The Pilgrim’s Progress, John Bunyan [most popular novels .txt] 📗

sleepy in this short deceitful calm. —⁠Editor ↩

Ah, these short naps for pilgrims! The sleep of death, in the enchanted air of this world, usually begins with one of these short naps. —⁠Cheever ↩

The Enchanted Ground may represent worldly prosperity; agreeable dispensations succeeding long-continued difficulties. This powerfully tends to produce a lethargic frame of mind; the man attends to religious duties more from habit, than from delight in the service of God. No situation requires so much watchfulness. Other experiences resemble storms, which keep a man awake; this is a treacherous calm, which lulls him to sleep. —⁠Scott ↩

1 Thessalonians 5:6.

O Christian, beware of sleeping on this enchanted ground! When all things go easy, smooth, and well, we are prone to grow drowsy in soul. How many are the calls in the Word against spiritual slumber! and yet how many professors, through the enchanting air of this world, are fallen into the deep sleep of formality! Be warned by them to cry to thy Lord to keep thee awake to righteousness, and vigorous in the ways of thy Lord. —⁠Mason ↩

Ecclesiastes 4:9. ↩

Revelation 6:21⁠–⁠23. ↩

Ephesians 5:6. ↩

Here you see, as our Lord says, “It is the Spirit who quickeneth, the flesh profiteth nothing” (John 6:63). Our carnal nature is so far from profiting in the work of conversion to Christ, that it is at enmity against Him, and opposes the Spirit’s work in showing us our want of Him, and bringing us to Him. Man’s nature and God’s grace are two direct opposites. Nature opposes, but grace subdues nature, and brings it to submission and subjection. Are we truly convinced of sin, and converted to Christ? This is a certain and sure evidence of it⁠—we shall say from our hearts, Not unto us, nor unto any yieldings and compliances of our nature, free-will, and power, but unto Thy name, O Lord, be all the glory. For it is by Thy free, sovereign, efficacious grace, we are what we are. Hence, see the ignorance, folly, and pride of those who exalt free-will, and nature’s power, etc. Verily they do not know themselves, even as they are known. —⁠Mason ↩

Not the evil of sin in the sight of God, but the remorse and fear of wrath, with which the convinced sinner is oppressed, and from which he, at times, seeks relief by means which exceedingly increase his actual guilt. Nothing but a free pardon, by faith in the atoning sacrifice of Christ, can take away guilt; but the uneasiness of a man’s conscience may be for a time removed by various expedients. —⁠Scott ↩

Isaiah 64:6. ↩

Galatians 2:16. ↩

Luke 17:10. ↩

In modern editions, this has been altered to “sin enough in one day.” But in any period of time, selecting that duty in the discharge of which we have felt the most pure, there has been a mixture of sin. “For there is not a day, nor a duty; not a day that thou livest, nor a duty that thou dost, but will need that mercy should come after to take away thy iniquity.” —⁠Bunyan’s Saints’ Privilege, vol. 1, p. 679 These are solemn and humbling reflections. —⁠Editor ↩

Thus, you see, in conversion, the Lord does not act upon us as though we were mere machines. No, we have understanding; He enlightens it. Then we come to a sound mind; we think right, and reason justly. We have wills; what the understanding judges best, the will approves, and then the affections follow after; and thus we choose Christ for our Saviour, and glory only in His righteousness and salvation. When the heavenly light of truth makes manifest what we are, and the danger we are in, then we rationally flee from the wrath to come, to Christ the refuge set before us. —⁠Mason ↩

Hebrews 10; Romans 4; Colossians 1; 1 Peter 1. ↩

Matthew 11:28. ↩

Matthew 24:35. ↩

Psalms 95:6; Daniel 6:10; Jeremiah 29:12, 13. ↩

Pray mind this. The grand object of a sensible sinner is righteousness. He has it not in himself; this he knows. Where is it to be found? In Christ only. This is a revealed truth; and without faith in this, every sinner must be lost. Consider, it is at the peril of your soul that you reject the righteousness of Christ; and do not believe that God imputeth it without works for the justification of the ungodly. O ye stouthearted, self-righteous sinners, ye who are far from righteousness, know this and tremble! —⁠Mason ↩

Exodus 25:22; Leviticus 16:2; Numbers 7:89; Hebrews 4:16. ↩

Habakkuk 2:3. ↩

The true nature of faith is to believe and rest upon the Word of truth, and wait for the promised comfort. That faith which is the gift of God leads the soul to wait upon and cry to God, and not to rest till it has some blessed testimony from God of interest in the love and favour of God in Christ Jesus. But O how many professors rest short of this! —⁠Mason ↩

Ephesians 1:18, 19. ↩

Acts 16:31. ↩

2 Corinthians 12:9.

As I thought my case most sad and fearful, these words did with great power suddenly break in upon me, “My grace is sufficient for thee,” three times together. O! methought every word was a mighty word for me; as My, and grace, and sufficient, and for thee; they were then, and sometimes are still, far bigger than others be. —⁠Grace Abounding, No. 206 ↩

John 6:35.