Works of John Bunyan Volume III Part 167

But here the Lord Jesus Christ did so; then your conclusion is--The Lord Jesus Christ wanted charity, and therefore not fit to preach the gospel.

Horrid blasphemy; away with your h.e.l.lish logic, and speak Scripture.

Then replied the learned: 'Tis blasphemy to call logic h.e.l.lish, which is our reason--the gift of G.o.d; for that which distinguisheth a man from a beast is the gift of G.o.d.

But Mr. Bunyan replied: Sin doth distinguish a man from a beast; is sin therefore the gift of G.o.d? &c.

They parted.

I once asked him his opinion in a common religious point, and offered some arguments to prove my opinion for the general of it; but he answered, that where the Scripture is silent we ought to forbear our opinions; and so he forebore to affirm either for or against, the Scripture being altogether silent in this point.

Thirdly, concerning this folio, &c. I have struggled to bring about this great good work; and it had succeeded in Mr. Bunyan's lifetime, even all his labours in folio, but that an interested bookseller opposed it; and notwithstanding the many discouragements I have met with in my struggles in this so great a work, we have--and I may believe by the blessing of the Lord--gotten about four hundred subscriptions, whereof about thirty are ministers; which also shows the great esteem our author's labours are in among Christian people. And that the reasonableness and duty of the preservation of his labours in folio, by subscription, may be continued to memory, I have also added my reasons, which I distributed in my late struggles to effect this work.

His effigies was cut in copper,[9] from an original paint done to the life, by his very good friend, a limner; and those who desire it single, to put in a frame, may have it at this bookseller's--Mr.

Marshall; and also the catalogue-table. The epistle is writ by two ministers, Mr. Wilson of Hichin, in Hertfords.h.i.+re, and Mr.

Chandler, who succeeds Mr. Bunyan at Bedford.

And Mr. Burton, that writ the epistle to Some Gospel-truths Opened, being the first book Mr. Bunyan writ, was minister at Bedford.

Note.--I would not charge the following running-t.i.tles upon our author, Bunyan; because they were added in the proposals, for want of running t.i.tles and the knowledge of them, and the copies being at Bedford when the proposals were drawn up at London; and also because, perhaps, he designed some other like running-t.i.tles:--

Paul's departure and crown.

Israel's hope encouraged.

The saint's privilege and profit.

Christ a complete Saviour.

The saint's knowledge of Christ's love.

Of the Trinity and a Christian.

Of the Law and a Christian.

Notes upon the Index, &c.[10]

I did intend to print a complete table of all the texts of Scriptures used in our author's labours, that from thence, looking into his book, his sense might be easily found upon any text; so his labours might have been also in the nature of an exposition upon the whole Bible; but I have delayed till some other opportunity, it may be of the next folio, and whenever it falls I intend to give notice.

Because I and other subscribers, especially ministers, were willing this folio should be commoded with an index, I have, as a Christian, exposed myself and made one, and that without money for my labour of writing it, though I confess it might have seemed some other men's duty; yet being ignorant of the man that had the opportunity, and would have done it, unless paid for it, I was necessitated to effect it; and if the bookseller had paid for it, he would have lessened the number of 140 sheets of Mr. Bunyan's labours in this folio at ten s.h.i.+llings. Excuse this fault in me, if it be one.

I could have collected abundance more of excellent matter in this table; and I have placed an Italic-lettered word in every paragraph in the table, to be the guide-word to the same word in the folio, which is a black-lettered word in the folio, latter part; that is, those books formerly printed, where the printer hath not failed to make it so, and also in the ma.n.u.scripts, forepart, a guide-word to the same word under which I have drawn a black line, in as many folios as opportunity and time would permit me to do, because I had not time and convenience before this folio was printed to mark the ma.n.u.scripts for to be a black-lettered word, as I had time for the formerly printed books.[11] Also note, the book, though marked, doth not always refer to the table, but the table to the book, is the intent; and because the word in the book doth not always, though very often, fall in alphabetical order, therefore some other like word is put in its place in the table.

Also note, sometimes many princ.i.p.al words are in one paragraph, and then, though the matter be not to be found in the table by the word, that some perhaps may expect, yet it may be found by another word, because several words are so united that one cannot well part them; and it would be too large a table to put them all in severally in alphabetical order--as soul, sinner, saved, salvation, justification, Christ, G.o.d, &c.

Also note. When to the table-phrase more than one number is placed, then expect not that the same black-letter word is always to be found in the book to the last number, as is to the first number, but it may be some other black or marked word of like meaning; as for antichrist the black-lettered word in some places is harlot, and for apostles the black-letter word sometimes is twelve, because the word apostle is not in that part of the folio, though intended by twelve.

Also note. The phrase in the table is not always the very same, word for word, in the book, because the design of the table is to give matter in short saying, as well as most commonly a complete sentence; and, therefore, they that would have Mr. Bunyan's entire, complete, and full sense of the matter, let them look out of the table into the book, and there take all its connection together.

Also, I have to keep the table as short as I well could; and yet, to direct well to the matter in the book, placed one part of the matter under one word, in alphabetical order, and another part of the same matter in another following paragraph, under another word in the table; so that, by finding one word in the table, you may often find in the same paragraph, in the book, before or after that word, other matter thereto relating.[12]

I had but about two years' acquaintance with our author, and, therefore, have said but little of him, because of hastening this to the press; yet if any more comes to my memory, I intend to put it at the end of the index.

Your Christian brother,

C. D.

FOOTNOTES:

1. Difficulties as to copyright prevented this second volume from being published.--See EDITOR'S PREFACE.

2. A good copy of this rare volume with the wood-cuts, having the reverse blank, in the editor's possession, and a fine copy, without the cuts, at Mr. Pickering's, agree as to the date of 1680. It is misplaced in this chronological table; but the date shows that it was not intended as a third part of the Pilgrim's Progress; the second part of which was not published for four years after the life of Badman.--Ed.

3. These MSS., although diligently sought, cannot be found.

4. This was published in a separate pocket volume by C. Doe, 1698.

5. Published from Mr. Bunyan's MS, 1765.

6. As doth appear by his book of his conversion, int.i.tled, Grace Abounding, &c.

7. As in his book int.i.tled, Grace Abounding, s. 319.

8. As he says in his Epistle to his Confession of Faith.

9. Alluding to the portrait published as a frontispiece to the folio volume, 1692.--Ed.

10. The Index accompanying the first folio.--Ed.

11. This is as originally printed. Mr. Doe means, he had not time to mark in the ma.n.u.script such words as the printer should put in black-letter.--Ed.

12. The table to which Charles Doe here refers is only to twenty of Mr. Bunyan's books. It is diffuse, and badly arranged. The Index given with this first complete edition of all the admirable works of our great pilgrim forefather, is entirely new. It is the result of a careful reading of every treatise, extracting a notice of such tings as the editor conceived to be most deeply interesting.

These extracts were then arranged, in order to furnish a useful index to all the works of Bunyan. It has been attended with very great labour, and some delay to the publication; but no sacrifice is too great, in order to render Bunyan's works as complete as possible.

GEORGE OFFOR.