the miscellaneous writings and speeches-3-第6章

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n　the　street；　and　the　tiles　on　the　houses。　　The　sun　seemed　to　withhold　its　light　and　warmth　from　him。　　His　body；　though　cast　in　a　sturdy　mould；　and　though　still　in　the　highest　vigour　of　youth；　trembled　whole　days　together　with　the　fear　of　death　and　judgment。　　He　fancied　that　this　trembling　was　the　sign　set　on　the　worst　reprobates；　the　sign　which　God　had　put　on　Cain。　　The　unhappy　man's　emotion　destroyed　his　power　of　digestion。　　He　had　such　pains　that　he　expected　to　burst　asunder　like　Judas；　whom　he　regarded　as　his　prototype。　Neither　the　books　which　Bunyan　read；　nor　the　advisers　whom　he　consulted；　were　likely　to　do　much　good　in　a　case　like　his。　　His　small　library　had　received　a　most　unseasonable　addition；　the　account　of　the　lamentable　end　of　Francis　Spira。　　One　ancient　man　of　high　repute　for　piety；　whom　the　sufferer　consulted；　gave　an　opinion　which　might　well　have　produced　fatal　consequences。　　〃I　am　afraid；〃　said　Bunyan；　〃that　I　have　committed　the　sin　against　the　Holy　Ghost。〃　　〃Indeed；〃　said　the　old　fanatic；　〃I　am　afraid　that　you　have。〃　At　length　the　clouds　broke；　the　light　became　clearer　and　clearer；　and　the　enthusiast；　who　had　imagined　that　he　was　branded　with　the　mark　of　the　first　murderer；　and　destined　to　the　end　of　the　arch　traitor；　enjoyed　peace　and　a　cheerful　confidence　in　the　mercy　of　God。　　Years　elapsed；　however；　before　his　nerves；　which　had　been　so　perilously　overstrained；　recovered　their　tone。　　When　he　had　joined　a　Baptist　society　at　Bedford；　and　was　for　the　first　time　admitted　to　partake　of　the　Eucharist；　it　was　with　difficulty　that　he　could　refrain　from　imprecating　destruction　on　his　brethren　while　the　cup　was　passing　from　hand　to　hand。　　After　he　had　been　some　time　a　member　of　the　congregation；　he　began　to　preach；　and　his　sermons　produced　a　powerful　effect。　　He　was　indeed　illiterate；　but　he　spoke　to　illiterate　men。　　The　severe　training　through　which　he　had　passed　had　given　him　such　an　experimental　knowledge　of　all　the　modes　of　religious　melancholy　as　he　could　never　have　gathered　from　books；　and　his　vigorous　genius；　animated　by　a　fervent　spirit　of　devotion；　enabled　him；　not　only　to　exercise　a　great　influence　over　the　vulgar；　but　even　to　extort　the　half　contemptuous　admiration　of　scholars。　　Yet　it　was　long　before　he　ceased　to　be　tormented　by　an　impulse　which　urged　him　to　utter　words　of　horrible　impiety　in　the　pulpit。　Counter…irritants　are　of　as　great　use　in　moral　as　in　physical　diseases。　　It　should　seem　that　Bunyan　was　finally　relieved　from　the　internal　sufferings　which　had　embittered　his　life　by　sharp　persecution　from　without。　　He　had　been　five　years　a　preacher；　when　the　Restoration　put　it　in　the　power　of　the　Cavalier　gentlemen　and　clergymen　all　over　the　country　to　oppress　the　Dissenters；　and　of　all　the　Dissenters　whose　history　is　known　to　us；　he　was　perhaps　the　most　hardly　treated。　　In　November　1660；　he　was　flung　into　Bedford　gaol；　and　there　he　remained；　with　some　intervals　of　partial　and　precarious　liberty；　during　twelve　years。　　