ONE THING IS NEEDFUL; OR, SERIOUS MEDITATIONS UPON THE FOUR LAST THINGS: UNTO WHICH IS ADDED EBAL AND GERIZZIM, OR THE BLESSING AND THE CURSE. WITH PRISON MEDITATIONS, AND A CATALOGUE OF ALL THIS AUTHOR'S BOOKS. THE THIRD EDITION.-BY JOHN BUNYAN. London: Printed for Nath. Ponder, at the Peacock in the Poultry, 1688.' ADVERTISEMENT BY THE EDITOR. presses the thought, we must look death in the face, and 'drink with him.' Soon some kind friend or relative will close our eyelids, and shut up our glassy eyes for ever; tie up the fallen jaw, and prepare the corrupting body for its long, but not final resting-place. Our hour-glass is fast ebbing out; time stands ready with his scythe to cut us down; the grave yawns to receive us. 'Man dieth and wasteth away; yea, man giveth up the ghost, and where is he.' Job xiv. 10. The answer is ready, sure, certain―he goes to the judgment of the great day. There every thought that has passed over his mind, while on earth, will be manifested and scrutinized; every action, every sin, and every supposed good work, however private, will then be published. It is an awful thought. Thousands of works which are thought good will be weighed in the unerring balances of truth, will be found want ACCORDING to Charles Doe, in that curious sheet | the memory. Very soon, as Bunyan awfully excalled The Struggler for the Preservation of Mr. John Bunyan's Labours, these poems were published about the year 1664, while the author was suffering imprisonment for conscience sake, very probably in separate sheets or tracts, to be sold by his wife or children, to aid in their humble maintenance. They were afterwards united to form a neat little volume, 32mo. The editor is the fortunate possessor of the third edition, being the last that was printed during the author's lifetime, and with his latest corrections. From this the present edition has been accurately reprinted. The three tracts are distinct as to pages; a strong indication that they were originally separate little volumes. A copy of the fourth edition of this extremely rare book, without date, and somewhat larger in size, is in the British Museum, in which the pages are continued throughout the volume. The third poem, called Prison Meditations, we have already pub-ing, and proved to be bad, not arising from evanlished in our first volume, as a suitable close to Bunyan's account of his trying and tedious imprisonment. These poems are upon subjects the most solemn and affecting to all mankind, and, like all Bunyan's other works, were evidently written, not for display, but to impress upon the heart those searching realities upon which depend our everlasting destiny. Die we must; yes, reader, you and I must follow our fathers to the unseen world. Heaven forbid that we should be such mad fools, as to make no provision for the journey; no inquiries about our prospects in that eternity into which we nust so soon enter. True it is, that unless Heaven stops us in our mad career, we shall plunge into irretrievable ruin. In the first of these poems, many of the minute circumstances attendant on death are pressed upon gelical motives; while all our thoughts, words, and actions will appear in their real colours tainted by sin. Those only who are clothed in the Redeemer's righteousness, and cleansed by his purifying, sanctifying sufferings, can stand accepted, and will receive the invitation, Come, ye blessed, inherit the kingdom of your father, and your God, by adoption into his family; while an innumerable multitude will be hurried away by the voice of the judge, Go, ye cursed, into everlasting torment. 1 On the reverse of the title-page is the following singular advertisement:-This author having published many books, about Newgate, and on London Bridge, who have put the two which have gone off very well, there are certain ballad-sellers first letters of this author's name, and his effigies, to their rhymes and ridiculous books, suggesting to the world as if they were his. Now know, that this author publisheth his name at large to all his books; and what you shall see otherwise, he disowns.'