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part of his imprisonment, was even allowed to go out occasionally, and once to take a journey to LONDON, probably to see whether some legal redress might not be obtained; according to some intimations given by Sir MATTHEW HALE, when petitions in his favour were laid before the judges. But this indulgence of the jailor exposing him to great danger, Mr. BUNYAN was afterwards more closely confined. Hence I suppose has arisen the opinion, which commonly prevails, that he was imprisoned at different times: but he seems never to have been set at liberty, and then re-committed; though his hardships and restraints were greater at one time than at another.

In the last year of his imprisonment, (A. D. 1671,) he was chosen pastor of the dissenting church at BEDFORD; though it does not appear what opportunity he could have of exercising his pastoral office, except within the precincts of the jail. He was however liberated soon after, through the good offices of Dr. BARLOW bishop of LINCOLN, after many fruitless attempts had been made for that purpose. Thus terminated his tedious, severe, and even illegal, imprisonment, which had given him abundant opportunity for the exercise of patience and meekness; and which seems to have been over. ruled both for his own spiritual improvement, and the further ance of the gospel; by leading him to study, and to form habits of close reflection, and accurate investigation of various subjects, in order to pen his several treatises: when probably he would neither have thought so deeply, nor written so well, had he been more at ease, and at liberty.

A short time after his enlargement, he built a meeting house at BEDFORD, by the voluntary contributions of his friends; and here he statedly preached to large auditories, till his death, without meeting with any remarkable molestation. He used to come up to LONDON every year, where he preached among the non-conformists with great acceptance; and it is said that Dr. OWEN frequently attended on these occasions, and expressed his approbation in very decided

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language. He also made stated circuits into other parts of ENGLAND; and animated his brethren to bear the cross patiently, to obey God rather than man, and to leave all consequences with him. He was at the same time peculiarly attentive to the temporal wants of those who suffered for conscience sake, and of the sick or afflicted: and he employed his influence very successfully, in reconciling differences among professors of the gospel, and thus preventing disgraceful and burdensome litigations.-He was very exact in family religion, and the instruction of his children: being principally concerned for their spiritual interests, and comparatively indifferent about their temporal prosperity. He therefore declined the liberal proposal of a wealthy citizen of LONDON, to take his son as an apprentice without any premium, saying God did not send me to advance my family but to preach the gospel:'-probably disliking the business, or situation, as unfavourable to piety.

Nothing material is recorded concerning him, between his enlargement in 1672, and his death in 1688. It is said, that he clearly saw through the designs of the court, in favour of popery, when the indulgence was granted to the Dissenters, by James II. in 1687: but that he advised his brethren to avail themselves of the sun-shine, by diligent endeavours to spread the gospel; and to prepare for an approaching storm by fasting and prayer. -The next year he took a journey in very bad weather from LONDON to READING, BERKS, to make up a breach between a father and his son, with whom he had some acquaintance; and having happily effected his last work and labour of love, he returned to his lodgings on SNOW-HILL apparently in good health; but very wet with the heavy rain that was then falling: and soon after he was seized with a fever, which in ten days terminated his useful life. He bore his malady with great patience and composure, and died in a very comfortable and triumphant manner, AUG. 31, 1688, aged sixty years; after having exercised his ministry about thirty two. He lies buried

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in BUNHILL fields, where a tomb-stone to his memory may still be seen. - He was twice married: by his first wife, he left four children, one of which, a daughter named MARY, who was blind, died before him. He was married to his second wife A.D. 1658, two years before his imprisonment, by whom he seems not to have had any children: she survived him about four years. Concerning the other branches of his family we have not been able to gain any information.

Mr. BUNYAN was tall and broad set, though not corpulent: he had a ruddy complexion, with sparkling eyes; and hair inclining to red, but in his old age, sprinkled with grey. His whole appearance was plain, and his dress always simple and unaffected. He published sixty tracts, which equalled the number of years he lived. The Pilgrim's Progress had passed through more than fifty editions in 1784.

His character seems to have been uniformly good, from the time when he was brought acquainted with the blessed gospel of CHRIST: and though his countenance was rather stern and his manner rough; yet he was very mild, modest, and affable, in his behaviour. He was backward to speak much, except on particular occasions, and remarkably averse to boasting; ready to submit to the judgement of others, and disposed to forgive injuries, to follow peace with all men, and to employ himself as a peace-maker: yet he was steady to his principles; and bold in reproving sin without respect of persons. Many slanders were spread concerning him during the course of his ministry; some of which he refuted: they have however all died away; and no one now pretends to say any thing to his disadvantage, -except as his firm attachment to his creed, and his practice as a Calvinist, a Dissenter, and an Anti-pædo-baptist, has been called bigotry; and as the account given of his own experience has been misunderstood, or misrepresented.

He was undoubtedly endued with extraordinary natural talents; his understanding, discernment, memory, invention,

XX

THE LIFE OF JOHN BUNYAN.

and imagination, were remarkably sound and vigorous: so that he made very great proficiency in the knowledge of scriptural divinity, though brought up in ignorance: but he never made much progress in human learning. Even such persons, as did not favour his religious principles have done ample justice to his mental powers. The celebrated Dr. JOHNSON ranks the Pilgrim's Progress among a very few books indeed, of which the reader when he comes to the conclusion, wishes they had been longer; and allows it to rank high among the works of original genius. But it is above all things wonderful, that BUNYAN's imagination, fertile and vigorous in a very great degree, and wholly untutored by the rules of learning, should in this instance have been so disciplined by sound judgement, and deep acquaintance with the scripture, as to produce in the form of an allegory, one of the fairest and most unexceptionable treatises on the system of Calvinism, that can be found in the ENGLISH language! In several of his other publications his imagination sometimes carried him beyond just bounds: but here he avoids all extremes, and seems not to deviate either to the right hand or to the left. Perhaps, as he was himself liable to depression of spirit, and had passed through deep distresses, the view he gives of the pilgrim's temptations may be too gloomy: but he has shown in the course of the work, that this arose principally from inadequate views of evangelical truth, and the want of christian communion, with the benefits to be derived from the counsels of a faithful minister.

• PIOZZI'S Anecdotes of JOHNSON.---BOSWELL'S Life of JOHNSON, vol. ii. p. 97. 2d edit.

PREFACE.

THE high estimation in which 'The Pilgrim's Progress' has been held for above a century, sufficiently evinces its intrinsic value: and there is every reason to suppose, that it will be read with admiration and advantage for ages to come; probably till the consummation of all things.

The pious christian, in proportion to "his growth in grace, " and in the knowledge of the Lord Jesus," derives more and more instruction from repeated perusals of this remarkable book; while his enlarged experience and extended observation enable him to unfold, with progressive evidence, the meaning of the agreeable similitudes employed by its ingenious author. And even the careless or uninstructed reader is fascinated to attention, by the simple and artless manner in which the interesting narrative is arranged. Nor should this be represented as a mere amusement, which answers no further purpose: for it has been observed by men of great discernment, and acquaintance with the human mind, that young persons, having perused the Pilgrim as a pleasing tale, have often retained a remembrance of its leading incidents, which, after continuing perhaps in a dormant state for several years, has at length germinated, as it were, into the most important and seasonable instruction; while the events of their own lives placed it before their minds in a new and affecting point of view. It may, therefore, be questioned, whether modern ages have produced any work which has more promoted the best interests of mankind.

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