he was reproved severely by a woman who was a notorious sinner herself; who told him, that he was the ugliest fellow for swearing that ever she heard in all her life; and that by his doing thus, he was able to spoil all the youth in the town, if they came into his company. This reproof, coming from such a woman, whom he knew to be very wicked and ungodly, filled him with great shame ; and wrought more with him than many that had been given him before, by those that were sober and godly. This made him wish that he had never known what it was to be a swearer; and even made him out of love with it, and, from that time forward, very much to refrain from it.* This puts me in mind of a story I have read in the life of the holy Mr. Perkins, who, in his younger years was as great a debauchee as any in the University of Cambridge, where he was brought up. He, coming one time through the outer parts of the town, heard a woman say to her child that was forward and peevish, Either hold your tongue or I will give you to drunken Perkins, yonder. These words were so great a reproof to him, finding himself but a common bye-word among the people, that it made him resolve upon a reformation ; and this, by God's gracious and all-dispensing providence, was one great step towards his conversion.

But to return to Mr. BUNYAN:-God, having a design of grace towards him, gave him frequent checks and interruptions in the midst of his strongest resolutions to go on in his sin; sometimes scaring him with dreams, and terrifying him with visions, in an extraordinary manner; verifying that saying of Elihu to Job, in the 33rd chapter of that book, and the 14th verse, and forward ;-" For

* Conversion is sometimes effected, through infinite wisdom, by the most unlikely means and instruments. Many, who perish in their sins, have involuntarily, darted convictions, tending to salvation, into the minds of God's people, as in the present instance. May we not therefore exclaim with the apostle, (Rom. xi. 33.) "O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out."

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God speaketh once, yea, twice, yet man perceiveth it not : in a dream, in a vision of the night, when deep sleep falleth upon men, in slumberings upon the bed: then he openeth the ears of men, and sealeth their instruction that he may withdraw man from his purpose, and keep back his soul from the pit, and his life from perishing." For once he dreamed that he saw the face of the heavens, as it were, all on fire, and the firmament cracking and shivering with the noise of mighty thunders, and that an archangel flew in the midst of heaven, sounding a trumpet; and a throne of glory was seated in the east, whereon sat a person in brightness like the morning-star. Upon whieh Mr. BUNYAN, thinking in his dream that it was the end of the world, fell upon his knees, and with uplifted hands towards Heaven, cried out, O Lord God have mercy upon me ! What shall I do? The day of judgment is come, and I am not prepared! and then immediately he heard a voice behind him, saying,—Repent. Upon this he awaked, and found it was but a dream-But surely it was a very awful dream, and a memento sent from Heaven; and it had an effect accordingly, for upon this he grew more serious, and it remained in his mind a considerable time. * This was a part of God's dealing with him, to withdraw him from his pose of sinning, and to keep back his soul from the pit of destruction.

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At another time, he dreamed that he was in a pleasant place, living in riot and luxury, banqueting and feasting his senses when on a sudden, even in a moment, a mighty earthquake rent the earth asunder, and, out of the wide and dreadful gap came bloody and amazing

By the terrors of the Lord, great sinners may be persuaded to forsake their impious ways for a season, and set about a specious kind of reformation, after many solemn warnings, as was the case of Mr. BUNYAN: but as convictions do not always issue in conversion, so the feeble resolutions produced by them frequently prove as the morning cloud, and pass away as the early dew, Hos. vi. 4. "Salvation is of the Lord," Jonah ni. 9, and to him, and him alone, all the glory of it is justly due.

flames, and in those flames the figures of men tossed up in globes of fire, and falling down again, with horrid shrieks, cries, and execrations; whilst some devils, that were mingled with them, laughed aloud at their torments. Whilst he stood trembling at this affrighting vision, he thought the earth shook under him, and a circle of flame enclosed him. But when he thought himself just at the point of perishing, one in white, shining raiment descended, and plucked him out of that dreadful place; whilst the devils cried out after him, to leave him with them, that he might receive the just punishment his sins had deserved :-yet he escaped the danger He was extremely affrighted with this dream, and not a little glad when he found it to be but a dream, though indeed it was a great deal more, for it was the secret working of the Almighty upon his spirit, to draw him from his sins, although he was ignorant of Christ, and so wedded unto sport and play, that he could not leave it.

