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"One day, as I was passing in the field, and that too with some dashes on my conscience, fearing lest yet all was not right, suddenly this sentence fell upon my soul, THY RIGHTEOUSNESS IS IN HEAVEN; and methought withal, I SAW, WITH THE EYES OF MY SOUL, Jesus Christ at God's right hand; there, I say, as my righteousness; so that wherever I was, or whatever I was adoing, God could not say of me, He wants my righteousness, for that was just before him. I ALSO SAW, moreover, that it was not my good frame of heart that made my righteousness better, nor yet my bad frame that made my righteousness worse; FOR MY RIGHTEOUSNESS WAS JESUS CHRIST HIMSELF, the same yesterday, and to-day, and for ever (Heb 13:8). Now did my chains fall off my legs indeed, I was loosed from my affliction and irons, my temptations also fled away; so that, from that time, those dreadful scriptures of God left off to trouble me; now went I also home rejoicing, for the grace and love of God. So when I came home, I looked to see if I could find that sentence, THY RIGHTEOUSNESS IS IN HEAVEN; but could not find such a saying, wherefore my heart began to sink again, only that was brought to my remembrance, HE OF GOD IS MADE UNTO US WISDOM, AND RIGHTEOUSNESS, AND SANCTIFICATION, AND REDEMPTION; by this word I SAW the other sentence true (1 Cor 1:30). For by this scripture, I SAW that the man Christ Jesus, as he is distinct from us, as touching his bodily presence, so he is our righteousness and sanctification before God. Here, therefore, I lived for some time, very sweetly at peace with God through Christ; OH METHOUGHT, CHRIST! CHRIST! THERE WAS NOTHING BUT CHRIST THAT WAS BEFORE MY EYES, I was not now only for looking upon this and the other benefits of Christ apart, as of his blood, burial, or resurrection, but considered him as a WHOLE CHRIST! As he in whom all these, and all other his virtues, relations, offices, and operations met together, and that AS HE SAT on the right hand of God in heaven... Now Christ was ALL; ALL my wisdom, ALL my righteousness, ALL my sanctification, and ALL my redemption. Further, the Lord did also lead me into the MYSTERY OF UNION WITH THE SON OF GOD, that I was joined to him, that I was flesh of his flesh, and bone of his bone, and now was that a sweet word to me in Ephesians 5:30. By this also was my faith in him, as my righteousness, the more confirmed to me; for if he and I were one, then his righteousness was mine, his merits mine, his victory also mine. Now could I see myself in heaven and earth at once; in heaven by my Christ, by my head, by my righteousness and life, though on earth by my body or person. Now I SAW Christ Jesus was looked on of God, and should also be looked upon by us, as that common or public person, in whom all the whole body of his elect are always to be considered and reckoned; that we fulfilled the law by him, died by him, rose from the dead by him, got the victory over sin, death, the devil, and hell, by him; when he died, we died; and so of his resurrection." John Bunyan, Grace Abounding To The Chief Of Sinners |
The vast, vast, VAST majority of those who read Bunyan's GRACE ABOUNDING come away saying to themselves that Bunyan must have been somewhat crazy, or somewhat off a bit in the mind (I've heard it repeated by others many times), as the manifold temptations he describes therein are just too far-fetched, and smack of some sort of mental incapacity or psychological problem.
Those who draw such conclusions only demonstrate that they themselves are complete strangers to the SUPERNATURAL MIRACLE of the NEW BIRTH, for Bunyan's temptations in GRACE ABOUNDING are representative of ALL who are GENUINELY born again and therefore wrestling with the powers of darkness. In short, he who can't say the AMEN to a SIMILARITY of Bunyan's experiences in GRACE ABOUNDING is he who is INFALLIBLY unregenerate, for Bunyan's experiences in GRACE ABOUNDING are true examples of TRUE SPIRITUAL WARFARE.
Know also that the above excerpt will do you not one whit of good if it is only mental. If you haven't LIVED the above, through bloody and sweaty EXPERIENCE, if you have never been SHOWN IN THE SPIRIT the truths contained in the words above, and then some, then never think yourself a partaker of what is there written, for you are only deceiving yourself if you do.
And yet, know again that these warnings are not for you who may have just recently been born again, for you have not yet been led of the Lord Jesus into the valley of the shadow of death, for there is such a valley before conversion, and there is also such a valley after conversion (unless you are a very rare ENOCH), so if you are recently born again, and you have evidence from heaven that you are so, then be of good cheer, for Bunyan's glorious experience is yours, albeit the Lord will vary it according to the measure of the gift of faith in each of you.
For the rest of you, if you have never EXPERIENCED the SUPERNATURAL MIRACLE of the NEW BIRTH, then you should understand that Jesus Christ can be KNOWN, and KNOWN more INTIMATELY than ANY other person in existence, even as John Bunyan somewhat briefly described above, and only those who are GENUINELY born again know EXPERIENTIALLY of what Bunyan speaks. Indeed, Jesus Christ is not only the source of all life, he is likewise the sustainer and dispenser of all life, and he is therefore capable of making himself MANIFEST to his elect more certainly than any created being can make himself known to you, exactly as he has promised in John 14:21-23, and numerous other passages [John 14:21-23].
If you will not prize your soul above ALL ELSE, you will NEVER be granted a SAVING audience with Jesus Christ. Blind Bartimaeus, as recorded in the gospels, would be saved at all costs. Will you be saved at all costs? If you will not be saved at all costs, you will not be saved by Jesus Christ at all.
Would you be born again? GENUINELY born again?
Then take wise counsel --
pick up a Bible based on the Traditional Text -- in English, the ONLY VALID
Bible based on the Traditional Text is the King James Bible -- and then read
with SOLEMNITY, beginning in the Gospels preferably, and beg Jesus Christ
to reveal himself to you, and give him no rest until he does, for if you read
the TRUE written Word of God, you will find the Lord of Glory, even Jesus
Christ, moving upon the face of the waters in its pages, just as he moved upon
the face of the waters when he walked across the Sea of Galilee, and if you
follow the advice just given, and if you persist, Jesus Christ HIMSELF
will verily MANIFEST HIMSELF to you (for he HIMSELF promises to do
this for those who truly heed this advice), just as he MANIFESTED HIMSELF
to his disciples when he moved upon the face of the waters as he walked across
the stormy sea some two thousand years ago, and just as he did with ME
not too many years ago, and just as he has done with a FEW others from
day to day since that time, in this very generation, and just as he will do for
YOU if -- IF -- you heed my advice, and if -- IF -- you
persist therein, for he who promised is FAITHFUL.
John 14:21,
Matthew 14:25-27
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"Never leave off watching, reading, praying, striving, till you EXPERIMENTALLY find Christ Jesus formed within you... Be frequent in self-examination morning and evening. Pray earnestly from your heart. WRESTLE WITH GOD, BEG HIM TO HASTEN THE NEW BIRTH." George Whitefield, Letters, XI "He that thirsteth aright, NOTHING BUT GOD CAN QUENCH HIS THIRST... Cry to God to reveal Jesus Christ unto you; there is none teacheth like him." John Bunyan, The Water Of Life & Grace Abounding To The Chief Of Sinners |
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