-(ED.) Solemn consideration. Reader, have you fled for refuge to the hope set before you in the gospel? Have you felt the alarm in your soul under a sense of sin and judgment? Were you dead, and are you made alive? O, then, while you bless the Saviour for such unspeakable mercies, seek with all diligence, as life is prolonged, to extend the blessing to others. There is no work nor device in the grave, whither we are all hastening, that can benefit mortals. The great gulf will be fixed, and our state be finally decided for eternity. O, then, if you have not yet attained that good hope of heavenly felicity, sure and stedfast-hasten-yes Hasten, O sinner, to be blest, And stay not for the morrow's sun; GEO. OPFOR. ONE THING IS NEEDFUL, OR SERIOUS MEDITATIONS UPON THE FOUR LAST THINGS-DEATH, JUDGMENT, HEAVEN, AND HELL AN INTRODUCTION TO THE ENSUING DISCOURSE. 1. THESE lines I at this time present To all that will them heed, God saith, Convert* with speed. 4. Can any think that God should take So like himself, only to make 5. Or that he should make such ado, Should in a moment end and fade P O! no, this is a cheat. 7. Besides, who is so mad, or worse, And that in sinners' room, 9. Again, shall God, who is the truth, 'Convert,' for 'be ye converted,' was a common mode of speech in Bunyau's time. It is so used in Holy Writ, Is. vi. 10. -(ED.) And shall men play that trick of youth To say, But who can tell? 10. Shall he that keeps his promise sure In matters great'st of all? 11. O, let all tremble at that thought, 12. Alas, death is but as the door Through which all men do pass, Yea, let them read, and turn betimes, 14. Mind therefore what I treat on here, OF DEATH. 1. Death, as a king rampant and stout 2. No king so great, nor prince so strong. 3. Where are the victors of the world, 4. How feeble is the strongest hand, When death begins to gripe! The giant now leaves off to stand, 5. The man that hath a lion's face Must here give place and bend, Yea, though his bones were bars of brass, "Tis vain here to contend. 6. Submit he must to feeble ones, To worms who will enclose His skin and flesh, sinews and bones, And will thereof dispose 7. Among themselves, as merchants do Each man the share and lot, 8. Which they by dint of sword have won, From their most daring foe; While he lies by as still as stone, And wantons to disgrace. 10. The wild he tames, and spoils the mirth Of all that wanton are, He takes the worldling from his worth, 11. Death favours none, he lays at all, Both old and young, both great and small, 12. No fawning words will flatter him, Nor threat'nings make him start; There lie the skulls, dust, bones, and there 11. The very looks of death are grim And ghastly to behold; Yea, though but in a dead man's skin, 15. How 'fraid are some of dead men's beds, They neither care to see their heads, 16. Now all these things are but the shade The glass that runs, the scythe and spade, 17. Yet such as make poor mortals shrink These things are signs that they must drink 18. It strikes them to the heart! how do They study it to shun! Indeed who can bear up, and who Can from these shakings run? 19. But how much more then when he comes To grapple with thy heart; To bind with thread thy toes and thumbs," 20. Then will he cut thy silver cord, And break thy golden bowl; Yea, break that pitcher which the Lord 21. Thine eyes, that now are quick of sight, How to escape this doleful plight, For death will make thee die. To take one step, death's dart to shun, 23. That tongue that now can boast and brag Though death lies by thy side. 24. Thou that didst once incline thine ear Shall only now death's message hear, 25. Doth reason with thee how thy days And what have been thy deeds and ways, 26. Then will he so begin to tear Thy body from thy soul, And both from life, if now thy care 27. Death puts on things another face Sin, Satan, hell, death, life and grace 28. Yea, now the sick man's eye is set He also knows too without let3 That there must be his home. 29. Either in joy, in bliss and light, Or sorrow, woe, and grief; 30. But, O! the sad estate that then 2 A common custom when death takes place. The two great toes are tied together, to make the body look decent; and formerly the hands were placed with the palins together, as if in the attitude of prayer, and were kept in that posture 1 Armorial bearings as now worn by heralds embroidered by tying the thumbs together.-(ED.) on the tabard or coat.-(ED.) 3 Without fail, or in spite of all hinderance.