so long they will be ignorant of the nature of the gospel, and how glorious a thing it is to be found within the bounds of it; for we use to say, that man that knoweth not himself to be sick, that man will not look out for himself a physician; and this Christ knew full well when he saith, The whole have no need of the physician, but the sick;'* that is, none will in truth desire the physician unless they know they be sick. That man also that hath got but a notion of the law-a notion, that is, the knowledge of it in the head, so as to discourse and talk of it-if he hath not felt the power of it, and that effectually too, it is to be feared will at the best be but a notionist in the gospel; he will not have the experimental knowledge of the same in his heart; nay, he will not seek nor heartily desire after it; and all because, as I said before, he hath not experience of the wounding, cutting, killing nature of the other.

I say, therefore, if thou wouldst know the authority and power of the gospel, labour first to know the power and authority of the law; for I am verily persuaded that the want of this one thing-namely, the knowledge of the law, is one cause why so many are ignorant of the other. That man that doth not know the law doth not know in deed and in truth that he is a sinner; and that man that doth not know he is a sinner, doth not know savingly that there is a Saviour.

he will seek for Christ by the halves. Reckon thyself, therefore, I say, the biggest sinner in the world, and be persuaded that there is none worse than thyself; then let the guilt of it seize on thy heart, then also go in that case and condition to Jesus Christ, and plunge thyself into his merits and the virtue of his blood; and after that, thou shalt speak of the things of the law and of the gospel experimentally, and the very language of the children of God shall feelingly drop from thy lips, and not till then. Ja. i.

Let this therefore learn thee thus much: he that hath not seen his lost condition hath not seen a safe condition; he that did never see himself in the devil's snare, did never see himself in Christ's bosom. This my Son was dead, and is alive again: he was lost, and is found.' Among whom we also had our conversation in time past.'† 'But now are (so many of us as believe) returned unto' Jesus Christ, the' chiefShepherd and Bishop of your souls.'

I say, therefore, if thou do find in this treatise, in the first place, something touching the nature, end, and extent of the law, do not thou cry out, therefore, all on a sudden, saying, Here is nothing but the terror, horror, and thundering sentences of the law.'

Again; if thou do find in the second part of this discourse something of the frecness and fulness of the gospel, do not thou say then neither,

Here is nothing but grace, therefore, surely, an undervaluing of the law.' No; but read it quite through, and so consider of it; and I hope thou shalt find the two covenants-which all men are

and held forth in their natures, ends, bounds, together with the state and condition of them that are under the one, and of them that are under the other.

Again; that man that doth not know the nature of the law, that man doth not know the nature of sin; and that man that knoweth not the nature of sin, will not regard to know the nature of a Saviour; this is proved. Jn. viii. 31-36. These people were professors, and yet did not know the truth-the gos-under, either the one or the other-discovered, pel; and the reason was, because they did not know themselves, and so not the law. I would not have thee mistake me, Christian reader; I do not say that the law of itself will lead any soul to Jesus Christ; but the soul being killed by the law, through the operation of its severity seizing on the soul, then the man, if he be enlightened by the Spirit of Christ to see where remedy is to be had, will not, through grace, be contented without the real and saving knowledge through faith of him.

If thou wouldst, then, wash thy face clean, first take a glass and see where it is dirty; that is, if thou wouldst indeed have thy sins washed away by the blood of Christ, labour first to see them in the glass of the law, and do not be afraid to see thy besmeared condition, but look on every spot thou hast; for he that looks on the foulness of his face by the halves, will wash by the halves; even so, he that looks on his sins by the halves,

* These words are quoted from the Genevan or Breeches Bible, Mark ii. 17.-ED.

There be some that through ignorance do say how that such men as preach terror and amazement to sinners are beside the book, and are ministers of the letter-the law, and not of the Spiritthe gospel; but I would answer them, citing them to the sixteenth of Luke, from the nineteenth verse to the end; and 1 Co. vi. 9, 10; Ga. iii. 10; Ro. iii. 9-19; only this caution I would give by the way, how that they which preach terror to drive souls to the obtaining of salvation by the works of the law, that preaching is not the right gospel preaching; yet when saints speak of the sad state that men are in by nature, to discover to souls their need of the gospel, this is honest preaching, and he that doth do so, he doth the work of a gospel minister. See Ro. iii. 9-25, &C.

