Grace Abounding [ThML]
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<DC.Title>Grace Abounding</DC.Title>
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<DC.Publisher>Grand Rapids, MI: Christian Classics Ethereal Library</DC.Publisher>
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Title Page
Publisher’s Foreward
John Bunyan was born at Elstow, near Bedford, England, sometime in the fall of 1628, the first of three children born to Thomas and Margaret Bunyan. The parish register indicates that he was baptized on November 30, 1628.
In Grace Abounding Bunyan describes his descent as “of a low and inconsiderable generation.” He had particular disdain for his father’s house; to him it was “of a rank that is meanest and most despised of all the families in the land.”
Sir Walter Scott thought John Bunyan was of gypsy descent, because his father was a traveling tinker, a mender of pots and pans. But historians view the occupation as somewhat like that of “village blacksmith.” The Bunyans were not homeless; they were landowners, but of peasant stock.
Bunyan’s schooling was of brief duration, and it wasn’t long before he was assisting his father and learning the trade himself. On his sixteenth birthday Bunyan joined Cromwell’s New Model Army, introducing him to the Puritan movement. After this military stint, he settled down as a tinker (“brazier”) and married at the age of twenty.
In 1653 Bunyan joined the Puritan Free Church in Bedford, and in 1657 he took on his first assignment as a “field preacher.” At this time there were scores of men, most with little education, who were preaching to Nonconformist audiences throughout England. With the restoration of Charles II to the throne, these preachers were suspect and subject to arrest. Refusing to refrain from preaching, Bunyan was arrested in 1660 and imprisoned for more than eleven years.
Grace Abounding to the Chief of Sinners, written during this imprisonment, is the spiritual autobiography of Bunyan, the traveling tinker who became the eminent preacher and author. It is in the genre of Augustine’s Confessions and Thomas a Kempis’s Imitation of Christ. It is not a detailed account of Bunyan’s early life, for it tells us very little of his youth, education, military experiences, and marriages.
Written in 1666, Grace Abounding chronicles Bunyan’s spiritual journey from a profane life filled with cursing, blasphemy, and Sabbath desecration to a new creation in Christ Jesus. Some commentators on Bunyan’s life and work are of the opinion that Bunyan wrote too disparagingly of his early life. George Offor, editor of a three volume compilation of Bunyan’s works, observes:
A great difference of opinion has been expressed by learned men as to whether Bunyan’s account of himself is to be understood literally, as it respects his bad conduct before his conversion. or whether he views himself through a glass, by which his evil habits are magnified. No one can doubt his perfect honesty. He plainly narrates his bad, as well as his redeeming qualities; nor does his narrative appear to be exaggerated.
Grace Abounding is an autobiography that begins with guilt and despair and ends with a heart “full of comfort,” a thankful heart for “grace abounding.”
Those who have read both Grace Abounding and The Pilgrim’s Progress will realize that The Pilgrim’s Progress, in substantial measure, is the same life as that described in Grace Abounding, but in allegory rather than straightforward narrative. George Offor makes this point when he quotes a Dr. Cheever:
As you read the “Grace Abounding”, you are ready to say at every step, Here is the future author of the “Pilgrim’s Progress”. It is as if you stood beside some great sculptor, and watched every movement of the chisel, having seen his design; so that at every blow some new trait of beauty in the future comes clearly into view.
Ernest W. Bacon, in a recent biography based on the latest historical research makes the same point:
The experiences he [Bunyan] records in Grace Abounding are seen in the characters of The Pilgrim’s Progress, and there is little doubt that he could not have written the great allegory had he not experienced God’s saving mercy recounted in the autobiography. It has an undying vitality and perpetual youth about it, is a record of Puritan experience unsurpassed, and a spiritual stimulus of great value.
The importance of Grace Abounding is summed up by Hugh Martin:
Grace Abounding is among the greatest stories of God’s dealings with the human soul—to be put on the shelf beside such treasures as Augustine’s Confessions, Law’s Serious Call, Baxter’s Autobiography, and Wesley’s account of his own spiritual travail.
A Preface, or Brief Account of the Publishing of This Work
CHILDREN, grace be with you, Amen. I being taken from you in presence, and so
tied up, that I cannot perform that duty that from God doth lie upon me to youward,
for your further edifying and building up in faith and holiness, etc., yet that
you may see my soul hath fatherly care and desire after your spiritual and everlasting
welfare; I now once again, as before, from the top of Shenir and Hermon, so now
from the lions’ dens, from the mountains of the leopards (
I thank God upon every remembrance of you; and rejoice, even while I stick between
the teeth of the lions in the wilderness, at the grace, and mercy, and knowledge
of Christ our Saviour, which God hath bestowed upon you, with abundance of faith
and love. Your hungerings and thirstings also after further acquaintance with the
Father, in His Son; your tenderness of heart, your trembling at sin, your sober
and holy deportment also, before both God and men, is great refreshment to me; ‘For
ye are my glory and joy’ (
I have sent you here enclosed, a drop of that honey, that I have taken out of
the carcase of a lion (
Moses (
It is profitable for Christians to be often calling to mind the very beginnings
of grace with their souls. ‘It is a night to be much observed unto the Lord for
bringing them out from the land of Egypt: this is that night of the Lord to be observed
of all the children of Israel in their generations’ (
It was Paul’s accustomed manner (
In this discourse of mine you may see much; much, I say, of the grace of God towards me. I thank God I can count it much, for it was above my sins and Satan’s temptations too. I can remember my fears, and doubts, and sad months with comfort; they are as the head of Goliath in my hand. There was nothing to David like Goliath’s sword, even that sword that should have been sheathed in his bowels; for the very sight and remembrance of that did preach forth God’s deliverance to him. Oh, the remembrance of my great sins, of my great temptations, and of my great fears of perishing for ever! They bring afresh into my mind the remembrance of my great help, my great support from heaven, and the great grace that God extended to such a wretch as I.
My dear children, call to mind the former days, and the years of ancient times:
remember also your songs in the night; and commune with your own heart (
I could have enlarged much in this my discourse, of my temptations and troubles for sin; as also of the merciful kindness and working of God with my soul. I could also have stepped into a style much higher than this in which I have here discoursed, and could have adorned all things more than here I have seemed to do, but I dare not. God did not play in convincing of me, the devil did not play in tempting of me, neither did I play when I sunk as into a bottomless pit, when the pangs of hell caught hold upon me; wherefore I may not play in my relating of them, but be plain and simple, and lay down the thing as it was. He that liketh it, let him receive it; and he that does not, let him produce a better. Farewell.
My dear children, the milk and honey is beyond this wilderness, God be merciful to you, and grant that you be not slothful to go in to possess the land.
Grace Abounding to the Chief of Sinners; Or, a Brief Relation of the Exceeding Mercy of God in Christ, to His Poor Servant John Bunyan
1. In this my relation of the merciful working of God upon my soul, it will not be amiss, if, in the first place, I do, in a few words, give you a hint of my pedigree, and manner of bringing up; that thereby the goodness and bounty of God towards me, may be the more advanced and magnified before the sons of men.
2. For my descent then, it was, as is well known by many, of a low and inconsiderable generation; my father’s house being of that rank that is meanest and most despised of all the families in the land. Wherefore I have not here, as others, to boast of noble blood, or of a high-born state, according to the flesh; though, all things considered, I magnify the heavenly Majesty, for that by this door He brought me into this world, to partake of the grace and life that is in Christ by the gospel.
3. But yet, notwithstanding the meanness and inconsiderableness of my parents, it pleased God to put it into their hearts to put me to school, to learn both to read and write; the which I also attained, according to the rate of other poor men’s children; though, to my shame I confess, I did soon lose that little I learned, and that even almost utterly, and that long before the Lord did work His gracious work of conversion upon my soul.
4. As for my own natural life, for the time that I was without God in the world,
it was indeed according to the course of this world, and ‘the spirit that now worketh
in the children of disobedience’ (
5. Yea, so settled and rooted was I in these things, that they became as a second nature to me; the which, as I also have with soberness considered since, did so offend the Lord, that even in my childhood He did scare and affright me with fearful dreams, and did terrify me with dreadful visions; for often, after I had spent this and the other day in sin, I have in my bed been greatly afflicted, while asleep, with the apprehensions of devils and wicked spirits, who still, as I then thought, laboured to draw me away with them, of which I could never be rid.
6. Also I should, at these years, be greatly afflicted and troubled with the thoughts of the day of judgment, and that both night and day, and should tremble at the thoughts of the fearful torments of hell fire; still fearing that it would be my lot to be found at last amongst those devils and hellish fiends, who are there bound down with the chains and bonds of eternal darkness, ‘unto the judgment of the great day.’
7. These things, I say, when I was but a child but nine or ten years old, did so distress my soul, that when in the midst of my many sports and childish vanities, amidst my vain companions, I was often much cast down and afflicted in my mind therewith, yet could I not let go my sins. Yea, I was also then so overcome with despair of life and heaven, that I should often wish either that there had been no hell, or that I had been a devil—supposing they were only tormentors; that if it must needs be that I went thither, I might be rather a tormentor, than be tormented myself.
8. A while after, these terrible dreams did leave me, which also I soon forgot; for my pleasures did quickly cut off the remembrance of them, as if they had never been: wherefore, with more greediness, according to the strength of nature, I did still let loose the reins to my lusts, and delighted in all transgression against the law of God: so that, until I came to the state of marriage, I was the very ringleader of all the youth that kept me company, into all manner of vice and ungodliness.
9. Yea, such prevalency had the lusts and fruits of the flesh in this poor soul of mine, that had not a miracle of precious grace prevented, I had not only perished by the stroke of eternal justice, but had also laid myself open, even to the stroke of those laws, which bring some to disgrace and open shame before the face of the world.
10. In these days, the thoughts of religion were very grievous to me; I could
neither endure it myself, nor that any other should; so that, when I have seen some
read in those books that concerned Christian piety, it would be as it were a prison
to me. Then I said unto God, ‘Depart from me, for I desire not the knowledge of
thy ways’ (
11. Yet this I well remember, that though I could myself sin with the greatest delight and ease, and also take pleasure in the vileness of my companions; yet, even then, if I have at any time seen wicked things, by those who professed goodness, it would make my spirit tremble. As once, above all the rest, when I was in my height of vanity, yet hearing one to swear that was reckoned for a religious man, it had so great a stroke upon my spirit, that it made my heart to ache.
12. But God did not utterly leave me, but followed me still, not now with convictions, but judgments; yet, such as were mixed with mercy. For once I fell into a creek of the sea, and hardly escaped drowning. Another time I fell out of a boat into Bedford river, but mercy yet preserved me alive. Besides, another time, being in the field with one of my companions, it chanced that an adder passed over the highway; so I, having a stick in my hand, struck her over the back; and having stunned her, I forced open her mouth with my stick, and plucked her sting out with my fingers, by which act, had not God been merciful, I might, by my desperateness, have brought myself to mine end.
13. This also have I taken notice of with thanksgiving; when I was a soldier, I, with others, were drawn out to go to such a place to besiege it; but when I was just ready to go, one of the company desired to go in my room; to which, when I had consented, he took my place; and coming to the siege, as he stood sentinel, he was shot into the head with a musket bullet, and died.
14. Here, as I said, were judgments and mercy, but neither of them did awaken my soul to righteousness; wherefore I sinned still, and grew more and more rebellious against God, and careless of mine own salvation.
15. Presently after this, I changed my condition into a married state, and my mercy was to light upon a wife whose father was counted godly. This woman and I, though we came together as poor as poor might be, not having so much household stuff as a dish or spoon betwixt us both, yet this she had for her part, The Plain Man’s Pathway to Heaven, and The Practice of Piety, which her father had left her when he died. In these two books I should sometimes read with her, wherein I also found some things that were somewhat pleasing to me; but all this while I met with no conviction. She also would be often telling of me, what a godly man her father was, and how he would reprove and correct vice, both in his house, and amongst his neighbours; what a strict and holy life he lived in his day, both in word and deed.
16. Wherefore these books with this relation, though they did not reach my heart, to awaken it about my sad and sinful state, yet they did beget within me some desires to religion: so that, because I knew no better, I fell in very eagerly with the religion of the times; to wit, to go to church twice a day, and that too with the foremost; and there should very devoutly, both say and sing as others did, yet retaining my wicked life; but withal, I was so overrun with a spirit of superstition, that I adored, and that with great devotion, even all things, both the high place, priest, clerk, vestment, service, and what else belonging to the church; counting all things holy that were therein contained, and especially the priest and clerk most happy, and without doubt, greatly blessed, because they were the servants, as I then thought, of God, and were principal in the holy temple, to do His work therein.
17. This conceit grew so strong in little time upon my spirit, that had I but seen a priest, though never so sordid and debauched in his life, I should find my spirit fall under him, reverence him, and knit unto him: yea, I thought for the love I did bear unto them, supposing they were the ministers of God, I could have lain down at their feet, and have been trampled upon by them; their name, their garb, and work, did so intoxicate and bewitch me.
18. After I had been thus for some considerable time, another thought came into my mind; and that was, whether we were of the Israelites, or no? For finding in the Scriptures that they were once the peculiar people of God, thought I, if I were one of this race, my soul must needs be happy. Now again, I found within me a great longing to be resolved about this question, but could not tell how I should. At last I asked my father of it; who told me,—No, we were not. Wherefore then I fell in my spirit as to the hopes of that, and so remained.
19. But all this while, I was not sensible of the danger and evil of sin; I was
kept from considering that sin would damn me, what religion soever I followed, unless
I was found in Christ. Nay, I never thought of Him, nor whether there was one, or
no. Thus man, while blind, doth wander, but wearieth himself with vanity, for he
knoweth not the way to the city of God (
20. But one day, amongst all the sermons our parson made, his subject was, to treat of the Sabbath-day, and of the evil of breaking that, either with labour, sports or otherwise. Now I was, notwithstanding my religion, one that took much delight in all manner of vice, and especially that was the day that I did solace myself therewith, wherefore I fell in my conscience under his sermon, thinking and believing that he made that sermon on purpose to show me my evil doing; and at that time I felt what guilt was, though never before, that I can remember; but then I was, for the present, greatly loaden therewith, and so went home when the sermon was ended, with a great burden upon my spirit.
21. This, for that instant, did benumb the sinews of my best delights, and did imbitter my former pleasures to me; but behold, it lasted not, for before I had well dined, the trouble began to go off my mind, and my heart returned to his old course: but oh! how glad was I, that this trouble was gone from me, and that the fire was put out, that I might sin again without control! Wherefore, when I had satisfied nature with my food, I shook the sermon out of my mind, and to my old custom of sports and gaming I returned with great delight.
22. But the same day, as I was in the midst of a game at cat, and having struck it one blow from the hole, just as I was about to strike it the second time, a voice did suddenly dart from heaven into my soul, which said, Wilt thou leave thy sins and go to heaven, or have thy sins and go to hell? At this I was put to an exceeding maze; wherefore, leaving my cat upon the ground, I looked up to heaven, and was as if I had, with the eyes of my understanding, seen the Lord Jesus looking down upon me, as being very hotly displeased with me, and as if He did severely threaten me with some grievous punishment for these and other my ungodly practices.
23. I had no sooner thus conceived in my mind, but suddenly this conclusion was fastened on my spirit, for the former hint did set my sins again before my face, that I had been a great and grievous sinner, and that it was now too late for me to look after heaven; for Christ would not forgive me, nor pardon my transgressions. Then I fell to musing upon this also; and while I was thinking on it, and fearing lest it should be so, I felt my heart sink in despair, concluding it was too late; and therefore I resolved in my mind I would go on in sin; for, thought I, if the case be thus, my state is surely miserable; miserable if I leave my sins, and but miserable if I follow then; I can but be damned, and if I must be so, I had as good be damned for many sins, as to be damned for few.
24. Thus I stood in the midst of my play, before all that then were present; but yet I told them nothing: but I say, I having made this conclusion, I returned desperately to my sport again; and I well remember, that presently this kind of despair did so possess my soul, that I was persuaded I could never attain to other comfort than what I should get in sin; for heaven was gone already, so that on that I must not think; wherefore I found within me a great desire to take my fill of sin, still studying what sin was set to be committed, that I might taste the sweetness of it; and I made as much haste as I could to fill my belly with its delicates, lest I should die before I had my desire; for that I feared greatly. In these things, I protest before God, I lie not, neither do I feign this sort of speech; these were really, strongly, and with all my heart, my desires; the good Lord, whose mercy is unsearchable, forgive me my transgressions .
25. And I am very confident, that this temptation of the devil is more than usual
amongst poor creatures than many are aware of, even to overrun their spirits with
a scurvy and seared frame of heart, and benumbing of conscience; which frame, he
stilly and slily supplieth with such despair, that though not much guilt attendeth
the soul, yet they continually have a secret conclusion within them, that there
is no hopes for them; for they have loved sons, ‘therefore after them they will
go’ (
26. Now therefore I went on in sin with great greediness of mind, still grudging that I could not be so satisfied with it as I would. This did continue with me about a month, or more; but one day, as I was standing at a neighbour’s shop-window, and there cursing and swearing, and playing the madman, after my wonted manner, there sat within the woman of the house, and heard me, who, though she was a very loose and ungodly wretch, yet protested that I swore and cursed at that most fearful rate, that she was made to tremble to hear me; and told me further, That I was the ungodliest fellow for swearing that ever she heard in all her life; and that I, by thus doing, was able to spoil all the youth in a whole town, if they came but in my company.
27. At this reproof I was silenced, and put to secret shame, and that too, as I thought, before the God of heaven; wherefore, while I stood there, and hanging down my head. I wished with all my heart that I might be a little child again, that my father might learn me to speak without this wicked way of swearing; for, thought I, I am so accustomed to it, that it is in vain for me to think of a reformation, for I thought it could never be.
28. But how it came to pass, I know not; I did from this time forward so leave my swearing, that it was a great wonder to myself to observe it; and whereas before, I knew not how to speak unless I put an oath before, and another behind, to make my words have authority; now, I could, without it, speak better, and with more pleasantness, than ever I could before. All this while I knew not Jesus Christ, neither did I leave my sports and plays.
