PUBLIC-DOMAIN CHRISTIAN BOOK

Miscellaneous Pieces

Bunyan, John, 1628-1688 · 7,281 words · 19 reading sections

Part 1

Transcribed from the 1845 Thomas Nelson “Works of the Puritan Divines (Bunyan)” edition by David Price, email ccx074@pglaf.org [Picture: Bunyan’s cottage at Elstow]…

25 words SECTION 2

Page Of the Trinity and a Christian 245 Of the Law and a Christian 251 Bunyan’s Last Sermon 257 Bunyan’s Dying Sayings 267…

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OF THE TRINITY AND A CHRISTIAN.

_How a young or shaken Christian should demean himself under the weighty thoughts of the Doctrine of the Trinity or Plurality of Persons in the eternal Godhead_. THE reason why I say a _young_ or _shaken_ Christian, is, because some that are not young, but of an ancient standing, may not only be assaulted with violent…

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Part 4

3. Therefore, know again, that the Word, if it saith and expresseth that this or that is so and so, as to the matter in hand, thou art bound and obliged, both by the name, profession, and the truth, unto which thou hast joined thyself, to assent to, confess, and acknowledge the same, even then when thy carnal reason w…

393 words SECTION 5

OF THE LAW AND A CHRISTIAN.

THE law was given twice upon Mount Sinai, but the appearance of the Lord, when he gave it the second time, was wonderfully different from that of his, when at the first he delivered it to Israel. 1. When he gave it the first time, he caused his terror and severity to appear before Moses, to the shaking of his soul an…

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Part 6

7. Thus, therefore, the soul that is married to him that is raised up from the dead, both may and ought to deal with this law of God; yea, it doth greatly dishonour its Lord and refuse its gospel privileges, if it at any time otherwise doth, whatever it seeth or feels. “The law hath power over the wife so long as her…

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BUNYAN’S LAST SERMON: PREACHED JULY 1688.

“_Which were born_, _not of blood_, _nor of the will of the flesh_, _nor of the will of man_, _but of God_;” John i. 13. THE words have a dependence on what goes before, and therefore I must direct you to them for the right understanding of it. You have it thus,—“He came to his own, but his own received him not; but …

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Part 8

_First_, I will give you a clear description of it under one similitude or two. A child, before it be born into the world, is in the dark dungeon of its mother’s womb; so a child of God, before he be born again, is in the dark dungeon of sin, sees nothing of the kingdom of God, therefore it is called a new birth; the …

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Part 9

_Fourthly_, A child when it is in its mother’s lap, the mother takes great delight to have that which will he for its comfort; so it is with God’s children, they shall he kept on his knee; Isaiah lxvi. 11, “They shall stick and be satisfied with the breasts of her consolation.” Ver. 13, “As one whom his mother comfort…

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OF SIN.

SIN is the great block and bar to our happiness, the procurer of all miseries to man, both here and hereafter; take away sin, and nothing can hurt us; for death temporal, spiritual, and eternal, is the wages of it. Sin, and man for sin, is the object of the wrath of God. How dreadful therefore must his case be who co…

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OF AFFLICTION.

Nothing can render affliction so heavy as the load of sin; would you therefore be fitted for afflictions, be sure to get the burden of your _sins_ laid aside, and then what afflictions soever you meet with will be very easy to you. If thou canst hear and bear the rod of affliction which God shall lay upon thee, rememb…

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OF REPENTANCE AND COMING TO CHRIST.

The end of affliction is the discovery of sin; and of _that_ to bring us to the Saviour; let us therefore, with the prodigal, return unto him, and we shall find ease and rest. A returning penitent, though formerly bad as the worst of men, may by grace become as good as the best. To be truly sensible of sin, is to sor…

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OF PRAYER.

Before you enter into prayer, ask thy soul these questions, 1. To what _end_, O my soul! art thou retired into this place? Art thou come to converse with the Lord in prayer? Is he present, will he hear thee? Is he merciful, will he help thee? Is thy business slight, is it not concerning the welfare of thy soul? W…

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OF THE LORD’S-DAYS, SERMONS, AND WEEK-DAYS.

Have a special care to sanctify the Lord’s-day; for as thou keepest it, so will it be with thee all the week long. Make the Lord’s-day the _market_ for thy soul; let the whole day be spent in prayer, repetitions, or meditations; lay aside the affairs of the other parts of the week; let the sermon thou hast heard be co…

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OF THE LOVE OF THE WORLD.

Nothing more hinders a soul from coming to Christ than a vain love of the _world_; and till a soul is freed from it, it can never have a true love for God. What are the honours and riches of this world, when compared to the glories of a crown of life? Love not the world, for it is a moth in a Christian’s life. To de…

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ON SUFFERING.

It is not every suffering that makes a man a martyr; but suffering for the Word of God after a right manner; that is, not only for _righteousness_, but for righteousness’ sake; not only for _truth_, but out of love to truth; not only for God’s Word, but according to it: to wit, in that holy, humble, meek manner, as the…

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OF DEATH AND JUDGMENT.

As the devil labours by all means to keep out other things that are good, so to keep out of the heart as much as in him lies, the thoughts of passing out of this life into another world; for he knows if he can but keep them from the serious thoughts of _death_, he shall the more easily keep them in their sins. Nothing…

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OF THE JOYS OF HEAVEN.

There is no good in this life but what is mingled with some evil: honours perplex, riches disquiet, and pleasures ruin health. But in heaven we shall find blessings in their purity, without any ingredient to imbitter; with everything to sweeten it. O! who is able to conceive the inexpressible, inconceivable joys that…

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OF THE TORMENTS OF HELL.

Heaven and salvation is not surely _more_ promised to the godly, than hell and damnation is threatened to, and shall be executed on, the wicked. Oh! who knows the power of God’s wrath? None but damned ones. Sinners’ company are the devil and his angels, tormented in everlasting fire with a curse. Hell would be a ki…

101 words

Source & rights

Public domain in the USA; original historical text digitized by Project Gutenberg.

Project Gutenberg source record →

Historical Christian writing; not Scripture.