Authors, English -- Early modern, 1500-1700 -- Biography; Bunyan, John, 1628-1688; Puritans -- England -- Clergy -- Biography
such a scabbed creephedge as he? The Lazaruses are not allowed to warn
them of the wrath to come, because they are not gentlemen, because they
cannot with Pontius Pilate speak Hebrew, Greek, and Latin. Nay, they
must not, shall not, speak to them, and all because of this."
The fourth production of Bunyan's pen, his last book before his twelve
years of prison life began, is entitled, "The Doctrine of Law and Grace
Unfolded." With a somewhat overstrained humility which is hardly worthy
of him, he describes himself in the title-page as "that poor contemptible
creature John Bunyan, of Bedford." It was given to the world in May,
1659, and issued from the same press in the Old Bailey as his last work.
It cannot be said that this is one of Bunyan's most attractive writings.
It is as he describes it, "a parcel of plain yet sound, true, and home
sayings," in which with that clearness of thought and accuracy of
arrangement which belongs to him, and that marvellous acquaintance with
Scripture language which he had gained by his constant study of the
Bible, he sets forth the two covenants--the covenant of works, and the
covenant of Grace--"in their natures, ends, bounds, together with the
state and condition of them that are under the one, and of them that are
under the other." Dr. Brown describes the book as "marked by a firm
grasp of faith and a strong view of the reality of Christ's person and
work as the one Priest and Mediator for a sinful world." To quote a
passage, "Is there righteousness in Christ? that is mine. Is there
perfection in that righteousness? that is mine. Did He bleed for sin? It
was for mine. Hath He overcome the law, the devil, and hell? The
victory is mine, and I am come forth conqueror, nay, more than a
conqueror through Him that hath loved me. . . Lord, show me continually
in the light of Thy Spirit, through Thy word, that Jesus that was born in
the days of Caesar Augustus, when Mary, a daughter of Judah, went with
Joseph to be taxed in Bethlehem, that He is the very Christ. Let me not
rest contented without such a faith that is so wrought even by the
discovery of His Birth, Crucifying Death, Blood, Resurrection, Ascension,
and Second--which is His Personal--Coming again, that the very faith of
it may fill my soul with comfort and holiness." Up and down its pages we
meet with vivid reminiscences of his own career, of which he can only
speak with wonder and thankfulness. In the "Epistle to the Reader,"
which introduces it, occurs the passage already referred to describing
his education. "I never went to school to Aristotle or Plato, but was
brought up at my father's house in a very mean condition, among a company
of poor countrymen." Of his own religious state before his conversion he
thus speaks: "When it pleased the Lord to begin to instruct my soul, He
found me one of the black sinners of the world. He found me making a
sport of oaths, and also of lies; and many a soul-poisoning meal did I
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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