As a follow-up to last month’s reviewed book on soteriology by David Clotfelter, Sinners in the Hands of a Good God—Reconciling Divine Judgement and Mercy, we’re going to look at another book written almost 4 centuries ago. Clotfelter’s book offers a clear and easy-to-understand style of writing. John Bunyan, on the other hand, is a master of complexity, so intricately integrating the same subject in his soteriological book, Come and Welcome to Jesus Christ, taken from this verse: All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out (John 6:37).
Instead of an overview as done last month, here’s a sample of Bunyan style:
So is it that no man comes to Jesus Christ by the will, wisdom, and power of men, but by the gift, promise, and drawing of the Father? Then this shows us how horribly ignorant of this such are, who make the man that is coming to Christ the object of their contempt and rage. These are also unreasonable and wicked men; men in whom is no faith (2 Thessalonians 3:2). Sinners, did you no know what a blessed thing it is to come to Jesus Christ, and that by the help and drawing of the Father, they do indeed come to Him; you would burn in hell a thousand years before you would turn your spirits as you do, against him that God is drawing to Jesus Christ and also against the God that draws Him.
But, faithless sinner, let us a little expostulate the matter. What hath this man done against thee that is coming to Jesus Christ? Why dost thou make him the object of thy scorn? Doth his coming to Jesus Christ offend thee? Doth his forsaking of his sins and pleasures offend thee? Besides, pray, Sirs, consider it; this he doth, not of himself, but by the drawing of the Father… Then here is room for Christians to stand and wonder at the effectual working of God’s providences, that He hath made of us, as means to bring them to Jesus Christ.
What was the providence that God made use of as a means, either remote or more near, to bring thee to Jesus Christ. Was it the removing of they habitation, the change of they condition, the loss of relations, estate, or the like? Was it casting of thine eye upon some good book, they hearing of thy neighbors talk of heavenly things, the beholding of God’s judgments as executed on others, or thine own deliverance from them, or thy being strangely cast under the ministry of some godly man? O take notice of such providence or providences! They were sent and managed by mighty power to do thee good. God Himself, I say, hath joined Himself unto this chariot: yea and blessed it, that it failed not to accomplish the thing for which He sent it.
God blesseth not to everyone His providence in this manner. How many thousands are there in this world, that pass by every day under the same providences! But God is not in them, to do that work by them as He hath done for thy poor soul, by His effectual working of them. Oh, that Jesus christ should meet thee in this providence, that dispensation, or the other ordinance! This is grace indeed. At this, therefore, it will be thy wisdom to admire, and for this to bless God.
That was part of Bunyan’s exposition on what people call “The Parable of the Prodigal Son”, which should be called “The Parable of The Graceful Father”.
In conclusion, besides about 25,000 more words, there is also a great picture of the parable.
This is easily the best book I have ever read on the topic of God’s sovereignty and man’s responsibility, God’s election and grace. Man must be responsible to God’s election because God has decreed it to be so, and God fails not!
Posted on November 1st, 2007 by Scott
Filed under: From the Church Library
