1 THE STRUGGLER TnE CHRONOLOGICAL ORDER IN WHICH MR. BUNYAN'S BOOKS WERE PUBLISHED, AND TnE NUMBER OF EDITIONS THEY PASSED THROUGH DURING HIS LIFE. THIRTY SEASONS WHY CHRISTIAN PEOPLE SHOULD PROMOTE THEIR CIRCULATION, AND THE 3TUUG.QLER FOE THE PRESERVATION OF THESE LABOURS.— PUBLISHED IN 1691. Br CHARLES DOE, one of Mr. Bunyan's personal friends. A CATALOGUE-TABLE OF MR. BUNYAN'S BOOKS. 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 iatended, when time serves, fjr a second folio.* 1 Gospel truths opened, .... 1656 2 A vindication of that . [sm. 4to] 3 Sighs from Hell (9 Impressions), 4 The 2 Covenants Law and Grace, 5 / will pray with the Spirit, 6 A map of salvation, &c, [A broadside] 7 The four last things (3 Impressions), Gerizim, 8 i Mount Ebal and 9 Prison Meditations, .... 10\ The Holy City, dc, . 1 The Resurrection, &c., | .... 12 Grace Abounding (6 Impressions), . 13 Justification by Jesus Christ, [sm. 4to] 14 Confession of Faith, &c, j 15 Difference in Judgment, &c, . 16 : Peaceable principles, &c., 17 , Election and Reprobation, &c, [sm. ito] Light for them in Parkness Christian Behaviour (4 I Instructions for the Ignorant, Saved by Grace, ..... The Strait- Gate, The Pilgrim's Progress (12 Impressions), The Fear of God, Come and Welcome to Jesus Christ (4 Impress.) 26 The Holy War (3 Impressions), J 27 The Barren Fig Tree, . The Greatness of the Soul, &c, j A Case of Conscience of prayer, [sm. 4to] j I Advice to Sufferers, . 7C4 THE STRUG GLER. REASONS WHY CHRISTIAN PEOPLE SHOULD PROMOTE BY SUBSCRIPTIONS THE PRINTING IN FOLIO THE LABOURS OP MR. JOHN BUNYAN, LATE MINISTER OF THE GOSPEL, AND PASTUR OF THE CONGREGATION AT BEDFORD. I. He was a very able and excellent minister of the find it long before they get one, and therefore ought to gospel; viz., able to express himself, and liad excellent respect our Bunyan's labours matter known to all Christians that have heard him XIII. If God had not put it into the heart of some preach. Christians or Church to preserve the Epistles of the II. He became thus able and excellent a minister by Apostle to the Romans, Corinthians, Galatians, and a great degree of Gospel Grace bestowed upon his own others, we in this age of the world should in all pro- soul, more than probable for that very end ; for that bability never have known that there ever were any God wrought him from a very great profane sinner, and such Christians and doctrines; their names and doctrines an illiterate poor man, to this profound understanding might have been lost, and we might have perished, and the true or genuine spiritual meaning of the Scriptures, that would have been dreadful ; for God mostly works whereby he could experimentally preach to souls with by second causes. power, and affection, and apostolical learning, the true XIV. And why should any Christian people, that nature of the gospel. have reason to reckon themselves obliged herein, set III. God's bestowing such great grace, to turn so themselves aside from communicating to other Chris- great a sinner, to make such a great gospel labourer, tians and the ages to come the gospel labours of so and thrust him into his harvest, argues there was great eminent a minister as God so graciously honoured and need, and therefore without question his labours ought assisted them with ? to be preserved. XV. And if these labours (of, as I may say, an IV. Our Bunyan being so graciously, by the Lord apostle of our age, if we have any) are not preserved of the harvest, thrust into labour, clearly shows to us, by printing thus in folio, most of them in all probability (and may by this preservation to future ages), that God will be lost, for there are many of them have been out is not bound to human means of learned education of print many years, and will never otherwise be printed (though learning may be useful in its place), but can, again because of the charge, &c. when he will, make a minister of the gospel without XVI. By the late Act for liberty of conscience, it is man's forecast of education, and in spite of all the men lawful now to print the works of dissenters, though it in the world that would oppose it, though it be above was not so formerly; therefore much danger cannot sixteen hundred years after the apostles. plead excuse. V. Many thousands had the soul benefit and comfort XVII. It is a good work without controversy, and of his ministry to astonishment, as if an angel or an therefore there can be no scruple of conscience