Quotes from John Bunyan

1 Cor. xvi. 15, 16. 270.  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 those that were apt and ready so to do.  They have addicted themselves to the ministry of the saints.  This scripture, in these days, did continually run in my mind, to encourage me, and strengthen me in this my work for God;

But that which helped me in this temptation, was divers considerations, of which, three in special here I will name, the first was the consideration of these two scriptures, Leave thy fatherless children, I will preserve them alive, and let thy widows trust in me: and again, The Lord said, Verily it shall be well with thy remnant, verily, I will cause the enemy to entreat thee well in the time of evil, and in time of affliction.  Jer. xlix. 11; xv. 11.

And, when I had travelled through these three chief points of the word of God, about the space of five years or more, I was caught in my present practice, and cast into prison, where I have lain above as long again to confirm the truth by way of suffering, as I was before in testifying of it according to the scriptures, in a way of preaching.

I seek an incorruptible inheritance," Christian answered. "It's pure and untarnished, and it never fades.

Now I was, as they said, become godly; now I was become a right honest man.  But oh! when I understood these were their words and opinions of me, it pleased me mighty well.  For, though as yet I was nothing but a poor painted hypocrite, yet, I loved to be talked of as one that was truly godly. 

Of all the temptations that ever I met with in my life, to question the being of God, and truth of His gospel is the worst, and the worst to be borne; when this temptation comes, it takes away my girdle from me, and removeth the foundation from under me: Oh! I have often thought of that word, Have your loins girt about with truth; and of that, When the foundations are destroyed, what can the righteous do?

Nor must thou think always to live by sense: thou must live upon my word.  Thou must believe, O my Mansoul, when I am from thee, that yet I love thee, and bear thee upon mine heart for ever.

Christian nodded. "Now I see that Patience has superior wisdom in many ways. First of all, because he waits for the best things. Second, because he will also have the glory of his inheritance, when the other has nothing but rags.

These two children represent the men of this world. Patience represents the men who are willing to wait for their inheritance, but Passion represents the men who want their inheritance now, in this present world. He cannot wait until the next year, that is, until eternity.

At the first he told them he would; but afterwards he made a demur at the business, and desired first to see my mittimus, which ran to this purpose: That I went about to several conventicles in the county, to the great disparagement of the government of the church of England, etc.  When he had seen it, he said that there might be something more against me than was expressed in my mittimus;

And as to the Lord's prayer, although it be an easy thing to say, Our Father, etc., with the mouth; yet there is very few that can, in the Spirit, say the two first words in that prayer; that is, that can call God their Father, as knowing what it is to be born again, and as having experience, that they are begotten of the Spirit of God: which if they do not, all is but babbling, etc.

Blessed be the day that I began A pilgrim for to be; And blessed also be the man Who to that place moved me. 'Tis true, it was long before I began To seek to live forever; But now I run as fast as I can 'Tis better late than never. Our tears to joy, our fears to faith, Are turned, as we see; Thus our beginning (as one says) Shows what our end will be.