29. But quickly after this, I fell in company with one poor man that made profession of religion; who, as I then thought, did talk pleasantly of the Scriptures, and of the matters of religion; wherefore, falling into some love and liking to what he said, I betook me to my Bible, and began to take great pleasure in reading, but especially with the historical part thereof; for, as for Paul’s epistles, and Scriptures of that nature, I could not away with them, being as yet but ignorant, either of the corruptions of my nature, or of the want and worth of Jesus Christ to save me.
30. Wherefore I fell to some outward reformation, both in my words and life, and did set the commandments before me for my way to heaven; which commandments I also did strive to keep, and, as I thought, did keep them pretty well sometimes, and then I should have comfort; yet now and then should break one, and so afflict my conscience; but then I should repent, and say I was sorry for it, and promise God to do better next time, and there get help again, for then I thought I pleased God as well as any man in England.
31. Thus I continued about a year; all which time our neighbours did take me to be a very godly man, a new and religious man, and did marvel much to see such a great and famous alteration in my life and manners; and, indeed, so it was, though yet I knew not Christ, nor grace, nor faith, nor hope; and truly, as I have well seen since, had I then died, my state had been most fearful; well, this, I say, continued about a twelvemonth or more.
32. But, I say, my neighbours were amazed at this my great conversion, from prodigious profaneness, to something like a moral life; and, truly, so they well might; for this my conversion was as great, as for Tom of Bedlam to become a sober man. Now, therefore, they began to praise, to commend, and to speak well of me, both to my face, and behind my back. Now, I was, as they said, become godly; now, I was become a right honest man. But oh! when I understood that these were their words and opinions of me, it pleased me mighty well. For though, as yet, I was nothing but a poor painted hypocrite, yet I loved to be talked of as one that was truly godly. I was proud of my godliness, and, I did all I did, either to be seen of, or to be well spoken of, by man. And thus I continued for about a twelvemonth or more.
33. Now you must know, that before this I had taken much delight in ringing, but my conscience beginning to be tender, I thought such practice was but vain, and therefore forced myself to leave it, yet my mind hankered; wherefore I should go to the steeple house, and look on it, though I durst not ring. But I thought this did not become religion neither, yet I forced myself, and would look on still; but quickly after, I began to think, How, if one of the bells should fall? Then I chose to stand under a main beam, that lay overthwart the steeple, from side to side, thinking there I might stand sure, but then I should think again, should the bell fall with a swing, it might first hit the wall, and then rebounding upon me, might kill me for all this beam. This made me stand in the steeple door; and now, thought I, I am safe enough; for if a bell should then fall, I can slip out behind these thick walls, and so be preserved notwithstanding.
34. So, after this, I would yet go to see them ring, but would not go farther than the steeple door; but then it came into my head, How, if the steeple itself should fall? And this thought, it may fall for aught I know, when I stood and looked on, did continually so shake my mind, that I durst not stand at the steeple door any longer, but was forced to flee, for fear the steeple should fall upon my head.
35. Another thing was my dancing; I was a full year before I could quite leave that; but all this while, when I thought I kept this or that commandment, or did, by word or deed, anything that I thought was good, I had great peace in my conscience; and should think with myself, God cannot choose but be now pleased with me; yea, to relate it in mine own way, I thought no man in England could please God better than I.
36. But, poor wretch as I was, I was all this while ignorant of Jesus Christ, and going about to establish my own righteousness; and had perished therein, had not God, in mercy, showed me more of my state of nature.
37. But upon a day, the good providence of God did cast me to Bedford, to work on my calling; and in one of the streets of that town, I came where there were three or four poor women sitting at a door in the sun, and talking about the things of God; and being now willing to hear them discourse, I drew near to hear what they said, for I was now a brisk talker also myself in the matters of religion, but now I may say, I heard, but I understood not; for they were far above, out of my reach, for their talk was about a new birth, the work of God on their hearts, also how they were convinced of their miserable state by nature; they talked how God had visited their souls with His love in the Lord Jesus, and with what words and promises they had been refreshed, comforted, and supported against the temptations of the devil. Moreover, they reasoned of the suggestions and temptations of Satan in particular; and told to each other by which they had been afflicted, and how they were borne up under his assaults. They also discoursed of their own wretchedness of heart, of their unbelief; and did contemn, slight, and abhor their own righteousness, as filthy and insufficient to do them any good.
38. And methought they spake as if joy did make them speak; they spake with such
pleasantness of Scripture language, and with such appearance of grace in all they
said, that they were to me as if they had found a new world, as if they were people
that dwelt alone, and were not to be reckoned among their neighbours (
39. At this I felt my own heart began to shake, as mistrusting my condition to be naught; for I saw that in all my thoughts about religion and salvation, the new birth did never enter into my mind, neither knew I the comfort of the Word and promise, nor the deceitfulness and treachery of my own wicked heart. As for secret thoughts, I took no notice of them; neither did I understand what Satan’s temptations were, nor how they were to be withstood and resisted, etc.
40. Thus, therefore, when I had heard and considered what they said, I left them, and went about my employment again, but their talk and discourse went with me; also my heart would tarry with them, for I was greatly affected with their words, both because by them I was convinced that I wanted the true tokens of a truly godly man, and also because by them I was convinced of the happy and blessed condition of him that was such a one.
41. Therefore I should often make it my business to be going again and again into the company of these poor people, for I could not stay away; and the more I went amongst them, the more I did question my condition; and as I still do remember, presently I found two things within me, at which I did sometimes marvel, especially considering what a blind, ignorant, sordid, and ungodly wretch but just before I was; the one was a great softness and tenderness of heart, which caused me to fall under the conviction of what by Scripture they asserted; and the other was a great bending in my mind to a continual meditating on it, and on all other good things which at any time I heard or read of.
42. By these things my mind was now so turned, that it lay like a horse leech
at the vein, still crying out, Give, give (
43. One thing I may not omit: There was a young man in our town, to whom my heart was knit more than to any other, but he being a most wicked creature for cursing, and swearing, and whoring, I now shook him off, and forsook his company: but about a quarter of a year after I had left him, I met him in a certain lane, and asked him how he did; he, after his old swearing and mad way, answered, he was well. But, Harry, said I, why do you swear and curse thus? What will become of you, if you die in this condition? He answered me in a great chafe, What would the devil do for company, if it were not for such as I am?
44. About this time I met with some Ranters’ books, that were put forth by some of our countrymen, which books were also highly in esteem by several old professors; some of these I read, but was not able to make a judgment about them; wherefore as I read in them, and thought upon them, feeling myself unable to judge, I should betake myself to hearty prayer in this manner: 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 of, or condemn this doctrine; if it be of God, let me not despise it; if it be of the devil, let me not embrace it. Lord, I lay my soul, in this matter, only at Thy foot; let me not be deceived, I humbly beseech Thee. I had one religious intimate companion all this while, and that was the poor man that I spoke of before; but about this time he also turned a most devilish Ranter, and gave himself up to all manner of filthiness, especially uncleanness; he would also deny that there was a God, angel, or spirit; and would laugh at all exhortations to sobriety. When I laboured to rebuke his wickedness, he would laugh the more, and pretend that he had gone through all religions, and could never light on the right till now. He told me also, that in a little time we should see all professors turn to the ways of the Ranters. Wherefore, abominating those cursed principles, I left his company forthwith, and became to him as great a stranger, as I had been before a familiar.
45. Neither was this man only a temptation to me; but my calling lying in the country, I happened to light into several people’s company, who, though strict in religion formerly, yet were also swept away by these Ranters. These would also talk with me of their ways, and condemn me as legal and dark; pretending that they had only attained to perfection that could do what they would, and not sin. Oh! these temptations were suitable to my flesh, I being but a young man, and my nature in its prime; but God, who had, I hope, designed me for better things, kept me in the fear of His name, and did not suffer me to accept of such principles. And blessed be God, who put it into my heart to cry to Him to be kept and directed, still distrusting mine own wisdom; for I have since seen even the effect of that prayer, in His preserving me not only from ranting errors, but from those also that have sprung up since. The Bible was precious to me in those days.
46. And now, methought, I began to look into the Bible with new eyes, and read as I never did before; and especially the epistles of the apostle Paul were sweet and pleasant to me; and, indeed, I was then never out of the Bible, either by reading or meditation; still crying out to God, that I might know the truth, and way to heaven and glory.
47. And as I went on and read, I lighted on that passage, ‘To one is given by
the Spirit the word of wisdom; to another the word of knowledge by the same Spirit;
and to another faith,’ etc. (
48. No, said I with myself, though I am convinced that I am an ignorant sot, and that I want those blessed gifts of knowledge and understanding that other good people have; yet, at a venture, I will conclude I am not altogether faithless, though I know not what faith is. For it was showed me, and that too, as I have since seen, by Satan, that those who conclude themselves in a faithless state, have neither rest nor quiet in their souls; and I was loath to fall quite into despair.
49. Wherefore, by this suggestion, I was for a while made afraid to see my want of faith; but God would not suffer me thus to undo and destroy my soul, but did continually, against this my blind and sad conclusion, create still within me such suppositions, insomuch that I might in this deceive myself, that I could not rest content, until I did now come to some certain knowledge, whether I had faith or no; this always running in my mind, But how if you want faith indeed? But how can you tell if you have faith? And, besides, I saw for certain, if I had not, I was sure to perish for ever.
50. So that though I endeavoured at the first to look over the business of faith, yet in a little time, I better considering the matter, was willing to put myself upon the trial, whether I had faith or no. But alas, poor wretch, so ignorant and brutish was I, that I knew to this day no more how to do it, than I know how to begin and accomplish that rare and curious piece of art which I never yet saw nor considered.
51. Wherefore, while I was thus considering, and being put to my plunge about it, for you must know, that as yet I had in this matter broken my mind to no man, only did hear and consider, the tempter came in with his delusion, That there was no way for me to know I had faith, but by trying to work some miracle: urging those Scriptures that seem to look that way, for the enforcing and strengthening his temptation. Nay, one day as I was betwixt Elstow and Bedford, the temptation was hot upon me to try if I had faith, by doing of some miracle: which miracle at that time was this, I must say to the puddles that were in the horse pads, Be dry; and to the dry places, Be you the puddles. And truly, one time I was a-going to say so indeed; but just as I was about to speak, this thought came into my mind, But go under yonder hedge and pray first, that God would make you able. But when I had concluded to pray, this came hot upon me, That if I prayed, and came again and tried to do it, and yet did nothing notwithstanding, then be sure I had no faith, but was a castaway and lost. Nay, thought I, if it be so, I will never try yet, but will stay a little longer.
52. So I continued at a great loss; for I thought, if they only had faith, which could do so wonderful things, then I concluded that, for the present, I neither had it, nor yet, for time to come, were ever like to have it. Thus I was tossed between the devil and my own ignorance, and so perplexed, especially at some times, that I could not tell what to do.
53. About this time, the state and happiness of these poor people at Bedford was thus, in a dream or vision, represented to me. I saw, as if they were set on the sunny side of some high mountain, there refreshing themselves with the pleasant beams of the sun, while I was shivering and shrinking in the cold, afflicted with frost, snow, and dark clouds. Methought, also, betwixt me and them, I saw a wall that did compass about this mountain; now, through this wall my soul did greatly desire to pass; concluding, that if I could, I would go even into the very midst of them, and there also comfort myself with the heat of their sun.
54. About this wall I thought myself, to go again and again, still prying as I went, to see if I could find some way or passage, by which I might enter therein; but none could I find for some time. At the last, I saw, as it were, a narrow gap, like a little doorway in the wall, through which I attempted to pass; but the passage being very strait and narrow, I made many efforts to get in, but all in vain, even until I was well-nigh quite beat out, by striving to get in; at last, with great striving, methought I at first did get in my head, and after that, by a sidling striving, my shoulders, and my whole body; then I was exceeding glad, and went and sat down in the midst of them, and so was comforted with the light and heat of their sun.
55. Now, this mountain and wall, etc., was thus made out to me—the mountain signified
the church of the living God; the sun that shone thereon, the comfortable shining
of His merciful face on them that were therein; the wall, I thought, was the Word,
that did make separation between the Christians and the world; and the gap which
was in this wall, I thought, was Jesus Christ, who is the way to God the Father
(
56. This resemblance abode upon my spirit many days; all which time I saw myself in a forlorn and sad condition, but yet was provoked to a vehement hunger and desire to be one of that number that did sit in the sunshine. Now also I should pray wherever I was, whether at home or abroad, in house or field, and should also often, with lifting up of heart, sing that of the 51st Psalm, ‘O Lord, consider my distress’; for as yet I knew not where I was.
57. Neither as yet could I attain to any comfortable persuasion that I had faith in Christ; but instead of having satisfaction, here I began to find my soul to be assaulted with fresh doubts about my future happiness; especially with such as these, Whether I was elected? But how, if the day of grace should now be past and gone?
58. By these two temptations I was very much afflicted and disquieted; sometimes
by one, and sometimes by the other of them. And first, to speak of that about my
questioning my election, I found at this time, that though I was in a flame to find
the way to heaven and glory, and though nothing could beat me off from this, yet
this question did so offend and discourage me, that I was, especially at some times,
as if the very strength of my body also had been taken away by the force and power
thereof. This scripture did also seem to me to trample upon all my desires, ‘It
is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that sheweth mercy’
(
59. With this scripture I could not tell what to do; for I evidently saw, that unless the great God, of His infinite grace and bounty, had voluntarily chosen me to be a vessel of mercy, though I should desire, and long and labour until my heart did break, no good could come of it. Therefore, this would still stick with me, How can you tell that you are elected? And what if you should not? How then?
60. O Lord, thought I, what if I should not, indeed? It may be you are not, said the tempter; it may be so, indeed, thought I. Why, then, said Satan, you had as good leave off, and strive no further; for if, indeed, you should not be elected and chosen of God, there is no talk of your being saved; ‘For it is neither of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that sheweth mercy.’
61. By these things I was driven to my wits’ end, not knowing what to say, or how to answer these temptations. Indeed, I little thought that Satan had thus assaulted me, but that rather it was my own prudence, thus to start the question; for, that the elect only attained eternal life, that I, without scruple, did heartily close withal; but that myself was one of them, there lay all the question.
62. Thus, therefore, for several days, I was greatly assaulted and perplexed, and was often, when I have been walking, ready to sink where I went, with faintness in my mind; but one day, after I had been so many weeks oppressed and cast down therewith, as I was now quite giving up the ghost of all my hopes of ever attaining life, that sentence fell with weight upon my spirit, ‘Look at the generations of old and see; did ever any trust in the Lord, and was confounded?’
63. At which I was greatly lightened and encouraged in my soul; for thus, at that very instant, it was expounded to me, Begin at the beginning of Genesis, and read to the end of the Revelations, and see if you can find that there was ever any that trusted in the Lord, and was confounded. So, coming home, I presently went to my Bible to see if I could find that saying, not doubting but to find it presently; for it was so fresh, and with such strength and comfort on my spirit, that I was as if it talked with me.
64. Well, I looked, but I found it not; only it abode upon me; then I did ask first this good man, and then another, if they knew where it was, but they knew no such place. At this I wondered that such a sentence should so suddenly, and with such comfort and strength, seize and abide upon my heart, and yet that none could find it, for I doubted not but it was in holy Scripture.
65. Thus I continued above a year, and could not find the place; but at last,
casting my eye into the Apocrypha books, I found it in
66. After this, that other doubt did come with strength upon me, But how if the day of grace should be past and gone? How if you have overstood the time of mercy? Now, I remember that one day, as I was walking into the country, I was much in the thoughts of this, But how if the day of grace be past? And to aggravate my trouble, the tempter presented to my mind those good people of Bedford, and suggested thus unto me, That these being converted already, they were all that God would save in those parts; and that I came too late, for these had got the blessing before I came.
67. Now was I in great distress, thinking in very deed that this might well be so; wherefore I went up and down bemoaning my sad condition, counting myself far worse than a thousand fools, for standing off thus long, and spending so many years in sin as I had done; still crying out, Oh, that I had turned sooner! Oh, that I had turned seven years ago! It made me also angry with myself, to think that I should have no more wit, but to trifle away my time till my soul and heaven were lost.
68. But when I had been long vexed with this fear, and was scarce able to take
one step more, just about the same place where I received my other encouragement,
these words broke in upon my mind, ‘Compel them to come in, that my house may be
filled’; ‘and yet there is room’ (
69. In the light and encouragement of this word, I went a pretty while; and the comfort was the more, when I thought that the Lord Jesus should think on me so long ago, and that He should speak those words on purpose for my sake; for I did then think, verily, that He did on purpose speak them, to encourage me withal.
70. But I was not without my temptations to go back again; temptations, I say,
both from Satan, mine own heart, and carnal acquaintance; but I thank God these
were outweighed by that sound sense of death and of the day of judgment, which abode,
as it were, continually in my view; I should often also think on Nebuchadnezzar,
of whom it is said, He had given him all the kingdoms of the earth (
71. I was almost made, about this time, to see something concerning the beasts
that Moses counted clean and unclean. I thought those beasts were types of men;
the clean, types of them that were the people of God; but the unclean, types of
such as were the children of the wicked one. Now, I read that the clean beasts chewed
the cud; that is, thought I, they show us we must feed upon the Word of God. They
also parted the hoof; I thought that signified we must part, if we would be saved,
with the ways of ungodly men. And also, in further reading about them I found that
though we did chew the cud as the hare, yet if we walked with claws like a dog,
or if we did part the hoof like the swine, yet if we did not chew the cud as the
sheep, we were still, for all that, but unclean; for I thought the hare to be a
type of those that talk of the Word, yet walk in the ways of sin; and that the swine
was like him that parted with his outward pollutions, but still wanteth the Word
of faith, without which there could be no way of salvation, let a man be never so
devout (
72. Here, again, I was at a very great stand, not knowing what to do, fearing I was not called; for, thought I, if I be not called, what then can do me good? None but those who are effectually called, inherit the kingdom of heaven. But oh! how I now loved those words that spake of a Christian’s calling! as when the Lord said to one, ‘Follow me’, and to another, ‘Come after me’. And oh! thought I, that He would say so to me too, how gladly would I run after him!
