Works of John Bunyan Volume III Part 165

[37] If the crawling snail finds food, wherefore do ye doubt, O!

ye of little faith.--Ed.

[38] Fools make a mock at sin. The scorner occupies a proud, an elevated seat, which will sink under him, and crush him down to everlasting destruction. The threatenings and promises of G.o.d stand sure for ever.--Ed

THE STRUGGLER;

CONTAINING

THE CHRONOLOGICAL ORDER IN WHICH MR. BUNYAN'S BOOKS WERE PUBLISHED, AND THE NUMBER OF EDITIONS THEY Pa.s.sED THROUGH DURING HIS LIFE.

THIRTY REASONS WHY CHRISTIAN PEOPLE SHOULD PROMOTE THEIR CIRCULATION, AND THE STRUGGLER FOR THE PRESERVATION OF THESE LABOURS.--PUBLISHED IN 1691.

BY CHARLES DOE, ONE OF MR. BUNYAN'S PERSONAL FRIENDS.

A CATALOGUE-TABLE OF MR. BUNYAN'S BOOKS.

AND

THEIR SUCCESSION IN PUBLISHING, MOST ACCORDING TO HIS OWN RECKONING.

Note.--Those that are in Italic letter are them that compose the first folio: And the rest are intended, when time serves, for a second folio.[1]

1. Gospel truths opened, 1656 2. A vindication of that [sm. 4to] 1657 3. Sighs from h.e.l.l (9 Impressions), [1650]

4. The 2 Covenants Law and Grace 5. I will pray with the Spirit, 1663 6. A map of salvation, &c., [A broadside]

7. The four last things (3 Impressions), 8. Mount Ebal and Gerizim, 9. Prison Meditations, 10. The Holy City, &c., 1665 11. The Resurrection, &c., 1665 12. Grace Abounding (6 Impressions), [1666]

13. Justification by Jesus Christ, [sm. 4to] 1671 14. Confession of Faith, &c., 1672 15. Difference in Judgment, &c., 1673 16. Peaceable principles, &c., 1674 17. Election and Reprobation, &c., [sm. 4to] [No date]

18. Light for them in Darkness, 19. Christian Behaviour (4 Impressions), 20. Instructions for the Ignorant, 1675 21. Saved by Grace, 22. The Strait-Gate, 1676 23. The Pilgrim's Progress (12 Impressions), [1678]

24. The Fear of G.o.d, 1679 25. Come and Welcome to Jesus Christ (4 Impressions) 26. The Holy War (3 Impressions) 1682 27. The Barren Fig Tree, 28. The Greatness of the Soul, &c., [1683]

29. A case of Conscience of prayer, [sm. 4to] [1683]

30. Advice to Sufferers, 1684 31. The 2d pt. Pilgrim's Progress (3 Impressions), [1684]

32. Life and Death of Mr. Badman,[2] [1680]

33. Holy Life the beauty of Christianity, 34. The Pharisee and Publican, 1685 35. A caution against Sin, [a sheet] [1684]

36. Meditations on 74 things, 37. The first-day Sabbath, 1685 38. The Jerusalem Sinner Saved, 1688 39. Jesus Christ an advocate, 1688 40. The House of G.o.d, 1688 41. The Water of Life, 1688 42. Solomon's Temple Spiritualized, [1688]

43. The Excell. of a broken heart, [1689]

44. His last Sermon at London, 1688

Twelve Ma.n.u.scripts part of the first folio 1692 45. Exposit. on 10 first chap. of Genesis, 46. Justification by Imputed Righteousness, 47. Paul's departure and crown, 48. Of the Trinity and a Christian, 49. Of the Law and a Christian, 50. Israel's Hope encouraged, 51. Desires of the righteous granted, 52. The unsearchable riches of Christ, 53. Christ Compleat Saviour in's Interest, 54. Saint's Knowledge of Christ's love, 55. House of the Forest of Lebanon, 56. A description of Antichirst,

Four Ma.n.u.scripts yet unprinted.

57. A Christian Dialogue.[3]

58. The Heavenly Footman.[4]

59. A Pocket Concordance.[3]

60. An Account of his Imprisonment.[5]

Here's sixty pieces of his labours, and he was sixty years of age.

He was born at Elstow, nigh Bedford, about 1628. And about 1652 was, by irresistible grace, converted: and in 1660 he had preached five years, and then, for that, was thrown into Bedford Gaol; and in 1671 was called to the pastoral office at Bedford, being the 11th of his twelve years and an half's imprisonment; and died at London, Aug. 31, 1688.

