...

1

him, and made him very defirous to hear further of these hings. And therefore he made it his bufinefs to be going. often into the company of thofe people, for God had touched his heart by their difcourfe, and he could not stay away. And fo intent was his mind upon the knowledge of these things, that his heart was like the horse-leach at the vein, fill crying out, give, give, Prov. "xxx. 15. And now nothing but the revelation of the mytery of faith in his own heart could fatisfy him: For his whole foul was shen fo fixed on eternity and the things of the kingdom of God, fo far as he knew, that neither pleafares nor profits, perfuafions, nor threats, could make him let go his hold: Intomuch, that I have heard him fay, that it would then have been as difficult at that time, to have taken his mind from heaven to earth, as he has found it often fince, to get it from earth to heaven. But after divine grace had been thus kindled in his heart, the devil ftrove hard, by diverfe winds of temptations to blow it out again: Caufing himself to make feveral objections against Fimfelf; That he was cast away, & one that had no failb, and never could have any, because he was not elected. One thing also that was likewife a great tumbling-block to him, was, that the devil was let loofe at this time in a fort of people that call themfelves ranters, and indeed they deferved that name, giving up themselves to thofe filthy uncleanseffes that ought not to be named among chriftians; notwithstanding which, they wrote feveral books that were highly in efteem among thofe who were old profellors. And among thofe that became ranters, was that poor man before spoken of, who had been all along Mr. Bunyan's intimate companion; this man turned one of the work and vileft of thefe people, living in all manner of filthinefs; denying there was either God, angel. or spirit, & laughing at all exhortations to fooriety; and when Mr. Bunyan rebuked him for it, he would laugh the more, and pretend that he had gone through all religions, and could never alight on the right 'till then; perfuading him alfo to be of the fame opinion with Lim, and a companion of his wickedness. But God d-figning to make him a choien veffe of honour, and an inftrument for the carrying on tae purposes of his own glory, begat in his heart fo great an averion to, and loathing of thofe curfed principles, that he quite lot his company, and became a greater stranger to him after

wards, than he had been a familiar to before. But becaufe
feveral old profeffors (as has been already faid) feemed and
to approve of their books, Mr. Banyan ventured to read fome
of them, he addreffed himself to God in the following words:
O Lord, I am a fool, and not able to know the truth from error:
Lord, leave me not to my own blindness, either to approve or
condemn this dotrine: If it be of God, let me not defpife it; if
it be of the devil, let me not embrace it. Lord, I lay my foul in
this matter only at thy foot; let me not be deceived, I humbly be-
Jeech thee. I could not forbear inferting this paffage (which
I have tranfcribed out of his book called Grace Abounding)
because it fhews at once both the great fincerity, and tender-
nefs, and deep humility of this holy man, and of what an
excellent spirit he was. But these peoples errors, and much
more their wicked practices, endear'd God's word to him
exceedingly; fo that now he began to look upen the bible
with new eyes, as it were, and to read fo as he never had
read before: At firê he only took pleasure in reading the hif-
torical part; but now the Epifles of Paul were feet and
pleafant to him. Yea, fo much fweetness did he find there-
in, that he was fcarcely ever absent (when he had an oppor
tunity) from reading of it, or meditating on it, fill crying
out to God, that he might know the truth, and way to life
and glory. But he was a long time troubled with very fore
temptations, as I faid before; and three things there were
that the tempter made ufe of to try him: One great thing
was the queftioning of his faith, having frequently fuch
thoughts as thefe injected into his mind: How if you want
faith? and, how can you tell that you have faith? this put him
to great perplexities: He knew at that he had it; and yet
without it he faw he was like to perish for ever. So that
tho' at firat he was willing to overlook it, yet confidering of
hey great moment it was for him to to be fatisfied therein,
he was willing to put himself upon the trial, whether he had
faith or no. But while he was confidering how he should
znake a fatisfactory trial of this matter, the tempter fought
again to take advantage upon him, coming in with this delu
fion, that there was no way for him to try whether he had faith,
but by trying to work fome miracle: Nor wanted he fcripture
to back it; for as he perverted the fcriptures when he tempt
ed our bluffed Lord, fo did he alfo the words of our blef-
fed 'Saviour, in tempting this his fervant; urging, Mat-

thew,

beau-xvii. 20.' If ye bave faith as a grain of muftand-feed', efball Jay unto this mountain, remove bence to gonder place, and it shall remove, and nothing shall be impoffible to you. This temptation proceeded fo far, that one day Mr. Bunyan being between Elflow and Bedford, (the temptation being thenhot upon him, to try his faith by doing fome miracle) he was about to say to fome puddles that were then in the horfe- pad, Be dry! And as he was going to fpeak, this thought came into, his mind, Pray first, that God would make you able, and when he was about to pray, he had fome fecret impulfe that prevailed with him not to put his faith upon that trial: And fo he continued for fome time at a great lofs, not knowing whether he had faith or not.

