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

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John 6:37. ↩

1 Timothy 1:15. ↩

Romans 10:4. ↩

Romans 4:25. ↩

Revelation 1:5. ↩

1 Timothy 2:5. ↩

Hebrews 7:25. ↩

The Lord’s dealings with his children are various, but all lead to the same end; some are shaken with terror, while others are more gently drawn, as with cords of love. In these things believers should not make their experiences standards one for another; still there is a similarity in their being brought to the same point of rejecting both sinful and righteous self, and believing on the Lord Jesus Christ as their complete salvation. —⁠Andronicus ↩

Christ did not appear to Hopeful’s senses, but to his understanding; and the words spoken are no other than texts of Scripture taken in their genuine meaning⁠—not informing him, as by a new revelation, that his sins were pardoned, but encouraging him to apply for this mercy, and all other blessings of salvation. —⁠Scott ↩

Since the dear hour that brought me to Thy foot,
And cut up all my follies by the root,
I never trusted in an arm but Thine,
Nor hoped, but in Thy righteousness Divine.
My prayers and alms, imperfect and defiled,
Were but the feeble efforts of a child.
Howe’er perform’d, it was their brightest part
That they proceeded from a grateful heart.
Forgive their evil, and accept their good.
I cast them at Thy feet⁠—my only plea
Is what it was, dependence upon Thee!

—⁠Cowper

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Not governed by the Word of God, but by his own will, his grounds of confidence for salvation unfitted him for Christian fellowship, unless he happened to fall in with a man who had imbibed his own notions. —⁠Editor ↩

Proverbs 28:26. ↩

The desire of Heaven⁠—when its nature is not understood, the proper means of obtaining it are neglected, other objects are preferred to it⁠—is no proof that a man will be saved. The expression, “The desire of grace is grace,” is very fallacious. But to hunger and thirst for God, and His righteousness, His favour, image, and service, as the supreme good, so that no other object can satisfy the heart, is grace indeed, and shall be completed in glory. —⁠Scott ↩

Proverbs 13:4. ↩

Real Christians are often put to a stand, while they find and feel the workings of all corruptions and sins in their nature; and when they hear others talk so highly of themselves, how full their hearts are of love to God, and of good motions, without any complainings of their hearts. But all this is from the ignorance of their own hearts; and pride and self-righteousness harden them against feeling its desperate wickedness. —⁠Mason ↩

Proverbs 28:26. ↩

Romans 3. ↩

Genesis 6:5. ↩

Genesis 8:21. ↩

Psalms 125; Proverbs 2:15. ↩

Romans 3. ↩

I saw 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, the same yesterday, and today, and forever (Hebrews 13:8). —⁠Grace Abounding, No. 229 ↩

Here we see how naturally the notion of man’s righteousness blinds his eyes to, and keeps his heart from believing, that Christ’s personal righteousness alone justifies a sinner in the sight of God; and yet such talk bravely of believing, but their faith is only fancy. They do not believe unto righteousness; but imagine they have now, or shall get, a righteousness of their own, some how or other. Awful delusion! —⁠Mason ↩

Here is the very essence of that delusion which works by a lie, and so much prevails, and keeps up an unscriptural hope in the hearts of so many professors. Do, reader, study this point well; for here seems to be a show of scriptural truth, while the rankest poison lies concealed in it. For it is utterly subversive of, and contrary to, the faith and hope of the Gospel. —⁠Mason ↩

The way of being justified by faith for which Ignorance pleads may well be called “fantastical,” as well as “false;” for it is nowhere laid down in Scripture; and it not only changes the way of acceptance, but it takes away the rule and standard of righteousness, and substitutes a vague notion, called sincerity, in its place, which never was, nor can be, defined with precision. —⁠Scott ↩

Justification before God comes, not by imitating Christ as exemplary in morals, but through faith in His precious blood. To feed on Jesus is by respecting Him as made of God a curse for our sin. I have been pleased with observing, that none of the signs and wonders in Egypt could deliver the children of Israel thence, until the lamb was slain. —⁠Bunyan on Justification, vol. 2, p. 330 ↩

Under these four heads, we have a most excellent detection of a presumptive and most dangerous error which now greatly prevails, as well as a scriptural view of the nature of true faith, and the object it flies on wholly and solely for justification before God, and acceptance with God. Reader, for thy soul’s sake, look to thy foundation. See that thou build upon nothing in self, but all upon that sure foundation which God hath laid, even his beloved Son, and his perfect righteousness. —⁠Mason ↩

This, by all natural men, is deemed the very height of enthusiasm; but a spiritual man knows its blessedness, and rejoices in its comfort. It is a close question. What may we understand by it? Doubtless, what Paul means when he says, “It pleased God