from that clear beholding the grace of thy God, and his love to thy soul; but yet wait, and go on, and though thou findest thyself as unable to do anything as thou formerly couldest; yet I say, up, and be doing, and the Lord will be with thee; for he hath not despised the day of thy small things.

1 Ch. xxii. 16. Zec. iv. 10.

I know thou wilt be afflicted with a thousand temptations to drive thee to despair, that thy faith may be faint, &c. But against all them set thou the word of God, the promise of grace, the blood of Christ, and the examples of God's goodness to the great backsliders that are for thy encouragement recorded in the scriptures of truth; and remember, that turning to God after backsliding, is the greatest piece of service thou canst do for him, and the greatest honour thou canst bring to the blood of Christ; and know farther, that God, to shew his willing reception of so unworthy a creature, saith, there shall be joy in heaven at thy conversion to him again. Lu. xv. 7, 10.

TO CONCLUde.

man that hangeth tilting over the mouth of hell, while death is cutting the thread of his life. 2. Remember, that though God doth sometimes, yea, often, receive lacksliders, yet it is not always so. Some draw back into perdition; for, because they have flung up God, and would none of him, he in justice flings up them and their souls for ever. Pr. i. 24-28.

I have observed, that sometimes God, as it were in revenge for injury done him, doth snatch away souls in the very nick of their backsliding, as he served Lot's wife, when he turned her into a pillar of salt, even while she was looking over her shoulder to Sodom. Ge. xix. 26. An example that every backslider should remember with astonishment. La. xvii. 82.

Thus have I, in few words, written to you, before I die, a word to provoke you to faith and holiness, because I desire that you may have the life that is laid up for all them that believe in the Lord Jesus, and love one another, when I am deceased. Though there I shall rest from my labours, and be in paradise, as through grace I comfortably believe, yet it is not there, but here, I must do you good. Wherefore, I not knowing the shortness

1. Then remember that thou must die; and remember also, that when the terrors of God, of death, and a backslidden heart, meet together, there will be sad work in that soul; this is the

have of serving my God and you, I have taken this opportunity to present these few lines unto you for your edification.

Consider what hath been said; and the Lord give you understanding in all things. Farewell.

THIS faithful and affectionate appeal to conscience, was originally published on a half-sheet of copy paper, and being only printed on one side of the leaf was called a broadside; probably intended to hang up in the house, or to be pasted inside the cover of the family bible.

Charles Doe gives the date 1685; but a copy of this rare sheet, clean and perfect as when first printed, was lately discovered in the Stowe Library, among a great number of single-sheet poems, songs, and proclamations; a memorandum on it, in the writing of Narcissus Luttrel, shews that he bought it for one penny, on the 8th of April, 1684.

By

the liberal permission of Mr. Pickering, of Piccadilly, the present owner of that extraordinary collection, I have been able accurately to correct the very numerous alterations and errors which abound in all the later editions.

Reader, whoever thou art, but especially the young, this unassuming poem is most worthy of being committed to memory. It is a striking detection of the devil's sophistry. Strive, as you value your peace and happiness, to escape the depths of moral degradation and misery, by avoiding the FIRST Overtures of sin.-GEO. Offor.

The first eight lines one did commend to me,
The rest I thought good to commend to thee:
Reader, in reading be thou rul'd by me,
With rhimes nor lines, but truths, affected be.*

I.

SIN will at first, just like a beggar, crave
One penny or one half-penny to have;
And if you grant its first suit, 'twill aspire,

8. Aprill. 1684.

From pence to pounds, and so will still mount higher
To the whole soul: but if it makes its moan,
Then say, here is not for you, get you gone.
For if you give it entrance at the door,
It will come in, and may go out no more.
II.

Sin, rather than 'twill out of action be,
Will pray to stay, though but a while with thee;
One night, one hour, one moment, will it cry,
Embrace me in thy bosom, else I die:
Time to repent [saith it] I will allow,
And help, if to repent thou know'st not how.

But if you give it entrance at the door,

It will come in, and may go out no more.

This same sentiment is well expressed in Bunyan's verses at the conclusion of the Pilgrim, part First.

Nor let my figure or similitude

Put thee into a laughter or a feud;

Leave this to boys and tools, but as for thee,

Do thou the substance of my matter see.'

III.

If begging doth not do, sin promise will
Rewards to those that shall its lusts fulfill:
Penny in hand, yea pounds 'twill offer thee,
If at its beck and motion thou wilt be.
"Twill seem heaven to out-bid, and all to gain
Thy love, and win thee it to entertain.

But give it not admittance at thy door,
Lest it comes in, and so goes out no more.

IV.

If begging and promising will not do,
"Twill by its wiles attempt to flatter you.
I'm harmless, mean no ill, be not so shy
Will ev'ry soul-destroying motion cry.
"Twill hide its sting, 'twill change its native hue,
Vile 'twill not, but a beauty seem to you.

But if you give it entrance at the door,
Its sting will in, and may come out no more.
V.