73. I cannot now express with what longings and breakings in my soul I cried to Christ to call me. Thus I continued for a time, all on a flame to be converted to Jesus Christ; and did also see at that day, such glory in a converted state, that I could not be contented without a share therein. Gold! could it have been gotten for gold, what could I have given for it! had I a whole world it had all gone ten thousand times over for this, that my soul might have been in a converted state.
74. How lovely now was everyone in my eyes that I thought to be converted men
and women! they shone, they walked like a people that carried the broad seal of
heaven about them. Oh! I saw the lot was fallen to them in pleasant places, and
they had a goodly heritage (
75. This scripture made me faint and fear, yet it kindled fire in my soul. That which made me fear was this, lest Christ should have no liking to me, for He called ‘whom he would’. But oh! the glory that I saw in that condition did still so engage my heart that I could seldom read of any that Christ did call but I presently wished, Would I had been in their clothes; would I had been born Peter; would I had been born John; or would I had been by and had heard Him when He called them, how would I have cried, O Lord, call me also. But oh! I feared He would not call me.
76. And truly the Lord let me go thus many months together and showed me nothing;
either that I was already, or should be called hereafter. But at last, after much
time spent, and many groans to God, that I might be made partaker of the holy and
heavenly calling, that Word came in upon me: ‘I will cleanse their blood that I
have not cleansed: for the Lord dwelleth in Zion’ (
77. About this time I began to break my mind to those poor people in Bedford, and to tell them my condition, which, when they had heard, they told Mr. Gifford of me, who himself also took occasion to talk with me, and was willing to be well persuaded of me, though I think but from little grounds: but he invited me to his house, where I should hear him confer with others, about the dealings of God with the soul; from all which I still received more conviction, and from that time began to see something of the vanity and inward wretchedness of my wicked heart, for as yet I knew no great matter therein; but now it began to be discovered unto me, and also to work at that rate for wickedness as it never did before. Now I evidently found that lusts and corruptions would strongly put forth themselves within me, in wicked thoughts and desires, which I did not regard before; my desires for heaven and life began to fail. I found also, that whereas my soul was full of longing after God, now my heart began to hanker after every foolish vanity; yea, my heart would not be moved to mind that that was good; it began to be careless, both of my soul and heaven; it would now continually hang back, both to, and in every duty; and was as a clog on the leg of a bird to hinder her from flying.
78. Nay, thought I, now I grow worse and worse; now am I farther from conversion than ever I was before. Wherefore I began to sink greatly in my soul, and began to entertain such discouragement in my heart as laid me low as hell. If now I should have burned at a stake, I could not believe that Christ had love for me; alas, I could neither hear Him, nor see Him, nor feel Him, nor savour any of His things; I was driven as with a tempest, my heart would be unclean, the Canaanites would dwell in the land.
79. Sometimes I would tell my condition to the people of God, which, when they heard, they would pity me, and would tell me of the promises; but they had as good have told me that I must reach the sun with my finger as have bidden me receive or rely upon the promise; and as soon as I should have done it, all my sense and feeling was against me; and I saw I had a heart that would sin, and that lay under a law that would condemn.
80. These things have often made me think of that child which the father brought
to Christ, who, while he was yet a-coming to him, was thrown down by the devil,
and also so rent and torn by him that he lay and wallowed, foaming (
81. Further, in these days I should find my heart to shut itself up against the
Lord, and against His holy Word. I have found my unbelief to set, as it were, the
shoulder to the door to keep Him out, and that too even then, when I have with many
a bitter sigh cried, Good Lord, break it open; Lord, break these gates of brass,
and cut these bars of iron asunder (
82. But all this while as to the act of sinning, I never was more tender than now; I durst not take a pin or a stick, though but so big as a straw, for my conscience now was sore, and would smart at every touch; I could not now tell how to speak my words, for fear I should misplace them. Oh, how gingerly did I then go in all I did or said! I found myself as on a miry bog that shook if I did but stir; and was there left both of God and Christ, and the Spirit, and all good things.
83. But, I observe, though I was such a great sinner before conversion, yet God never much charged the guilt of the sins of my ignorance upon me; only He showed me I was lost if I had not Christ, because I had been a sinner; I saw that I wanted a perfect righteousness to present me without fault before God, and this righteousness was nowhere to be found, but in the person of Jesus Christ.
84. But my original and inward pollution, that, that was my plague and my affliction; that, I say, at a dreadful rate, always putting forth itself within me; that I had the guilt of, to amazement; by reason of that, I was more loathsome in my own eyes than was a toad; and I thought I was so in God’s eyes too; sin and corruption, I said, would as naturally bubble out of my heart, as water would bubble out of a fountain. I thought now that everyone had a better heart than I had; I could have changed heart with anybody; I thought none but the devil himself could equalize me for inward wickedness and pollution of mind. I fell, therefore, at the sight of my own vileness, deeply into despair; for I concluded that this condition that I was in could not stand with a state of grace. Sure, thought I, I am forsaken of God; sure I am given up to the devil, and to a reprobate mind; and thus I continued a long while, even for some years together.
85. While I was thus afflicted with the fears of my own damnation, there were two things would make me wonder; the one was, when I saw old people hunting after the things of this life, as if they should live here always; the other was, when I found professors much distressed and cast down, when they met with outward losses, as of husband, wife, child, etc. Lord, thought I, what ado is here about such little things as these! What seeking after carnal things by some, and what grief in others for the loss of them! If they so much labour after, and spend so many tears for the things of this present life, how am I to be bemoaned, pitied, and prayed for! My soul is dying, my soul is damning. Were my soul but in a good condition, and were I but sure of it, oh! how rich I should esteem myself, though blessed but with bread and water; I should count those but small afflictions, and should bear them as little burdens. ‘A wounded spirit who can bear?’
86. And though I was thus troubled, and tossed, and afflicted, with the sight
and sense and terror of my own wickedness, yet I was afraid to let this sight and
sense go quite off my mind; for I found that, unless guilt of conscience was taken
off the right way, that is, by the blood of Christ, a man grew rather worse for
the loss of his trouble of mind, than better. Wherefore, if my guilt lay hard upon
me, then I should cry that the blood of Christ might take it off; and if it was
going off without it (for the sense of sin would be sometimes as if it would die,
and go quite away), then I would also strive to fetch it upon my heart again, by
bringing the punishment for sin in hell fire upon my spirits; and should cry, Lord,
let it not go off my heart, but the right way, but by the blood of Christ, and by
the application of Thy mercy, through Him, to my soul; for that scripture lay much
upon me, ‘without shedding of blood is no remission’ (
87. And now was I sorry that God had made me a man, for I feared I was a reprobate; I counted man as unconverted, the most doleful of all the creatures. Thus being afflicted and tossed about my sad condition, I counted myself alone, and above the most of men unblessed.
88. Yea, I thought it impossible that ever I should attain to so much goodness of heart, as to thank God that He had made me a man. Man indeed is the most noble by creation, of all creatures in the visible world; but by sin he has made himself the most ignoble. The beasts, birds, fishes, etc., I blessed their condition, for they had not a sinful nature, they were not obnoxious in the sight of God; they were not to go to hell fire after death; I could therefore have rejoiced had my condition been as any of theirs.
89. In this condition I went a great while; but when comforting time was come,
I heard one preach a sermon upon those words in the
90. But I got nothing by what he said at present, only when he came to the application of the fourth particular, this was the word he said: If it be so, that the saved soul is Christ’s love when under temptation and desertion; then, poor tempted soul, when thou art assaulted and afflicted with temptation, and the hidings of God’s face, yet think on these two words, ‘My love’, still.
91. So as I was a-going home, these words came again into my thoughts; and I
well remember, as I came in, I said thus in my heart, What shall I get by thinking
on these two words? This thought had no sooner passed through my heart, but the
words began thus to kindle in my spirit, ‘Thou art my love, thou art my love’, twenty
times together; and still as they ran thus in my mind, they waxed stronger and warmer,
and began to make me look up; but being as yet between hope and fear, I still replied
in my heart, But is it true, but is it true? At which, that sentence fell in upon
me, he ‘wist not that it was true which was done by the angel’ (
92. Then I began to give place to the word, which, with power, did over and over
make this joyful sound within my soul, Thou art my love, thou art my love; and nothing
shall separate thee from my love; and with that,
93. Yet still at times, I was helped to believe that it was a true manifestation
of grace unto my soul, though I had lost much of the life and savour of it. Now
about a week or fortnight after this, I was much followed by this scripture, ‘Simon,
Simon, behold Satan hath desired to have you’ (
94. Also, as I remember, that time that it called to me so loud, was the last time that it sounded in mine ear; but methinks I hear still with what a loud voice these words, Simon, Simon, sounded in mine ears. I thought verily, as I have told you, that somebody had called after me, that was half a mile behind me; and although that was not my name, yet it made me suddenly look behind me, believing that he that called so loud meant me.
95. But so foolish was I, and ignorant, that I knew not the reason of this sound; which, as I did both see and feel soon after, was sent from heaven as an alarm, to awaken me to provide for what was coming; only it would make me muse and wonder in my mind, to think what should be the reason that this scripture, and that at this rate, so often and so loud, should still be sounding and rattling in mine ears; but, as I said before, I soon after perceived the end of God therein.
96. For about the space of a month after, a very great storm came down upon me, which handled me twenty times worse than all I had met with before; it came stealing upon me, now by one piece, then by another; first, all my comfort was taken from me, then darkness seized upon me, after which whole floods of blasphemies, both against God, Christ, and the Scriptures, were poured upon my spirit, to my great confusion and astonishment. These blasphemous thoughts were such as also stirred up questions in me, against the very being of God, and of His only beloved Son; as whether there were, in truth, a God, or Christ, or no? And whether the holy Scriptures were not rather a fable, and cunning story, than the holy and pure Word of God?
97 The tempter would also much assault me with this, How can you tell but that the Turks had as good Scriptures to prove their Mahomet the Saviour, as we have to prove our Jesus is? And, could I think, that so many ten thousands, in so many countries and kingdoms, should be without the knowledge of the right way to heaven; if there were indeed a heaven, and that we only, who live in a corner of the earth, should alone be blessed therewith? Everyone doth think his own religion rightest, both Jews and Moors, and Pagans! and how if all our faith, and Christ, and Scriptures, should be but a think-so too?
98. Sometimes I have endeavoured to argue against these suggestions, and to set some of the sentences of blessed Paul against them; but, alas! I quickly felt, when I thus did, such arguings as these would return again upon me, Though we made so great a matter of Paul, and of his words, yet how could I tell, but that in very deed, he being a subtle and cunning man, might give himself up to deceive with strong delusions; and also take both that pains and travail, to undo and destroy his fellows?
99. These suggestions, with many other which at this time I may not, nor dare not utter, neither by word nor pen, did make such a seizure upon my spirit, and did so overweigh my heart, both with their number, continuance, and fiery force, that I felt as if there were nothing else but these from morning to night within me; and as though, indeed, there could be room for nothing else; and also concluded that God had, in very wrath to my soul, given me up unto them, to be carried away with them, as with a mighty whirlwind.
100. Only by the distaste that they gave unto my spirit, I felt there was something in me that refused to embrace them. But this consideration I then only had, when God gave me leave to swallow my spittle, otherwise the noise, and strength, and force of these temptations, would drown and overflow, and as it were bury all such thoughts or the remembrance of any such thing. While I was in this temptation, I should often find my mind suddenly put upon it, to curse and swear, or to speak some grievous thing against God, or Christ His Son, and of the Scriptures.
101. Now I thought, surely I am possessed of the devil; at other times again, I thought I should be bereft of my wits; for instead of lauding and magnifying God the Lord with others, if I have but heard Him spoken of, presently some most horrible blasphemous thought or other would bolt out of my heart against Him; so that whether I did think that God was, or again did think there were no such thing, no love, nor peace, nor gracious disposition could I feel within me.
102. These things did sink me into very deep despair; for I concluded, that such
things could not possibly be found amongst them that loved God. I often, when these
temptations have been with force upon me, did compare myself in the case of such
a child, whom some gipsy hath by force took up under her apron, and is carrying
from friend and country; kick sometimes I did, and also scream and cry; but yet
I was as bound in the wings of the temptation, and the wind would carry me away.
I thought also of Saul, and of the evil spirit that did possess him; and did greatly
fear that my condition was the same with that of his (
103. In these days, when I have heard others talk of what was the sin against the Holy Ghost, then would the tempter so provoke me to desire to sin that sin, that I was as if I could not, must not, neither should be quiet until I had committed that; now, no sin would serve but that; if it were to be committed by speaking of such a word, then I have been as if my mouth would have spoken that word, whether I would or no; and in so strong a measure was this temptation upon me, that often I have been ready to clap my hand under my chin, to hold my mouth from opening; and to that end also I have had thoughts at other times, to leap with my head downward, into some muck-hill hole or other, to keep my mouth from speaking.
104. Now I blessed the condition of the dog and toad, and counted the estate
of everything that God had made far better than this dreadful state of mine, and
such as my companions was; yea, gladly would I have been in the condition of dog
or horse, for I knew they had no soul to perish under the everlasting weights of
hell for sin, as mine was like to do. Nay, and though I saw this, felt this, and
was broken to pieces with it, yet that which added to my sorrow was, that I could
not find that with all my soul I did desire deliverance. That scripture did also
tear and rend my soul, in the midst of these distractions, ‘The wicked are like
the troubled sea, when it cannot rest, whose waters cast up mire and dirt. There
is no peace, saith my God, to the wicked’ (
105. And now my heart was, at times, exceeding hard; if I would have given a thousand pounds for a tear, I could not shed one; no, nor sometimes scarce desire to shed one. I was much dejected to think that this should be my lot. I saw some could mourn and lament their sin; and others, again, could rejoice, and bless God for Christ; and others, again, could quietly talk of, and with gladness remember, the Word of God; while I only was in the storm or tempest. This much sunk me; I thought my condition was alone. I should, therefore, much bewail my hard hap; but get out of, or get rid of, these things, I could not.
106. While this temptation lasted, which was about a year, I could attend upon none of the ordinances of God but with sore and great affliction. Yea, then was I most distressed with blasphemies; if I have been hearing the Word, then uncleanness, blasphemies and despair would hold me as captive there; if I have been reading, then, sometimes, I had sudden thoughts to question all I read; sometimes, again, my mind would be so strangely snatched away, and possessed with other things, that I have neither known, nor regarded, nor remembered so much as the sentence that but now I have read.
107. In prayer, also, I have been greatly troubled at this time; sometimes I
have thought I should see the devil; nay, thought I have felt him, behind me, pull
my clothes; he would be, also, continually at me in the time of prayer to have done;
break off, make haste, you have prayed enough, and stay no longer, still drawing
my mind away. Sometimes, also, he would cast in such wicked thoughts as these: that
I must pray to him, or for him. I have thought sometimes of that—Fall down, or,
‘if thou wilt fall down and worship me’ (
108. Also, when, because I have had wandering thoughts in the time of this duty, I have laboured to compose my mind and fix it upon God, then, with great force, hath the tempter laboured to distract me, and confound me, and to turn away my mind, by presenting to my heart and fancy the form of a bush, a bull, a besom, or the like, as if I should pray to those; to these he would, also, at some times especially, so hold my mind that I was as if I could think of nothing else, or pray to nothing else but to these, or such as they.
109. Yet, at times I should have some strong and heart-affecting apprehensions of God, and the reality of the truth of His gospel; but, oh! how would my heart, at such times, put forth itself with inexpressible groanings. My whole soul was then in every word; I should cry with pangs after God that He would be merciful unto me; but then I should be daunted again with such conceits as these: I should think that God did mock at these, my prayers, saying, and that in the audience of the holy angels, This poor simple wretch doth hanker after Me as if I had nothing to do with My mercy but to bestow it on such as he. Alas, poor fool! how art thou deceived; It is not for such as thee to have favour with the Highest.
110. Then hath the tempter come upon me, also, with such discouragements as these—You are very hot for mercy, but I will cool you; this frame shall not last always; many have been as hot as you for a spirit, but I have quenched their zeal. And with this, such and such who were fallen off would be set before mine eyes. Then I should be afraid that I should do so too; but, thought I, I am glad this comes into my mind. Well, I will watch, and take what heed I can. Though you do, said Satan, I shall be too hard for you; I will cool you insensibly, by degrees, by little and little. What care I, saith he, though I be seven years in chilling your heart if I can do it at last? Continual rocking will lull a crying child asleep. I will ply it close, but I will have my end accomplished. Though you be burning hot at present, yet, if I can pull you from this fire, I shall have you cold before it be long.
111. These things brought me into great straits; for as I at present could not
find myself fit for present death, so I thought to live long would make me yet more
unfit; for time would make me forget all, and wear even the remembrance of the evil
of sin, the worth of heaven, and the need I had of the blood of Christ to wash me,
both out of mind and thought; but I thank Christ Jesus these things did not at present
make me slack my crying, but rather did put me more upon it, like her who met with
the adulterer (
112. Yet I had some supports in this temptation, though they were then all questioned by me; that in the third of Jeremiah, at the first, was something to me, and so was the consideration of the fifth verse of that chapter; that though we have spoken and done as evil things as we could, yet we should cry unto God, ‘My Father, Thou art the guide of my youth’; and should return unto Him.
113. I had, also, once a sweet glance from that in
114. But afterwards the Lord did more fully and graciously discover Himself unto me; and, indeed, did quite, not only deliver me from the guilt that, by these things, was laid upon my conscience, but also from the very filth thereof; for the temptation was removed, and I was put into my right mind again, as other Christians were.
