Section 21

greatest self to be one of my greatest opposers :
opposerawas _ _ J c . fr
Cobb, the clerk for, first he came to my jailor and told him that I must not go down before the judge, and therefore must not be put into the calendar; to whom my jailor said, that my name was in already. He bid him put it out again ; my jailor told him that he could not : for he had given the judge a calendar with my name in it, and also the sheriff another. At which he was very much displeased, and desired to see that calendar that was yet in my jailor's hand, who, when he had given it him, he looked on it, and said it was a false calendar ; he also took the calendar and blotted out my accusation, as my jailor had written it (which accusation I cannot tell what it was, because it was so blotted out), and he himself put in words to this purpose : That John Bunyan was committed to prison ; being lawfully convicted for upholding of unlawful meetings and conventicles, etc. But yet
228
EFFORTS FOR LIBERTY FAIL
for all this, fearing that what he had done, unless he added thereto, it would not do, he first ran to the clerk of the assizes ; then to the justices, and after- wards, because he would not leave any means un- attempted to hinder me, he came again to my jailor, and told him, that if I did go down before the judge, and was released, he would make him pay my fees, which he said was due to him ; and further, told him, that he would complain of him at the next quarter sessions for making of false calendars, though my jailor himself, as I afterwards learned, had put in my accusation worse than in itself it was by far. And
thus was I hindered and prevented
I was hindered
at that time also from appearing and prevented,
before the judge : and left in prison.
Farewell.
JOHN BUNYAN.
A Continuation of Mr BUNYAN'S LIFE ; beginning where he left off, and concluding with the Time and Manner of his Death and Burial: together with his true Character, etc.
READER, the painful and industrious author of this book, has already given you a faithful Thisij? a friend>s and very moving relation of the narrative beginning and middle of the days of his pilgrimage on earth; and since there yet remains somewhat worthy of notice and regard, which occurred in the
229
GRACE ABOUNDING
last scene of his life, the which, for want of time, or fear, some over-censorious people should impute it to him as an earnest coveting of praise from men, he has not left behind him in writing. Wherefore, as a true friend, and long acquaintance of Mr Bunyans that his good end may be known, as well as his evil beginning, I have taken upon me, from my know- ledge, and the best account given by other of his friends, to piece this to the thread too soon broke off, and so lengthen it out to his entering upon eternity.
He has told you at large, of his birth and education ; the evil habits and corruptions of his youth ; the temptations he struggled and conflicted so frequently with, the mercies, comforts, and deliverances he found, how he came to take upon him the preaching of the Gospel ; the slanders, reproaches and imprisonments that attended him, and the progress he notwithstanding made (by the assistance of God's grace) no doubt to the saving of many souls : therefore take these things, as he himself hath methodically laid them down in the words of verity ; and so I pass on to what remains.
After his being freed from his twelve years' imprisonment and upwards, for nonconformity, wherein he had time to furnish the world with sundry good books, etc., and by his patience, to move Dr Barlow, the then Bishop of Lincoln, and other church-men, to pity his hard and unreasonable
230
RELEASED FROM PRISON
sufferings, so far as to stand very much his friends, in procuring his enlargement, or there perhaps he had died, by the noisomeness and ill usage of the place. Being now, I say, again at liberty, and His occupation having through mercy shaken off his when at liberty bodily fetters, — for those upon his soul were broken before by the abounding grace that filled his heart, — he went to visit those that had been a comfort to him in his tribulation, with a Christian-like acknow- ledgment of their kindness and enlargement of charity ; giving encouragement by his example, if it happened to be their hard haps to fall into affliction or trouble, then to suffer patiently for the sake of a good conscience, and for the love of God in Jesus Christ towards their souls, and by many cordial persuasions, supported some whose spirits began to sink low, through the fear of danger that threatened their worldly concernment, so that the people found a wonderful consolation in his discourse and admoni- tions.
As often as opportunity would admit, he gathered them together (though the law was then in force against meetings) in convenient places, and fed them with the sincere milk of the Word, that they might grow up in grace thereby. To such as were any- where taken and imprisoned upon these accounts, he made it another part of his business to extend his charity, and gather relief for such of them as wanted.