Another temptation with which he was affaulted was, Whether or no he was elected: And this temptation was ftrengthened with this fcripture, It is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that fheweth mercy, Rom. ix. 16. For by this fcripture he evidently faw, that unless God hath chofen him to be a veffel of grace, that all he could do would be ineffectual for the obtaining of falvation. And therefore this was continually in his mind, How can you tell that you are elected? And what if you should not? And thefe queftions feemed fo hard, & to be of that weight, that he knew not how to answer them. But there is nothing too hard for divine grace to overcome: For one day, just as his hope was giving up the ghoft, and that he was at the utmost point of defpair, the following fentence was darted into his fout, as if it had been immediately from heaven; and fell with great weight upon his fpirit. Look at the generations of old, and fee, did ever any truft in God, and was confounded? This gave him mighty entouragement in that cafe, and was thus expounded to him: Begin at the beginning of Genefis, and read to the end of the Revelations, and fee if you can find there was any that over trufied in God, and was confounded. And if none that trufied in God ever mifcarried, then your duty is to trust to God, and not to concern, yourself about election, which is a fecret thing.

Another temptation that violently affaulted him, waɛ; How if the day of grace should be past and gone? And to aggravate this, the tempter fuggefted to him, that the good people in Bedford (before named) being converted already, they were all that God would fave in thofe parts, and there

fore

fore he was come too late, for they had got the blefling before him. This was a very cuting thing to him, for he verily thought it might be fo; and thofe thoughts made him wander up and down in the bitterness of his spirit, be moaning his fad condition, and crying out, O that I had turned froner! O bow have I trifled away my time, till hea▾ wen and my foul are lot. But after he had pleased the fa ther of mercies to fhine upon his foul, by that bleffed word, Luke xiv. 23. 24. Compel them to come in, that my house may be filled: And yet there is room. The Laft words gave abundant cenfolation, and were a full answer to Satan's fuggeftions, That the day of grace was paft.

him

But the holy man had been a great finner, which he always aggravated against himfelf on all occafions; reckoning up like Paul, his own vilenefs before his converfion: I was mad againfi the faints, fays that bleffed apoftle in one place; and in another, I perfecuted the church of God. So in the like manner our worthy Mr Bunyan cries out of himfelf, I was a town-finner; I was the vileft in the country, a Jerufalem finner; murdering the Son of God afresh, by my ungodly deeds, and putting him to open fhame. This I fay, made him undergo many of the buffetings of Satan, and the bidings of God's countenance for months and years together, fill mourning as a dove, and chattering as a crow. And yet in this alio, behold the wildom and goodness of God: For by thefe things men live, and in all these things was the life of his fpirit. God wonderfully fitted him by all thele temptations to be a fupport to any others that laboured under thofe or other temptations. For by this means he was one that knew how to speak a word in feafon to the weary and fainting foul, adminiftring to others thofe comforts wherewith he himfelf had been comforted of God.

it h

Bet to return where we left off, even to his temptations, He was mightily buffeted by the enemy of fouls about effectual calling; for that being one of the links of that gol: den chain of falvation, mentioned by the apostle in the ixth. of the Romans, If that be left out, the whole chain was broken: This made him pant, and breathe, and cry, with all the longing of an enamoured foul to Chrift, to call him; for then he faw fuch a beauty in a converted & called ftate, that he could not be contented without it: and I have heard him affirm, that at that time, had he had the whole world,

is

t had all gone; yea, ten thoufand worlds, could he have purchafed the blefling of a caled and converted, ftate with them! For fuch were the only lovely perfons in his eyes. But that the word of Chriß, Mark iii. 13. ftood like a brazen wall against him, to fhut him out from all the hopes of happines: His words were thefe: He (Chrift) went up into a mountain, and called to him whom he would. This word made him faint and fear, and yet it kindled a fire in his foul: That which made him fear was, left Chrift fhouldhave no liking to him, for he called whom he would. And God was pleafed to let him lie many months in that condition; and then be gave him comfort by that word in Forl iii. 21. I will cleanfe their blood that I have not cleanfed. Encouraging him thereby ftill to wait upon God; and tho' he were not already, yet he might ftill be called.

About this time he began to make his condition known to thofe poor people, whofe difcourfe had been the first occafion of his real converfion: When they had heard him, they told Mr. Gifford, who was the worthy Paftor of that Church, who was himfelf willing to be well perfuaded of him, and he invited him to his own houfe, where be heard him converfe with others about the dealings of God with their fouls; From which he fill received further convictions, and faw more of the deceitfulness of his own heart.

After this, a very great form of temptation fell upon him, whereof he had fome warning before, from that fcrip. ture following of him, Simon, Simon, when thou art converted, firengthen thy brethren; although then he understood not the meaning of it. This temptation was a flood of blafphemous thoughts poured in upon him, infomuch that he questioned the very being of God, and of his beloved fon, doubting whether there was at all in truth a God or Chrift, and whether the holy fcriptures were not rather cunningly devifed fables, than the pure word of God.

The tempter alto affaulted him with this. How can you tell but the Turks may have as good a fcripture to prove their Mahomet the Saviour, as we have to prove that our Jefus is? With many the like blafpheus inggeftions.

Under this fore affliction and defertion he went a great while: But when God's time to confort him was come, he heard one preach a ternion on Canticles iv. 1. Behold thou art fair, my love, behold the art fair. But at that time the

minifer