Sara Yorke Stevenson - "Maximilian in Mexico"

Samuel P. Orth - "The Armies of Labor"

Paul Bourget - "Cosmopolis, v2"

Louise Muhlbach - "The Empress Josephine"

New Philadelphia Book Publisher Highlights Local Talent
Book and Publishing News from Publishers Newswire(tm)

Looking for Child to be on Cover of a New Book, 'The Model Child'
PHILADELPHIA, Pa. -- The Philadelphia literary world will celebrate the launch of two new players today, April 10th: Kay Square Press, a new publishing company focused on Philadelphia-area artists, their stories, and their art; and Kay Square's first release, 'With the Rich and Mighty: Emlen Etting of Philadelphia' (ISBN: 978-0-9815129-0-7), a critical biography by Kenneth C. Kaleta.

FlatSigned Press Alleges Don Imus Remarks Damage Legacy of President Gerald R. Ford
NEW YORK, N.Y. -- Nathan Yungerberg, an accomplished model scout and professional child photographer is launching a nation-wide casting call to find the cover model for his highly anticipated book release, 'The Model Child: A Parents Guide to the Child Modeling Industry' (ISBN: 978-0-9817018-0-6).

Books: The Works of John Bunyan Volume 1

J >> John Bunyan >> The Works of John Bunyan Volume 1




When the Word of God came among the conjurors and those soothsayers,
that you read of (Acts 19), and had prevailed with some of them
to accept of the grace of Christ, the Holy Ghost records it with a
boast, for that it would redound to his praise, saying, 'Many of
them also which used curious arts brought their books together,
and burned them before all men; and they counted the price of them,
and found it fifty thousand pieces of silver. So mightily grew the
Word of God, and prevailed' (Acts 19:19,20). It wrenched out of the
clutches of Satan some of those of whom he thought himself most
sure. 'So mightily grew the Word of God.' It grew mightily, it
encroached upon the kingdom of the devil. It pursued him, and took
the prey; it forced him to let go his hold! It brought away captive,
as prisoners taken by force of arms, some of the most valiant of
his army. It fetched back from, as it were, the confines of hell,
some of those that were his most trusty, and that, with hell, had
been at an agreement. It made them come and confess their deeds,
and burn their books before all men. 'So mightily grew the Word of
God, and prevailed.' Thus, therefore, you see why Christ will have
offered mercy, in the first place, to the biggest sinners; they
have most need thereof; and this is the most ready way to extol
his name 'that rideth upon the heavens' to our help. But,

Third, Christ Jesus would have mercy offered, in the first place,
to the biggest sinners, because, by their forgiveness and salvation,
others, hearing of it, will be encouraged the more to come to him
for life.

For the physician, by curing the most desperate at the first, doth
not only get himself a name, but begets encouragement in the minds
of other diseased folk to come to him for help. Hence you read of
our Lord, that after, through his tender mercy, he had cured many of
great diseases, his fame was spread abroad: 'They brought unto him
all sick people that were taken with divers diseases and torments,
and those which were possessed with devils, and those which were
lunatic, and those that had the palsy, and he healed them. And
there followed him great multitudes of people from Galilee, and
Decapolis, and Jerusalem, and Judea, and from beyond Jordan' (Matt
4:24,25). See here, he first, by working, gets himself a fame, a
name, and renown; and now men take encouragement, and bring, from
all quarters, their diseased to him, being helped, by what they
had heard, to believe that their diseased should be healed.