115. I remember that one day, as I was travelling into the country and musing
on the wickedness and blasphemy of my heart, and considering of the enmity that
was in me to God, that scripture came in my mind, He hath ‘made peace through the
blood of his cross’ (
116. At another time, as I sat by the fire in my house, and musing on my wretchedness,
the Lord made that also a precious word unto me, ‘Forasmuch, then, as the children
are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same;
that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the
devil, and deliver them who, through fear of death, were all their lifetime subject
to bondage’ (
117. At this time, also, I sat under the ministry of holy Mr. Gifford, whose doctrine, by God’s grace, was much for my stability. This man made it much his business to deliver the people of God from all those faults and unsound rests that, by nature, we are prone to take and make to our souls. He pressed up to take special heed that we took not up any truth upon trust—as from this, or that, or any other man or men—but to cry mightily to God that He would convince us of the reality thereof, and set us down therein, by His own Spirit, in the holy Word; for, said he, if you do otherwise when temptations come, if strongly, you, not having received them with evidence from heaven, will find you want that help and strength now to resist as once you thought you had.
118. This was as seasonable to my soul as the former and latter rain in their
season; for I had found, and that by sad experience, the truth of these his words;
for I had felt what no man can say, especially when tempted by the devil, that Jesus
Christ is Lord but by the Holy Ghost. Wherefore I found my soul, through grace,
very apt to drink in this doctrine, and to incline to pray to God that, in nothing
that pertained to God’s glory and my own eternal happiness, He would suffer me to
be without the confirmation thereof from heaven; for now I saw clearly there was
an exceeding difference betwixt the notions of flesh and blood, and the revelations
of God in heaven; also, a great difference between that faith that is feigned, and
according to man’s wisdom, and of that which comes by a man’s being born thereto
of God (
119. But, oh! now, how was my soul led from truth to truth by God! even from the birth and cradle of the Son of God to His ascension and second coming from heaven to judge the world.
120. Truly, I then found, upon this account, the great God was very good unto
me; for, to my remembrance, there was not anything that I then cried unto God to
make known and reveal unto me but He was pleased to do it for me; I mean not one
part of the gospel of the Lord Jesus, but I was orderly led into it. Methought I
saw with great evidence, from the relation of the four evangelists, the wonderful
work of God, in giving Jesus Christ to save us, from His conception and birth even
to His second coming to judgment. Methought I was as if I had seen Him born, as
if I had seen Him grow up, as if I had seen Him walk through this world, from the
cradle to His cross: to which, also, when He came, I saw how gently He gave Himself
to be hanged and nailed on it for my sins and wicked doings. Also, as I was musing
on this, His progress, that dropped on my spirit, He was ordained for the slaughter
(
121. When I have considered also the truth of His resurrection, and have remembered
that word, ‘Touch me not, Mary,’ etc., I have seen as if He leaped at the grave’s
mouth for joy that He was risen again, and had got the conquest over our dreadful
foes (
122. Once I was much troubled to know whether the Lord Jesus was both man as
well as God, and God as well as man; and truly, in those days, let men say what
they would, unless I had it with evidence from heaven, all was as nothing to me,
I counted not myself set down in any truth of God. Well, I was much troubled about
this point, and could not tell how to be resolved; at last, that in the fifth of
the Revelations came into my mind, ‘And I beheld, and lo, in the midst of the throne
and of the four beasts, and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb.’ In the midst
of the throne, thought I, there is His Godhead; in the midst of the elders, there
is His manhood; but oh! methought this did glister! it was a goodly touch, and gave
me sweet satisfaction. That other scripture also did help me much in this, ‘To us
a child is born, unto us a son is given; and the government shall be on his shoulder:
and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting
Father, The Prince of Peace,’ etc. (
123. Also, besides these teachings of God in His Word, the Lord made use of two things to confirm me in these things; the one was the errors of the Quakers, and the other was the guilt of sin; for as the Quakers did oppose His truth, so God did the more confirm me in it, by leading me into the scriptures that did wonderfully maintain it.
124. The errors that this people then maintained were: 1. That the holy Scriptures were not the Word of God. 2. That every man in the world had the spirit of Christ, grace, faith, etc. 3. That Christ Jesus, as crucified, and dying 1600 years ago, did not satisfy divine justice for the sins of the people. 4. That Christ’s flesh and blood was within the saints. 5. That the bodies of the good and bad that are buried in the churchyard shall not arise again. 6. That the resurrection is past with good men already. 7. That that man Jesus, that was crucified between two thieves on Mount Calvary, in the land of Canaan, by Jerusalem, was not ascended up above the starry heavens. 8. That He should not, even the same Jesus that died by the hands of the Jews, come again at the last day, and as man judge all nations, etc.
125. Many more vile and abominable things were in those days fomented by them, by which I was driven to a more narrow search of the Scriptures, and was, through their light and testimony, not only enlightened, but greatly confirmed and comforted in the truth; and, as I said, the guilt of sin did help me much, for still as that would come upon me, the blood of Christ did take it off again, and again, and again, and that too, sweetly, according to the Scriptures. O friends! cry to God to reveal Jesus Christ unto you; there is none teacheth like Him.
126. It would be too long for me here to stay, to tell you in particular how God did set me down in all the things of Christ, and how He did, that He might do so, lead me into His words; yea, and also how He did open them unto me, make them shine before me, and comfort me over and over, both of His own being, and the being of His Son, and Spirit, and Word, and gospel.
127. Only this, as I said before I will say unto you again, that in general He was pleased to take this course with me; first, to suffer me to be afflicted with temptation concerning them, and then reveal them to me: as sometimes I should lie under great guilt for sin, even crushed to the ground therewith, and then the Lord would show me the death of Christ; yea, and so sprinkle my conscience with His blood, that I should find, and that before I was aware, that in that conscience where but just now did reign and rage the law, even there would rest and abide the peace and love of God through Christ.
128. Now had I an evidence, as I thought, of my salvation from heaven, with many golden seals thereon, all hanging in my sight; now could I remember this manifestation and the other discovery of grace, with comfort; and should often long and desire that the last day were come, that I might for ever be inflamed with the sight, and joy, and communion with Him whose head was crowned with thorns, whose face was spit on, and body broken, and soul made an offering for my sins: for whereas, before, I lay continually trembling at the mouth of hell, now methought I was got so far therefrom that I could not, when I looked back, scarce discern it; and oh! thought I, that I were fourscore years old now, that I might die quickly, that my soul might be gone to rest.
129. But before I had got thus far out of these my temptations, I did greatly long to see some ancient godly man’s experience, who had writ some hundreds of years before I was born; for those who had writ in our days, I thought, but I desire them now to pardon me, that they had writ only that which others felt, or else had, through the strength of their wits and parts, studied to answer such objections as they perceived others were perplexed with, without going down themselves into the deep. Well, after many such longings in my mind, the God in whose hands are all our days and ways, did cast into my hand, one day, a book of Martin Luther; it was his comment on the Galatians—it also was so old that it was ready to fall piece from piece if I did but turn it over. Now I was pleased much that such an old book had fallen into my hands; the which, when I had but a little way perused, I found my condition, in his experience, so largely and profoundly handled, as if his book had been written out of my heart. This made me marvel; for thus thought I, This man could not know anything of the state of Christians now, but must needs write and speak the experience of former days.
130. Besides, he doth most gravely, also, in that book, debate of the rise of these temptations, namely, blasphemy, desperation, and the like; showing that the law of Moses as well as the devil, death, and hell hath a very great hand therein, the which, at first, was very strange to me; but considering and watching, I found it so indeed. But of particulars here I intend nothing; only this, methinks, I must let fall before all men, I do prefer this book of Martin Luther upon the Galatians, excepting the Holy Bible, before all the books that ever I have seen, as most fit for a wounded conscience.
131. And now I found, as I thought, that I loved Christ dearly; oh! methought my soul cleaved unto Him, my affections cleaved unto Him, I felt love unto Him as hot as fire; and now, as Job said, I thought I should die in my nest; but I did quickly find that my great love was but little, and that I, who had, as I thought, such burning love to Jesus Christ, could let Him go again for a very trifle; God can tell how to abase us, and can hide pride from man. Quickly after this my love was tried to purpose.
132. For after the Lord had, in this manner, thus graciously delivered me from this great and sore temptation, and had set me down so sweetly in the faith of His holy gospel, and had given me such strong consolation and blessed evidence from heaven touching my interest in His love through Christ; the tempter came upon me again, and that with a more grievous and dreadful temptation than before.
133. And that was, To sell and part with this most blessed Christ, to exchange Him for the things of this life, for anything. The temptation lay upon me for the space of a year, and did follow me so continually that I was not rid of it one day in a month, no, not sometimes one hour in many days together, unless when I was asleep.
134. And though, in my judgment, I was persuaded that those who were once effectually
in Christ, as I hoped, through His grace, I had seen myself, could never lose Him
for ever—for ‘the land shall not be sold for ever, for the land is mine,’ saith
God (
135. But it was neither my dislike of the thought, nor yet any desire and endeavour to resist it that in the least did shake or abate the continuation, or force and strength thereof; for it did always, in almost whatever I thought, intermix itself therewith in such sort that I could neither eat my food, stoop for a pin, chop a stick, or cast mine eye to look on this, or that, but still the temptation would come, Sell Christ for this, or sell Christ for that; sell Him, sell Him.
136. Sometimes it would run in my thoughts, not so little as a hundred times together, Sell Him, sell Him, sell Him; against which I may say, for whole hours together, I have been forced to stand as continually leaning and forcing my spirit against it, lest haply, before I were aware, some wicked thought might arise in my heart that might consent thereto; and sometimes also the tempter would make me believe I had consented to it, then should I be as tortured upon a rack for whole days together.
137. This temptation did put me to such scares, lest I should at sometimes, I say, consent thereto, and be overcome therewith, that by the very force of my mind in labouring to gainsay and resist this wickedness, my very body also would be put into action or motion by way of pushing or thrusting with my hands or elbows, still answering as fast as the destroyer said, Sell Him; I will not, I will not, I will not, I will not; no, not for thousands, thousands, thousands of worlds. Thus reckoning lest I should in the midst of these assaults, set too low a value of Him, even until I scarce well knew where I was, or how to be composed again.
138. At these seasons he would not let me eat my food at quiet; but, forsooth, when I was set at the table at my meat, I must go hence to pray; I must leave my food now, and just now, so counterfeit holy also would this devil be. When I was thus tempted, I should say in myself, Now I am at my meat, let me make an end. No, said he, you must do it now, or you will displease God, and despise Christ. Wherefore I was much afflicted with these things; and because of the sinfulness of my nature, imagining that these things were impulses from God, I should deny to do it, as if I denied God; and then should I be as guilty, because I did not obey a temptation of the devil, as if I had broken the law of God indeed.
139. But to be brief, one morning, as I did lie in my bed, I was, at other times, most fiercely assaulted with this temptation, to sell and part with Christ; the wicked suggestion still running in my mind, Sell Him, sell Him, sell Him, sell Him, sell Him, as fast as a man could speak; against which also, in my mind, as at other times, I answered, No, no, not for thousands, thousands, thousands, at least twenty times together. But at last, after much striving, even until I was almost out of breath, I felt this thought pass through my heart, Let Him go, if He will! and I thought also, that I felt my heart freely consent thereto. Oh, the diligence of Satan! Oh, the desperateness of man’s heart!
140. Now was the battle won, and down I fell, as a bird that is shot from the top of a tree, into great guilt, and fearful despair. Thus getting out of my bed, I went moping into the field; but God knows, with as heavy a heart as mortal man, I think, could bear; where, for the space of two hours, I was like a man bereft of life, and as now past all recovery, and bound over to eternal punishment.
141. And withal, that scripture did seize upon my soul, ‘Or profane person, as
Esau, who for one morsel of meat, sold his birthright; for ye know, how that afterward,
when he would have inherited the blessing, he was rejected; for he found no place
of repentance, though he sought it carefully with tears’ (
142. Now was I as one bound, I felt myself shut up unto the judgment to come; nothing now for two years together would abide with me, but damnation, and an expectation of damnation; I say, nothing now would abide with me but this, save some few moments for relief, as in the sequel you will see.
143. These words were to my soul like fetters of brass to my legs, in the continual
sound of which I went for several months together. But about ten or eleven o’clock
one day, as I was walking under a hedge, full of sorrow and guilt, God knows, and
bemoaning myself for this hard hap that such a thought should arise within me; suddenly
this sentence bolted in upon me, The blood of Christ remits all guilt. At this I
made a stand in my spirit; with that, this word took hold upon me, ‘The blood of
Jesus Christ, his Son, cleanseth us from all sin’ (
144. Now I began to conceive peace in my soul, and methought I saw as if the tempter did leer and steal away from me, as being ashamed of what he had done. At the same time also I had my sin, and the blood of Christ thus represented to me, that my sin, when compared to the blood of Christ, was no more to it, than this little clot or stone before me, is to this vast and wide field that here I see. This gave me good encouragement for the space of two or three hours; in which time also, methought I saw, by faith, the Son of God, as suffering for my sins; but because it tarried not, I therefore sunk in my spirit, under exceeding guilt again.
145. But chiefly by the afore-mentioned scripture, concerning Esau’s selling of his birthright; for that scripture would lie all day long, all the week long, yea, all the year long in my mind, and hold me down, so that I could by no means lift up myself; for when I would strive to turn me to this scripture, or that, for relief, still that sentence would be sounding in me, ‘For ye know, how that afterward, when he would have inherited the blessing—he found no place of repentance, though he sought it carefully with tears.’
146. Sometimes, also, I should have a touch from that in
147. Then began I with sad and careful heart, to consider of the nature and largeness of my sin, and to search in the Word of God, if I could in any place espy a word of promise, or any encouraging sentence by which I might take relief. Wherefore I began to consider that third of Mark, All manner of sins and blasphemies shall be forgiven unto the sons of men, wherewith soever they shall blaspheme. Which place, methought, at a blush, did contain a large and glorious promise, for the pardon of high offences; but considering the place more fully, I thought it was rather to be understood as relating more chiefly to those who had, while in a natural state, committed such things as there are mentioned; but not to me, who had not only received light and mercy, but that had, both after, and also contrary to that, so slighted Christ as I had done.
148. I feared therefore that this wicked sin of mine might be that sin unpardonable,
of which he there thus speaketh, ‘But he that shall blaspheme against the Holy Ghost
hath never forgiveness, but is in danger of eternal damnation’ (
149. And now was I both a burden and a terror to myself, nor did I ever so know, as now, what it was to be weary of my life, and yet afraid to die. Oh, how gladly now would I have been anybody but myself! Anything but a man! and in any condition but mine own! for there was nothing did pass more frequently over my mind, than that it was impossible for me to be forgiven my transgression, and to be saved from wrath to come.
150. And now began I to labour to call again time that was past; wishing a thousand
times twice told, that the day was yet to come, when I should be tempted to such
a sin; concluding with great indignation, both against my heart, and all assaults,
how I would rather have been torn in pieces, than found a consenter thereto. But
alas! these thoughts, and wishings, and resolvings, were now too late to help me;
the thought had passed my heart, God hath let me go, and I am fallen. Oh! thought
I, ‘that it was with me as in months past, as in the days when God preserved me!’
(
151. Then again, being loath and unwilling to perish, I began to compare my sin with others, to see if I could find that any of those that were saved had done as I had done. So I considered David’s adultery and murder, and found them most heinous crimes; and those too committed after light and grace received; but yet by considering, I perceived that his transgressions were only such as were against the law of Moses; from which the Lord Christ could, with the consent of His Word, deliver him; but mine was against the gospel, yea, against the Mediator thereof; I had sold my Saviour.
152. Now again should I be as if racked upon the wheel, when I considered, that,
besides the guilt that possessed me, I should be so void of grace, so bewitched.
What, thought I, must it be no sin but this? Must it needs be the great transgression
(
153. What, thought I, is there but one sin that is unpardonable? But one sin that layeth the soul without the reach of God’s mercy; and must I be guilty of that? Must it needs be that? Is there but one sin among so many millions of sins, for which there is no forgiveness; and must I commit this? Oh, unhappy sin! Oh, unhappy man! These things would so break and confound my spirit, that I could not tell what to do; I thought, at times, they would have broke my wits; and still, to aggravate my misery, that would run in my mind, ‘Ye know how that afterward, when he would have inherited the blessing, he was rejected.’ Oh! none knows the terrors of those days but myself.
154. After this I came to consider of Peter’s sin, which he committed in denying his Master; and indeed, this came nighest to mine, of any that I could find; for he had denied his Saviour, as I, and that after light and mercy received; yea, and that too, after warning given him. I also considered, that he did it both once and twice; and that, after time to consider betwixt. But though I put all these circumstances together, that, if possible, I might find help, yet I considered again, that his was but a denial of his Master, but mine was a selling of my Saviour. Wherefore I thought with myself, that I came nearer to Judas, than either to David or Peter.
155. Here again my torment would flame out and afflict me; yea, it would grind me, as it were, to powder, to discern the preservation of God towards others, while I fell into the snare; for in my thus considering of other men’s sins, and comparing of them with my own, I could evidently see how God preserved them, notwithstanding their wickedness, and would not let them, as he had let me, to become a son of perdition.
156. But oh, how did my soul, at this time, prize the preservation that God did set about his people! Ah, how safely did I see them walk, whom God had hedged in! They were within His care, protection, and special providence; though they were full as bad as I by nature; yet because He loved them, He would not suffer them to fall without the range of mercy; but as for me, I was gone, I had done it; He would not preserve me, nor keep me; but suffered me, because I was a reprobate, to fall as I had done. Now, did those blessed places, that spake of God’s keeping His people, shine like the sun before me, though not to comfort me, but to show me the blessed state and heritage of those whom the Lord had blessed.
157. Now I saw, that as God had His hand in all providences and dispensation that overtook His elect, so He had His hand in all the temptations that they had to sin against Him, not to animate them unto wickedness, but to choose their temptations and troubles for them; and also to leave them, for a time, to such sins only as might not destroy, but humble them; as might not put them beyond, but lay them in the way of the renewing of His mercy. But oh, what love, what care, what kindness and mercy did I now see, mixing itself with the most severe and dreadful of all God’s ways to His people! He would let David, Hezekiah, Solomon, Peter, and others fall, but He would not let them fall into sin unpardonable, nor into hell for sin. Oh! thought I, these be the men that God hath loved; these be the men that God, though He chastiseth them, keeps them in safety by Him, and them whom He makes to abide under the shadow of the Almighty. But all these thoughts added sorrow, grief, and horror to me, as whatever I now thought on, it was killing to me. If I thought how God kept His own, that was killing to me. If I thought of how I was falling myself, that was killing to me. As all things wrought together for the best, and to do good to them that were the called, according to His purpose; so I thought that all things wrought for my damage, and for my eternal overthrow.