-(ED.) Both void of grace and life! poor men! 81. Ha! live I may not, though I would For life give more than all; And die I dare not, though I should 32. No, here he must no longer stay, Ilis night is come, also the day That makes him fear and doubt. 33. He feels his very vitals die, All waxeth pale and wan; He shortly must be gone. 34. Death doth already strike his heart Of guilt, which makes his conscience start, 35. Yea, as his body doth decay By a contagious grief, So his poor soul doth faint away Without hope or relief. 36. Thus while the man is in this scare, Live, die, sink, swim, fall foul or fair,1 Among the swarms of wicked men In grief eternally. 39. For only he that God doth fear Will now be counted wise: Yea, he that feareth him while here, He only wins the prize. 40. 'Tis he that shall by angels be That angels have; for he, O he, 41. Those weapons and those instruments Brings this man to that rest Which none can win but only they Whom God hath called and blest 43. With the first fruits of saving grace, With faith, hope, love, and fear Him to offend; this man his face In visions high and clear, 1 Alluding to wrestlers. Some modes of throwing each other down are called fair, others foul or unfair.-(ED.) 44. Shall in that light which no eye can Approach unto, behold The rays and beams of glory, and Find there his name enroll'd, 45. Among those glittering stars of light In his right hand with all his might, 46. That shakes the world, and most hath dropt Into grief and distress, O blessed then is he that's wrapt 47. This is the man death cannot kill, Him sin nor Satan hath not skill A shield also is in his hand, 49. Truth girds him round the reins, alsɔ His feet in shoes of peace do go The ways of purity. 50. His heart it groaneth to the Lord, And doth him help and strength afford, 51. Thus fortified, he keeps the field OF JUDGMENT. 1. As 'tis appointed men should die, So judgment is the next That meets them most assuredly; For so saith holy text. may, 2. Wherefore of judgment I shall now 3. This world it hath a time to stand, 4. The Judge we find, in God's record, The Son of man, for he By God's appointment is made Lord 5. Wherefore this Son of man shall come At last to count with all, And unto them shall give just doom, Whether they stand or fall. 6. Behold ye now the majesty And state that shall atterd 7. He comes with head as white as snow, Most glorious in attire. 8. His face is filled with gravity; His tongue is like a sword; His presence awes both stout and high, The world shakes at his word. 9. He comes in flaming fire, and Clothed in shining white. 10. The trump of God sounds in the air, The dead do hear his voice; The living too run here and there, Who made not him their choice. 11. Thus to his place he doth repair, Appointed for his throne, Where he will sit to judge, and where He'll count with every one. 12. Angels attending on his hand By thousands on a row; Yea, thousand thousands by him stand, And at his beck do go. 13. Thus being set, the books do ope 14. Of all that man hath done or said, 15. Before this bar each sinner now In person must appear; That to each charge will say Amen, 17. To shun the sentence which the Lord Out of the books of God's record, 18. But every heart shall opened be 19. And every word and action, too, He there will manifest; 20. Shall then be seen and laid before 22. With so much justice, doing right, My sins have brought me to this plight, 23. Into that gulph my sins have brought For which I blame not Christ, I wrought 24. But O! how willingly would these If that they might have help or ease, 25. They would rejoice if that they might 20. But all in vain, the mountains then No shelter will be found for men 27. For succour they did not regard 28. Before this Judge no one shall shroud Of knowledge, which hath made him proud, 29. No high profession here can stand, 1 Hath been therewith commixed, and Brought forth simplicity.' 30. No mask nor vizor here can hide All cloaks now must be laid aside, 31. Though most approve of thee, and count Thee upright in thy heart; Yea, though preferred and made surmount 32. In treading where the godly trod, Yet this hold still, the grace of God Sincerity is the fountain and source of all real inquiries after truth, holiness, and heaven. It leads to personal examination of God's Word, which draws us from the complexity of human inventions to the simplicity of the gospel.-(ED.) |