St. Bunyan and Sirach
"Look at the generations of old, and see; did ever any trust in the Lord, and was confounded? or did any abide in his fear, and was forsaken? or whom did he ever despise, that called upon him?"
St. John Bunyan’s1 Grace Abounding to the Chief of Sinners is a classic of Puritan literature—and greater Christian autobiographical literature—telling the tale of St. John Bunyan’s conversion from a man without God in the World, full of wickedness and blasphemy2 to the great Puritan preacher that he is revered to be. It is a beautiful work, and I encourage any reader to take the time to read it, it is not too long, and St. Bunyan is quite readable for the 17th century. However, I’m not interested in covering his whole work in this post, rather, a section of his work in which he makes use of the Deuterocanonical book of Sirach, or, Ecclesiasticus. Sirach is not a book of the 66-book Protestant canon, rather, it is counted amongst the Deuterocanon, or, Apocrypha, books of the second canon which classical Protestants have understood to be given to the Church not as inspired Scripture nor as a rule of faith, but rather for Her edification and the supplementation of doctrine.
As St. Bunyan describes his conversion, he goes over various questions he wrestled with and brought him much despair, for instance, whether or not he had faith3 and whether or not he was counted amongst the elect4. I shall let the Tinker tell this part of his story.
58. By these two temptations I was very much afflicted and disquieted; sometimes by one, and sometimes by the other of them. And first, to speak of that about my questioning my election, I found at this time, that though I was in a flame to find the way to heaven and glory, and though nothing could beat me off from this, yet this question did so offend and discourage me, that I was, especially sometimes, as if the very strength of my body also had been taken away by the force and power thereof. This scripture did also seem to me to trample upon all my desires; It is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth; but of God that showeth mercy. Rom. ix. 16.
59. With this scripture I could not tell what to do: for I evidently saw, unless that the great God, of His infinite grace and bounty, had voluntarily chosen me to be a vessel of mercy, though I should desire, and long, and labour until my heart did break, no good could come of it. Therefore this would stick with me, How can you tell that you are elected? And what if you should not? How then?
60. O Lord, thought I, what if I should not indeed? It may be you are not, said the Tempter; it may be so indeed, thought I. Why then, said Satan, you had as good leave off, and strive no farther; for if indeed, you should not be elected and chosen of God, there is no talk of your being saved; For it is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth; but of God that showeth mercy.
61. By these things I was driven to my wits’ end, not knowing what to say, or how to answer these temptations: (indeed, I little thought that Satan had thus assaulted me, but that rather it was my own prudence thus to start the question): for that the elect only attained eternal life; that, I without scruple did heartily close withal; but that myself was one of them, there lay the question.
62. Thus therefore, for several days, I was greatly assaulted and perplexed, and was often, when I have been walking, ready to sink where I went, with faintness in my mind; but one day, after I had been so many weeks oppressed and cast down therewith as I was now quite giving up the ghost of all my hopes of ever attaining life, that sentence fell with weight upon my spirit, Look at the generations of old, and see; did ever any trust in God, and were confounded?
63. At which I was greatly lightened, and encouraged in my soul; for thus, at that very instant, it was expounded to me: Begin at the beginning of Genesis, and read to the end of the Revelations, and see if you can find, that there were ever any that trusted in the Lord, and were confounded. So coming home, I presently went to my Bible, to see if I could find that saying, not doubting but to find it presently; for it was so fresh, and with such strength and comfort on my spirit, that it was as if it talked with me.
64. Well, I looked, but I found it not; only it abode upon me: Then did I ask first this good man, and then another, if they knew where it was, but they knew no such place. At this I wondered, that such a sentence should so suddenly, and with such comfort and strength, seize, and abide upon my heart; and yet that none could find it (for I doubted not but that it was in holy scripture).
65. Thus I continued above a year, and could not find the place; but at last, casting my eye upon the Apocrypha books, I found it in Ecclesiasticus, Eccles. ii. 10. This, at the first, did somewhat daunt me; but because by this time I had got more experience of the love and kindness of God, it troubled me the less, especially when I considered that though it was not in those texts that we call holy and canonical; yet forasmuch as this sentence was the sum and substance of many of the promises, it was my duty to take the comfort of it; and I bless God for that word, for it was of God to me: that word doth still at times shine before my face.5
St. Bunyan, in the midst of his despair over these questions, found comfort in this sentence he heard from Sirach, "Look at the generations of old, and see; did ever any trust in the Lord, and was confounded? or did any abide in his fear, and was forsaken? or whom did he ever despise, that called upon him?" (Ecclesiasticus 2:10 KJVA). He searched the canonical Scriptures for the text, but couldn’t find it anywhere. Only upon his searching through the Deuterocanon could he find the sentence that had brought him some comfort in the midst of his struggles. At first, he was worried about the fact that such a comforting text could be found in what he called the Apocrypha, yet, his heart was stilled when he realized that “forasmuch as this sentence was the sum and substance of many of the promises, it was my duty to take the comfort of it.” These words from Sirach, that no one who has trusted in the Lord has been confounded, brought St. Bunyan great comfort as he was wrestling through these questions of faith and election. And what a promise it is for us who may struggle with such questions! If we ever doubt our place in God’s Kingdom, surely we can look and see His workings throughout history that no one who trusted in God was ever disappointed. The Gospel promise is thus, that if you come to Christ, He will never cast you out. Those who come and believe in the Lord have had their sins washed away, they have no reason to be thrown to and fro through the winds of wondering “Am I elect? Do I have faith?” Have you not seen how those who have trusted in the Lord have received His promises? If you confess the Lord Jesus Christ, you will be saved, that is sure. Who, when they have called upon the name of the Lord, has He despised? If you seek His face, God will show His face, for God has drawn you and chosen you in Christ before the foundation of the World. Now, this does not mean there are no false professors and that assurance is something you must feel at every moment in your Christian journey, but the lesson that St. Bunyan drew from Sirach is one that we can draw ourselves. Look upon God’s faithfulness, see His steadfast love for His people, and rest in His finished work. Now, while this text provides relief for St. Bunyan, he is soon back to his despair as he continues to seek God’s love. However, Sirach does not only help him during this time of his conversion experience, but it is something that “still at times [shines] before my face” well after his conversion.
Much can be learned from his use of Sirach as we as Baptists consider the Deuterocanon and its place in the Church. The Confession is clear, the Deuterocanon is not Inspired Scripture (1689 1.3), but this does not mean our Baptist Fathers did not have any use for the Deuterocanon. As St. Athanasius puts it when describing the Deuterocanon, “[these are] not indeed included in the Canon, but appointed by the Fathers to be read by those who newly join us, and who wish for instruction in the word of godliness.”6 These are not Inspired Scripture, but they are works which have been appointed for the Church to read for her edification and growth in Godliness, for in them is contained “the sum and substance of many of the promises.” So, do not be fearful of the Deuterocanonical books, read them as the Church has done in all ages and as St. Bunyan did, and where there is the Gospel preached in them, rejoice and take comfort, for it is your duty wherever it is preached.
All Glory be to God.
St. Bunyan’s place amongst the “Baptists” is disputed, given that he really does not fit into the mold of a “Baptistic Congregationalist” as Matthew Bingham describes it. I’m inclined to agree that St. Bunyan is not properly considered to be a “Particular Baptist,” but, he was a credobaptist and an important figure in Baptist life, so I thought I would start my Baptists and the Deuterocanon series with him.
St. John Bunyan, Grace Abounding to the Chief of Sinners, 3
Ibid, 49
Ibid, 57, 59
Ibid, 58-65
St. Athanasius, Letter 39.7