158. Then, again, I began to compare my sin with the sin of Judas, that, if possible, I might find that mine differed from that which, in truth, is unpardonable. And, oh! thought I, if it should differ from it, though but the breadth of an hair, what a happy condition is my soul in! And, by considering, I found that Judas did his intentionally, but mine was against my prayer and strivings; besides, his was committed with much deliberation, but mine in a fearful hurry, on a sudden; all this while I was tossed to and fro, like the locusts, and driven from trouble to sorrow; hearing always the sound of Esau’s fall in mine ears, and of the dreadful consequences thereof.
159. Yet this consideration about Judas, his sin, was, for a while, some little relief unto me; for I saw I had not, as to the circumstances, transgressed so foully as he. But this was quickly gone again, for, I thought with myself, there might be more ways than one to commit the unpardonable sin; also I thought that there might be degrees of that, as well as of other transgressions; wherefore, for aught I yet could perceive, this iniquity of mine might be such, as might never be passed by.
160. I was often now ashamed, that I should be like such an ugly man as Judas; I thought, also, how loathsome I should be unto all the saints at the day of judgment; insomuch, that now I could scarce see a good man, that I believed had a good conscience, but I should feel my heart tremble at him, while I was in his presence. Oh! now I saw a glory in walking with God, and what a mercy it was to have a good conscience before Him.
161. I was much about this time tempted to content myself, by receiving some false opinion; as that there should be no such thing as a day of judgment, that we should not rise again, and that sin was no such grievous thing; the tempter suggesting thus, For if these things should indeed be true, yet to believe otherwise, would yield you ease for the present. If you must perish, never torment yourself so much beforehand; drive the thoughts of damning out of your mind, by possessing your mind with some such conclusions that Atheists and Ranters do use to help themselves withal.
162. But oh! when such thoughts have led through my heart, how, as it were, within a step, hath death and judgment been in my view; methought the judge stood at the door, I was as if it was come already; so that such things could have no entertainment. But, methinks, I see by this, that Satan will use any means to keep the soul from Christ; he loveth not an awakened frame of spirit; security, blindness, darkness, and error is the very kingdom and habitation of the wicked one.
163. I found it hard work now to pray to God, because despair was swallowing me up; I thought I was, as with a tempest, driven away from God, for always when I cried to God for mercy, this would come in, It is too late, I am lost, God hath let me fall; not to my correction, but condemnation; my sin is unpardonable; and I know, concerning Esau, how that, after he had sold his birthright, he would have received the blessing, but was rejected. About this time, I did light on that dreadful story of that miserable mortal, Francis Spira; a book that was to my troubled spirit as salt, when rubbed into a fresh wound; every sentence in that book, every groan of that man, with all the rest of his actions in his dolours, as his tears, his prayers, his gnashing of teeth, his wringing of hands, his twining and twisting, languishing and pining away under that mighty hand of God that was upon him, was as knives and daggers in my soul; especially that sentence of his was frightful to me, Man knows the beginning of sin, but who bounds the issues thereof? Then would the former sentence, as the conclusion of all, fall like a hot thunderbolt again
upon my conscience; ‘for you know how that afterward, when he would have inherited the blessing, he was rejected; for he found no place of repentance, though he sought it carefully with tears.’
164. Then was I struck into a very great trembling, insomuch that at sometimes
I could, for whole days together, feel my very body, as well as my mind, to shake
and totter under the sense of the dreadful judgment of God, that should fall on
those that have sinned that most fearful and unpardonable sin. I felt also such
a clogging and heat at my stomach, by reason of this my terror, that I was, especially
at some times, as if my breast bone would have split in sunder; then I thought of
that concerning Judas, who, by his falling headlong, burst asunder, and all his
bowels gushed out (
165. I feared also that this was the mark that the Lord did set on Cain, even continued fear and trembling, under the heavy load of guilt that he had charged on him for the blood of his brother Abel. Thus did I wind, and twine, and shrink, under the burden that was upon me; which burden also did so oppress me, that I could neither stand, nor go, nor lie, either at rest or quiet.
166. Yet that saying would sometimes come to my mind, He hath received gifts
for the rebellious (
167. This sometimes I thought on, and should labour to take hold thereof, that some, though small, refreshment might have been conceived by me; but in this also I missed of my desire, I was driven with force beyond it, I was like a man that is going to the place of execution, even by that place where he would fain creep in and hide himself, but may not.
168. Again, after I had thus considered the sins of the saints in particular, and found mine went beyond them, then I began to think thus with myself: Set the case I should put all theirs together, and mine alone against them, might I not then find some encouragement? For if mine, though bigger than any one, yet should but be equal to all, then there is hopes; for that blood that hath virtue enough in it to wash away all theirs, hath also virtue enough in it to do away mine, though this one be full as big, if no bigger, than all theirs. Here, again, I should consider the sin of David, of Solomon, of Manasseh, of Peter, and the rest of the great offenders; and should also labour, what I might with fairness, to aggravate and heighten their sins by several circumstances: but, alas! it was all in vain.
169. I should think with myself that David shed blood to cover his adultery, and that by the sword of the children of Ammon; a work that could not be done but by continuance and deliberate contrivance, which was a great aggravation to his sin. But then this would turn upon me: Ah! but these were but sins against the law, from which there was a Jesus sent to save them; but yours is a sin against the Saviour, and who shall save you from that?
170. Then I thought on Solomon, and how he sinned in loving strange women, in falling away to their idols, in building them temples, in doing this after light, in his old age, after great mercy received; but the same conclusion that cut me off in the former consideration, cut me off as to this; namely, that all those were but sins against the law, for which God had provided a remedy; but I had sold my Saviour, and there now remained no more sacrifice for sin.
171. I would then add to those men’s sins, the sins of Manasseh, how that he built altars for idols in the house of the Lord; he also observed times, used enchantments, had to do with wizards, was a wizard, had his familiar spirits, burned his children in the fire in sacrifice to devils, and made the streets of Jerusalem run down with the blood of innocents. These, I thought, are great sins, sins of a bloody colour; yea, it would turn again upon me: They are none of them of the nature of yours; you have parted with Jesus, you have sold your Saviour.
172. This one consideration would always kill my heart, My sin was point-blank against my Saviour; and that too, at that height, that I had in my heart said of Him, Let Him go if He will. Oh! methought, this sin was bigger than the sins of a country, of a kingdom, or of the whole world, no one pardonable, nor all of them together, was able to equal mine; mine outwent them every one.
173. Now I should find my mind to flee from God, as from the face of a dreadful
judge; yet this was my torment, I could not escape His hand: ‘It is a fearful thing
to fall into the hands of the living God’ (
174. Once as I was walking to and fro in a good man’s shop, bemoaning of myself
in my sad and doleful state, afflicting myself with self-abhorrence for this wicked
and ungodly thought; lamenting, also, this hard hap of mine, for that I should commit
so great a sin; greatly fearing I would not be pardoned; praying, also, in my heart,
that if this sin of mine did differ from that against the Holy Ghost, the Lord would
show it me. And being now ready to sink with fear, suddenly there was, as if there
had rushed in at the window, the noise of wind upon me, but very pleasant, and as
if I heard a voice speaking, Didst ever refuse to be justified by the blood of Christ?
And withal my whole life and profession past was, in a moment, opened to me, wherein
I was made to see that designedly I had not; so my heart answered groaningly, No.
Then fell, with power, that word of God upon me, ‘See that ye refuse not him that speaketh’ (
175. Wherefore, still my life hung in doubt before me, not knowing which way I should tip; only this I found my soul desire, even to cast itself at the foot of grace, by prayer and supplication. But, oh! it was hard for me now to bear the face to pray to this Christ for mercy, against whom I had thus most vilely sinned; it was hard work, I say, to offer to look Him in the face against whom I had so vilely sinned; and, indeed, I have found it as difficult to come to God by prayer, after backsliding from Him, as to do any other thing. Oh, the shame that did now attend me! especially when I thought I am now a-going to pray to Him for mercy that I had so lightly esteemed but a while before! I was ashamed, yea, even confounded, because this villainy had been committed by me; but I saw there was but one way with me, I must go to Him and humble myself unto Him, and beg that He, of His wonderful mercy, would show pity to me, and have mercy upon my wretched sinful soul.
176. Which, when the tempter perceived, he strongly suggested to me, That I ought not to pray to God; for prayer was not for any in my case, neither could it do me good, because I had rejected the Mediator, by whom all prayer came with acceptance to God the Father, and without whom no prayer could come into His presence. Wherefore, now to pray is but to add sin to sin; yea, now to pray, seeing God has cast you off, is the next way to anger and offend Him more than you ever did before.
177. For God, saith he, hath been weary of you for these several years already,
because you are none of His; your bawlings in His ears hath been no pleasant voice
to Him; and, therefore, He let you sin this sin, that you might be quite cut off;
and will you pray still? This the devil urged, and set forth that, in Numbers, when
Moses said to the children of Israel, That because they would not go up to possess
the land when God would have them, therefore, for ever after, God did bar them out
from thence, though they prayed they might, with tears (
178. As it is said in another place (
179. I did also desire the prayers of the people of God for me, but I feared
that God would give them no heart to do it; yea, I trembled in my soul to think
that some or other of them would shortly tell me, that God had said those words
to them that He once did say to the prophet concerning the children of Israel, ‘Pray
thou not for this people,’ for I have rejected them (
180. About this time I took an opportunity to break my mind to an ancient Christian, and told him all my case; I told him, also, that I was afraid that I had sinned the sin against the Holy Ghost; and he told me he thought so too. Here, therefore, I had but cold comfort; but, talking a little more with him, I found him, though a good man, a stranger to much combat with the devil. Wherefore, I went to God again, as well as I could, for mercy still.
181. Now, also, did the tempter begin to mock me in my misery, saying, that, seeing I had thus parted with the Lord Jesus, and provoked Him to displeasure, who would have stood between my soul and the flame of devouring fire, there was now but one way, and that was, to pray that God the Father would be the Mediator betwixt His Son and me, that we might be reconciled again, and that I might have that blessed benefit in Him that His blessed saints enjoyed.
182. Then did that scripture seize upon my soul, He is of one mind, and who can
turn Him? Oh! I saw it was as easy to persuade Him to make a new world, a new covenant,
or new Bible, besides that we have already, as to pray for such a thing. This was
to persuade Him that what He had done already was mere folly, and persuade with
Him to alter, yea, to disannul, the whole way of salvation; and then would that
saying rend my soul asunder, ‘Neither is there salvation in any other: for there
is none other name under heaven, given among men, whereby we must be saved’ (
183. Now the most free, and full, and gracious words of the gospel were the greatest
torment to me; yea, nothing so afflicted me as the thoughts of Jesus Christ, the
remembrance of a Saviour; because I had cast Him off, brought forth the villainy
of my sin, and my loss by it to mind; nothing did twinge my conscience like this.
Every time that I thought of the Lord Jesus, of His grace, love, goodness, kindness,
gentleness, meekness, death, blood, promises and blessed exhortations, comforts
and consolations, it went to my soul like a sword; for still, unto these my considerations
of the Lord Jesus, these thoughts would make place for themselves in my heart; aye,
this is the Jesus, the loving Saviour, the Son of God, whom thou hast parted with,
whom you slighted, despised, and abused. This is the only Saviour, the only Redeemer,
the only one that could so love sinners as to wash them from their sins in His own
most precious blood; but you have no part nor lot in this Jesus, you have put Him
away from you, you have said in your heart, Let Him go if He will. Now, therefore,
you are severed from Him; you have severed yourself from Him. Behold, then, His
goodness, but you yourself be no partaker of it. Oh, thought I, what have I lost!
What have I parted with! What have I disinherited my poor soul of! Oh! it is sad
to be destroyed by the grace and mercy of God; to have the Lamb, the Saviour, turn
lion and destroyer (
184. Now, also, the tempter began afresh to mock my soul another way, saying that Christ, indeed, did pity my case, and was sorry for my loss; but forasmuch as I had sinned and transgressed, as I had done, He could by no means help me, nor save me from what I feared; for my sin was not of the nature of theirs for whom He bled and died, neither was it counted with those that were laid to His charge when He hanged on the tree. Therefore, unless He should come down from heaven and die anew for this sin, though, indeed, He did greatly pity me, yet I could have no benefit of Him. These things may seem ridiculous to others, even as ridiculous as they were in themselves, but to me they were most tormenting cogitations; every of them augmented my misery, that Jesus Christ should have so much love as to pity me when He could not help me; nor did I think that the reason why He could not help me was because His merits were weak, or His grace and salvation spent on them already, but because His faithfulness to His threatening would not let Him extend His mercy to me. Besides, I thought, as I have already hinted, that my sin was not within the bounds of that pardon that was wrapped up in a promise; and if not, then I knew assuredly, that it was more easy for heaven and earth to pass away than for me to have eternal life. So that the ground of all these fears of mine did arise from a steadfast belief that I had of the stability of the holy Word of God, and, also, from my being misinformed of the nature of my sin.
185. But oh! how this would add to my affliction, to conceit that I should be
guilty of such a sin for which He did not die. These thoughts would so confound
me, and imprison me, and tie me up from faith, that I knew not what to do; but,
oh! I thought, that He would come down again! Oh! that the work of man’s redemption
was yet to be done by Christ! How would I pray Him and entreat Him to count and
reckon this sin amongst the rest for which He died! But this scripture would strike
me down as dead, ‘Christ being raised from the dead dieth no more; death hath no
more dominion over him’ (
186. Thus, by the strange and unusual assaults of the tempter, was my soul, like
a broken vessel, driven as with the winds, and tossed sometimes headlong into despair,
sometimes upon the covenant of works, and sometimes to wish that the new covenant,
and the conditions thereof, might, so far forth as I thought myself concerned, be
turned another way and changed. But in all these I was but as those that justle
against the rocks; more broken, scattered, and rent. Oh, the unthought of imaginations,
frights, fears, and terrors that are affected by a thorough application of guilt,
yielded to desperation! this is the man that hath ‘his dwelling among the tombs’
with the dead; that is, always crying out and ‘cutting himself with stones’ (
187. Thus was I always sinking, whatever I did think or do. So one day I walked to a neighbouring town, and sat down upon a settle in the street, and fell into a very deep pause about the most fearful state my sin had brought me to; and, after long musing, I lifted up my head, but methought I saw as if the sun that shineth in the heavens did grudge to give light, and as if the very stones in the street, and tiles upon the houses, did bend themselves against me; methought that they all combined together to banish me out of the world; I was abhorred of them, and unfit to dwell among them, or be partaker of their benefits, because I had sinned against the Saviour. O how happy, now, was every creature over what I was; for they stood fast and kept their station, but I was gone and lost.
188. Then breaking out in the bitterness of my soul, I said to myself, with a
grievous sigh, How can God comfort such a wretch as I? I had no sooner said it but
this returned upon me, as an echo doth answer a voice, This sin is not unto death.
At which I was as if I had been raised out of a grave, and cried out again, Lord,
how couldest Thou find out such a word as this? for I was filled with admiration
at the fitness, and, also, at the unexpectedness of the sentence, the fitness of
the word, the rightness of the timing of it, the power, and sweetness, and light,
and glory that came with it, was marvellous to me to find. I was now, for the time,
out of doubt as to that about which I so much was in doubt before; my fears before
were, that my sin was not pardonable, and so that I had no right to pray, to repent,
etc., or that if I did, it would be of no advantage or profit to me. But now, thought
I, if this sin is not unto death, then it is pardonable; therefore, from this I
have encouragement to come to God, by Christ, for mercy, to consider the promise
of forgiveness as that which stands with open arms to receive me, as well as others.
This, therefore, was a great easement to my mind; to wit, that my sin was pardonable,
that it was not the sin unto death (
189. Now, I say, I was in hopes that my sin was not unpardonable, but that there might be hopes for me to obtain forgiveness. But oh, how Satan did now lay about him for to bring me down again! But he could by no means do it, neither this day nor the most part of the next, for this sentence stood like a mill-post at my back; yet, towards the evening of the next day, I felt this word begin to leave me and to withdraw its supportation from me, and so I returned to my old fears again, but with a great deal of grudging and peevishness, for I feared the sorrow of despair; nor could my faith now longer retain this word.
190. But the next day, at evening, being under many fears, I went to seek the
Lord; and as I prayed, I cried, and my soul cried to Him in these words, with strong
cries:—O Lord, I beseech thee, show me that thou hast loved me with everlasting
love (
191. But yet the tempter left me not; for it could not be so little as an hundred times that he that day did labour to break my peace. Oh! the combats and conflicts that I did then meet with as I strove to hold by this word; that of Esau would fly in my face like to lightning. I should be sometimes up and down twenty times in an hour, yet God did bear me up and keep my heart upon this world, from which I had also, for several days together, very much sweetness and comfortable hopes of pardon; for thus it was made out to me, I loved thee whilst thou wast committing this sin, I loved thee before, I love thee still, and I will love thee for ever.
192. Yet I saw my sin most barbarous, and a filthy crime, and could not but conclude, and that with great shame and astonishment, that I had horribly abused the holy Son of God; wherefore, I felt my soul greatly to love and pity Him, and my bowels to yearn towards Him; for I saw He was still my Friend, and did reward me good for evil; yea, the love and affection that then did burn within to my Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ did work, at this time, such a strong and hot desire of revengement upon myself for the abuse I had done unto him, that, to speak as I then thought, had I a thousand gallons of blood within my veins, I could freely then have spilt it all at the command and feet of this my Lord and Saviour.
