Hardly a problem. If that's a problem, I'm in trouble.
I've been amazed for two days now and must share this. Just as it happened. But it is only interesting--REALLY interesting--from the totally divine realm's eye.
But to start at the beginning, when I first got on SI I typed a long excerpt from Pilgrim's Progress. I have a copy. A VERY interesting copy, not like any other, and not coming to anyone in the usual way. It was sold to me for very little with the blessing of a sinner I had just witnessed to that the "book would be worth a lot of money to you someday." It was a leather embossed gold leaf edition of Pilgrims' Progress, and I loved the art on the cover most of all. Gorgeous leather work, looked real old. With old lithographs covered in thin paper, and scripture on every paragraph. It was also Of Grace Abounding, Pilgrims Progress, and the subsequent story of his wife's walk on her own, all in one book. Published by the American Tract Association. Very old, so I kept it with my prized possessions until a puppy chewed the corner 4 years later. I was devasted, and took off the beautiful cover and put it on the wall, where it seemed to instantly draw all of the brethren who always commented on the small leather cover on the wall. Then that cover got lost and I used the other. Then I kept the remains for the lithographs. When I finally wondered how much of a treasure I had trashed, I traced it a whole day. Even called the current Amer. Tract Society office in Texas. They had no CLUE, just said sounded early l800's, and they had no such record. By now the front pages were gone and I was down to the first page. I wrapped up what was left to keep the precious lithographs safe. I took out the book when I got here and noticed that somehow I managed to end up with two sections. One of them is buried somewhere, the other I guess I dragged out with something else very recently, because the smaller portion of tattered pages was on the kitchen shelf, and I thought, "OH, great, haven't read much Bunyan for awhile" and was hoping I could find something of true value to post here.
Gregor will remember that our first meeting was a long post to him out of Bunyan over on Shaloms Rock of Salvation thread, and I tend to bring up Bunyan because the man just blows my mind. He was the plu-perfect case of the total sinner turning into the total saint and beyond, and also did 14 years in an English dungeon for street preaching, got out to freedom, preached, and went back in. His writings are of course completely amazing, since he wasn't upper class or well educated at all and lived in the mid 1600's to make it even more astounding that he ever wrote anything.
So, looking for inspiration, my book was ripped apart now to page 46, hanging off of page 47, which began, so interestingly so, that I did not thumb through it as usual looking for really good stuff, but started reading as follows:
And I now type from my ancient book, so tattered it is pitiful:
"Once I was troubled to know whether the Lord Jesus was man as well as God, and God as well as man; and truly in those days, let men say what they would, unless I had it in evidence from heaven, all was nothing to me; I counted myself not set down in any truth of God. Well, I was much troubled about this point, and could not tell how to be resolved; at last, that in Rev.5:6 came into my mind: "And I beheld, and lo! in the midst of the throne and and of the four beasts, and in the midst of the elders stood a lamb."
"In the midst of the throne, thought I, there is the Godhead; in the midst of the elders, there is manhood. Oh! methought this did glister! It was a goodly touch and gave me sweet satisfaction. That other scripture, also, did help me much in this: To us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the govn. shall be upon his.....Prince of Peace." Isa 9:6. Also, besides these teachings of God in his word, the Lord made use of two things to confirm me in this truth; the one was the errors of the fanatics, and the other was the guilt of sin: for as the fanatics did oppose the truth, so God did the more confirm me in it by leading me into the Scripture that did wonderfully maintain it."
Brother John goes on to list the errors of which were rampant in his day, which he gladly spend 14 years on the floor of a filthy vemin pit English dungeon.
It is all so good I could just copy it for pages, but I would like to get to what amazed me. If it doesn't amaze anyone else, please forgive me, but I had to share it here as I am sure that's why I was reading the book anyway at this particular time so i COULD share it here, and why I will never know, I'm sure.
But obviously God is not finished with us (me, anyone here) yet, and the work I am now certain is very much in process as we speak.
I read until it was time to go back to work and just when I was about to put it away forever again, probably, but not until I had posted to us all that John Bunyan ALSO believed in searching out scripture for himself, and that things seemed to be the same confusing mess in his day, and things hadn't changed much, something like that was going through my mind and it seemed a perfect thing to pass on and bring brother John up for all to see for a moment, and then I read this:
...."but before I had got thus far out of these my temptations [to just die of happiness and go be with Jesus after such revelations as he was receiving on the page I was reading, obviously this man was totally lost in Jesus Christ, completely] I did greatly long to see some ancient godly man's experience , who had written some hundreds of years before I was born ; for those who had written in our days I thought (but I desire them now to pardon me) that they had written only that which others felt; or else had, through the strenth of their wits and parts, studied to answer such objections as they perceived others were perplexed with, without going down themselves into the deep.
"Well, after many such longings in my mind, the God in whose hands are all of our days and ways (THE GOD IN WHOSE HANDS ARE ALL OF OUR DAYS AND WAYS), did cast into my hands one day a book of Martin Luther's; it was his Comment on Galatians! It also was so old that it was ready to fall piece from piece if I did but turn it over. Now I was pleased much that such an old book had fallen into my hands, the which when I had but a little way perused I found my condition in his experience so largely and profoundly handled, as if his book had been written out of my heart. This made me marvel, for thus, thought I , this man could not know any thing of the state of Christians now, but must needs write and speak the experience of former days."
Well, that's enough for now.
The Lord has played a wonderful joke, and it seems the little book of Bunyan slowly falling apart and never quite getting totally lost was being kept for just such a time as I would need it.
It is true that the more things change, the more they stay the same, and beyond that I can only say that I will post more of my beloved brother in the Lord, John Bunyan, here, as truly he speaks as if from the heart of those who speak here, and it is all simply amazing.
May the peace of Jesus Christ be upon us all, both now and forever, amen.
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