Now, as he did with those outward cures, so he does in the proffers
of his grace and mercy; he proffers that, in the first place, to
the biggest sinners, that others may take heart to come to him to
be saved. I will give you a scripture or two. I mean to show you
that Christ, by commanding that his mercy should, in the first
place, be offered to the biggest of sinners, has a design thereby
to encourage and provoke others to come also to him for mercy. 'God,'
said Paul, 'who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he
loved us, even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together
with Christ (by grace ye are saved); and hath raised us up together,
and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus.' But
why did he do all this? 'That in the ages to come he might show the
exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness towards us through
Christ Jesus' (Eph 2:4-7). See, here is a design; God lets out his
mercy to Ephesus of design, even to show to the ages to come the
exceeding riches of his grace, in his kindness to them through
Christ Jesus. And why, to show, by these, the exceeding riches of
his grace to the ages to come, through Christ Jesus? But to allure
them, and their children also to come to him, and to partake the
same grace through Christ Jesus?13

But what was Paul, and the Ephesian sinners? (of Paul we will speak
anon.) These Ephesian sinners, they were men dead in sins; men
that walked according to the dictates and motions of the devil;
worshippers of Diana, that effeminate goddess; men far off from God,
aliens and strangers to all good things; such as were far off from
that, as I said, and, consequently, in a most deplorable condition.
As the Jerusalem sinners were of the highest sort among the Jews,
so these Ephesian sinners were of the highest sort among the Gentiles
(Eph 2:1-3,11,12; Acts 19:35). Wherefore, as by the Jerusalem
sinners, in saving them first, he had a design to provoke others
to come to him for mercy, so the same design is here set on foot
again, in his calling and converting the Ephesian sinners, 'That in
the ages to come he might show the exceeding riches of his grace,'
says he, 'in his kindness towards us through Christ Jesus.' There
is yet one hint behind. It is said that God saved these 'for his
great love'; that is, as I think, for the setting forth, for the
commendation of his love, for the advance of his love, in the hearts
and minds of them that should come after. As who should say, God
has had mercy upon, and been gracious to you, that he might show
to others, for their encouragement, that they have ground to come
to him to be saved. When God saves one great sinner, it is to
encourage another great sinner to come to him for mercy.

He saved the thief, to encourage thieves to come to him for mercy;
he saved Magdalene, to encourage other Magdalenes to come to him
for mercy; he saved Saul, to encourage Sauls to come to him for
mercy; and this Paul himself doth say, 'For this cause,' saith he,
'I obtained mercy, that in me first Jesus Christ might show forth
all long-suffering, for a pattern to them which should hereafter
believe on him to life everlasting' (1 Tim 1:16). How plain are the
words! Christ, in saving of me, has given to the world a pattern
of his grace, that they might see, and believe, and come, and be
saved; that they that are to be born hereafter might believe on
Jesus Christ to life everlasting.

But what was Paul? Why, he tells you himself; I am, says he, the
chief of sinners. I was, says he, a blasphemer, a persecutor, an
injurious person; but I obtained mercy (1 Tim 1:13,14). Ay, that
is well for you, Paul; but what advantage have we thereby? Oh, very
much, saith he; for, 'for this cause I obtained mercy, that in me
first Jesus Christ might show forth all long-suffering, for a pattern
to them which should hereafter believe on him to life everlasting'
(verse 16). Thus, therefore, you see that this third reason is of
strength; namely, that Jesus Christ would have mercy offered, in the
first place, to the biggest sinners, because, by their forgiveness
and salvation, others, hearing of it, will be encouraged the more
to come to him for mercy. It may well, therefore, be said to God,
Thou delightest in mercy, and mercy pleases thee (Micah 7:18).

But who believes that this was God's design in showing mercy of
old--namely, that we that come after might take courage to come to
him for mercy; or that Jesus Christ would have mercy offered, in
the first place, to the biggest sinners, to stir up others to come
to him for life? This is not the manner of men, O God! But David
saw this betimes; therefore he makes this one argument with God,
that he would blot out his transgressions, that he would forgive
his adultery, his murders, and horrible hypocrisy. Do it, O Lord,
saith he, do it, and 'then will I teach transgressors thy ways, and
sinners shall be converted unto thee' (Psa 2:7-13). He knew that
the conversion of sinners would be a work highly pleasing to God,
as being that which he had designed before he made mountain or
hill: wherefore he comes, and he saith, Save me, O Lord; if thou
wilt but save me, I will fall in with thy design; I will help to
bring what sinners to thee I can. And, Lord, I am willing to be
made a preacher myself, for that I have been a horrible sinner;
wherefore, if thou shalt forgive my great transgressions, I shall
be a fit man to tell of thy wondrous grace to others. Yea, Lord, I
dare promise, that if thou wilt have mercy upon me, it shall tend
to the glory of thy grace, and also to the increase of thy kingdom;
for I will tell it, and sinners will hear on't. And there is nothing
so suiteth with the hearing sinner as mercy; and to be informed that
God is willing to bestow it upon him. 'I will teach transgressors
thy ways; and sinners shall be converted unto thee.'

