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 himself willing to be well perfuaded of him, and he invited him to his own Houfe, where he heard him converfe with others about the Dealings of God with their Souls. From which he ftill received further Convictions, and faw more of the Deceitfulness of his own Heart.

After this, a very great Storm of Temptation fell upon him, whereof he had fome Warning before, from that Scripture following of hiin, Simon, Simon, when thou art converted, ftrengthen thy Brethren; although then he understood not the Meaning of it. This Temptation was a Flood of blafphemous Thoughts poured in upon him, inafmuch that he queftioned the very Being of God, and of his beloved Son, doubting whether there was at all in Truth a God or Chrift, and whether the holy Scripture were not rather cunningly devised Fables, than the pure Word of God.

The Tempter alfo affaulted him with this, How can you tell but the Turks may have as good a Scripture, ta prove their Mahomet the Saviour, as we have to prove that our Jefus is? With many, the like blafphemous Suggestions.

Under this fore Affliction and Desertion he went a great While: But when God's Time to comfort him was come, he heard one preach a Sermon on Canticles iv. 1. Behold thou art fair, my Love, behold thou art fair. But at that Time the Minister made these two Words, My Love, the Subject of his Sermon: From which, after he had a little opened the Text, he obferved these feveral Conclufions:

1. That the Church, and fo every facred Soul, is Chrift's Love, when lovelefs.

2. Chrift's Love without a Caufe.

3. Chrift's Love when hated of the World.

4. Chrift's Love when under Temptation and Defertion.

5. Chrift's Love from First to Last.

The

The Sermon (though very excellent) was nothing to him: But that which moft affected him, was the Application of the fourth Particular, which was, If it be fo, that the faved Soul, is Chrift's Love, when under Temptations, and under Defertion, then poor tempted Soul, when thou art affaulted and afflicted with Templations, and the Hiding of God's Face, yet still think on thefe two Words, My Love. And as he was going Home, these Words came into his Thoughts again, infomuch that he said in his Heart, What shall I get by thinking on thefe Words? And this Thought had no fooner past, but these Words began to kindle on his Spirit, Thou art my Love, Thou art my Love, twenty Times together? and still as they ran in his Mind, they grew ftronger and warmer; and began a little to revive him? But being still between Hope and Fear, he said in his Heart, But is it true? But is it true? ingeminating the Words. At which that Sentence darted into his Mind, He wist not that it was true that was done unto him of the Angel, Acts xii. 6. And then he began to give Place to the Word which made this joyful Sound within his Soul: Thou art my Love, Thou art my Love, and nothing fhall feparate thee from my Love.

Many more were his Temptations at fundry Times and on divers Occafions, but God delivered him out of them all, and at laft fet his Feet in large Place, filling his Soul with Joy and Gladness.

About the Year 1655 he was baptized, and admitted a Member of the Church at Bedford; who having had Experience of the Grace of God that was in him, and how eminently God had fitted him for the Work of the Miniftry, he was earnefty defired by the Congregation, to communicate to them those Spiritual Gifts, with which God had bleffed him. He at firft very modeftly excufed himself, out of a Sense of his own Weakness and Inability; but being further preffed unto it by them, he confented; but though his Bafhfulness did at firft decline a public Affembly,

and

and difpenfed his Gift only in private among Friends; but it was with fo much Life and Power, and fo exceedingly to their Edification, that they could not but give Thanks to the Father of Mercies, for the great Grace he had bestowed upon him.

After this, when fome of the Congregation were fent forth into the Country to teach, they defired Mr. Bunyan to go along with them, which accordingly he did; and by their Perfuafions, did exercise his Gift (but ftill privately) among the good People where he came: Which they also received, with rejoicing at the Mercy of God fhewed toward him, profeffing their Souls very greatly edified thereby.

Some Time after which, he was by folemn Prayer to the Lord, and Fafting, more particularly called forth, and fet apart for the more public Preaching of the Word of God; which he entered upon with great Fear and Trembling, and with a deep Senfe of his own Unworthiness: And God was pleased to biefs and profper the Work of his Hand, fo that many Souls were every where brought to lay hold upon the Lord Jefus, by believing, and to the receiving of the Truth in the Love thereof, through his Ministry, to the Praise and Glory of God's Grace.