But in a little time after, he fell into the company of a poor man that made profession of religion, whose discourse of religion and of the Scriptures so affected Mr. BUNYAN, that he betook himself to reading the Bible, especially the historical part thereof. But he was yet ignorant both of the corruption and depravity of his nature, and, by a necessary consequence, of the want and worth of Jesus Christ to save him.

However, this produced outward reformation both in his words and life; and he now was fallen into a kind of legal religion, working for life, and making up a righteousness for himself thereby. * So that while he thought he kept the commandments. he had comfort; but when, sometimes, he broke any of them, his conscience was

*The religion of the Pharisee leaves the sinner just as it found him; yea, rather brings him into a fool's paradise, which his pride and self-righteousness will not suffer him to quit. Regeneration is the ground-work of salvation; according to John iii.

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"Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God;" he can have no adequate conception of the nature of that kingdom, much less can he enjoy the blessings of it.

full of guilt and trouble. Then, however, upon his sorrow and repentance, he healed himself again, and thought thereby he had made God amends, and all was well.

Thus he continued for some time, very near a year; his neighbours all that time taking him for a very good man, and wondering at his reformation. Yet, indeed, all that time he was as far from the way of life, as when he was most profane ;* though, as himself phrases it, his change of life and manners was as remarkable, as for Tom of Bedlam to become a sober man.

Now these that spake ill of him before, began to praise and commend him, both to his face and behind his back; which, notwithstanding his reformation, puffed him up with pride, and filled him with hypocrisy. He had been mightily addicted to ringing, and, for all his reformation, was very unwilling to leave it: but his conscience beginning to be tender, he thought the practice thereof to be but vain, and so forced himself to leave it, yet could not keep his mind from hankering after it; and therefore would not ring. But then he was surprised with fears, that possibly one of the bells might fall and kill him; so he durst no longer go into the steeple, but would stand at the door, and even there he was afraid lest the steeple itself should fall upon him. This both showed continual conviction, and that yet the love of pleasures still remained, and his corrupt affections were unmortified. Dancing was another thing in which he much delighted; and this he found it a hard thing to relinquish; it being near a year before he could leave it off.

But, alas! this was only lopping off the branches of

* A mere outward reformation, with the heart unrenewed, is unavailable to salvation. No effectual saving grace can take place in a sinner, till, in the glass of God's law, it is given him to see his abominable nature by the fall, his numberless actual sins, and, obnoxiousness to the wrath of God, and everlasting banishment from his presence and glory, on account of them. This humbling view is wrought in the soul by the quickening spirit of God, which in due time points it to the Saviour and Friend of the miserable and needy, to his atoning sacrifice for pardon, to his divine righteousness for justification and acceptance with God.

sin, whilst the root of unregeneracy remained. This was but building upon the old foundation, which must all be overturned, where God intends to carry on his work in truth. But it pleased God, in his wonderful wisdom and goodness, to let him pass through these things, that he might the better know how to direct those poor wandering souls that should be afterwards in such a ɛtate, which in itself is very dangerous; for no sort of sinners are in a more desperate condition than those that are "pure in their own eyes, and yet are not cleansed from their filthiness."

Not long after, the providence of God so ordered it, that Mr. BUNYAN went to Bedford to work at his calling, and happened there to hear three or four poor women, who were sitting in the sun, discoursing together about the things of God; which caused him to draw near to them, for he was by this time himself become a mighty talker of religion. But when he had heard awhile, as himself confessed, he heard, indeed, but he understood not, for they spoke of things above his reach ;† discoursing of the new birth and the work of God on their hearts, and how they were convinced of their miserable state by nature. They talked how God had visited their souls with his love in the Lord Jesus; and with what words and promises they had been refreshed, comforted, and supported against the temptations of the devil. They also reasoned of the suggestions and temptations of the evil one in particular; and told each other how they had been afflicted, and how they were borne up under his

*Prov. xxx. 12.

† As, on the one hand, "the natural man receiveth not the things of the spirit of God, because they are spiritually discerned," 1 Cor. ii. 14, (the mysteries of the kingdom of God being only revealed to new-born souls). So on the other, the spiritual communion of the children of God is always attended with blessed effects to their own souls, and is frequently instrumental to the conviction of others, as appears in the sequel. In such heavenly conferences, Jesus is sure to make one of the company. See Luke xxiv. 15.

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