good Lord had respect to the desire of his servant; | to the pulpit-door, and there it hath been taken off,

for I had not preached long before some began to be touched, and be greatly afflicted in their minds at the apprehension of the greatness of their sin, and of their need of Jesus Christ.

'But I at first could not believe that God should speak by me to the heart of any man, still counting myself unworthy; yet those who were thus touched would love me, and have a particular respect for me; and though I did put it from me that they should be awakened by me, still they would confess it, and affirm it before the saints of God. They would also bless God for me, unworthy wretch that I am! and count me God's instrument that showed to them the way of salvation.

'Wherefore, seeing them in both their words and deeds to be so constant, and also in their hearts so earnestly pressing after the knowledge of Jesus Christ, rejoicing that ever God did send me where they were; then I began to conclude that it might be so, that God had owned in his work such a foolish one as I; and then came that word of God to my heart with much sweet refreshment, "The blessing of him that was ready to perish came upon me, and I caused the widow's heart to sing for joy (Job xxix. 13).

'At this therefore I rejoiced; yea, the tears of those whom God did awaken by my preaching would be both solace and encouragement to me. I thought on those sayings, "Who is he that maketh me glad, but the same that is made sorry by me" (2 Cor. ii. 2). And again, "Though I be not an apostle to others, yet doubtless I am unto you: for the seal of my apostleship are ye in the Lord" (1 Cor. ix. 2). These things, therefore, were as an another argument unto me, that God had called me to, and stood by me in this work.

and I have been at liberty in my mind until I have done my work, and then, immediately, even before I could get down the pulpit stairs, I have been as bad as I was before: yet God carried me on with a strong hand, for neither guilt nor hell could take me off my work. Thus I went on for the space of two years, crying out against men's sins, and their fearful state because of them.'2

3

'At

A man so much in earnest soon became a most acceptable and popular preacher. He studied his sermons carefully, and wrote such memorandums and notes as might refresh his memory before going into the pulpit, although his intensity of feeling, his ready utterance, and natural eloquence which charmed his hearers, and his extensive usefulness as a preacher, render it quite improbable that he restricted himself to notes while publicly engaged in sacred services. They must have aided him when he did not enjoy liberty of utterance. times when I have begun to speak the Word with much liberty, I have been presently so straitened in speech that I scarcely knew what I was about, or as if my head had been in a bag.' They were valuable, also, as a proof that all he said had its exclusive reference to the world to come, without the mixture of politics, which might have given offence to the Government. Thus, when he was apprehended for neglecting to attend. the church service and for preaching the gospel, in his conversation with Mr. Cobb, the magistrate's clerk, he said that, to cut off all occasions of suspicion from any, as touching the harmlessness of my doctrine, in private I would willingly take the pains to give any one the notes of all my sermons, for I do sincerely desire to live quietly in my country, and to submit to the present authority.' In such troublesome times these would afford abundant proof that he was desirous of submitting to all the political institutions of his country, while he dared not conform to human laws affecting his faith or his mode of worshipping God, for which he alone was to stand answerable at the great day.

4 In my preaching of the Word I took special notice of this one thing, namely, that the Lord did lead me to begin where his Word begins with sinners; that is, to condemn all flesh, and to open and allege, that the curse of God by the law doth belong to, and lay hold on all men as they come into the world, because of sin. Now this part of my work I fulfilled with great feeling, for the terrors of the law, and guilt for my transgressions, lay heavy on my own conscience. I preached what I felt, what I smartingly did feel, even that under which my poor soul did groan and tremble to astonishment. Indeed, I have been as one sent to them from the dead; I went myself in chains to preach to them in chains; and carried that fire in my own conscience that I persuaded them to beware of. I can truly say, that when I have been to preach, I have gone full of guilt and terror even

1 If Christians recollected with what anxiety their teachers prepared and delivered their sermons, how constant and prayerful would be their attendance on the means of grace.

·

2 Grace Abounding, vol. i., p. 42. The taunts and revilings of a poet laureate upon Bunyan's preaching and sufferings need only a passing notice. No words could be more vile and slanderous than those of Mr. Southey. He says, 'Peace might be on his lips, and zeal for the salvation of others in his heart, but he was certainly, at that time, no preacher of good will, good will, but by 'peace on his lips?' and what is the criterion nor of christian charity.' How can we judge of a preacher's of Christian charity, except it be "zeal for the salvation of others in his heart?"