One remarkable inftance I cannot omit, and that is, That being to preach in a Church in a Country Village (before the Restoration of King Charles) in Cambridgeshire, and the People being gathered together in the Church-yard, a Cambridge Scholar, and none of the fobereft of them neither, enquired what the Meaning of that Concourse of People was (it being upon a Week-Day,) and being told that one Bunyan, a Tinker, was to preach there, he gave a Boy Two-pence to hold his Horse, faying, He was refolved to hear the Tinker prate: And fo he went into the Church to hear him. But God met him there by his Ministry, so that he came out much changed, and would, by his Good-will, hear none but the Tinker

for a long Time after, he himself becoming a very eminent Preacher in that County afterwards. This Story I know to be true, having many Times difcourfed with the Man, and therefore I could not but fet it down as a fingular Inftance of the Power of God, that accompanied his Ministry.

But a powerful Miniftry, being the greatest Enemy to the Devil's Kingdom, as that which plucks hisVaffals out of the very Jaws of Hell, no Wonder that he rallied all his Force against Mr. Bunyan; for he having preached the Gospel about five Years, was apprehended at a Meeting, and carried before a Justice of Peace, who committed him to Prison, though he offered Security for his appearing at the next Seffions; his Reason for it being, becaufe his Security would not confent to being bound up that he should preach no more to the People.

At the Seffions he was indicted for an Upholder and Maintainer of unlawful Affemblies and Conventicles, and for not conforming to the Church of Eng land. Mr. Bunyan was a Man of a free and open Spirit, and would not diffemble to fave himself, efpecially in his Mafter's Caufe, and therefore frankly owned his being at a Meeting, and preaching to the People; and that he was a Diffenter from the eftablifhed Worship, acknowledging (as the Apostle Paul had done before him) That after the Way which they called Herefy, fo worshipped he the God of his Fathers. The Juftices took this open and plain Dealing with them, for a Confeffion of the indictment, and fentenced him for a perpetual banishment, because he refufed to conformn, in Purfuance of an Act made by the then Parliament. Upon which he was again committed to Prifon, where, though his Sentence of Banifhment was never executed upon him, yet he was kept in Prifon for Twelve Years together, bearing that tedious Imprifonment in an uncomfortable and clofe Prison, and fometimes under cruel and oppref

five

five Gaolers, with that Chriftian Patience and Presence of Mind, as became a Minifter of Jefus Chrift, and fuch a Cause as he was engaged in, and fuffered for.

But though his Enemies ftirred up thereto were very many, yet were they withheld by a Divine Power from executing the Sentence of his Banishment: For God had other Work for him to do in England: And then his Bonds and Imprisonment, through the overruling Providence of that God, who is both wonderful in his Counfel, and excellent in Working, tending much to the Furtherance of the Gofpel: and by his Suffering here, he confirmed and fealed the Truth, which before he had preached.

It was by making him a Vifit'in Prison, that I first faw him, and became acquainted with him; and I muft profefs, I could not but look upon him to be a Man of an excellent Spirit, zealous for his Mafter's Honour, and chearfully committing all his own Concernments unto God's Difpofal. When I was there, there were above Threefcore Diffenters befides himself there, taken but a little before, at a religious Meeting at Kaistow, in the County of Bedford, befides two eminent Diffenting Minifters, to wit, Mr. Wheeler, and Mr. Dun, (both very well known in Bedfordshire, though long fince with God;) by which Means the Prison was much crouded. Yet in the midst of all that Hurry which fo many New-Comers occafioned, I have heard Mr. Bunyan both preach and pray with that mighty Spirit of Faith and Plethory of Divine Affiftance, that has made me ftand and wonder.

Nor did he, while he was in Prison, spend his Time in a fupine and careless Manner, or eat the Bread of Idlenefs, for there I have been Witnefs that his own Hands have ministered to his, and to his Families Neceffities, making many Hundred Groce of long Tagged Thread Laces, to fill up the Vacancies of his Time, which he had learned for that Purpose, fince he had been in Prifon. There alfo I furveyed his Library,

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