about apostle had touched their souls with a coal of holy fire its pleasing God. from the altar. XVIII. There is also to the subscribers a further VI. This excellent operation of the special grace of benefit in this folio; for, whereas these twenty books God in him, and the gift of utterance when he preached, would, if bought single, cost nigh twenty shillings confounded the wisdom of his adversaries that heard now, as printed in folio they will have them for about him, or heard of him, he being, as it is commonly called, twelve shillings bound together in one volume, which unlearned, or had not school education. conveniency also prevents losing. VII. Tor all these reasons before-mentioned, of the XIX. These ten manuscripts, which were never spirituality of his preaching, his labours in writing de- before printed, would, if printed in small books, and serve preservation by printing as much as any other bought single, cost almost the money that these famous man's that have writ since the apostles' time. twenty in folio comes for, which is great odds. VIII. Moreover he hath been a Christian sufferer XX. Not to preserve his labours and name, which for above twelve years, by imprisonment, whereby he are so great, is a disingenuous slighting or despising sealed to the truth he preached. them, and serving them no better than a wicked man's IX. Yet, for all that imprisonment, he preached then, that rots. Bunyan hath preached, and freely bestowed and there, and afterwards abroad, as a faithful labourer many a good and gospel-truth, and soul-reviving ex- for the salvation of souls. pression; for which of them doth any of his friends X. And he was not a man that preached by way of slight him ? Nay, do not they rather owe him some- bargain for money, for he hath refused a more plentiful thing for his labour he bestowed on them, as Philemon income to keep his station. did to Paul? XL And his moderation, or desire of money, was as XXI. The price of the first part will be an easier the apostle Paul's practice, below his privilege; so that purchase than of the whole; and all in one volume he did not, when he died, leave much wealth to his would be somewhat too big in bulk and price. family. XXII. There is need of printing these books now, XII. And the Church that wants such a pastor may because errors and superstitions, like the smoke of the THE STRUGGLE!!. 765 bottomless pit, darken protestants understanding the XXVIII. By this printing in folio a man may have purer truths of the gospel. recourse for satisfaction in a case of conscience to any XXIII. And when this first part is sold off, we shall of these particular books with the rest, which otherwise endeavour to publish a second part, whereby he that are not to be bought ; and that I have proved by often is willing may have the whole in folio. trying most London booksellers, and before that given XXIV. This preservation will preserve the name of them above twice the price for a book; and I know John to another of Bunyan, a champion of our age to future ages ; not how get those sorts for any price whereby it may be said in the pulpit, The great convert whatsoever. Bunyan said so and so. XXIX. All these things, or half of them, beside; XXV. If the labours of so eminent a minister should many others that might be given, being considered, I not be preserved, I know not whose should. cannot see but it is an absolute duty. XXVI. Antichristian people are diligent to preserve XXX. And lastly (pardon me, if I speak too great a the works of their eminent men; and therefore Chris- word, as it may seem to some to be borne), all things tians should be diligent to preserve theirs. considered; that is, his own former profaneness, poverty, XXVII. The chief reasons we argue from are not uulearnedness, together witli his great natural parts, common rules, that therefore every good minister's the great change made by grace, and his long imprison- endeavours ought to be printed in folio. But this case ment, and the great maturity in grace and preaching he is extraordinary, as an eminent minister, made so by attained to, I say our deceased Bunyan hath not left abundance of gospel grace, who has also writ much, in England, or the world, his equal behind him, as I which hath gone off well. I say eminent, though he know of. And this is the unfeigned belief of, was, when young, profane, and had not school educa- Your Christian brother, tion to enable him, as is apparent to all that knew him.