever turn back, or go out at the gap that is right before him. He that has begun to grieve the Holy Ghost, may be suffered to go on until he has sinned that sin which is called the sin against the Holy Ghost. And if God shall once give thee up to that, then thou art in the iron cage, out of which there is neither deliverance nor redemption. Let every one, therefore, that nameth the name of Christ, depart from iniquity, upon this second consideration.

THIRD, In the next place, I come now to those arguments that do respect THYSELF.

First, Those that religiously name the name of Christ should, must, depart from iniquity, because else our profession of him is but a lie. 'If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie.' (I John 1:6) 'And walk in darkness;' that is, and walk in iniquity, and depart not from a life that is according to the course of this world. 'He that saith, I know him, and heepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.' (ch. 2:4) The truth that he professes to know, and that he saith he hath experience of, is not in him. Every man that nameth the name of Christ is not therefore a man of God, nor is the word in every man's mouth, truth, though he makes profession of that worthy name. (1 Kings 17:24) It is then truth in him, and to others with reference to him, when his mouth and his life shall agree. (Rev. 2:2, 9; 3:9) Men may say they are apostles, and be liars: they may say they are Jews, that is, Christians, and lie, and be liars, and lie in so saying. Now this is the highest kind of lying, and certainly must therefore work the saddest sort of effects. Thus man's best things are lies. His very saying, I know him, I have fellowship with him, I am a Jew, a Christian, is a lie. His life giveth his mouth the lie: and all knowing men are sure he lies. 1. He lies unto God: he speaks lies in the presence, and to the very face of God. Now this is a daring thing: I know their lies, saith he; and shall he not recompense for this? See Acts 5:4; Rev. 21:8, 27; 22:15. and take heed. I speak to you that religiously name the name of Christ, and yet do not depart from iniquity. 2. He lies unto men; every knowing man; every man that is able to judge of the tree by the fruit, knows that that man is a liar, and that his whole profession as to himself is a lie, if he doth not depart from iniquity. Thus Paul called the slow bellies,[8] the unsound professors among the Cretians, liars. They were so in his eyes, for that their profession of the name of Christ was not seconded with such a life as became a people professing godliness. (Titus 1:12-16) They did not depart from iniquity. But again, 3. Such a man is a liar to his own soul. Whatever such an one promiseth to himself, his soul will find it a lie. There be many in the world that profess the name of Christ, and consequently promise their soul the enjoyment of that good, that indeed is wrapt up in him, but they will certainly be mistaken hereabout, and with the greatest terror will find it so, when they shall hear that direful sentence, 'Depart from me, all ye workers of iniquity.' (Luke 8:27) Christ is resolved that the loose-lived professor shall not stand in the judgment, nor any such sinners in the congregation of the righteous. They have lied to God, to men, and to themselves; but Jesus then will not lie unto them: he will plainly tell them that he hath not known them, and that they shall not abide in his presence. But,

Second, Those that religiously name the name of Christ should depart from iniquity, else, as they are liars in their profession, so they are self deceivers. I told you but now such lie to themselves, and so consequently they deceive themselves. 'But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your ownselves.' (John 1:22) It is a sad thing for a man, in and about eternal things, to prove a deceiver of others; but for a man to deceive himself, his ownself of eternal life, this is saddest of all; yet there is in man a propenseness so to do. Hence the apostle says, be not deceived, and let no man deceive himself. And again, verse 26, 'If any man among you seem to be religious, and bridleth not his tongue, but deceiveth his own heart, this man's religion is vain.' These words, 'but deceiveth his own heart,' I have much mused about: for they seem to me to be spoken to show how bold and prodigiously desperate some men are, who yet religiously name the name of Christ: desperate, I say, at self deceiving. He deceiveth his own heart; he otherwise persuadeth it, than of its ownself it would go: ordinarily men are said to be deceived by their hearts, but here is a man that is said to deceive his own heart, flattering it off from the scent and dread of those convictions, that by the Word, sometimes it hath been under: persuading of it that there needs no such strictness of life be added to a profession of faith in Christ, as by the gospel is called for: or that since Christ has died for us, and rose again, and since salvation is alone in him, we need not be so concerned, or be so strict to matter how we live. This man is a self deceiver; he deceives his own heart. Self deceiving, and that about spiritual and eternal things, especially when men do it willingly, is one of the most unnatural, unreasonable, and unaccountable actions in the world. 1. It is one of the most unnatural actions; for here a man seeks his own ruin, and privily lurks for his own life. (Prov. 1:18) We all cry out against him that murders his children, his wife, or his own body, and condemn him to be one of those that has forgot the rules and love of nature. But behold the man under consideration is engaged in such designs as will terminate in his own destruction: he deceiveth his own soul. 2. This is also the most unreasonable act; there can no cause, nor crumb of cause that has the least spark or dram of reason, or of anything that looks like reason, be shown why a man should deceive himself, and bereave his soul of eternal life. Therefore, 3. Such men are usually passed over with astonishment and silence. 'Be astonished, O ye heavens, at this! and be horribly afraid, for my people have committed two evils; they have forsaken me the fountain of living waters, and hewed them out cisterns, broken cisterns, that can hold no water.' (Jer. 2:11-13)