He took great care to visit the sick, and strengthen 231
GRACE ABOUNDING
them against the suggestions of the tempter, which at such times are very prevalent ; so that they had cause for ever to bless God, Who had put it into his heart, at such a time, to rescue them from the power of the roaring lion, who sought to devour them ; nor did he spare any pains or labour in travel, though to remote counties, where he knew or imagined any people might stand in need of his assistance ; insomuch that some, by these visitations that he made, which was two or three every year (some, though in a jeering manner no doubt, gave him the epithet of Bishop Bunyari) whilst others envied him for his so earnestly labouring in Christ's vineyard; yet the seed of the Word he (all this while) sowed in the hearts of his congregation, watered with the grace of God, brought forth in abundance, in bringing in disciples to the church of Christ.
Another part of his time is spent in reconciling differences, by which he hindered many mischiefs, and saved some families from ruin, and in such fallings-out he was uneasy, till he found a means to labour a reconciliation, and become a peace-maker, on whom a blessing is promised in holy writ ; and indeed in doing this good office, he may be said to sum up his days, it being the last undertaking of his life, as will appear in the close of this paper.
When in the late reign, liberty of conscience was unexpectedly given and indulged to dissenters of all
232
A GREAT CONGREGATION
persuasions, his piercing wit penetrated the veil, and found that it was not for the dis- He moved with senters' sakes they were so suddenly caution and fear freed from the hard prosecutions that had long lain heavy upon them, and set in a manner, on an equal foot with the Church of England, which the papists were undermining, and about to subvert : he foresaw all the advantages that could have re- dounded to the dissenters would have been no more than what Polyphemus, the monstrous giant of Sicily, would have allowed Ulysses, viz. : That he would eat his men first, and do him the favour of being eaten last : for although Mr Bunyan, following the examples of others, did lay hold of this liberty, as an acceptable thing in itself, knowing God is the only Lord of conscience, and that it is good at all times to do according to the dictates of a good conscience, and that the preaching the glad tidings of the Gospel is beautiful in the preacher ; yet in all this he moved with caution and a holy fear, earnestly praying for the averting impending judgments, which he saw, like a black tempest, hanging over our heads for our sins, and ready to break in upon us, and that the Ninevites'1 remedy was now highly necessary : hereupon he gathered his congregation at Bedford, where he mostly lived, and had lived and spent the greatest part of his life ; and there being no convenient place to be had for the entertainment of so great a confluence of people as followed him upon
GRACE ABOUNDING
the account of his teaching, he consulted with them for the building of a meeting-house, to which they made their voluntary contributions with all cheerful- ness and alacrity; and the first time he appeared there to edify, the place was so thronged, that many was constrained to stay without, though the house was very spacious, every one striving to partake of his instructions, that were of his persuasion, and show their good-will towards him, by being present at the opening of the place ; and here he lived in much peace and quiet of mind, contenting himself with that little God had bestowed upon him, and sequestering himself from all secular employments, to follow that of his call to the ministry ; for as God said to Moses , He that made the lips and heart, can give eloquence and wisdom, without extraordinary acquirements in an university
During these things, there were regulators sent
He opposed the int° a11 cities and tOWnS corPorate, to regulators new model the government in the
magistracy, etc., by turning out some, and putting in others : against this Mr Eunyan expressed his zeal with some weariness, as foreseeing the bad conse- quence that would attend it, and laboured with his congregation to prevent their being imposed on in this kind ; and when a great man in those days, coming to Bedford upon some such errand, sent for him, as 'tis supposed, to give him a place of public trust, he would by no means come at him, but sent his excuse.
234
A STAINLESS REPUTATION
When he was at leisure from writing and teach- ing, he often came up to London, and there went among the congregations of the non-conformists, and used his talent to the great good-liking of the hearers ; and even some to whom he had been mis-represented, upon the account of his educa- tion, were convinced of his worth and knowledge in sacred things, as perceiving him to be a man of sound judgment, delivering himself plainly and powerfully; insomuch that many, who came mere spectators for novelty sake rather than to edify and be improved, went away well satisfied with what they heard, and wondered, as the Jews did at the Apostles, viz. : Whence this man should have these things; perhaps not considering that God more immediately assists those that make it their business industriously and cheerfully to labour in His vineyard.
Thus he spent his latter years in imitation of his great Lord and Master, the ever-
. Like his Master
blessed Jesus ; he went about doing he went about •, T i ... doing- good
good, so that the most prying critic, or even Malice herself, is defied to find, even upon the narrowest search or observation, any sully or stain upon his reputation, with which he may be justly charged ; and this we note, as a challenge to those that have the least regard for him, or them of his persuasion, and have one way or other appeared in the front of those that oppressed him;
GRACE ABOUNDING
and for the turning whose hearts, in obedience to the commission and commandment given him of God, he frequently prayed, and sometimes sought a blessing for them, even with tears, the effects of which, they may, peradventure, though undeservedly, have found in their persons, friends, relations, or estates ; for God will hear the prayer of the faithful, and answer them, even for them that vex them, as it happened in the case of Job's praying for the three persons that had been grievous in their reproach against him, even in the day of his sorrow.