†This quotation is from the Genevan translation, Ep. ii. 3. -ED.

precious blood of Christ being savingly applied to thy soul, thou art sure to have the mis-spending of that conviction to prove the hardening of thy heart against the next time thou art to hear the word preached or read. This is commonly seen, that those souls that have not regarded those convictions that are at first set upon their spirits, do commonly, and that by the just judgments of God upon them, grow more hard, more senseless, more seared and sottish in their spirits; for some, who formerly would quake and weep, and relent under the hearing of the word, do now for the present sit so senseless, so scared and hardened in their consciences, that certainly if they should have hell-fire thrown in their faces, as it is sometimes cried up in their ears, they would scarce be moved; and this comes upon them as a just judgment of God. 2 Th. ii. 11, 12.

But if thou shalt be such an one that shall, notwithstanding thy reading of thy misery, and also of God's mercy, still persist to go on in thy sins, know, in the first place, that here thou shalt be left, by things that thou readest, without excuse; and in the world to come thy damnation will be exceedingly aggravated for thy not regarding of them, and turning from thy sins, which were not only reproved by them, but also for rejecting of that word of grace that did instruct thee how and which way thou shouldst be saved from them. And so farewell; I shall leave thee, and also this discourse, to God, who I know will pass a righteous judgment both upon that and thee. I am yours, though not to serve your lusts and filthy minds, yet to reprove, instruct, and, according to that proportion of faith and knowledge which God hath given me, to declare unto you the way of life Thirdly, If thou do slight these, or those con- and salvation. Your judgings, railings, surmisvictions that may be set upon thy heart by read-ings, and disdaining of me, that I shall leave till ing of this discourse, or hearing of any other good man preach the word of God sincerely, thou wilt have the stifling of these or those convictions to account and answer for at the day of judgment; not only thy sins, that are commonly committed by thee in thy calling and common discourse, but thou shalt be called to a reckoning for slighting convictions, disregarding of convictions, which God useth as a special means to make poor sinners see their lost condition and the need of a Saviour. Now here I might add many more considerations besides these, to the end thou mayst be willing to tend and listen to convictions; as,

First, Consider thou hast a precious soul, more worth than the whole world; and this is commonly worked upon, if ever it be saved, by convictions.

Secondly, This soul is for certain to go to hell, if thou shalt be a slighter of convictions.

Thirdly, If that go to hell, thy body must go thither too, and then never to come out again. Now consider this, ye that' are apt to forget God,' and his convictions, lest he tear you in pieces, and there be none to deliver.' Ps. L. 22.

the fiery judgment comes, in which the offender shall not go unpunished, be he you or me; yet I shall pray for you, wish well to you, and do you what good I can. And that I might not write or speak in vain, Christian, pray for me to our God with much earnestness, fervency, and frequently, in all your knockings at our Father's door, because I do very much stand in need thereof; for my work is great, my heart is vile, the devil lieth at watch, the world would fain be saying, 'Aha, aha, thus we would have it;' and of myself, keep myself I cannot; trust myself I dare not; if God do not help me, I am sure it will not be long before my heart deceive me, and the world have their advantage of me, and so God be dishonoured by me, and thou also ashamed to own me. O, therefore, be much in prayer for me, thy fellow! I trust, in that glorious grace that is conveyed from heaven to sinners, by which they are not only sanctified here in this world, but shall be glorified in that which is to come; unto which, the Lord of his mercy bring us all.

JOHN BUNYAN.

These are several titles which are set over the several TRUTHS contained in this book, for

thy sooner finding of them

THE FIRST PART

1. The words of the text opened, and the doctrines laid down. [This doctrine, that there are some that are under the law, or under the covenant of works.] 2. What the covenant of works is, and when it was given. 3. What it is to be under the covenant of works. 4. Who they are that are under the covenant of works. 5. What men may attain to that are under this covenant of works.

THE SECOND PART.

1. The doctrine proved. 2. The new covenant made with Christ. 3. The conditions of the new covenant. 4. The suretiship of Christ. 5. Christ the Messenger of the new covenant. 6. Christ the Sacrifice of the new covenant. 7. Christ the High Priest of the new covenant. 8. Christ completely fulfilled the conditions of the new covenant. 9. The covenant of grace unchangeable; the opposers answered. 10. Who, and how men are actually brought into the new covenant. 11. A word of experience. 12. The privileges of the new covenant. 13. Two hell-bred objections answered. 14. A use of examination about the old covenant. 15. A legal spirit. 16. The use of the new covenant. 17. The unpardonable sin. 18. Objections answered for their comfort who would have their part in the new covenant.

