brother; and for that thou art so called, so preserved in Christ Jesus; who, we trust, will preserve thee to his kingdom and glory to whom be honour and power everlasting.

"We are comforted in thee, our dearly beloved, when we remember that from a child, thou hast known the holy Scriptures; which are able to make thee wise unto salvation, through faith in Jesus Christ; which faith was also in thy tender years fruitful and flourishing in thy gracious heart, to the great comfort of us thy brethren, and the glory of that grace that hath translated us out of the kingdom of Satan into the kingdom of Jesus Christ.

"It is also joy to us to behold, that notwithstanding thy lot is cast in a place of high transgression; yet thou showest out of a good conversation thy works with meekness of wisdom. God help thee, brother, to remember the days of thy youth; the first ways of David were best. There are but few can say as Caleb: As my strength was forty years since, so it is now, both to go out and come in before the people of God.'

""Tis also said of Moses at the day of his death, his natural force was not abated: neither did his eyes wax dim. Brother, be always looking into the perfect law of liberty: and continue therein. The customs of the people are vain; learn therefore of no man any of the deeds of darkness; we must give an account of ourselves to God. It argueth not only wisdom, but great grace, when the soul makes all lie level to the word and Spirit of God: when he scorneth and counteth that unworthy his affections, that hath not on it the stamp of the things of heaven. It is said of the children of Israel, They saw God and did eat and drink.' That is the right eating and drinking indeed. The glory of young men, is their strength to overcome the wicked one. 6 My son,' says Solomon, if thy heart be wise, my heart shall rejoice, even mine.'

"Now, brother, God hath not only counted you worthy to believe in his Son, but also to profess him before the world. Wear his name in your forehead. They that Christ will own for his servants for ever, must say plainly, I love my Master: they must declare plainly, they seek a country. The first note of the peril of the last times is, Men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, proud,' &c. O man of God, fly these things, and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness. Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life; whereunto thou art also called, and hast witnessed a good profession before many witnesses.'

" "Tis said of Hananiah, he feared God above many.' God continue our joy of thee, brother. Our hope of thee is steadfast, through grace; trusting in the Lord that he that hath begun the good work in thee will perfect it until the day of Jesus Christ. It is a strange sight to behold those who did feed delicately to be desolate in the street; and they that were brought up in scarlet to embrace dunghills. We speak not these things to shame thee, but as our beloved brother we warn thee. O Timothy, keep that which is committed to thy trust; watch and be sober. And if thou be inclined to sleep, let that of Delilah rouse thee; The Philistines be upon thee, Samson!'

"Grace be with thee.

The Lord is at hand. Behold the Judge stands at the door. Amen. Even so come, Lord Jesus.

"Written by the appointment, and subscribed in the name and with the consent of the congregation.

"1669."

"JOHN BUNYAN," &c.

TO BUNYAN'S SPIRITUAL CHILDREN.

Bedford Jail. "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 you-ward, for your farther edifying and building up in faith and holiness, &c., 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 Lion's den, and from the mountain of the Leopards, do look yet after you all, greatly longing to see your safe arrival in the desired haven.

"I thank God upon every remembrance of you; and rejoice, even while I stick between the teeth of the lions in the wilderness, that 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 after farther acquaintance with the Father, in the Son; your tenderness of heart, your trembling at sin, your sober and holy deportment also, before both God and men, is a great refreshment to me; foryou are my glory and joy.'

"I have sent you here enclosed" (in his Life) "a drop of that honey that I have taken out of the carcase of a lion, I

have eaten thereof myself, and am much refreshed thereby. (Temptations, when we meet them at first, are as the lion that roared upon Samson; but if we overcome them, the next time we shall find a nest of honey within them.) The Philistines understand me not. It is something of a relation of the work of God upon my soul, even from the very first till now, wherein you may perceive my castings down, and risings up for he woundeth, and his hands make whole. It is written in the Scripture, 'The father to the children shall make known the truth of God.' Yea, it was for this reason I lay so long at Sinai, to see the fire, and the cloud, and the darkness, that I might fear the Lord all the days of my life upon earth, and tell of his wondrous works to my children which we have heard and known and our fathers have told us. We will not hide them from their children, showing to the generation to come the praises of the Lord and his strength and his wonderful works that he hath done. For he established a testimony in Jacob and appointed a law in Israel which he commanded our fathers that they should make them known unto their children.'