Nor will Christ Jesus miss of his design in proffering of mercy,
in the first place, to the biggest sinners. You know what work the
Lord, by laying hold of the woman of Samaria, made among the people
there. They knew that she was a town sinner, an adulteress; yea,
one that, after the most audacious manner, lived in uncleanness
with a man that was not her husband. But when she, from a turn upon
her heart, went into the city, and said to her neighbours, 'Come,'
Oh, how they came! how they flocked out of the city to Jesus Christ!
'Then they went out of the city, and came to him.' 'And many of
the Samaritans of that city (people, perhaps, as bad as herself)
believed on him for the saying of the woman, which testified, He
told me all that ever I did' (John 4:39). That word, 'He told me
all that ever I did,' was a great argument with them; for by that
they gathered, that though he knew her to be vile, yet he did not
despise her, nor refuse to show how willing he was to communicate
his grace unto her; and this fetched over, first her, then them.

This woman, as I said, was a Samaritan sinner, a sinner of the
worst complexion; for the Jews abhorred to have ought to do with
them (verse 9), wherefore none more fit than she to be made one of
the decoys of heaven, to bring others of these Samaritan wild-fowls
under the net of the grace of Christ; and she did the work
to purpose. Many, and many more of the Samaritans believed on him
(verse 40-42). The heart of man, though set on sin, will, when
it comes once to a persuasion that God is willing to have mercy
upon us, incline to come to Jesus Christ for life. Witness those
turn-aways from God that you also read of in Jeremiah; for after
they had heard, three or four times over, that God had mercy for
backsliders, they broke out, and said, 'Behold, we come unto thee;
for thou art the Lord our God.' (Jer 3:22); or, as those in Hosea
did, 'For in thee the fatherless findeth mercy' (Hosea 14:1-3).

Mercy, and the revelation thereof, is the only antidote against
sin. 'Tis of a thawing nature; 'twill loose the heart that is
frozen up in sin; yea, 'twill make the unwilling willing to come to
Jesus Christ for life. Wherefore, do you think, was it that Jesus
Christ told the adulterous woman, and that before so many sinners,
that he had not condemned her, but to allure her, with them there
present, to hope to find favour at his hands? As he also saith, in
another place, 'I came not to judge, but to save the world.' For
might they not thence most rationally conclude, that if Jesus Christ
had rather save than damn an harlot, there was encouragement for
them [although great sinners] to come to him for mercy.

I heard once a story from a soldier, who, with his company, had laid
siege against a fort, that so long as the besieged were persuaded
their foes would show them no favour, they fought like madmen; but
when they saw one of their fellows taken, and received to favour,
they all came tumbling down from their fortress, and delivered
themselves into their enemies' hands. I am persuaded, did men
believe that there is that grace and willingness in the heart of
Christ to save sinners, as the Word imports there is, they would
come tumbling into his arms: but Satan has blinded their minds
that they cannot see this thing. Howbeit, the Lord Jesus has, as
I said, that others might take heart and come to him, given out a
commandment, that mercy should, in the first place, be offered to
the biggest sinners. 'Begin,' saith he, 'at Jerusalem'; and thus
I end the third reason.

