Grace Abounding to the Chief of Sinners

THE text in this edition is as nearly as possible that of the eighth, which was corrected by Bunyan himself a few weeks before his death. The text of ‘A Relation’ is that of the first edition of 1765. A few minor changes have been introduced for the convenience of the reader. The use of capital letters has been considerably modified, and the orthography has been in places modernized. In some few instances the Scripture references have been added to quotations where they did not appear in the original. It must be remembered that Bunyan often quoted Scripture inexactly, and it has not been deemed necessary to make all his quotations follow the text of the Authorized Version.

The marginal summary is not part of the original, but has been prepared for this edition in order that it may correspond with the Society’s editions of the ‘Pilgrim’s Progress.’ {7}

The illustrations have been prepared for this work by Mr. Harold Copping, whose illustrations to the ‘Pilgrim’s Progress’ have justly attracted much attention.

CONTENTS

PAGE PREFATORY NOTE 7 A PREFACE 11 GRACE ABOUNDING TO THE CHIEF OF SINNERS, paragraphs 1–339 17 A Brief Account of the Author’s Call to the Work of 147 the Ministry A Brief Account of the Author’s Imprisonment 169 The Conclusion, paragraphs 1–7 180 A RELATION OF THE IMPRISONMENT OF THE AUTHOR IN THE MONTH 183 OF NOVEMBER 1660 A CONTINUATION OF THE AUTHOR’S LIFE 229 A BRIEF CHARACTER OF THE AUTHOR 241 POSTSCRIPT 243

A PREFACE

OR, BRIEF ACCOUNT OF THE PUBLISHING THIS WORK. WRITTEN BY THE AUTHOR THEREOF, AND DEDICATED TO THOSE WHOM GOD HATH COUNTED HIM WORTHY TO BEGET TO FAITH, BY HIS MINISTRY IN THE WORD

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, 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 (Song iv. 8), do look yet after you all, greatly longing to see your safe arrival into THE desired Haven.

I thank God upon every remembrance of you; and rejoice, even while I stick between the teeth of the lion 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; For ye are our glory and joy. 1 Thess. ii. 20.

I have sent you here enclosed, a drop of that honey that I have taken out of the carcase of a lion. Judg. xiv. 5–8. 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 see them, 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, Isa. xxxviii. 19, The father to the children shall make known Thy truth. Yea, it was for this reason I lay so long at Sinai, Lev. iv. 10, 11, 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. Psalm lxxviii. 3–5.