"Moses wrote of the journeyings of the children of Israel from Egypt to the land of Canaan; and commanded also that they did remember their forty years' travel in the wilderness. Thou shalt remember all the way which the Lord thy God led thee these forty years in the wilderness, to humble thee, and to prove thee, and to know what was in thine heart, whether thou wouldst keep his commandments or no.' Wherefore this I have endeavoured to do; and not only so, but to pub. lish it also: that, if God will, others may be put in remembrance of what he hath done for their souls, by reading his work upon me.

"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 to the Lord, for bringing them out of the land of Egypt. This is that night of the Lord to be observed of all the children of Israel, in their generations.' 'O my God,' saith David, my soul is cast down within me; but I will remember thee from the land of Jordan, and of the Her. monites, from the hill Mizar.' He remembered also the lion and the bear, when he went to fight with the giant of Gath.

"It was Paul's accustomed manner, and that, when tried for his life, even to open before his judges the manner of his conversion: He would think of that day, and that hour, in which

he first did meet with grace; for he found it supported him. When God had brought the children of Israel out of the Red Sea, far into the wilderness, yet they must turn quite about thither again, to remember the drowning of their enemies there, for though they sang his praise before, yet they soon forgat his works.

"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 fear of perishing for ever! They bring afresh into my mind, the remembrance of my great help, my great supports 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 years of ancient times: remember also your songs in the night, and commune with your own heart; say in times of distress, • 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? And I said, this is my infirmity, but I will remember the years of the right hand of the Most High. I will remember the works of the Lord, surely I will remember thy wonders of old. I will meditate also of all thy work and talk of thy doings.' Yea, look diligently, and leave no corner therein unsearched for that trea sure hid, even the treasure of your first and second experience of the grace of God towards you. Remember, I say, the word that first laid hold upon you: remember your terrors of conscience, and fears of death and hell: remember also your tears and prayers to God; yea, how you sighed under every hedge for mercy. Have you never a hill Mizar to remember? Have you forgot the close, the milk-house, the stable, the barn, and the like, where God did visit your souls? Remember also the word, the word, I say, upon which the Lord hath caused you to hope. If you have sinned against light, if you are tempted to blaspheme, if you are drowned in despair, if you think God fights against you, or if heaven is hid from your eyes; remem、

ber it was thus with your father; but out of them all the Lord delivered me.'

"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, but I dare not. God did not play in tempting of me; neither did I play, when I sunk as into the bottomless pit, when the pangs of hell caught hold upon me; wherefore I may not play in 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 doth not, let him produce a better. Farewell.

"My dear Children, the milk and honey are beyond this wilderness. God be merciful to you, and grant that you be not slothful to go in to possess the land.

(No date.)

"JOHN BUNYAN.”

"

The following Letter to Mrs. Tilney, the benevolent widow whom Foster pillaged and the poor wept for, interdicts her, Dr. Southey says, " from communicating with a church of which her son-in-law was Minister, because he was not a Baptist.' Ivimey, again, says of it, that it is an example of Discipline "worthy the imitation of all the Churches of Christ." I know nothing about Blakey, or his Church: but I am quite sure, that his views of Baptists were not the reason for refusing to commend his mother-in-law to his fellowship. Neither Bunyan nor his Church made Baptism a condition of fellowship. Their grand distinction was, that they did not. Instead, therefore, of this letter being a contradiction to their rule, it is most likely a proof of their rigid adherence to it. Blakey's Church were, most probably, very strict Baptists; and objected to on that account by Bunyan. For their baptism would not have reconciled him to their bigotry. And if they were General Baptists, this bigotry was allied with an Arminianism which he, although no hyper-calvinist, would not have countenanced.

"OUR DEARLY BELOVED SISTER TILNEY,

"Grace, mercy, and peace be with you by Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

"I received your letter, and have presented it to the sight of