But yet let me come a little nearer to particulars and periods of time, for the better refreshing the memories of those that knew his labour and suffer- ing, and for the satisfaction of all that shall read this book.
After he was sensibly convicted of the wicked state of his life, and converted, he was baptized into the congregation, and admitted a member thereof, viz., in the year 1655, and became speedily a very zealous professor ; but upon the return of King Charles to the crown in 1660, he was the i2th of November taken, as he was edifying some good people that were got together to hear the word, and confined in Bedford jail for the space of six years, till the act of Indulgence to dissenters being allowed, he obtained his freedom, by the intercession of some in trust and power, that took pity on his
236
DISPUTING WITH SCHOLARS
sufferings ; but within six years afterwards he was again taken up, viz., in the year 1666, and was then confined for six years more, when even the jailor took such pity of his rigorous sufferings, that he did as the Egyptian jailor did to Joseph, put all the care and trust in his hand : When he was taken this last time, he was preaching on these words, viz. : Dost thou believe the Son of God? And this imprisonment continued six years, and when this was over, another short affliction, which was an imprisonment of half a year, fell to his share. During these confinements he wrote the following books, viz. : Of Prayer by the Spirit : The Holy City's Resurrection : Grace Abounding : Pilgrim's Progress, the first part.
In the last year of his twelve years' imprisonment, the pastor of the congregation at Bedford died, and he was chosen to
that care of souls, on the i2th of „ ation December 1671. And in this his charge, he often had disputes with scholars that came to oppose him, as supposing him an ignorant person, and though he argued plainly, and by Scripture, without phrases and logical expressions, yet he nonplussed one who came to oppose him in his congregation, by demanding, Whether or no we had the true copies of the original Scriptures ; and another, when he was preaching, accused him of un- charitableness, for saying, // was very hard for most to be saved ; saying, by that he went about to
237
GRACE ABOUNDING
exclude most of his congregation ; but he confuted him, and put him to silence with the parable of the stony ground, and other texts out of the i3th chapter of St Matthew, in our Saviour's sermon out of a ship ; all his methods being to keep close to the Scriptures, and what he found not warranted there, himself would not warrant nor determine, unless in such cases as were plain, wherein no doubts or scruples did arise.
But not to make any further mention of this kind, it is well known that this person managed all his affairs with such exactness, as if he had made it his study, above all other things, not to give occasion of offence, but rather suffer many inconveniences, to avoid being never heard to reproach or revile any, what injury soever he received, but rather to rebuke those that did ; and as it was in his conversation, so it is manifested in those books he has caused to be published to the world ; where like the archangel disputing with Satan about the body of Moses, as we find it in the epistle of St Jude, brings no railing accusation (but leaves the rebukers, those that persecuted him) to the Lord.
In his family he kept up a very strict discipline in His home life prayer and exhortation ; being in this and example j^ joshua^ as the good man ex- presses it, viz., Whatsoever others did, as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord : and indeed a blessing waited on his labours and endeavours, so
238
DRAWING NEAR TO DEATH
that his wife, as the Psalmist says, was like a pleasant vine upon the walls of his house, and his children like olive branches round his table ; for so shall it be with the man that fears the Lord, and though by reason of the many losses he sustained by imprisonment and spoil, of his chargeable sickness, etc., his earthly treasure swelled not to excess; he always had sufficient to live decently and creditably, and with that he had the greatest of all treasures, which is content ; for as the wise man says, That is a continual feast.
But where content dwells, even a poor cottage is a kingly palace, and this happiness he had all his life long; not so much minding this world, as knowing he was here as a pilgrim and stranger, and had no tarrying city, but looked for one made with hands eternal in the highest heavens : but at length was worn out with sufferings, age, and often teaching, the day of his dissolution drew near, and death, that unlocks the prison of the soul, to enlarge it for a more glorious mansion, put a stop to his acting his part on the stage of mortality; heaven, like earthly princes, when it threatens war, being always so kind as to call home its ambassadors before it be denounced, and even the last act or undertaking of his, was a labour of love and charity ; for it so falling out that a young gentleman, a neighbour of Mr Bunyarfs, happening into the displeasure of his father, and being much troubled in mind upon that Q 239