Fourth, Jesus Christ would have mercy offered, in the first place,
to biggest sinners, because that is the way, if they receive it,
most to weaken the kingdom of Satan, and to keep it lowest in every
age of the world.

The biggest sinners, they are Satan's colonels and captains,
the leaders of his people, and they that most stoutly make head
against the Son of God. Wherefore, let these first be conquered,
and his kingdom will be weak. When Ishbosheth had lost his Abner,
the kingdom was made weak, nor did he sit but tottering then upon
his throne. So, when Satan loseth his strong men, them that are
mighty to work iniquity, and dexterous to manage others in the same,
then is his kingdom weak (2 Sam 3). Therefore, I say, Christ, and
doth offer mercy, in the first place, to such, the more to weaken
his kingdom. Christ Jesus was glad to see Satan fall like lightning
from heaven; that is, suddenly, or head-long; and it was, surely,
by casting of him out of strong possession, and by recovering of
some notorious sinners out of his clutches (Luke 10:17-19).

Samson, when he would pull down the Philistines' temple, took
hold of the two main pillars of it, and, breaking them, down came
the house. Christ came to destroy the works of the devil, and to
destroy by converting grace, as well as by redeeming blood. Now,
sin swarms, and lieth by legions, and whole armies, in the souls
of the biggest sinners, as in garrisons;14 wherefore, the way, the
most direct way, to destroy it, is first to deal with such sinners
by the word of his gospel, and by the merits of his passion.

For example, though I shall give you but a homely one; suppose
a family to be very lousy, and one or two of the family to be in
chief the breeders, the way, the quickest way, to clean that family,
or at least to weaken the so swarming of those vermin, is, in the
first place, to sweeten the skin, head, and clothes of the chief
breeders; and then, though all the family should be apt to breed
them, the number of them, and so the greatness of that plague there,
will be the more impaired. Why, there are some people that are in
chief the devil's sin-breeders in the towns and places where they
live. The place, town, or family where they live, must needs be
horribly lousy, and, as it were, eaten up with vermin. Now, let
the Lord Jesus, in the first place, cleanse these great breeders,
and there will be given a nip to those swarms of sins that used to
be committed in such places throughout the town, house, or family,
where such sin-breeding persons used to be.

I speak by experience. I was one of these lousy ones, one of these
great sin-breeders; I infected all the youth of the town where
I was born, with all manner of youthful vanities. The neighbours
counted me so; my practice proved me so: wherefore Christ Jesus
took me first; and taking me first, the contagion was much allayed
all the town over. When God made me sigh, they would hearken, and
inquiringly say, What's the matter with John? They also gave their
various opinions of me; but, as I said, sin cooled, and failed,
as to his full career. When I went out to seek the bread of life,
some of them would follow, and the rest be put into a muse 15 at
home. Yea, almost the town, at first, at times would go out to hear
at the place where I found good; yea, young and old for a while
had some reformation on them; also some of them, perceiving that
God had mercy upon me, came crying to him for mercy too.

But what need I give you an instance of poor I; I will come
to Manasseh the king. So long as he was a ringleading sinner, the
great idolater, and chief for devilism, the whole land flowed with
wickedness; for he made them to sin (2 Chron 33), and do worse
than the heathen that dwelt round about them, or that was cast out
from before them: but when God converted him, the whole land was
reformed. Down went the groves, the idols, and altars of Baal, and
up went true religion in much of the power and purity of it. You
will say, The king reformed by power. I answer, doubtless, and by
example too; for people observe their leaders; as their fathers did,
so did they (2 Kings 17:41). This, therefore, is another reason why
Jesus would have mercy offered, in the first place, to the biggest
sinners, because that is the best way, if they receive it, most to
weaken the kingdom of Satan, and to keep it poor and low.

And do you not think now, that if God would but take hold of the
hearts of some of the most notorious in your town, in your family,
or country, that this thing would be verified before your faces?
It would, it would, to the joy of you that are godly, to the making
of hell to sigh, to the great suppressing of sin, the glory of
Christ, and the joy of the angels of God.16 And ministers, should,
therefore, that this work might go on, take advantages to persuade
with the biggest sinners to come into Christ, according to my text,
and their commission, 'Beginning at Jerusalem.'

