'Voices From The Past' Vol. 1 — December 27

The Father's love is manifest in giving us to the Son, and in giving his Son to be a ransom for us. The Father is to be adored as the one having a chief hand in our salvation. This word—Father—does me more good than any other scriptural name. The Father knew that the Son was able to accomplish his design to save his people from sin and the uttermost temptation. The Son abolished death, destroyed him that had the power of death, destroyed the grave, and made the end of sin and its damning effects upon the persons that the Father had given him. The Son vanquished the curse of the law, nailed it to his cross, triumphed over his enemies having made an open show of them (Col. 2:1 5). Yea, even now as a sign of his triumph and conquest, he is alive from the dead, and has the keys of hell and death in his own keeping. Christ is our faithful Mediator. Since the Father has given his elect to the Son, he will be gentle and patient towards them under all their provocations and miscarriages, for the Son has suffered for his people's ignorance, unruliness, falls into sin, and falling into error in life and doctrine. We should be amazed at God's patience and gentle carriages to his people. The Lord is very pitiful, and slow to anger, and shows a great mercy to his children. And, if he had not done so, he could never have endured their manners as he has done from Adam until now. It is a greater mercy than a mother would show to her children (Isa. 49:15). Christ had the wisdom to overcome all the difficulties in bringing his sons and daughters to glory. Christ is the wisdom of God, and he can turn sin, temptation, persecution, falls and all things, for the good of his people. He is in every way prepared for the task.

Devotional Readings taken from Puritan Devotional Readings 'Voices From The Past Vol.1.'
John Bunyan, Works, I:240-246
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