'Voices From The Past' Vol. 1 — March 7

The salvation of the soul is such a wonderful thing that no other thing should come before it. Men are ignorant of the worth of their souls, and their danger. Alas! How common it is for men to spend all their care, time and strength, just for their body. Clothes and foolish fancies are all-absorbing. What a loss to entertain sin at the expense of God! Sin is delightfully admitted into every chamber of the soul, and it hides and excuses it. O what courting is between sin and the soul! O how it entertains sin and pushes out God! The soul in its imaginations actually advances the power of sin. The imagination is such a powerful force that all the other faculties cannot withstand it. Sin is presented to the soul, and the soul lifts up its eyes upon it, and the imagination delights in it. Had the imagination been on God's side, it would have viewed the sin as ugly and ill favoured. It would resist it with great defiance. The sinful soul however entertains the sin by its imagination, and leads the sinner along to the actual fulfilment. The soul falls before the sin in a flame of love. Sin thus attacks at the level of the imagination first, to inflame the soul with sinful desires. How many times God issues warnings of judgment to the soul! God is such a lover of the soul that he seldom lets it go on in sin, but he cries to it by his Word and providences: 'O do not do this abominable thing that I hate!’ The gospel is the sovereign remedy provided for those that have made themselves objects of wrath by the breach of the law. Christ is set forth to save our souls, bearing our sins for us, suffering God's wrath for us, and fulfilling the law for us. And that, that we might have peace, joy, heaven and glory, forever and ever.

Devotional Readings taken from Puritan Devotional Readings 'Voices From The Past Vol.1.'
John Bunyan, Works, I:105-131
Banner of Truth has granted permission for the use of this material.