193. And as I was thus in musing and in my studies, considering how to love the
Lord and to express my love to Him, that saying came in upon me, ‘If thou, Lord,
shouldest mark iniquities, O Lord, who shall stand? But there is forgiveness with
thee, that thou mayest be feared’ (
194. And now was that word fulfilled on me, and I was also refreshed by it, Then
shall they be ashamed and confounded, ‘and never open their mouth any more because
of their shame, when I am pacified towards them for all that they have done, saith
the Lord God’ (
195. But before many weeks were over I began to despond again, fearing lest,
notwithstanding all that I had enjoyed, that yet I might be deceived and destroyed
at the last; for this consideration came strong into my mind, that whatever comfort
and peace I thought I might have from the word of the promise of life, yet unless
there could be found in my refreshment a concurrence and agreement in the Scriptures,
let me think what I will thereof, and hold it never so fast, I should find no such
thing at the end; ‘for the Scripture cannot be broken’ (
196. Now began my heart again to ache and fear I might meet with disappointment
at the last, wherefore I began, with all seriousness, to examine my former comfort,
and to consider whether one that had sinned as I have done, might with confidence
trust upon the faithfulness of God, laid down in those words by which I had been
comforted and on which I had leaned myself. But now were brought those sayings to
my mind, ‘For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted
of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost, and have tasted
the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come, if they shall fall away,
to renew them again unto repentance’ (
197. Now was the word of the gospel forced from my soul, so that no promise or
encouragement was to be found in the Bible for me; and now would that saying work
upon my spirit to afflict me, ‘Rejoice not, O Israel, for joy as other people’ (
198. And truly I did now feel myself to sink into a gulf, as an house whose foundation
is destroyed; I did liken myself, in this condition, unto the case of a child that
was fallen into a mill-pit, who, though it could make some shift to scrabble and
spraul in the water, yet because it could find neither hold for hand nor foot, therefore
at last it must die in that condition. So soon as this fresh assault had fastened
on my soul, that scripture came into my heart, ‘This is for many days’ (
199. For, thought I, many days are not for ever, many days will have an end, therefore seeing I was to be afflicted, not a few, but many days, yet I was glad it was but for many days. Thus, I say, I could recall myself sometimes, and give myself a help, for as soon as ever the words came into my mind at first, I knew my trouble would be long; yet this would be but sometimes, for I could not always think on this, nor ever be helped by it, though I did.
200. Now while these scriptures lay before me, and laid sin anew at my door, that saying in the eighteeneth of Luke, with others, did encourage me to prayer. Then the tempter again laid at me very sore, suggesting, That neither the mercy of God, nor yet the blood of Christ, did at all concern me, nor could they help me for my sin; therefore it was in vain to pray. Yet, thought I, I will pray. But, said the tempter, your sin is unpardonable. Well, said I, I will pray. It is to no boot, said he. Yet, said I, I will pray. So I went to prayer to God; and while I was at prayer, I uttered words to this effect, Lord, Satan tells me that neither Thy mercy, nor Christ’s blood, is sufficient to save my soul; Lord, shall I honour Thee most, by believing Thou wilt and canst? or him, by believing Thou neither wilt nor canst? Lord, I would fain honour Thee, by believing Thou wilt and canst.
201. And as I was thus before the Lord, that scripture fastened on my heart,
‘O woman, great is thy faith’ (
202. There was nothing now that I longed for more than to be put out of doubt,
as to this thing in question; and, as I was vehemently desiring to know if there
was indeed hopes for me, these words came rolling into my mind, ‘Will the Lord cast
off for ever? and will he be favourable no more? Is his mercy clean gone for ever?
Doth his promise fail for evermore? Hath God forgotten to be gracious? Hath he in
anger shut up his tender mercies?’ (
203. At another time, I remember I was again much under the question, Whether
the blood of Christ was sufficient to save my soul? In which doubt I continued from
morning till about seven or eight at night: and at last, when I was, as it were,
quite worn out with fear, lest it should not lay hold on me, these words did sound
suddenly within my heart, He is able. But methought this word able was spoke
so loud unto me; it showed such a great word, it seemed to be writ in great letters,
and gave such a justle to my fear and doubt; I mean for the time it tarried with
me, which was about a day, as I never had from that all my life, either before or
after that (
204. But one morning, when I was again at prayer, and trembling under the fear of this, that no word of God could help me, that piece of a sentence darted in upon me, ‘My grace is sufficient.’ At this methought I felt some stay, as if there might be hopes. But, oh, how good a thing it is for God to send His word! For about a fortnight before I was looking on this very place, and then I thought it could not come near my soul with comfort, therefore I threw down my book in a pet. Then I thought it was not large enough for me; no, not large enough; but now, it was as if it had arms of grace so wide that it could not only enclose me, but many more besides.
205. By these words I was sustained, yet not without exceeding conflicts, for the space of seven or eight weeks; for my peace would be in and out, sometimes twenty times a day; comfort now, and trouble presently; peace now, and before I could go a furlong as full of fear and guilt as ever heart could hold; and this was not only now and then, but my whole seven weeks’ experience; for this about the sufficiency of grace, and that of Esau’s parting with his birthright, would be like a pair of scales within my mind, sometimes one end would be uppermost, and sometimes again the other; according to which would be my peace or trouble.
206. Therefore I still did pray to God, that He would come in with this scripture more fully on my heart; to wit, that He would help me to apply the whole sentence, for as yet I could not: that He gave, I gathered; but farther I could not go, for as yet it only helped me to hope there might be mercy for me, ‘My grace is sufficient’; and though it came no farther, it answered my former question; to wit, that there was hope; yet, because ‘for thee’ was left out, I was not contented, but prayed to God for that also. Wherefore, one day, as I was in a meeting of God’s people, full of sadness and terror, for my fears again were strong upon me; and as I was now thinking my soul was never the better; but my case most sad and fearful, these words did, with great power, suddenly break in upon me, ‘My grace is sufficient for thee, my grace is sufficient for thee, my grace is sufficient for thee,’ three times together; and, oh! methought that every word was a mighty word unto me; as my, and grace, and sufficient, and for thee; they were then, and sometimes are still, far bigger than others be.
207. At which time my understanding was so enlightened, that I was as though I had seen the Lord Jesus look down from heaven through the tiles upon me, and direct these words unto me. This sent me mourning home, it broke my heart, and filled me full of joy, and laid me low as the dust; only it stayed not long with me, I mean in this glory and refreshing comfort, yet it continued with me for several weeks, and did encourage me to hope. But so soon as that powerful operation of it was taken off my heart, that other about Esau returned upon me as before; so my soul did hang as in a pair of scales again, sometimes up and sometimes down, now in peace, and anon again in terror.
208. Thus I went on for many weeks, sometimes comforted, and sometimes tormented; and, especially at some times, my torment would be very sore, for all those scriptures forenamed in the Hebrews, would be set before me, as the only sentences that would keep me out of heaven. Then, again, I should begin to repent that ever that thought went through me, I should also think thus with myself, Why, how many scriptures are there against me? There are but three or four: and cannot God miss them, and save me for all of them? Sometimes, again, I should think, Oh! if it were not for these three or four words, now how I might be comforted? And I could hardly forbear, at some times, but to wish them out of the book.
209. Then methought I should see as if both Peter, and Paul, and John, and all
the writers, did look with scorn upon me, and hold me in derision; and as if they
said unto me, All our words are truth, one of as much force as another. It is not
we that have cut you off, but you have cast away yourself; there is none of our
sentences that you must take hold upon but these, and such as these: ‘It is impossible;
there remains no more sacrifice for sin’ (
210. These, as the elders of the city of refuge, I saw were to be the judges
both of my case and me, while I stood, with the avenger of blood at my heels, trembling
at their gate for deliverance, also with a thousand fears and mistrusts, I doubted
that they would shut me out for ever (
211. Thus was I confounded, not knowing what to do, nor how to be satisfied in this question, Whether the scriptures could agree in the salvation of my soul? I quaked at the apostles, I knew their words were true, and that they must stand for ever.
212. And I remember one day, as I was in diverse frames of spirit, and considering that these frames were still according to the nature of the several scriptures that came in upon my mind; if this of grace, then was I quiet; but if that of Esau, then tormented; Lord, thought I, if both these scriptures would meet in my heart at once, I would which of them would get the better of me. So methought I had a longing mind that they might come both together upon me; yea, I desired of God they might.
213. Well, about two or three days after, so they did indeed; they bolted both
upon me at a time, and did work and struggle strangely in me for a while; at last,
that about Esau’s birthright began to wax weak, and withdraw, and vanish and this
about the sufficiency of grace prevailed with peace and joy. And as I was in a muse
about this thing, that scripture came home upon me, ‘Mercy rejoiceth against judgment’
(
214. This was a wonderment to me; yet truly I am apt to think it was of God;
for the word of the law and wrath must give place to the word of life and grace;
because, though the word of condemnation be glorious, yet the word of life and salvation
doth far exceed in glory (
215. This scripture did also most sweetly visit my soul, ‘And him that cometh
to me I will in no wise cast out’ (
216. But notwithstanding all these helps and blessed words of grace, yet that
of Esau’s selling of his birthright would still at times distress my conscience;
for though I had been most sweetly comforted, and that but just before, yet when
that came into my mind, it would make me fear again, I could not be quite rid thereof,
it would every day be with me: wherefore now I went another way to work, even to
consider the nature of this blasphemous thought; I mean, if I should take the words
at the largest, and give them their own natural force and scope, even every word
therein. So when I had thus considered, I found, that if they were fairly taken,
they would amount to this, that I had freely left the Lord Jesus Christ to His choice,
whether He would be my Saviour or no; for the wicked words were these, Let Him go
if He will. Then that scripture gave me hope, ‘I will never leave thee nor forsake
thee’ (
217. Yet I was grievously afraid He should, and found it exceedingly hard to
trust Him, seeing I had so offended Him. I could have been exceeding glad that this
thought had never befallen, for then I thought I could, with more ease and freedom
in abundance, have leaned upon His grace. I see it was with me, as it was with Joseph’s
brethren; the guilt of their own wickedness did often fill them with fears that
their brother would at last despise them (
218. But above all the scriptures that I yet did meet with, that in the twentieth of Joshua was the greatest comfort to me, which speaks of the slayer that was to flee for refuge. And if the avenger of blood pursue the slayer, then, saith Moses, they that are the elders of the city of refuge shall not deliver him into his hand, because he smote his neighbour unwittingly, and hated him not aforetime. Oh, blessed be God for this word; I was convinced that I was the slayer; and that the avenger of blood pursued me, that I felt with great terror; only now it remained that I inquire whether I have right to enter the city of refuge. So I found that he must not, who lay in wait to shed blood: it was not the wilful murderer, but he who unwittingly did it, he who did unawares shed blood; not of spite, or grudge, or malice, he that shed it unwittingly, even he who did not hate his neighbour before. Wherefore:
219. I thought verily I was the man that must enter, because I had smitten my neighbour unwittingly, and hated him not aforetime. I hated Him not aforetime; no, I prayed unto Him, was tender of sinning against Him; yea, and against this wicked temptation I had strove for a twelvemonth before; yea, and also when it did pass through my heart, it did in spite of my teeth: wherefore I thought I had right to enter this city, and the elders, which are the apostles, were not to deliver me up. This, therefore, was great comfort to me; and did give me much ground of hope.
220. Yet being very critical, for my smart had made me that I knew not what ground was sure enough to bear me, I had one question that my soul did much desire to be resolved about; and that was, Whether it be possible for any soul that hath indeed sinned the unpardonable sin, yet after that to receive though but the least true spiritual comfort from God through Christ? The which, after I had much considered, I found the answer was, No, they could not, and that for these reasons:
221. First, Because those that have sinned that sin, they are debarred a share
in the blood of Christ, and being shut out of that, they must needs be void of the
least ground of hope. and so of spiritual comfort; for to such ‘there remaineth
no more sacrifice for sins’ (
222. When I had, with much deliberation, considered of this matter, and could not but conclude that the Lord had comforted me, and that too after this my wicked sin; then, methought, I durst venture to come nigh into those most fearful and terrible scriptures, with which all this while I had been so greatly affrighted, and on which, indeed, before I durst scarce cast mine eye, yea, had much ado an hundred times to forbear wishing them out of the Bible; for I thought they would destroy me; but now, I say, I began to take some measure of encouragement to come close to them, to read them, and consider them, and to weigh their scope and tendency.
223. The which, when I began to do, I found their visage changed; for they looked
not so grimly on me as before I thought they did. And, first, I came to the sixth
of the Hebrews, yet trembling for fear it should strike me; which when I had considered,
I found that the falling there intended was a falling quite away; that is, as I
conceived, a falling from, and an absolute denial of the gospel of remission of
sins by Christ; for from them the apostle begins his argument (
First, I confessed I was fallen, but not fallen away, that is, from the profession of faith in Jesus unto eternal life. Secondly, I confessed that I had put Jesus Christ to shame by my sin, but not to open shame; I did not deny Him before men, nor condemn Him as a fruitless one before the world. Thirdly, Nor did I find that God had shut me up, or denied me to come, though I found it hard work indeed to come to Him by sorrow and repentance. Blessed be God for unsearchable grace.
224. Then I considered that in the tenth of the Hebrews, and found that the wilful
sin there mentioned is not every wilful sin, but that which doth throw off Christ,
and then His commandments too. Secondly, That must also be done openly, before two
or three witnesses, to answer that of the law (
225. And as touching that in the twelfth of the Hebrews, about Esau’s selling
his birthright, though this was that which killed me, and stood like a spear against
me; yet now I did consider, First, That his was not a hasty thought against the
continual labour of his mind, but a thought consented to and put in practice likewise,
and that too after some deliberation (
226. Now as touching this, that Esau sought a place of repentance; thus I thought,
first, This was not for the birthright, but for the blessing; this is clear from
the apostle, and is distinguished by Esau himself; ‘He took away my birthright (that
is, formerly); and behold, now he hath taken away my blessing’ (
227. For many there are who, in the day of grace and mercy, despise those things
which are indeed the birthright to heaven, who yet, when the deciding day appears,
will cry as loud as Esau, ‘Lord, Lord, open to us’; but then, as Isaac would not
repent, no more will God the Father, but will say, I have blessed these, yea, and
they shall be blessed; but as for you, depart from me, all ye workers of iniquity
(
228. When I had thus considered these scriptures, and found that thus to understand them was not against, but according to other scriptures; this still added further to my encouragement and comfort, and also gave a great blow to that objection, to wit, that the scripture could not agree in the salvation of my soul. And now remained only the hinder part of the tempest, for the thunder was gone beyond me, only some drops did still remain, that now and then would fall upon me; but because my former frights and anguish were very sore and deep, therefore it did oft befal me still, as it befalleth those that have been scared with fire, I thought every voice was Fire, fire; every little touch would hurt my tender conscience.
229. But one day, as I was passing in the field, and that too with some dashes
on my conscience, fearing lest yet all was not right, suddenly this sentence fell
upon my soul, Thy righteousness is in heaven; and methought withal, I saw, with
the eyes of my soul, Jesus Christ at God’s right hand; there, I say, is my righteousness;
so that wherever I was, or whatever I was a-doing, God could not say of me, He wants
my righteousness, for that was just before Him. I also saw, moreover, that it was
not my good frame of heart that made my righteousness better, nor yet my bad frame
that made my righteousness worse; for my righteousness was Jesus Christ Himself,
the same yesterday, and to-day, and for ever (
230. Now did my chains fall off my legs indeed, I was loosed from my affliction
and irons, my temptations had fled away; so that, from that time, those dreadful
scriptures of God left off to trouble me now; now went I also home rejoicing, for
the grace and love of God. So when I came home, I looked to see if I could find
that sentence, Thy righteousness is in heaven; but could not find such a saying,
wherefore my heart began to sink again, only that was brought to my remembrance,
He ‘of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption’
by this word I saw the other sentence true (
231. For by this scripture, l saw that the man Christ Jesus, as He is distinct from us, as touching His bodily presence, so He is our righteousness and sanctification before God. Here, therefore, I lived for some time, very sweetly at peace with God through Christ; Oh, methought, Christ! Christ! there was nothing but Christ that was before my eyes, I was not only for looking upon this and the other benefits of Christ apart, as of His blood, burial, or resurrection, but considered Him as a whole Christ! As He in whom all these, and all other His virtues, relations, offices, and operations met together, and that as He sat on the right hand of God in heaven.
232. It was glorious to me to see His exaltation, and the worth and prevalency of all His benefits, and that because of this: now I could look from myself to Him, and should reckon that all those graces of God that now were green in me, were yet but like those cracked groats and fourpence-halfpennies that rich men carry in their purses, when their gold is in their trunks at home! Oh, I saw my gold was in my trunk at home! In Christ, my Lord and Saviour! Now Christ was all; all my wisdom, all my righteousness, all my sanctification, and all my redemption.
233. Further, the Lord did also lead me into the mystery of union with the Son
of God, that I was joined to Him, that I was flesh of His flesh, and bone of His
bone, and now was that a sweet word to me in
234. Now I saw Christ Jesus was looked on of God, and should also be looked on
by us, as that common or public person, in whom all the whole body of His elect
are always to be considered and reckoned; that we fulfilled the law by Him, rose
from the dead by Him, got the victory over sin, death, the devil, and hell, by Him;
when He died, we died; and so of His resurrection. ‘Thy dead men shall live, together
with my dead body shall they arise,’ saith he (
235. Ah, these blessed considerations and scriptures, with many others of a like
nature, were in those days made to spangle in mine eyes, so that I have cause to
say, ‘Praise ye the Lord. Praise God in his sanctuary: praise him in the firmament
of his power. Praise him for his mighty acts: praise him according to his excellent
greatness’ (
236. Having thus, in few words, given you a taste of the sorrow and affliction that my soul went under, by the guilt and terror that this my wicked thought did lay me under; and having given you also a touch of my deliverance therefrom, and of the sweet and blessed comfort that I met with afterwards, which comfort dwelt about a twelvemonth with my heart, to my unspeakable admiration; I will now, God willing, before I proceed any farther, give you in a word or two, what, as I conceive, was the cause of this temptation; and also after that, what advantage, at the last, it became unto my soul.