THE DOCTRINE OF THE LAW AND GRACE UNFOLDED;

OR,

A DISCOVERY OF THE LAW AND GRACE; THE NATURE OF THE ONE, AND THE NATURE OF THE OTHER, AS THEY ARE THE TWO COVENANTS, &c.

taken more ways than one, as might be largely FOR YE ARE NOT UNDER THE LAW, BUT UNDER cleared. There is the law of faith, the law of sin,

GRACE.-ROMANS vi. 14.

[THE WORDS OF THE TEXT OPENED, AND THE DOCTRINES LAID DOWN.]

the law of men, the law of works, otherwise called the covenant of works, or the first or old covenant. In that he saith a new covenant,' which is the grace of God, or commonly called the covenant of plead-grace, he hath made the first old,' that is, the covenant of works, or the law. He. viii. 13. I say, therefore, the word 'law' and the word 'grace,' in this sixth of the Romans, do hold forth the two covenants which all men are under; that is, either the one or the other. For ye are not under the law '-that is, you to whom I do now write these words, who are and have been effectually brought into the faith of Jesus, you are not under the law, or under the covenant of works. He doth not, therefore, apply these words to all, but to some, when he saith, 'But ye;' mark, ye, ye believers, ye converted persons, ye saints, ye that have been born. (YE) for ye are not under the law,' implying others are that are in their natural state, that have not been brought into the covenant of grace by faith in Jesus Christ.

The words, therefore, being thus understood, there is discovered these two truths in them-DOCTRINE FIRST. That there are some in gospel times that are under the covenant of works. DOCTRINE SECOND. That there is never a believer under the law, as it is the covenant of works, but under grace through Christ. For ye,' you believers, you converted persons, ye are not under the law but under grace;' or, for you are delivered and brought into or under the covenant of grace.

In the three former chapters, the apostle is ing for the salvation of sinners by grace without the works of the law, to the end he might confirm the saints, and also that he might win over all those that did oppose the truth of this doctrine, or else leave them the more without excuse; and that he might so do, he taketh in hand, first, to show the state of all men naturally, or as they come into the world by generation, saying, in the third chapter, There is none righteous, no, not one; there is none that understandeth; there is none that doeth good,' &c. As if he had said, It seems there is a generation of men that think to be saved by the righteousness of the law; but let me tell them that they are much deceived, in that they have already sinned against the law; for by the disobedience of one, many, yea all, were brought into a state of condemnation. Ro. v. 12–20. Now, in the sixth chapter he doth, as if he had turned him round to the brethren, and said, My brethren, you see now that it is clear and evident that it is freely by the grace of Christ that we do inherit eternal life. And again, for your comfort, my brethren, let me tell you that condition is wondrous your safe, in that you are under grace; for, saith he, ‘Sin shall not have dominion over you;' that is, neither the damning power, neither the filthy power, so as to destroy your souls: For ye are not under the law;' that is, you are not under that that will damn you for sin; 'but' you are 'under grace,' or stand thus in relation to God, that though you have sinned, yet you shall be | pardoned. For ye are not under the law, but under grace.' If any should ask what is the meaning of the word under,' I answer, it signifieth, you are not held, kept, or shut up by it so as to appear before God under that adminis-What things soever the law saith, it saith to them tration, and none but that; or thus, you are not now bound by the authority of the law to fulfil it and obey it, so as to have no salvation without you so do; or thus, if you transgress against any one tittle of it, you by the power of it must be condemned. No, no, for you are not so under it; that is, not thus under the law. Again, For ye are not under the law.' What is meant by this word, 'law?' The word 'law,' in scripture, may be

VOL. I.

DOCTRINE FIRST.

For the first, THAT THERE ARE SOME THAT ARE UNDER THE LAW, OR UNDER THE COVENANT OF WORKS, see, I pray you, that scripture in the third of the Romans, where the apostle, speaking before of sins against the law, and of the denunciations thereof against those that are in that condition, he saith,

who are under the law;' mark, it saith to them who are under the law, that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world become guilty before God.' Ro. iii. 19. That is, all those that are under the law as a covenant of works, that are yet in their sins, and unconverted, as I told you before. Again he saith, But if ye be led by the Spirit, ye are not under the law.' Ga. v. 18. Implying again, that those which are for sinning against the law,

3 R

or the works of the law, either as it is the old covenant, these are under the law, and not under the covenant of grace. Again he saith, For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse.' Ga. iii. 10. That is, they that are under the law are under the curse; for mark, they that are under the covenant of grace are not under the curse. Now, there are but two covenants, therefore, it must needs be that they that are under the curse are under the law, seeing those that are under the other covenant are not under the curse, but under the blessing. So, then, they which be of faith are blessed with faithful Abraham,' but the rest are under the law.