[Where the date is in brackets it is supplied from original copies in the Editor's possession.]

REASONS

WHY CHRISTIAN PEOPLE SHOULD PROMOTE BY SUBSCRIPTIONS THE PRINTING IN FOLIO THE LABOURS OF MR. JOHN BUNYAN, LATE MINISTER OF THE GOSPEL, AND PASTOR OF THE CONGREGATION AT BEDFORD.

I. He was a very able and excellent minister of the gospel; viz., able to express himself, and had excellent matter known to all Christians that have heard him preach.

II. He became thus able and excellent a minister by a great degree of Gospel Grace bestowed upon his own soul, more than probable for that very end; for that G.o.d wrought him from a very great profane sinner, and an illiterate poor man, to this profound understanding the true or genuine spiritual meaning of the Scriptures, whereby he could experimentally preach to souls with power, and affection, and apostolical learning, the true nature of the gospel.

III. G.o.d's bestowing such great grace, to turn so great a sinner, to make such a great gospel labourer, and thrust him into his harvest, argues there was great need, and therefore without question his labours ought to be preserved.

IV. Our Bunyan being so graciously, by the Lord of the harvest, thrust into labour, clearly shows to us, (and may by this preservation to future ages), that G.o.d is not bound to human means of learned education (though learning may be useful in its place), but can, when he will, make a minister of the gospel without man's forecast of education, and in spite of all the men in the world that would oppose it, though it be above sixteen hundred years after the apostles.

V. Many thousands had the soul benefit and comfort of his ministry to astonishment, as if an angel or an apostle had touched their souls with a coal of holy fire from the altar.

VI. This excellent operation of the special grace of G.o.d in him, and the gift of utterance when he preached, confounded the wisdom of his adversaries that heard him, or heard of him, he being, as it is commonly called, unlearned, or had not school education.

VII. For all these reasons before-mentioned, of the spirituality of his preaching, his labours in writing deserve preservation by printing as much as any other famous man's that have writ since the apostles' time.

VIII. Moreover he hath been a Christian sufferer for above twelve years, by imprisonment, whereby he sealed to the truth he preached.

IX. Yet, for all that imprisonment, he preached then, and there, and afterwards abroad, as a faithful labourer for the salvation of souls.

X. And he was not a man that preached by way of bargain for money, for he hath refused a more plentiful income to keep his station.

XI. And his moderation, or desire of money, was as the apostle Paul's practice, below his privilege; so that he did not, when he died, leave much wealth to his family.

XII. And the Church that wants such a pastor may find it long before they get one, and therefore ought to respect our Bunyan's labours.

XIII. If G.o.d had not put it into the heart of some Christians or Church to preserve the Epistles of the Apostle to the Romans, Corinthians, Galatians, and others, we in this age of the world should in all probability never have known that there ever were any such Christians and doctrines; their names and doctrines might have been lost, and we might have perished, and that would have been dreadful; for G.o.d mostly works by second causes.

XIV. And why should any Christian people, that have reason to reckon themselves obliged herein, set themselves aside from communicating to other Christians and the ages to come the gospel labours of so eminent a minister as G.o.d so graciously honoured and a.s.sisted them with?

XV. And if these labours (of, as I may say, an apostle of our age, if we have any) are not preserved by printing thus in folio, most of them in all probability will be lost, for there are many of them have been out of print many years, and will never otherwise be printed again because of the charge, &c.

XVI. By the late Act for liberty of conscience, it is lawful now to print the works of dissenters, though it was not so formerly; therefore much danger cannot plead excuse.

XVII. It is a good work without controversy, and therefore there can be no scruple of conscience about its pleasing G.o.d.

XVIII. There is also to the subscribers a further benefit in this folio; for, whereas these twenty books would, if bought single, cost nigh twenty shillings now, as printed in folio they will have them for about twelve shillings bound together in one volume, which conveniency also prevents losing.

XIX. These ten ma.n.u.scripts, which were never before printed, would, if printed in small books, and bought single, cost almost the money that these twenty in folio comes for, which is great odds.

XX. Not to preserve his labours and name, which are so great, is a disingenuous slighting or despising them, and serving them no better than a wicked man's that rots. Bunyan hath preached, and freely bestowed many a good and gospel-truth, and soul-reviving expression; for which of them doth any of his friends slight him? Nay, do not they rather owe him something for his labour he bestowed on them, as Philemon did to Paul?