His　persecutors　tried　to　extort　from　him　a　promise　that　he　would　abstain　from　preaching；　but　he　was　convinced　that　he　was　divinely　set　apart　and　commissioned　to　be　a　teacher　of　righteousness；　and　he　was　fully　determined　to　obey　God　rather　than　man。　　He　was　brought　before　several　tribunals；　laughed　at；　caressed；　reviled；　menaced；　but　in　vain。　　He　was　facetiously　told　that　he　was　quite　right　in　thinking　that　he　ought　not　to　hide　his　gift；　but　that　his　real　gift　was　skill　in　repairing　old　kettles。　　He　was　compared　to　Alexander　the　coppersmith。　　He　was　told　that；　if　he　would　give　up　preaching；　he　should　be　instantly　liberated。　　He　was　warned　that；　if　he　persisted　in　disobeying　the　law；　he　would　be　liable　to　banishment；　and　that；　if　he　were　found　in　England　after　a　certain　time　his　neck　would　be　stretched。　　His　answer　was；　〃If　you　let　me　out　to…day；　I　will　preach　again　to…morrow。〃　　Year　after　year　he　lay　patiently　in　a　dungeon；　compared　with　which　the　worse　prison　now　to　be　found　in　the　island　is　a　palace。　　His　fortitude　is　the　more　extraordinary；　because　his　domestic　feelings　were　unusually　strong。　　Indeed；　he　was　considered　by　his　stern　brethren　as　somewhat　too　fond　and　indulgent　a　parent。　　He　had　several　small　children；　and　among　them　a　daughter　who　was　blind；　and　whom　he　loved　with　peculiar　tenderness。　　He　could　not；　he　said；　bear　even　to　let　the　wind　blow　on　her；　and　now　she　must　suffer　cold　and　hunger；　she　must　beg；　she　must　be　beaten；　〃yet；〃　he　added；　〃I　must；　I　must　do　it。〃　　While　he　lay　in　prison　he　could　do　nothing　in　the　way　of　his　old　trade　for　the　support　of　his　family。　　He　determined；　therefore；　to　take　up　a　new　trade。　　He　learned　to　make　long　tagged　thread　laces；　and　many　thousands　of　these　articles　were　furnished　by　him　to　the　hawkers。　　While　his　hands　were　thus　busied；　he　had　other　employment　for　his　mind　and　his　lips。　　He　gave　religious　instruction　to　his　fellow…　captives；　and　formed　from　among　them　a　little　flock；　of　which　he　was　himself　the　pastor。　　He　studied　indefatigably　the　few　books　which　he　possessed。　　His　two　chief　companions　were　the　Bible　and　Fox's　Book　of　Martyrs。　　His　knowledge　of　the　Bible　was　such　that　he　might　have　been　called　a　living　concordance；　and　on　the　margin　of　his　copy　of　the　Book　of　Martyrs　are　still　legible　the　ill　spelt　lines　of　doggrel　in　which　he　expressed　his　reverence　for　the　brave　sufferers；　and　his　implacable　enmity　to　the　mystical　Babylon。　At　length　he　began　to　write；　and　though　it　was　some　time　before　he　discovered　where　his　strength　lay；　his　writings　were　not　unsuccessful。　　They　were　coarse；　indeed；　but　they　showed　a　keen　mother　wit；　a　great　command　of　the　homely　mother　tongue；　an　intimate　knowledge　of　the　English　Bible；　and　a　vast　and　dearly…　bought　spiritual　experience。　　They　therefore；　when　the　corrector　of　the　press　had　improved　the　syntax　and　the　spelling；　were　well　received　by　the　humbler　class　of　Dissenters。　Much　of　Bunyan's　time　was　spent　in　controversy。　　He　wrote　sharply　against　the　Quakers；　whom　he　seems　always　to　have　held　in　utter　abhorrence。　　It　is；　however；　a　remarkable　fact　that　he　adopted　one　of　their　peculiar　fashions：　　his　practice　was　to　write；　not　November　or　December；　but　eleventh　month　and　twelfth　month。　