Ga. iii. 9.

unto.

Now I shall proceed to what I do intend to speak FIRST. I shall show you what the covenant of works, or the law, is, and when it was first given, together with the nature of it. SECOND. I shall show you what it is to be under the law, or covenant of works, and the miserable state of all those that are under it. THIRD. I shall show you who they are that are under this covenant, or law. FOURTH. I shall show you how far a man may go and yet be under this covenant, or law.

[WHAT THE COVENANT OF WORKS IS, AND WHEN IT WAS GIVEN.]

'was glorious, how shall not the ministration of the Spirit,' or the covenant of grace, be rather glorious?' 2 Co. iii. 7, 8. As if he had said, It is true, there was a glory in the covenant of works, and a very great excellency did appear in it-namely, in that given in the stones on Sinai-yet there is another covenant, the covenant of grace, that doth exceed it for comfort and glory.

[When it was given.] But, though this law was delivered to Moses from the hands of angels in two tables of stone, on Mount Sinai, yet this was not the first appearing of this law to man; but even this in substance, though possibly not so openly, was given to the first man, Adam, in the garden of Eden, in these words: And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it; for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.' Ge. ii. 16, 17. Which commandment then given to Adam did contain in it a forbidding to do any of those things that was and is accounted evil, although at that time it did not appear so plainly, in so many particular heads, as it did when it was again delivered on Mount Sinai; but yet the very And that I shall prove thus

same.

God commanded Adam in paradise to abstain from all evil against the first covenant, and not

FIRST. What this covenant of works is, and when from some sins only; but if God had not commanded it was given.

for

you

Adam to abstain from the sins spoken against in the ten commandments, he had not commanded to abstain from all, but from some; therefore it must needs be that he then commanded to abstain from all sins forbidden in the law given on Mount Sinai. Now that God commanded to abstain from all evil or sin against any of the ten commandments, when he gave Adam the command in the garden, it is evident in that he did punish the sins that were committed against those commands that were then delivered on Mount Sinai, before they were delivered on Mount Sinai, which will appear as followeth—

[What this covenant is.] The covenant of works or the law, here spoken of, is the law delivered upon Mount Sinai to Moses, in two tables of stone, in ten particular branches or heads; for this see Ga. iv. The apostle, speaking there of the law, and of some also that through delusions of false doctrine were brought again, as it were, under it, or at least were leaning that way, ver. 21, he saith, As you that desire to be under the law, I will show the mystery of Abraham's two sons, which he had by Hagar and Sarah; these two do signify the two covenants; the one named Hagar signifies The first, second, and third commandments were Mount Sinai, where the law was delivered to Moses broken by Pharaoh and his men; for they had falso on two tables of stone. Ex. xxiv. 12; xxxiv. 1. De. x. 1. gods which the Lord executed judgment against, Which is that, that whosoever is under, he is desti- Ex. xii. 12; and blasphemed their true God, Ex. v. 2. tute of, and altogether without, the grace of Christ which escaped not punishment. Ex. vii. 17–25. in his heart at the present. For I testify again to their gods could neither deliver themselves nor their every man,' saith he, speaking to the same people, people from the hand of God; but in the thing that 'Christ has become of no effect unto you, who-wherein they dealt proudly, he was above them.' soever of you are justified by the law,' namely, that given on Mount Sinai-'ye are fallen from grace.' Ga. v. 3, 4. That is, not that any can be justified by the law; but his meaning is, that all those that seek justification by the works of the law, they are not such as seek to be under the second covenant, the covenant of grace. Also the apostle, speaking again of these two covenants, saith, But if the ministration of death,' or the law, for it is all one, written and engraven in stones,' mark that,

Ex. xviii. 11.

For

Again; some judge that the Lord punished the sin against the second commandment, which Jacob was in some measure guilty of in not purging his house from false gods, with the defiling of his daughter Dinah. Ge. xxxiv. 2.

Again; we find that Abimelech thought the sin against the third commandment so great, that he required no other security of Abraham against the fear of mischief that might be done to him by Abra