Grace Abounding to the Chief of Sinners [61]
preferred against me. The extent thereof was as followeth: That John Bunyan, of the town of Bedford, labourer, being a person of such and such conditions, he hath (since such a time) devilishly and perniciously abstained from coming to church to hear Divine service, and is a common upholder of several unlawful meetings and conventicles, to the great disturbance and distraction of the good subjects of this kingdom, contrary to the laws of our sovereign lord the King, etc.
THE CLERK. When this was read, the clerk of the sessions said unto me, What say you to this?
BUN. I said, that as to the first part of it, I was a common frequenter of the Church of God. And was also, by grace, a member with the people, over whom Christ is the Head.
KEELIN. But, saith Justice KEELIN (who was the judge in that court), do you come to church (you know what I mean); to the parish church, to hear Divine service?
BUN. I answered, No, I did not.
KEEL. He asked me, Why?
BUN. I said, Because I did not find it commanded in the Word of God.
KEEL. He said, We were commanded to pray.
BUN. I said, But not by the Common Prayer-Book.
KEEL. He said, How then?
BUN. I said, With the Spirit. As the apostle saith, I WILL PRAY WITH THE SPIRIT, AND WITH THE UNDERSTANDING. 1 Cor. xiv. 15.
KEEL. He said, We might pray with the Spirit, and with the understanding, and with the Common Prayer-Book also.
BUN. I said, that the prayers in the Common Prayer-Book were such as was made by other men, and not by the motions of the Holy Ghost, within our hearts; and as I said, the apostle saith, he will pray with the Spirit, and with the understanding; not with the Spirit and the Common Prayer-Book.
ANOTHER JUSTICE. What do you count prayer? Do you think it is to say a few words over before or among a people?
BUN. I said, No, not so; for men might have many elegant, or excellent words, and yet not pray at all; but when a man prayeth, he doth, through a sense of those things which he wants (which sense is begotten by the Spirit), pour out his heart before God through Christ; though his words be not so many and so excellent as others are.
JUSTICES. They said, That was true.
BUN. I said, This might be done without the Common Prayer-Book.
ANOTHER. One of them said (I think it was Justice BLUNDALE, or Justice SNAGG), How should we know that you do not write out your prayers first, and then read them afterwards to the people? This he spake in a laughing way.
BUN. I said, it is not our use, to take a pen and paper, and write a few words thereon, and then go and read it over to a company of people.
But how should we know it, said he?
BUN. Sir, it is none of our custom, said I.
KEEL. But said Justice KEELIN, It is lawful to use the Common Prayer, and such like forms: for Christ taught His disciples to pray, as John also taught his disciples. And further, said he, Cannot one man teach another to pray? Faith comes by hearing; and one man may convince another of sin, and therefore prayers made by men, and read over, are good to teach, and help men to pray.
While he was speaking these words, God brought that word into my mind, in the eighth of the Romans, at the 26th verse. I say, God brought it, for I thought not on it before: but as he was speaking, it came so fresh into my mind, and was set so evidently before me, as if the scripture had said, Take me, take me; so when he had done speaking,
BUN. I said, Sir, the scripture saith, that IT IS THE SPIRIT THAT HELPETH OUR INFIRMITIES; for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us, with sighs and groanings which cannot be uttered. Mark, said I, it doth not say the Common Prayer-Book teacheth us how to pray, but the Spirit. And it is THE SPIRIT THAT HELPETH OUR INFIRMITIES, saith the apostle; he doth not say it is the Common Prayer-Book.
And as to the Lord's prayer, although it be an easy thing to say, OUR FATHER, etc., with the mouth;
THE CLERK. When this was read, the clerk of the sessions said unto me, What say you to this?
BUN. I said, that as to the first part of it, I was a common frequenter of the Church of God. And was also, by grace, a member with the people, over whom Christ is the Head.
KEELIN. But, saith Justice KEELIN (who was the judge in that court), do you come to church (you know what I mean); to the parish church, to hear Divine service?
BUN. I answered, No, I did not.
KEEL. He asked me, Why?
BUN. I said, Because I did not find it commanded in the Word of God.
KEEL. He said, We were commanded to pray.
BUN. I said, But not by the Common Prayer-Book.
KEEL. He said, How then?
BUN. I said, With the Spirit. As the apostle saith, I WILL PRAY WITH THE SPIRIT, AND WITH THE UNDERSTANDING. 1 Cor. xiv. 15.
KEEL. He said, We might pray with the Spirit, and with the understanding, and with the Common Prayer-Book also.
BUN. I said, that the prayers in the Common Prayer-Book were such as was made by other men, and not by the motions of the Holy Ghost, within our hearts; and as I said, the apostle saith, he will pray with the Spirit, and with the understanding; not with the Spirit and the Common Prayer-Book.
ANOTHER JUSTICE. What do you count prayer? Do you think it is to say a few words over before or among a people?
BUN. I said, No, not so; for men might have many elegant, or excellent words, and yet not pray at all; but when a man prayeth, he doth, through a sense of those things which he wants (which sense is begotten by the Spirit), pour out his heart before God through Christ; though his words be not so many and so excellent as others are.
JUSTICES. They said, That was true.
BUN. I said, This might be done without the Common Prayer-Book.
ANOTHER. One of them said (I think it was Justice BLUNDALE, or Justice SNAGG), How should we know that you do not write out your prayers first, and then read them afterwards to the people? This he spake in a laughing way.
BUN. I said, it is not our use, to take a pen and paper, and write a few words thereon, and then go and read it over to a company of people.
But how should we know it, said he?
BUN. Sir, it is none of our custom, said I.
KEEL. But said Justice KEELIN, It is lawful to use the Common Prayer, and such like forms: for Christ taught His disciples to pray, as John also taught his disciples. And further, said he, Cannot one man teach another to pray? Faith comes by hearing; and one man may convince another of sin, and therefore prayers made by men, and read over, are good to teach, and help men to pray.
While he was speaking these words, God brought that word into my mind, in the eighth of the Romans, at the 26th verse. I say, God brought it, for I thought not on it before: but as he was speaking, it came so fresh into my mind, and was set so evidently before me, as if the scripture had said, Take me, take me; so when he had done speaking,
BUN. I said, Sir, the scripture saith, that IT IS THE SPIRIT THAT HELPETH OUR INFIRMITIES; for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us, with sighs and groanings which cannot be uttered. Mark, said I, it doth not say the Common Prayer-Book teacheth us how to pray, but the Spirit. And it is THE SPIRIT THAT HELPETH OUR INFIRMITIES, saith the apostle; he doth not say it is the Common Prayer-Book.
And as to the Lord's prayer, although it be an easy thing to say, OUR FATHER, etc., with the mouth;