A30167:321
Light for them that sit in darkness, or, A discourse of Jesus Christ, and…
Light for them that sit in darkness, or, A discourse of Jesus Christ, and that he undertook to accomplish by himself the eternal redemption of sinners also, that the Lord Jesus addressed himself to this work, with undeniable demonstrations that he performed the same : objections to the contrary answered / by John Bunyan.
London: printed for Francis Smith, 1675
Modern spelling is a reading aid: the words are the author’s, only the spelling is modernized. Original shows the page as printed, with the transcription marks.
Thirdly, The End of the Work required, That Christ, if he will be our Saviour, should take upon him our Flesh.
The End of our Salvation is, That we might enjoy God, and that he by us might be glorified for ever and ever.
1. That we might enjoy God. I will dwell in them, and they shall be my People, and I will be ⟨p. 54⟩their God. This Indwelling of God, and consequently our Enjoyment of him, begins first in its Eminency, by his Possessing our Flesh in the Person of Jesus Christ. Hence his Name is called Emmanuel, God with us; and the Word was made Flesh and dwelt amongst us. The Flesh of Christ, is the Tabernacle which the Lord pitched, according to that saying: The Tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his People, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God, Revel. 21. 3. Here God beginneth to discover his Glory, and to be desirable to the Sons of Men.
God could not communicate himself to us, nor take us into the Enjoyment of himself, but with respect to that Flesh which his Son took of the Virgin, because sin stood betwixt. Now this Flesh, only, was the Holy Lump; in this Flesh God could dwell, and forasmuch as this Flesh is the same with ours, and was taken up with intent that what was done, in, and by that, should be communicated to all the Children; therefore through that, doth God communicate of himself unto his People. God was in Christ reconciling the World unto himself. And I am the Way, saith Christ, no man cometh to the Father but by me,