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He is consoled, and led to rejoice

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.

And truly, the Lord let me go thus many months together, and shewed 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," Joel. iii. 21. These words I thought were sent to encourage me to wait still upon God; and signified unto me, that if I were not already, yet time might come, I might be in truth converted unto Christ.'

About this time Mr. Bunyan began to open the state of his mind, to those poor people whose discourse had been the first occasion of his real conversion. When they had heard him, they told Mr. Gifford, the worthy pastor of the Baptist church at Bedford. He was himself anxious to be well satisfied respecting his character, and therefore invited him to his house, where Mr. Bunyan heard him converse with others about the dealings of God with their souls; from which he still received further convictions, and saw more of the deceitfulness of his own heart.

Temptations still assaulted him on various occasions, but God delivered him out of them all, and at last set his feet in a large place, filling his soul with joy and gladness. He thus describes his restoration to joy and comfort.

'One day, as I was passing into 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, was my righteousness; so that wherever I was.

in the perfection of God's Righteousness.

or whatever I was 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, to-day, and for ever." Heb. xiii. 8.

'Now did my chains fall off my legs indeed: I was loosed from my afflictions and irons: my temptations also fled away; so that from that time those dreadful scriptures of God left off to trouble me: 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 is made unto us of God, wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, and redemption;" 1 Cor. i. 33. by this word I saw the other sentence true.

'For by this scripture I 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 now (only) for looking upon this and the other benefits of Christ apart, as of his blood, burial and resurrection, but considering him as a whole Christ! as he in whom all these, and all other his virtues, relations, offices and operations met together, and that he sat on the right-hand of God in heaven.

"'Twas glorious to me to see his exaltation, and the worth and prevalency of all his benefits, and that because now I could look from myself to him, and would reckon, that all those graces of God that now were green on me, were yet out 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

He joins the church at Bedford.

home! in Christ my Lord and Saviour. Now Christ was all; all my righteousness, all my sanctification, and all my redemption.

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 word of St. Paul sweet to me, Ephes. v. 30. By this also was my faith in him, as my righteousness, the more confirmed in me; for if he and I were one, then his righteousness was mine, his merits mine, his victory also mine. Now could I see myself in heaven and earth at once: in heaven by my Christ, by my head, by my righteousness and life, though on earth by my body or person.

'Now I saw Christ Jesus was looked upon of God; and should also be looked upon 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, died 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. Isa. xxvi. 19. And again, "after two days he will revive us, and the third day we shall live in his sight," Hosea vi. 2. Which is now fulfilled by the sitting down of the Son of man on the right hand of the majesty in the heavens, according to that to the Ephesians; "He hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus," Ephes. ii. 6.

"Ah! these blessed considerations and scriptures, with many others of like nature, were in those days made to sple in mine eye, so that I have cause to say, "Praise ye the Lord 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," Psalm cl. 1, 2.

About the year 1655, Mr. Bunyan was baptized, and admitted a member of the Baptist church at Bedford. Having experienced the grace of God that was in him, and how

The exercises of his Mind respecting the Ministry.

eminently God hath fitted him for the work of the ministry, the church and congregation earnestly requested him to communicate to them those spiritual gifts with which God had blessed him. He at first modestly excused himself; but being further urged, he at last consented. He did not preach in public, however, at the first commencement of his office, but dispensed his gifts only in private among friends.

Some time after this, he was more particularly called forth, and set apart for the public preaching of the gospel, which he entered upon with great fear and trembling, conscious of his own unworthiness; but God was pleased to bless and prosper the work of his hands, and there is no doubt but that many believed on the Lord Jesus, through his ministry, to the praise of the glory of God. The exercises of his mind on this important occasion are thus described in a tract, published by himself under the title of ‘A brief Account of the Author's Call to the Work of the Ministry;' which is as follows.

'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. 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 should be willing, at some times to take in hand, in one of the meetings, to speak a word of exhortation unto them.

'The which, though at the first it did much dash d 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

He is publicly called to the Ministry.

weakness and infirmity, discover my gift amongst them; at which they not only seemed to be, but did frequently 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.

'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.

'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 desire of vain glory, for at that time I was most sorely afflicted with the fiery darts of the devil, concerning my eternal state.

'But yet I could not be content, unless I was found in the exercises of my gift, unto which also 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 Stephanus, that it is the first fruits 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," 1 Cor. xvi. 15, 16.

'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

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