237. For the causes, I conceived they were principally two: of which two I also was deeply convinced all the time this trouble lay upon me. The first was, for that I did not, when I was delivered from the temptation that went before, still pray to God to keep me from temptations that were to come; for though, as I can say in truth, my soul was much in prayer before this trial seized me, yet then I prayed only, or at the most, principally for the removal of present troubles, and for fresh discoveries of His love in Christ, which I saw afterwards was not enough to do; I also should have prayed that the great God would keep me from the evil that was to come.
238. Of this I was made deeply sensible by the prayer of holy David, who, when
he was under present mercy, yet prayed that God would hold him back from sin and
temptation to come; ‘Then,’ saith he, ‘shall I be upright, I shall be innocent from
the great transgression’ (
239. That also was another word that did much condemn me for my folly, in the
neglect of this duty (
240. Another cause of this temptation was, that I had tempted God; and on this manner did I do it. Upon a time my wife was great with child, and before her full time was come, her pangs, as of a woman in travail, were fierce and strong upon her, even as if she would have immediately fallen in labour, and been delivered of an untimely birth. Now, at this very time it was that I had been so strongly tempted to question the being of God, wherefore, as my wife lay crying by me, I said, but with all secrecy imaginable, even thinking in my heart, Lord, if thou wilt now remove this sad affliction from my wife, and cause that she be troubled no more therewith this night, and now were her pangs just upon her, then I shall know that thou canst discern the most secret thoughts of the heart.
241. I had no sooner said it in my heart, but her pangs were taken from her, and she was cast into a deep sleep, and so she continued till morning; at this I greatly marvelled, not knowing what to think; but after I had been awake a good while, and heard her cry no more, I fell to sleeping also. So when I waked in the morning, it came upon me again, even what I had said in my heart the last night, and how the Lord had showed me that He knew my secret thoughts, which was a great astonishment unto me for several weeks after.
242. Well, about a year and a half afterwards, that wicked sinful thought, of which I have spoken before, went through my wicked heart, even this thought, Let Christ go if He will; so when I was fallen under guilt for this, the remembrance of my other thought, and of the effect thereof, would also come upon me with this retort, which also carried rebuke along with it, Now you may see that God doth know the most secret thoughts of the heart.
243. And with this, that of the passages that were betwixt the Lord and His servant
Gideon fell upon my spirit; how because that Gideon tempted God with his fleece,
both wet and dry, when he should have believed and ventured upon his words, therefore
the Lord did afterwards so try him, as to send him against an innumerable company
of enemies; and that too, as to outward appearance, without any strength or help
(
244. And now to show you something of the advantages that I also gained by this temptation; and first, By this I was made continually to possess in my soul a very wonderful sense both of the being and glory of God, and of His beloved Son; in the temptation that went before, my soul was perplexed with unbelief, blasphemy, hardness of heart, questions about the being of God, Christ, the truth of the Word, and certainty of the world to come; I say, then I was greatly assaulted and tormented with atheism; but now the case was otherwise, now was God and Christ continually before my face, though not in a way of comfort, but in a way of exceeding dread and terror. The glory of the holiness of God did at this time break me to pieces; and the bowels and compassion of Christ did break me as on the wheel; for I could not consider Him but as a lost and rejected Christ, the remembrance of which was as the continual breaking of my bones.
245. The Scriptures now also were wonderful things unto me; I saw that the truth
and verity of them were the keys of the kingdom of heaven; those that the Scriptures
favour they must inherit bliss, but those that they oppose and condemn must perish
evermore. Oh! this word, ‘For the Scriptures cannot be broken,’ would rend the caul
of my heart; and so would that other, ‘Whose soever sins ye remit, they are remitted
unto them; and whose soever sins ye retain, they are retained.’ Now I saw the apostles
to be the elders of the city of refuge (
246. Oh! one sentence of the Scripture did more afflict and terrify my mind, I mean those sentences that stood against me, as sometimes I thought they every one did, more, I say, than an army of forty thousand men that might have come against me. Woe be to him against whom the Scriptures bend themselves.
247. By this temptation I was made to see more into the nature of the promises than ever I was before; for I lying now trembling under the mighty hand of God, continually torn and rent by the thunderings of His justice; this made me, with careful heart and watchful eye, with great seriousness, to turn over every leaf, and with much diligence, mixed with trembling, to consider every sentence, together with its natural force and latitude.
248. By this temptation, also, I was greatly beaten off my former foolish practice, of putting by the word of promise when it came into my mind; for now, though I could not suck that comfort and sweetness from the promise as I had done at other times, yea, like to a man a-sinking, I should catch at all I saw; formerly I thought I might not meddle with the promise unless I felt its comfort, but now it was no time thus to do, the avenger of blood too hardly did pursue me.
249. Now therefore I was glad to catch at that word, which yet I feared I had
no ground or right to own; and even to leap into the bosom of that promise, that
yet I feared did shut its heart against me. Now also I should labour to take the
Word as God had laid it down, without restraining the natural force of one syllable
thereof. O what did I now see in that blessed sixth of John, ‘And him that cometh
to me I will in no wise cast out’ (
250. I should in these days, often in my greatest agonies, even flounce towards the promise, as the horses do towards sound ground that yet stick in the mire, concluding, though as one almost bereft of his wits through fear, on this I will rest and stay, and leave the fulfilling of it to the God of heaven that made it. Oh! many a pull hath my heart had with Satan for that sixth of John. I did not now, as at other times, look principally for comfort, though, O how welcome would it have been unto me! But now a word, a word to lean a weary soul upon, that I might not sink for ever! it was that I hunted for.
251. Yea, often when I have been making to the promise, I have seen as if the
Lord would refuse my soul for ever. I was often as if I had run upon the pikes,
and as if the Lord had thrust at me to keep me from Him as with a flaming sword.
Then I should think of Esther, who went to petition the king contrary to the law
(
252. I never saw those heights and depths in grace, and love, and mercy, as I
saw after this temptation. Great sins to draw out great grace; and where guilt is
most terrible and fierce there the mercy of God in Christ, when showed to the soul,
appears most high and mighty. When Job had passed through his captivity, he had
‘twice as much as he had before’ (
I had two or three times, at or about my deliverance from this temptation, such strange apprehensions of the grace of God, that I could hardly bear up under it, it was so out of measure amazing, when I thought it could reach me, that I do think, if that sense of it had abode long upon me, it would have made me incapable for business.
253. Now I shall go forward to give you a relation of other of the Lord’s leadings
with me, of His dealings with me at sundry other seasons, and of the temptations
I then did meet withal. I shall begin with what I met when I first did join in fellowship
with the people of God in Bedford. After I had propounded to the church that my
desire was to walk in the order and ordinances of Christ with them, and was also
admitted by them; while I thought of that blessed ordinance of Christ, which was
His last supper with His disciples before His death, that scripture, ‘This do in
remembrance of me’ (
254. Thus I continued for three-quarters of a year, and could never have rest nor ease; but at last the Lord came in upon my soul with that same scripture by which my soul was visited before; and after that I have been usually very well and comfortable in the partaking of that blessed ordinance, and have, I trust, therein discerned the Lord’s body as broken for my sins, and that His precious blood hath been shed for my transgressions.
255. Upon a time I was somewhat inclining to a consumption, wherewith, about the spring, I was suddenly and violently seized with much weakness in my outward man, insomuch that I thought I could not live. Now began I afresh to give myself up to a serious examination after my state and condition for the future, and of my evidences for that blessed world to come; for it hath, I bless the name of God, been my usual course, as always, so especially in the day of affliction, to endeavour to keep my interest in the life to come clear before my eye.
256. But I had no sooner began to recall to mind my former experience of the goodness of God to my soul, but there came flocking into my mind an innumerable company of my sins and transgressions, amongst which these were at this time most to my affliction, namely, my deadness, dulness, and coldness in holy duties; my wanderings of heart, of my wearisomeness in all good things, my want of love to God, His ways, and people, with this at the end of all, Are these the fruits of Christianity? are these the tokens of a blessed man?
257. At the apprehension of these things my sickness was doubled upon me, for
now was I sick in my inward man, my soul was clogged with guilt; now also was my
former experience of God’s goodness to me quite taken out of my mind, and hid as
if it had never been, nor seen. Now was my soul greatly pinched between these two
considerations. Live I must not, Die I dare not; now I sunk and fell in my spirit;
and was giving up all for lost; but as I was walking up and down in the house, as
a man in a most woeful state, that word of God took hold of my heart, Ye are ‘justified
freely by his grace, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus’ (
258. Now was I as one awakened out of some troublesome sleep and dream, and listening to this heavenly sentence, I was as if I had heard it thus expounded to me: Sinner, thou thinkest that because of thy sins and infirmities I cannot save thy soul, but behold My Son is by Me, and upon Him I look, and not on thee, and will deal with thee according as I am pleased with Him. At this I was greatly lightened in my mind, and made to understand that God could justify a sinner at any time; it was but His looking upon Christ, and imputing of His benefits to us, and the work was forthwith done.
259. And as I was thus in a muse, that scripture also came with great power upon
my spirit, ‘Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his
mercy he saved us,’ etc. (
260. Again, as I was at another time very ill and weak, all that time also the
tempter did beset me strongly, for I find he is much for assaulting the soul when
it begins to approach towards the grave, then is his opportunity, labouring to hide
from me my former experience of God’s goodness; also setting before me the terrors
of death and the judgment of God, insomuch that at this time, through my fear of
miscarrying for ever, should I now die, I was as one dead before death came, and
was as if I had felt myself already descending into the pit; methought, I said,
there was no way, but to hell I must; but behold, just as I was in the midst of
those fears, these words of the angels carrying Lazarus into Abraham’s bosom darted
in upon me, as who should say, So it shall be with thee when thou dost leave this
world. This did sweetly revive my spirit, and help me to hope in God; which, when
I had with comfort mused on a while, that word fell with great weight upon my mind,
‘O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?’ (
261. At another time, though just before I was pretty well and savoury in my spirit, yet suddenly there fell upon me a great cloud of darkness, which did so hide from me the things of God and Christ, that I was as if I had never seen or known them in my life; was also so overrun in my soul, with a senseless, heartless frame of spirit, that I could not feel my soul to move or stir after grace and life by Christ; I was as if my loins were broken, or as if my hands and feet had been tied or bound with chains. At this time also I felt some weakness to seize upon my outward man, which made still the other affliction the more heavy and uncomfortable to me.
262. After I had been in this condition some three or four days, as I was sitting
by the fire, I suddenly felt this word to sound in my heart, I must go to Jesus;
at this my former darkness and atheism fled away, and the blessed things of heaven
were set within my view. While I was on this sudden thus overtaken with surprise,
Wife, said I, is there ever such a scripture, I must go to Jesus? She said she could
not tell, therefore I sat musing still to see if I could remember such a place;
I had not sat above two or three minutes but that came bolting in upon me, ‘And
to an innumerable company of angels,’ and withal, Hebrews the twelfth, about the
mount Sion, was set before mine eyes (
263. Then with joy I told my wife, O now I know, I know! But that night was a
good night to me, I never had but few better; I longed for the company of some of
God’s people that I might have imparted unto them what God had showed me. Christ
was a precious Christ to my soul that night; I could scarce lie in my bed for joy,
and peace, and triumph, through Christ; this great glory did not continue upon me
until morning, yet that twelfth of the author of (
264. The words are these, ‘Ye are come unto mount Sion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels, to the general assembly and church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect, and to Jesus the mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling, that speaketh better things than that of Abel.’ Through this blessed sentence the Lord led me over and over, first to this word, and then to that, and showed me wonderful glory in every one of them. These words also have oft since this time been great refreshment to my spirit. Blessed be God in having mercy on me.
A Brief Account of the Author’s Call to the Work of the Ministry
265. And now I am speaking my experience, I will in this place thrust in a word or two concerning my preaching the Word, and of God’s dealing with me in that particular also. For after I had been about five or six years awakened, and helped myself to see both the want and worth of Jesus Christ our Lord, and also enabled to venture my soul upon Him, some of the most able among the saints with us, I say the most able for judgment and holiness of life, as they conceived, did perceive that God had counted me worthy to understand something of His will in His holy and blessed Word, and had given me utterance, in some measure, to express what I saw to others for edification; therefore they desired me, and that with much earnestness, that I would be willing, at sometimes, to take in hand, in one of the meetings, to speak a word of exhortation unto them.
266. The which, though at the first it did much dash and abash my spirit, yet being still by them desired and intreated, I consented to their request, and did twice at two several assemblies, but in private, though with much weakness and infirmity, discover my gift amongst them; at which they not only seemed to be, but did solemnly protest, as in the sight of the great God, they were both affected and comforted, and gave thanks to the Father of mercies for the grace bestowed on me.
267. After this, sometimes when some of them did go into the country to teach, they would also that I should go with them; where, though as yet I did not, nor durst not, make use of my gift in an open way, yet more privately still as I came amongst the good people in those places, I did sometimes speak a word of admonition unto them also; the which, they as the other received, with rejoicing at the mercy of God to me-ward, professing their souls were edified thereby.
268. Wherefore, to be brief, at last, being still desired by the church, after some solemn prayer to the Lord, with fasting, I was more particularly called forth, and appointed to a more ordinary and public preaching of the Word, not only to, and amongst them that believed, but also to offer the gospel to those who had not yet received the faith thereof; about which time I did evidently find in my mind a secret pricking forward thereto; though I bless God, not for desire of vain glory, for at that time I was most sorely afflicted with the fiery darts of the devil concerning my eternal state.
269. But yet could not be content, unless I was found in the exercise of my gift,
unto which I was greatly animated, not only by the continual desires of the godly,
but also by that saying of Paul to the Corinthians, ‘I beseech you, brethren (ye
know the household of Stephanas, that it is the firstfruits of Achaia, and that
they have addicted themselves to the ministry of the saints), that ye submit yourselves
unto such, and to every one that helpeth with us, and laboureth’ (
270. By this text I was made to see that the Holy Ghost never intended that men
who have gifts and abilities should bury them in the earth, but rather did command
and stir up such to the exercise of their gift, and also did commend those that
were apt and ready so to do, ‘They have addicted themselves to the ministry of the
saints.’ This scripture, in these days, did continually run in my mind, to encourage
me and strengthen me in this work for God; I have also been encouraged from several
other scriptures and examples of the godly, both specified in the Word and other
ancient histories (
271. Wherefore, though of myself of all the saints the most unworthy, yet I, but with great fear and trembling at the sight of my own weakness, did set upon the work, and did according to my gift, and the proportion of my faith, preach that blessed gospel that God had showed me in the holy Word of truth; which, when the country understood, they came in to hear the Word by hundreds, and that from all parts, though upon sundry and divers accounts.
272. And I thank God He gave unto me some measure of bowels and pity for their souls, which also did put me forward to labour with great diligence and earnestness, to find out such a word as might, if God would bless it, lay hold of and awaken the conscience, in which the good Lord had respect to the desire of His servant; for I had not preached long before some began to be touched by the Word, and to be greatly afflicted in their minds at the apprehension of the greatness of their sin, and of their need of Jesus Christ.
273. But I at first could not believe that God should speak by me to the heart of any man, still counting myself unworthy; yet those who were thus touched would love me and have a peculiar respect for me; and though I did put it from me, that they should be awakened by me, still they would confess it, and affirm it before the saints of God; they would also bless God for me, unworthy wretch that I am! and count me God’s instrument that showed to them the way of salvation.
274. Wherefore, seeing them in both their words and deeds to be so constant,
and also in their hearts so earnestly pressing after the knowledge of Jesus Christ,
rejoicing that ever God did send me where they were; then I began to conclude it
might be so, that God had owned in His work such a foolish one as I, and then came
that word of God to my heart with much sweet refreshment, ‘The blessing of him that
was ready to perish came upon me; and I caused the widow’s heart to sing for joy’
(
275. At this therefore I rejoiced, yea, the tears of those whom God did awaken
by my preaching would be both solace and encouragement to me; for I thought on those
sayings, ‘Who is he that maketh me glad but the same which is made sorry by me?’
(
276. In my preaching of the Word, I took special notice of this one thing, namely, that the Lord did lead me to begin where His Word begins with sinners; that is, to condemn all flesh, and to open and allege that the curse of God, by the law, doth belong to and lay hold on all men as they come into the world, because of sin. Now this part of my work I fulfilled with great sense; for the terrors of the law, and guilt for my transgressions, lay heavy on my conscience. I preached what I felt, what I smartingly did feel, even that under which my poor soul did groan and tremble to astonishment.
277. Indeed I have been as one sent to them from the dead; I went myself in chains to preach to them in chains; and carried that fire in my own conscience that I persuaded them to beware of. I can truly say, and that without dissembling, that when I have been to preach, I have gone full of guilt and terror even to the pulpit door, and there it hath been taken off, and I have been at liberty in my mind until I have done my work, and then immediately, even before I could get down the pulpit stairs, I have been as bad as I was before; yet God carried me on, but surely with a strong hand, for neither guilt nor hell could take me off my work.
278. Thus I went for the space of two years, crying out against men’s sins, and their fearful state because of them. After which the Lord came in upon my own soul with some staid peace and comfort through Christ; for He did give me many sweet discoveries of His blessed grace through Him. Wherefore now I altered in my preaching, for still I preached what I saw and felt; now therefore I did much labour to hold forth Jesus Christ in all His offices, relations, and benefits unto the world; and did strive also to discover, to condemn, and remove those false supports and props on which the world doth both lean, and by them fall and perish. On these things also I staid as long as on the other.
279. After this, God led me into something of the mystery of union with Christ; wherefore that I discovered and showed to them also. And when I had travelled through these three chief points of the Word of God, about the space of five years or more, I was caught in my present practice and cast into prison, where I have lain above as long again, to confirm the truth by way of suffering, as I was before in testifying of it according to the Scriptures in a way of preaching.
280. When I have been preaching, I thank God, my heart hath often all the time of this and the other exercise, with great earnestness, cried to God that He would make the Word effectual to the salvation of the soul; still being grieved lest the enemy should take the Word away from the conscience, and so it should become unfruitful. Wherefore I did labour so to speak the Word, as that thereby, if it were possible, the sin and the person guilty might be particularized by it.