3 Grace Abounding, No. 293, vol. i., p. 44.

Vol. i., p. 59. Eben. Chandler thus describes Bunyan : His wit was sharp and quick, his memory tenacious; it being customary with him to commit his sermons to writing after he had preached them.'-Chandler and Wilson's Preface to Bunyan's Works, folio. 1692. All these autographs have unaccountably disappeared.

The employment of his time in earning a maintenance for his family, and his constant engagements to preach, interfered with the proper fulfilment of his duties as a deacon of the church. His resignation of this important office is thus recorded in the minutes of the church- At a meeting held on the 27th of the 6th month, 1657, the deacon's office was transferred from John Bunyan to John Pernie, because he could no longer discharge its duties aright, in consequence of his being so much employed in preaching.'

We cannot wonder that his time was incessantly employed. His was no ordinary case. He had to recover and improve upon the little education he had received, and lost again by dissipated habits. He must have made every effort, by his diligent study of the Bible, to gain that spiritual knowledge which alone could enable him to proclaim the unsearchable riches of Christ, and that profound internal converse with the throne of God which appears in all his writings. In addition to all this, he was engaged in continual controversy with a variety of sects, which, in his sober judgment, opposed the simplicity of the gospel. Among these the Ranters, or Sweet Singers, were very conspicuous. It is difficult to discover what were their opinions, but they appear to have been nearly like the Dutch Adamites; they were severely persecuted, by public authority, under the Commonwealth, for blasphemy. George Fox found some of them in prison at Coventry in 1649, and held a short disputation with them. They claimed each one to be GOD, founding their notion on such assages as 1 Cor. xiv. 25,

God is in you of a truth.' Fox quaintly asked them whether it would rain the next day; and upon their

of the gospel in their native purity, simplicity, and beauty, as an antidote to fanaticism. The learned and eloquent looked with contempt upon the follies of the Ranters, Familists, and some loose Quakers, and only deigned to abuse them with raillery, while the poor unlettered tinker wrote against them.' To indite a work would be to him a pleasant recreation, but writing a book must have been extremely difficult, and have required extraordinary patience. This will be better seen by a specimen of his handwriting, now in the Bedford Library, found in Fox's Book of Martyrs, the three volumes of which beguiled many of his tedious hours when in prison.

haw is on Stout and strong indeed he doth not warr Like as doth Ro

To write a volume, containing about twenty-five thousand words, must have been a serious task to such a scribe.

It is interesting to trace his improvement in caligraphy while recovering his lost education, and advancing in proficiency in an art so essential to his constantly extending usefulness.

JOHN BVNJAN

JOHN-BVNVAN J002.

answering that they could

not tell, Then said I unto

them, God can tell.'1 Strange doth the unde 10

as it may appear, the Ranters had many followers, while numerous pious people were troubled by their impudence and perversion of Scripture, but more especially by their being a persecuted people. Taking advantage of the inquiries that were excited by these strange doctrines, Bunyan determined to become an author, that he might set forth more exten

which

will

prid

not

the

The above signatures in Fox's Book of Martyrs (one of his first acquisitions in book-collecting), are remarkably rude and laboured; a great effort to produce his name handsomely such as a young scribe would contemplate with no small degree of satisfaction. On a page of that book, under the engraving of an owl appearing at a council held by Pope John at Rome, he had written the above four lines.

sively than he could do by preaching, the truths | The next is a more useful running hand, however defective in orthography and grammar; it is

1 Noticed in the life annexed to Pilgrim, Part III.

from the first page of a copy of Bishop Andrews' | appears, that in the course of his itinerating la

John Bunyan is Book

The inscription in a copy of his Holy City, 1665, | in Dr. Williams' or the Dissenters' Library, Red Cross Street, is in a still more useful hand, as good as that of most authors of that day—

immersed in the same deep and solemn regeneration, and their ardent object was the same-to spread the influence of the kingdom of Christ.