Rather than fail, sin will itself divide,

Bid thee do this, and lay the rest aside.
Take little ones ('twill say) throw great ones by,
(As if for little sins men should not die.)
Yea SIN with SIN a quarrel will maintain,
On purpose that thou by it might'st be slain.
Beware the cheat then, keep it out of door,
It would come in, and would go out no more.

576

VI.

Sin, if you will believe it, will accuse,
What is not hurtful and itself excuse:
"Twill make a vice of virtue, and 'twill say
Good is destructive, doth men's souls betray;
"Twill make a law, where God has made man free,
And break those laws by which men bounded be.

Look to thyself then, keep it out of door,
Thee 'twould entangle, and enlarge thy score.
VII.

SIN is that beastly thing that will defile
Soul, body, name, and fame in little while;
"Twill make him, who some time God's image was,
Look like the devil, love, and plead his cause;
Like to the plague, poison, or leprosy
Defile 'twill, and infect contagiously.

Wherefore beware, against it shut the door;
If not, it will defile thee more and more.
VIII.

SIN, once possessed of the heart, will play
The tyrant, force its vassal to obey:
"Twill make thee thine own happiness oppose
And offer open violence to those

That love thee best; yea make thee to defy
The law and counsel of the deity.

Beware then, keep this tyrant out of door,
Lest thou be his, and so thy own no more.
IX.

SIN harden can the heart against its God,
Make it abuse his grace, despise his rod;
"Twill make one run upon the very pikes,
Judgments foreseen bring such to no dislikes
Of sinful hazards; no, they venture shall
For one base lust, their soul, and heav'n and all.
Take heed then, hold it, crush it at the door,
It comes to rob thee, and to make thee poor.
X.

SIN is a prison, hath its bolts and chains,
Brings into bondage who it entertains;

Hangs shackles on them, bends them to its will,
Holds them, as Samson grinded at the mill,

"Twill blind them, make them deaf; yea, 'twill them gag, And ride them as the devil rides his hag.

Wherefore look to it, keep it out of door,

If once its slave, thou may'st be free no more.
XI.

Though SIN at first its rage dissemble may,
"Twill soon upon thee as a lion prey;

"Twill roar, 'twill rend, 'twill tear, 'twill kill out-right, Its living death will gnaw thee day and night:

Thy pleasures now to paws and teeth it turns,
In thee its tickling lusts, like brimstone burns.
Wherefore beware, and keep it out of door,
Lest it should on thee as a lion roar.
XII

SIN will accuse, will stare thee in the face,
Will for its witnesses quote time and place
Where thou committedst it; and so appeal
To conscience, who thy facts will not conceal;
But on thee as a judge such sentence pass,
As will to thy sweet bits prove bitter sauce.

Wherefore beware, against it shut thy door,
Repent what's past, believe and sin no more.
XIII.

SIN is the worm of hell, the lasting fire,
Hell would soon lose its heat, could SIN expirc;
Better sinless, in hell, than to be where
Heav'n is, and to be found a sinner there.
One sinless, with infernals might do well,
But SIN would make a very heav'n a hell.
Look to thyself then, to keep it out of door,
Lest it gets in, and never leaves thee more.
XIV.

No match has sin save God in all the world,
Men, angels it has from their stations hurl'd:
Holds them in chains, as captives, in despite
Of all that here below is called Might.
Release, help, freedom from it none can give,
But he by whom we also breathe and live.

Watch therefore, keep this giant out of door
Lest if once in, thou get him out no more.
XV.

Fools make a mock at SIN, will not believe,
It carries such a dagger in its sleeve;
How can it be (say they) that such a thing,
So full of sweet, should ever wear a sting:
They know not that it is the very SPELL
Of SIN, to make men laugh themselves to hell.
Look to thyself then, deal with SIN no more,
Lest he that saves, against thee shuts the door.
XVI.

Now let the God that is above,
That hath for sinners so much love;
These lines so help thee to improve,
That towards him thy heart may move.
Keep thee from enemies external,
Help thee to fight with those internal:
Deliver thee from them infernal,

And bring thee safe to life eternal.-AMEN.

London: Printed for N. Ponder at the Peacock in the Foultrey.

OF

BEAUTIFUL in its simplicity is this treatise on the Church of Christ, by John Bunyan. He opens, with profound knowledge and eminent skill, all those portions of sacred writ which illustrate the nature, excellency, and government of the house of God, with the personal and relative duties of its inhabitants. It was originally published in a pocket volume of sixty-three pages, by G. Larkin, 1688, and is now for the first time reprinted. We are deeply indebted to the unknown owner of this rare volume, and to Mr. Creasy, bookseller, Sleaford, through whom the copy was borrowed to enrich this edition.