281. Also, when I have done the exercise, it hath gone to my heart to think the Word should now fall as rain on stony places, still wishing from my heart, O that they who have heard me speak this day did but see as I do what sin, death, hell, and the curse of God is; and also what the grace, and love, and mercy of God is, through Christ, to men in such a case as they are, who are yet estranged from Him. And, indeed, I did often say in my heart before the Lord, That if to be hanged up presently before their eyes would be a means to awaken them, and confirm them in the truth, I gladly should be contented.
282. For I have been in my preaching, especially when I have been engaged in the doctrine of life by Christ, without works, as if an angel of God had stood by at my back to encourage me. Oh, it hath been with such power and heavenly evidence upon my own soul, while I have been labouring to unfold it, to demonstrate it, and to fasten it upon the consciences of others, that I could not be contented with saying, I believe, and am sure; methought I was more than sure, if it be lawful so to express myself, that those things which then I asserted were true.
283. When I went first to preach the Word abroad, the doctors and priests of
the country did open wide against me. But I was persuaded of this, not to render
railing for railing, but to see how many of their carnal professors I could convince
of their miserable state by the law, and of the want and worth of Christ; for, thought
I, This shall answer for me in time to come, when they shall be for my hire before
their faces (
284. I never cared to meddle with things that were controverted, and in dispute amongst the saints, especially things of the lowest nature; yet it pleased me much to contend with great earnestness for the word of faith and the remission of sins by the death and sufferings of Jesus; but I say, as to other things, I should let them alone, because I saw they engendered strife, and because that they neither, in doing nor in leaving undone, did commend us to God to be His. Besides, I saw my work before me did run in another channel even to carry an awakening word; to that therefore did I stick and adhere.
285. I never endeavoured to, nor durst make use of other men’s lines (
286. If any of those who were awakened by my ministry did after that fall back,
as sometimes too many did, I can truly say their loss hath been more to me than
if one of my own children, begotten of my body, had been going to its grave; I think,
verily, I may speak it without an offence to the Lord, nothing hath gone so near
me as that, unless it was the fear of the loss of the salvation of my own soul.
I have counted as if I had goodly buildings and lordships in those places where
my children were born; my heart hath been so wrapped up in the glory of this excellent
work, that I counted myself more blessed and honoured of God by this than if He
had made me the emperor of the Christian world, or the lord of all the glory of
the earth without it! O these words, ‘He which converteth the sinner from the error
of his way shall save a soul from death’ (
287. I have observed, that where I have had a work to do for God, I have had first, as it were, the going of God upon my spirit to desire I might preach there. I have also observed that such and such souls in particular have been strongly set upon my heart, and I stirred up to wish for their salvation; and that these very souls have, after this, been given in as the fruits of my ministry. I have also observed, that a word cast in by the by hath done more execution in a sermon than all that was spoken besides; sometimes also when I have thought I did no good, then I did the most of all; and at other times when I thought I should catch them I have fished for nothing.
288. I have also observed, that where there hath been a work to do upon sinners, there the devil hath begun to roar in the hearts, and by the mouths of his servants. Yea, oftentimes when the wicked world hath raged most, there hath been souls awaked by the word. I could instance particulars, but I forbear.
289. My great desire in fulfilling my ministry was to get into the darkest places
of the country, even amongst those people that were farthest off of profession;
yet not because I could not endure the light, for I feared not to show my gospel
to any, but because I found my spirit leaned most after awakening and converting
work, and the Word that I carried did lead itself most that way also; ‘yea, so have
I strived to preach the gospel, not where Christ was named, lest I should build
upon another man’s foundation’ (
290. In my preaching I have really been in pain, and have, as it were, travailed
to bring forth children to God; neither could I be satisfied unless some fruits
did appear in my work. If I were fruitless it mattered not who commended me; but
if I were fruitful, I cared not who did condemn. I have thought of that, ‘He that
winneth souls is wise’ (
291. It pleased me nothing to see people drink in opinions if they seemed ignorant of Jesus Christ, and the worth of their own salvation, sound conviction for sin, especially for unbelief, and an heart set on fire to be saved by Christ, with strong breathing after a truly sanctified soul; that it was that delighted me; those were the souls I counted blessed.
292. But in this work, as in all other, I had my temptations attending me, and that of diverse kinds, as sometimes I should be assaulted with great discouragement therein, fearing that I should not be able to speak the Word at all to edification; nay, that I should not be able to speak sense unto the people; at which times I should have such a strange faintness and strengthlessness seize upon my body that my legs have scarce been able to carry me to the place of exercise.
293. Sometimes, again, when I have been preaching, I have been violently assaulted with thoughts of blasphemy, and strongly tempted to speak the words with my mouth before the congregation. I have also at some times, even when I have begun to speak the Word with much clearness, evidence, and liberty of speech, yet been before the ending of that opportunity so blinded, and so estranged from the things I have been speaking, and have also been so straitened in my speech, as to utterance before the people, that I have been as if I had not known or remembered what I have been about, or as if my head had been in a bag all the time of the exercise.
294. Again, when as sometimes I have been about to preach upon some smart and scorching portion of the Word, I have found the tempter suggest, What, will you preach this? this condemns yourself; of this your own soul is guilty; wherefore preach not of it at all; or if you do, yet so mince it as to make way for your own escape; lest instead of awakening others, you lay that guilt upon your own soul as you will never get from under.
295. But, I thank the Lord, I have been kept from consenting to these so horrid
suggestions, and have rather, as Samson, bowed myself with all my might, to condemn
sin and transgression wherever I found it, yea, though therein also I did bring
guilt upon my own conscience! ‘Let me die,’ thought I, ‘with the Philistines’ (
296. I have also, while found in this blessed work of Christ, been often tempted
to pride and liftings up of heart; and though I dare not say I have not been infected
with this, yet truly the Lord, of His precious mercy, hath so carried it towards
me, that, for the most part, I have had but small joy to give way to such a thing;
for it hath been my every day’s portion to be let into the evil of my own heart,
and still made to see such a multitude of corruptions and infirmities therein, that
it hath caused hanging down of the head under all my gifts and attainments; I have
felt this thorn in the flesh, the very mercy of God to me (
297. I have had also, together with this, some notable place or other of the
Word presented before me, which word hath contained in it some sharp and piercing
sentence concerning the perishing of the soul, notwithstanding gifts and parts;
as, for instance, that hath been of great use unto me, ‘Though I speak with the
tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass,
and a tinkling cymbal’ (
298. A tinkling cymbal is an instrument of music, with which a skilful player can make such melodious and heart-inflaming music, that all who hear him play can scarcely hold from dancing; and yet behold the cymbal hath not life, neither comes the music from it, but because of the art of him that plays therewith; so then the instrument at last may come to naught and perish, though, in times past, such music hath been made upon it.
299. Just thus I saw it was and will be with them who have gifts, but want saving grace, they are in the hand of Christ, as the cymbal in the hand of David; and as David could, with the cymbal, make that mirth in the service of God, as to elevate the hearts of the worshippers, so Christ can use these gifted men, as with them to affect the souls of His people in His church; yet when He hath done all, hang them by as lifeless, though sounding cymbals.
300. This consideration, therefore, together with some others, were, for the most part, as a maul on the head of pride, and desire of vain glory; what, thought I, shall I be proud because I am a sounding brass? Is it so much to be a fiddle? Hath not the least creature that hath life, more of God in it than these? Besides, I knew it was love should never die, but these must cease and vanish; so I concluded, a little grace, a little love, a little of the true fear of God, is better than all these gifts; yea, and I am fully convinced of it, that it is possible for a soul that can scarce give a man an answer, but with great confusion as to method, I say it is possible for them to have a thousand times more grace, and so to be more in the love and favour of the Lord than some who, by virtue of the gift of knowledge, can deliver themselves like angels.
301. Thus, therefore, I came to perceive, that though gifts in themselves were good to the thing for which they are designed, to wit, the edification of others; yet empty and without power to have the soul of him that hath them, if they be alone; neither are they, as so, any sign of a man’s state to be happy, being only a dispensation of God to some, of whose improvement, or non-improvement, they must, when a little love more is over, give an account to Him that is ready to judge the quick and the dead.
302. This showed me, too, that gifts being alone, were dangerous, not in themselves, but because of those evils that attend them that have them, to wit, pride, desire of vain glory, self-conceit, etc., all of which were easily blown up at the applause and commendation of every unadvised Christian, to the endangering of a poor creature to fall into the condemnation of the devil.
303. I saw therefore that he that hath gifts had need be let into a sight of the nature of them, to wit, that they come short of making of him to be in a truly saved condition, lest he rest in them, and so fall short of the grace of God.
304. He hath also cause to walk humbly with God, and be little in his own eyes, and to remember withal, that his gifts are not his own, but the church’s; and that by them he is made a servant to the church; and that he must give at last an account of his stewardship unto the Lord Jesus; and to give a good account, will be a blessed thing.
305. Let all men therefore prize a little with the fear of the Lord; gifts indeed are desirable, but yet great grace and small gifts are better than great gifts and no grace. It doth not say, the Lord gives gifts and glory, but the Lord gives grace and glory; and blessed is such an one to whom the Lord gives grace, true grace, for that is a certain forerunner of glory.
306. But when Satan perceived that his thus tempting and assaulting of me would not answer his design, to wit, to overthrow my ministry, and make it ineffectual, as to the ends thereof; then he tried another way, which was to stir up the minds of the ignorant and malicious, to load me with slanders and reproaches; now therefore I may say, that what the devil could devise, and his instruments invent, was whirled up and down the country against me, thinking, as I said, that by that means they should make my ministry to be abandoned.
307. It began therefore to be rumoured up and down among the people, that I was a witch, a Jesuit, a highwayman, and the like.
308. To all which, I shall only say, God knows that I am innocent. But as for mine accusers, let them provide themselves to meet me before the tribunal of the Son of God, there to answer for these things, with all the rest of their iniquities, unless God shall give them repentance for them, for the which I pray with all my heart.
309. But that which was reported with the boldest confidence, was, that I had
my misses, my whores, my bastards, yea, two wives at once, and the like. Now these
slanders, with the other, I glory in, because but slanders, foolish, or knavish
lies, and falsehoods cast upon me by the devil and his seed; and should I not be
dealt with thus wickedly by the world, I should want one sign of a saint, and a
child of God. ‘Blessed are ye (said the Lord Jesus) when men shall revile you, and
persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely for my sake;
rejoice, and be exceeding glad, for great is your reward in heaven; for so persecuted
they the prophets which were before you’ (
310. These things, therefore, upon mine own account, trouble me not; no, though they were twenty times more than they are. I have a good conscience, and whereas they speak evil of me, as an evil doer, they shall be ashamed that falsely accuse my good conversation in Christ.
311. So, then, what shall I say to those that have thus bespattered me? Shall I threaten them? Shall I chide them? Shall I flatter them? Shall I intreat them to hold their tongues? No, not I, were it not for that these things make them ripe for damnation, that are the authors and abettors, I would say unto them, Report it, because it will increase my glory.
312. Therefore I bind these lies and slanders to me as an ornament, it belongs to my Christian profession to be vilified, slandered, reproached and reviled; and since all this is nothing else, as my God and my conscience do bear me witness, I rejoice in reproaches for Christ’s sake.
313. I also calling all those fools, or knaves, that have thus made it anything of their business to affirm any of the things afore-named of me, namely, that I have been naught with other women, or the like. When they have used to the utmost of their endeavours, and made the fullest inquiry that they can, to prove against me truly, that there is any woman in heaven, or earth, or hell, that can say, I have at any time, in any place, by day or night, so much as attempted to be naught with them; and speak I thus, to beg mine enemies into a good esteem of me? No, not I: I will in this beg relief of no man; believe or disbelieve me in this, all is a case to me.
314. My foes have missed their mark in this their shooting at me. I am not the man. I wish that they themselves be guiltless. If all the fornicators and adulterers in England were hanged by the neck till they be dead, John Bunyan, the object of their envy, would be still alive and well. I know not whether there be such a thing as a woman breathing under the copes of the whole heaven but by their apparel, their children, or by common fame, except my wife.
315. And in this I admire the wisdom of God, that He made me shy of women from my first conversion until now. Those know, and can also bear me witness, with whom I have been most intimately concerned, that it is a rare thing to see me carry it pleasant towards a woman, the common salutation of a woman I abhor, it is odious to me in whosoever I see it. Their company alone, I cannot away with. I seldom so much as touch a woman’s hand, for I think these things are not so becoming me. When I have seen good men salute those women that they have visited, or that have visited them, I have at times made my objection against it, and when they have answered, that it was but a piece of civility, I have told them, it is not a comely sight; some indeed have urged the holy kiss but then I have asked why they made baulks, why they did salute the most handsome, and let the ill-favoured go; thus, how laudable soever such things have been in the eyes of others, they have been unseemly in my sight.
316. And now for a wind up in this matter, I calling not only men, but angels, to prove me guilty of having carnally to do with any woman save my wife, nor am I afraid to do it a second time, knowing that I cannot offend the Lord in such a case, to call God for a record upon my soul, that in these things I am innocent. Not that I have been thus kept, because of any goodness in me more than any other, but God has been merciful to me, and has kept me; to whom I pray that He will keep me still, not only from this, but from every evil way and work, and preserve me to His heavenly kingdom. Amen.
317. Now as Satan laboured by reproaches and slanders, to make me vile among my countrymen, that, if possible, my preaching might be made of none effect, so there was added hereto a long and tedious imprisonment, that thereby I might be frighted from my service for Christ, and the world terrified, and made afraid to hear me preach, of which I shall in the next place give you a brief account.
A Brief Account of the Author’s Imprisonment
318. Having made profession of the glorious gospel of Christ a long time, and preached the same about five years, I was apprehended at a meeting of good people in the country, among whom, had they let me alone, I should have preached that day, but they took me away from amongst them, and had me before a justice; who, after I had offered security for my appearing at the next sessions, yet committed me, because my sureties would not consent to be bound that I should preach no more to the people.
Conclusion
1. Of all the temptations that ever I met with in my life, to question the being of God, and the truth of His gospel, is the worst, and the worst to be borne; when this temptation comes, it takes away my girdle from me, and removeth the foundations from under me. Oh, I have often thought of that word, ‘Have your loins girt about with truth’; and of that, ‘When the foundations are destroyed, what can the righteous do?’
2. Sometimes, when, after sin committed, I have looked for sore chastisement from the hand of God, the very next that I have had from Him hath been the discovery of His grace. Sometimes, when I have been comforted, I have called myself a fool for my so sinking under trouble. And then, again, when I have been cast down, I thought I was not wise to give such way to comfort. With such strength and weight have both these been upon me.
3. I have wondered much at this one thing, that though God doth visit my soul with never so blessed a discovery of Himself, yet I have found again, that such hours have attended me afterwards, that I have been in my spirit so filled with darkness, that I could not so much as once conceive what that God and that comfort was with which I have been refreshed.
4. I have sometimes seen more in a line of the Bible than I could well tell how to stand under, and yet at another time the whole Bible hath been to me as dry as a stick; or rather, my heart hath been so dead and dry unto it, that I could not conceive the least drachm of refreshment, though I have looked it all over.
5. Of all tears, they are the best that are made by the blood of Christ; and of all joy, that is the sweetest that is mixed with mourning over Christ. Oh! it is a goodly thing to be on our knees, with Christ in our arms, before God. I hope I know something of these things.
6. I find to this day seven abominations in my heart: (1) Inclinings to unbelief. (2) Suddenly to forget the love and mercy that Christ manifesteth. (3) A leaning to the works of the law. (4) Wanderings and coldness in prayer. (5) To forget to watch for that I pray for. (6) Apt to murmur because I have no more, and yet ready to abuse what I have. (7) I can do none of those things which God commands me, but my corruptions will thrust in themselves, ‘When I would do good, evil is present with me.’
7. These things I continually see and feel, and am afflicted and oppressed with; yet the wisdom of God doth order them for my good. (1) They make me abhor myself. (2) They keep me from trusting my heart. (3) They convince me of the insufficiency of all inherent righteousness. (4) They show me the necessity of flying to Jesus. (5) They press me to pray unto God. (6) They show me the need I have to watch and be sober. (7) And provoke me to look to God, through Christ, to help me, and carry me through this world. Amen.
Indexes
Index of Scripture References
Genesis
25:1-34 25:34 27:33 27:36 30:33 33:9 50:15-17
Exodus
Leviticus
Numbers
14:25 14:36 14:37 23:9 33:1 33:2
Deuteronomy
Joshua
Judges
6:1-40 7:1-25 14:5-9 16:29 16:30
1 Samuel
1 Kings
Esther
Job
Psalms
16:6 19:13 19:13 42:6 68:18 77:5-12 77:7-9 78:3-5 106:11-13 107:16 127:3-5 130:3 130:4 150:1 150:2
Proverbs
Ecclesiastes
Song of Solomon
Isaiah
9:6 26:19 38:19 44:22 45:5 57:20 57:21
Jeremiah
Ezekiel
Daniel
Hosea
Joel
Matthew
4:9 5:11 7:14 12:32 15:21-28 15:28 16:17-17
Mark
3:13 3:29 5:2-5 8:38 9:5-7 9:20
Luke
9:42 11:5-8 13:25-27 14:22 14:23 22:19 22:31 22:32
John
6:37 6:37 10:35 14:6 14:19 20:17
Acts
1:9 1:10 1:18 4:12 7:56 8:4 10:16 10:42 12:9 18:24 18:25 22:1-30 24:1-27
Romans
3:24 6:9 8 8:17 8:31 8:38 9:16 12:6 15:18 15:20
1 Corinthians
1:30 9:2 12:8 12:9 13:1 13:2 15:55 16:15 16:16
2 Corinthians
Galatians
Ephesians
Colossians
1 Thessalonians
2 Timothy
Titus
Hebrews
2:14 2:15 4:16 6:1-3 6:1-20 6:4-6 7:24 7:25 8:3 9:22 10:26 10:26 10:27 10:28 10:31 12:16 12:16 12:17 12:17 12:22-24 12:22-24 12:25 13:5 13:8
James
1 Peter
2 Peter
1 John
Revelation
Sirach