When Christians of various denominations meet in prayer, how it melts down their sectarian bitterness. In this controversy, mention is made of a total abstinence movement in the time of the commonwealth, a germ which has put forth its mighty efforts in our more peaceful and happy times. A cloud now hovered over Bunyan, and threatened him with troubles of a very different kind to those of religious controversy. It will startle many of our readers to hear that, under the government of Cromwell, Bunyan was persecuted for his religious opinions and practices. Mr. Jukes, in his interesting History of Bunyan's Church, thus refers to it: Soon after he had resigned the office of deacon in 1657, the hand of persecution was raised against him; for at a meeting of the church, held on the 25th day of the twelfth month, in the same year (Feb. 1658), it was agreed that the 3d day of the next month be set apart to seek God in the behalf of our brother Wheeler, who hath been long ill in body, whereby his ministry hath been hindered; and also about the church affairs, and the affairs of the nation; and for our brother Whitbread, who has long been ill; and also for counsel what to do with respect to the indictment of brother Bunyan at the assizes, for preaching at Eaton.' 2

in reply to an imputation made by Bunyan, that the Quakers were the false prophets alluded to in Scripture, observed that 'in those days there was not a Quaker heard of.' Friend,' replied Bunyan, thou hast rightly said, there was not a Quaker heard of indeed, though there were many Christians heard of then. Again, to defend thy self thou throwest the dirt in my face, saying, If we should diligently trace thee, we should find thee in the steps of the false prophets, through fancied words, through covetousness, making merchandise of souls, loving the wages of unrighteousness. To which Bunyan replied; Friend, dost thou speak this as from thy own knowledge, or did any other tell thee so? However, that spirit that led thee out this way, is a lying spirit; for though I be poor, and of no repute in the world as to outward things, yet through grace I have learned, by the example of the apostle, to preach the truth, and also to work with my hands, both for mine own living, and for those that are with me, when I have opportunity. And I trust that the Lord Jesus, who hath helped me to reject the wages of unrighteousness hitherto, will also help me still, so that I shall distribute that which God hath given me freely, and not for filthy lucre sake.'1 Thus had he learned of the apostle to make the gospel of Christ without charge' (1 Co. ix. 18); and upou this subject they strangely agreed. The same agreement existed between them upon the necessity of inward light from the Holy Spirit; without Although persecution for religious opinions aswhich they both considered the Bible to be a dead sumed a milder form under the Commonwealth, the letter. The peculiar principle which separates the great principles of religious freedom and equality Quaker from every other Christian community, has were neither known nor practised. The savage nothing to do with the light within. Upon that barbarities perpetrated upon Prynne, Bastwick, subject all evangelical sects are agreed. The Burton, Leighton, and others, by Charles I. and substantial difference is whether our Lord intended his archbishop, Laud, were calculated to open the work of the ministry to be exclusively a work eyes of the nation to the wickedness and inutility of benevolence, charity, and love, binding all who of sanguinary or even any laws to govern the conare capable of using the talent intrusted to them, science, or interfere with Divine worship. Alas! to do it without worldly reward. Surely every even those who suffered and survived became, in man may be satisfied in his own mind upon such a their turn, persecutors. The great object of persesubject, without quarrelling with, or anathematiz-cution was the book of Common Prayer, the use of ing each other. Bunyan and Burrough agreed, which was rigorously prohibited. The clergy were without knowing it, in the sentiments of their placed in an extremely awkward predicament. No illustrious and learned cotemporary, John Milton, sooner was the Act of Parliament passed ordering as to the ministry being without charge; and had the Directory to be used and the Prayer-book to be they, when offended, followed their Master's rule, laid aside, than the king, by his royal proclamation, If thy brother trespass against thee, go and tell issued from Oxford, November 13, 1645, ordered him his fault between thee and him alone' (Mat. the Directory to be set aside, and the Common xviii. 15), had they met, and on their knees before Prayer to be used in all the churches and chapels. the throne of grace, sought from heaven wisdom Both these orders were under very severe penalties. and charity in defending Divine truth, we can easily The Act against atheistical opinions, which imagine that the approbation of God would have passed August 9, 1650, illustrates the extraordibeen manifested, by sending them on their impor-nary state of the times. The preamble states that, tant work in peaceful unity. They had been Divers men and women have lately discovered

the