What is the church? is a question upon which all the subtilty of jesuitic schoolmen and casuists has been exhausted, to mystify and mislead the honest inquirer in every age. The Jews, Papists, Greeks, English, have each claimed the divine favour as being exclusively limited to their respective sects. Apostolic descent has been considered to depend upon human ceremonies, instead of its consisting in a similarity of mind and conduct to that of the apostles, through the powerful influences of the Holy Spirit upon the heart. Judging from this latter mode, we conclude that Bunyan the brazier was very nearly related to, and descended from, Paul the tentmaker, and the other apostles. But we form a very different judgment as to the descent of Bonner and other persecuting bishops.

A visible church of Christ is a congregation of the faithful, who having personally and individually given themselves to the Saviour, unite together to promote each other's spiritual happiness. Such were the churches to whom the epistles in the New Testament were addressed. The instructions VOL. II.

given to this spiritual community, in the following treatise, are drawn solely from the sacred volume, and are full of peace and righteousness-tending purely to its happiness and prosperity. If these directions were strictly and constantly followed, our churches, notwithstanding the liability of the members to err, would each present ‘a little heaven below.'

The officers in these communities are I. Bishops, or preaching elders, to dispense the word and ordinances; a plurality in every church, to supply the services of such as suffered under affliction of body, or were imprisoned for conscience-sake. II. Ruling elders, to assist the preachers—to admit the serious inquirer, or shut out the profane backslider, and to re-admit the penitent-to watch over the members, that they be diligent in their worldly callings, that there be no drones or idlers-to heal offences-to feed the church with admonitions, and to visit and comfort the sick. III. Deacons, to manage the temporal affairs-provide for the Lord's table and for that of the bishops and elders and to distribute the alms to the infirm and needy. IV. Female deacons, to nurse the sick, and direct their attention to that home where there shall be no more sorrow; and generally to aid the deacons and elders.

The duty of the private members is to walk humbly with God, and to be devoted to each other's happiness. In all these particulars Dr. John Cotton of New England, in his True Constitution of a Visible Church,'* fully concurs with Bunyan, as does also Dr. John Owen, in his Nature of a Gospel Church,' excepting that he is silent as to female deacons. Let every church be thus affec

* 4to, London, 1642. In the editor's library. 4 D

tionately and scripturally governed, and in their works of faith and labours of love they will become terrible to the enemy as an army with banners.'* At the present day, great laxity of discipline

* Cant. vi. 4.

has crept in. Some offices have been discontinued, others altered, and it becomes us most solemnly to judge ourselves by the unerring word of the living God, whether we have deviated from the order recorded by the Holy Ghost, and if so, to repent and return to the scriptural model.—GEO. OFFOR.

I.

BY WHOM THIS HOUSE IS BUILT.

d

THE builder's God, a materials his Elect;
His Son's the rock' on which it is erect;
The Scripture is his rule, plummet, or line,
Which gives proportion to this house divine,
His working-tools his ordinances are,
By them he doth his stones and timber square,
Affections knit in love, the couplings are ;
Good doctrine like to mortar doth cement
The whole together, schism to prevent:

His compass, his decree; his hand's the Spirit
By which he frames, what he means to inherit,
A holy temple, which shall far excel
That very place, where now the angels dwell.

Call this a temple or a house of prayer,
A palace, oracle, or spouse most fair;

Or what you will: God's love is here displayed,
And here his treasure safely up is laid;
For his own darling none can find a place,
Where he, as here, is wont to show his face.

What though some slight it, it a cottage call, Give't the reproachful name of beggar's hall; Yea, what though to some it an eyesore is, What though they count it base, and at it hiss, Call it an alms-house, builded for the poor; Yet kings of old have begged at the door.

II.

OF THE BEAUTY OF THE CHURCH.

Lo her foundations laid with sapphires are;
Her goodly windows made of agates fair,
Her gates are carbuncles, or pearls; nor one
Of all her borders but's a precious stone;*
None common, nor o' th' baser sort are here,
Nor rough, but squar'd and polish'd everywhere;
Her beams are cedars, fir her rafters be,
Her terraces are of the algum-tree;'
The thorn or crab-tree here are not of use;
Who thinks them here utensils, puts abuse
Upon the place, yea, on the builder too;

Would they be thus controll'd in what they do?

With carved-work of lily, and palm-tree,
With cherubims and chains adorned be
The doors, the walls, and pillars of this place;
Forbidden beasts here must not show their face.
With grace like gold, as with fine painting, he
Will have this house within enriched be;
Fig-leaves nor rags, must here keep out no cold,
This builder covers all with cloth of gold,
Of needle-work, prick'd more than once or twice
(The oft'ner prick'd, still of the higher price) "
Wrought by his SON, put on her by his merit,
Applied by faith, revealed by the Spirit."

And now for pleasure, solace, recreation,
Here's such as helpeth forward man's salvation.
Equal to these none can be found elsewhere,
All else turn to profuseness, sin, and care.
So situate it is, so roomy, fair,

So warm, so blessed, with such wholesome air,
That 'tis enticing: whoso wishes well
To his soul's health, should covet here to dwell.
Here's necessaries, and what will delight
The godly ear, the palate, with the sight
Of each degree and sex; here's everything
To please a beggar, and delight a king.