Come and Welcome - Conclusion

One of the reasons why I haven't blogged much on this book is due to the fact that I really enjoyed it. So much so that I decided that any spare time was better spent reading this book than writing about it.

In one of my early posts I spoke of the fact that Bunyan exhibits a beautiful joining of Reformed theology with a heart for evangelism. He is no "hyper-Calvinist", and his concern for lost souls pours off of the pages of Come and Welcome to Jesus Christ. Two final examples of this union:

Life is in Christ, that it might be sure to all the seed. Alas! The best of us, if life was left in our hand, to be sure, we would forfeit it, over, and over, and over. Or, if it was in any other hand, we should, by our often backslidings, so offend him, that at last he would shut up his bowels in everlasting displeasure against us. But now it is in Christ, it is with one that can pity, pray for, pardon, yes, multiply pardons. It is with one that can have compassion upon us, when we are out of the way; with one that has a heart to fetch us again, when we are gone astray; with one that can pardon without upbraiding. Blessed be God that life is in Christ! For now it is sure to all the seed. (pg. 199)

God has strewed all the way, from the gate of hell, where you were, to the gate of heaven, where you are going, with flowers out of his own garden. Behold how the promises, invitations, call, and encouragements, like lilies, lie round about you! Take heed that you do not tread them under foot, sinner. With promises, did I say? Yes, he has mixed all those with his own Name, his Son's Name; also, with the name of mercy, goodness, compassion, love, pity, grace, forgiveness, pardon, and what not, that may encourage the coming sinner. (pg. 221-222)

Oh what blessed promises are contained in the text that Bunyan so thoroughly exposits in this book:

All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out. - John 6:37, KJV