He　wrote　against　the　liturgy　of　the　Church　of　England。　　No　two　things；　according　to　him；　had　less　affinity　than　the　form　of　prayer　and　the　spirit　of　prayer。　　Those；　he　said　with　much　point；　who　have　most　of　the　spirit　of　prayer　are　all　to　be　found　in　gaol；　and　those　who　have　most　zeal　for　the　form　of　prayer　are　all　to　be　found　at　the　alehouse。　　The　doctrinal　articles；　on　the　other　hand；　he　warmly　praised；　and　defended　against　some　Arminian　clergymen　who　had　signed　them。　　The　most　acrimonious　of　all　his　works　is　his　answer　to　Edward　Fowler；　afterwards　Bishop　of　Gloucester；　an　excellent　man；　but　not　free　from　the　taint　of　Pelagianism。　Bunyan　had　also　a　dispute　with　some　of　the　chiefs　of　the　sect　to　which　he　belonged。　　He　doubtless　held　with　perfect　sincerity　the　distinguishing　tenet　of　that　sect；　but　he　did　not　consider　that　tenet　as　one　of　high　importance；　and　willingly　joined　in　communion　with　quiet　Presbyterians　and　Independents。　　The　sterner　Baptists；　therefore；　loudly　pronounced　him　a　false　brother。　　A　controversy　arose　which　long　survived　the　original　combatants。　　In　our　own　time　the　cause　which　Bunyan　had　defended　with　rude　logic　and　rhetoric　against　Kiffin　and　Danvers　was　pleaded　by　Robert　Hall　with　an　ingenuity　and　eloquence　such　as　no　polemical　writer　has　ever　surpassed。　During　the　years　which　immediately　followed　the　Restoration；　Bunyan's　confinement　seems　to　have　been　strict。　　But；　as　the　passions　of　1660　cooled；　as　the　hatred　with　which　the　Puritans　had　been　regarded　while　their　reign　was　recent　gave　place　to　pity；　he　was　less　and　less　harshly　treated。　　The　distress　of　his　family；　and　his　own　patience；　courage；　and　piety　softened　the　hearts　of　his　persecutors。　　Like　his　own　Christian　in　the　cage；　he　found　protectors　even　among　the　crowd　of　Vanity　Fair。　　The　bishop　of　the　Diocese；　Dr　Barlow；　is　said　to　have　interceded　for　him。　　At　length　the　prisoner　was　suffered　to　pass　most　of　his　time　beyond　the　walls　of　the　gaol；　on　condition；　as　it　should　seem；　that　he　remained　within　the　town　of　Bedford。　He　owed　his　complete　liberation　to　one　of　the　worst　acts　of　one　of　the　worst　governments　that　England　has　ever　seen。　　In　1671　the　Cabal　was　in　power。　　Charles　II。　had　concluded　the　treaty　by　which　he　bound　himself　to　set　up　the　Roman　Catholic　religion　in　England。　　The　first　step　which　he　took　towards　that　end　was　to　annul；　by　an　unconstitutional　exercise　of　his　prerogative；　all　the　penal　statutes　against　the　Roman　Catholics；　and；　in　order　to　disguise　his　real　design；　he　annulled　at　the　same　time　the　penal　statutes　against　Protestant　nonconformists。　　Bunyan　was　consequently　set　at　large。　　In　the　first　warmth　of　his　gratitude　he　published　a　tract　in　which　he　compared　Charles　to　that　humane　and　generous　Persian　king　who；　though　not　himself　blest　with　the　light　of　the　true　religion；　favoured　the　chosen　people；　and　permitted　them　after　years　of　captivity；　to　rebuild　their　beloved　temple。　　To　candid　men；　who　consider　how　much　Bunyan　had　suffered；　and　how　little　he　could　guess　the　secret　designs　of　the　court；　the　unsuspicious　thankfulness