Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1860-09-07
Last Days of Bunyan.

evening, a faint light, casting athwart the
curtain dark, deep shadow, as of a
man in deep thought. 1t is Bunyan,
with his Bible and his glowing heart, and
his magic pen "sequestering' himself to
his beloved work of setting forth glories
of Emanuel Night after night, his
studies are protracted far into the morn
ing; for he does not serve the Lord with
that which costs him nothing. Within
the sixteen years which elapse betwixt
his liberation and his death, that mid
night lamp witnesses the production OF
not fewer than forty.ti five separate works.
During the day his hours are occupied
with his beloved flock, and with his evan
gclistic wanderings.
His iron frame is not what it has
been. The twelve years in the eden"
have left their traces i'll tread less elias
tic, and in brow furrowcd, though not
less serene And his abundant labors
since have not arrested the course o. the
furrow's deepening line. 1t is the seed
of corn of great tomorrow which he
handles, and he may not triae with his er-
rand.
And one trial visits him, which goes
deeper into his soul than all the rest. 1t
is that poor blind one" smitten by the
icy finger of death 1t is said Of the
Swiss, by one of our poets, that
The loud torrent and the whirlwird's roar,
But bind HIM to his mountains more
TO this afflicted child, because Of the
very ruggedness Of her lot, her fathers
heart has clung with most peculiar love.
She is sick now; and this other self, as she
lies there SO faint seems 10 PROSTATE him
at her side. Day after day, night after
night, the narrowed father watches. But
she is gone And oh, what a blank!
"In all these dead,' says Vinet, "we our
selves die. a part Of our life, and of
heart, is buried in these tombS " The
stroke Bnnyun never RECEIVERS. 1t seems
us il he were already more than halt
away.
His spirit, too, is trembling for the ark
of God. The apostate James has been
imbruing his hands in the blood of Gods
holicst saints. Argyle has fallen Oh the
scatl'old, "lhanking God that he has sup
ported him wonderfully" And Rnmbold
has fallen at his side, blessing Gods
holy name,' that he has "gl lven him grace
TO adhere to his cause in al evil day."
and declaring that. ''if every hair OF his
head were a man, he would in that quar-
rel venture them ull.' "Deliverance,"
indeed, according to the almost prophet
ic words of Argyle, pronounced III his
closing hours, "is 10 come in very sud
denly" but the cloud is as yet dark
over head, unrelved by any silver lining
In the town Of Reading there resides
"A family bitterly opposed to the work OF
God The eldest son has been at Cam
bridge, and, hearing Of the great preach
cr, has gone one night to listen. Ar
rested by the word, he has returned to
his home "a new man.
The father, greatly offended, has de-
termined To disinherit him. Day by day
The cslrangement grows more painful.
Al length the thought occnrS: "WiIl not
my spiritual father come aud mediate!
And his prayers, will they not avail?
4unyan sets out for Reading, and hay
ing earned the blessing OF the peace MA
ker, he reached l.ondon on his way home.
A drenching rain upon the road has
brought Oh fits of shiVering, and he is
taken scriouSl Y i'll.
From The first, preSentlment SEXES
him that he is nearing the "biack river"
Calling for pen, ink, and paper, he adj
dressed 10 his flock few sentences OF
parting tenderness THUS have writ
ten to yon,'' SAYS he, "before die, TO
provoke you to faith and holiness, and to
love one another when | am deceased,
and shall be in paradise, as through grace
| comfortably believe"
Already the air OF Beulah surrounds
him with fragrant breezeS. "ln heaven"
says he to one kind friend who has come
to visit him, "we shall find blessings III
their purity without any ingredient to
cmbittcr, with everything to swecten it. "
And to another: "Oh! who is able to
conceive the inexpressibIe joys that are
there? None but they who have tasted
them" And another day thus: GLOW
will the heavens echo for JOY, when the
Bride, the Lambs wife, shall come to
dwell with her husband forever!'
Fever comes on; and in Il few more
days, the "earthly house, enfeebled by so
muuy labors, shall be 'disSolred.' But
his earnest spirit feels the bottom, aud
is good" And so, with
"A heart at leisure from ITSELF
he calmly utterS, as from the rivers far
thest bank, sundry parting counscls.
If You would be better satisfied,
SAYS he, what the heatifc vision means,
my request is that you would live holly,
and go and see"
"ChriSt," says he OH another occasion,
is the chiefcSt desire Of all nations, the
JOY Of angels, the delight Of the Faith
cr; what SoIace, then, must the soul be
filled with that hath the possession OF
him to all etcrnity'
And again: Before yon enter into
prayer, ask thy soul these questions:
TO what end O my soul, art thon retired