Fifth, Jesus Christ would have mercy offered, in the first place,
to the biggest sinners, because such, when converted, are usually
the best helps in the church against temptations, and fittest for
the support of the feeble-minded there.

Hence, usually, you have some such in the first plantation of
churches, or quickly upon it. Churches would do but sorrily, if
Christ Jesus did not put such converts among them; they are the
monuments and mirrors of mercy. The very sight of such a sinner in
God's house, yea, the very thought of him, where the sight of him
cannot be had, is ofttimes greatly for the help of the faith of
the feeble.

When the churches, saith Paul, that were in Judea, heard this
concerning me, that he which persecuted them in time past, now
preached the faith which once he destroyed, 'they glorified God in
me' (Gal 1:20-24). 'Glorified God.' How is that? Why, they praised
him, and took courage to believe the more in the mercy of God; for
that he had had mercy on such a great sinner as he. They glorified
God 'in me'; they wondered that grace should be so rich, as to take
hold of such a wretch as I was; and for my sake believed in Christ
the more.

There are two things that great sinners are acquainted with, when
they come to divulge them to the saints, that are a great relief
to their faith. 1. The contests that they usually have with the
devil at their parting with him. 2. Their knowledge of his secrets
in his workings.

1. For first, The biggest sinners17 have usually great contests
with the devil at their partings; and this is an help to saints: for
ordinary saints find afterwards what the vile ones find at first,
but when, at the opening of hearts, the one finds himself to be as
the other--the one is a comfort to the other. The lesser sort of
sinners find but little of this, till after they have been some time
in profession; but the vile man meets with his at the beginning.
Wherefore he, when the other is down, is ready to tell that he has
met with the same before; for, I say, he has had it before. Satan
is loath to part with a great sinner. 'What, my true servant,' quoth
he, 'my old servant, wilt thou forsake me now? Having so often
sold thyself to me to work wickedness, wilt thou forsake me now?
Thou horrible wretch, dost not know, that thou has sinned thyself
beyond the reach of grace, and dost thou think to find mercy now?
Art not thou a murderer, a thief, a harlot, a witch, a sinner
of the greatest size, and dost thou look for mercy now? Dost thou
think that Christ will foul his fingers with thee? It is enough
to make angels blush, saith Satan, to see so vile an one knock
at heaven-gates for mercy, and wilt thou be so abominably bold to
do it?' 18 Thus Satan dealt with me, says the great sinner, when
at first I came to Jesus Christ. And what did you reply? saith
the tempted. Why, I granted the while charge to be true, says the
other. And what, did you despair, or how? No, saith he, I said, I
am Magdalene, I am Zaccheus, I am the thief, I am the harlot, I am
the publican, I am the prodigal, and one of Christ's murderers; yea,
worse than any of these; and yet God was so far off from rejecting
of me, as I found afterwards, that there was music and dancing
in his house for me, and for joy that I was come home unto him. O
blessed be God for grace (says the other), for then, I hope, there
is favour for me. Yea, as I told you, such an one is a continual
spectacle in the church, for every one by to behold God's grace
and wonder by.

2. And as for the secrets of Satan, such as are suggestions to
question the being of God, the truth of his Word, and to be annoyed
with devilish blasphemies; none more acquainted with these than
the biggest sinners at their conversion; wherefore thus also they
are prepared to be helps in the church to relieve and comfort the
other.

I might also here tell you of the contests and battles that such
are engaged in, wherein they find the buffetings of Satan, above
any other of the saints. At which time Satan assaults the soul
with darkness, fears, frightful thoughts of apparitions; now they
sweat, pant, cry out, and struggle for life. The angels now come
down to behold the sight, and rejoice to see a bit of dust and ashes
to overcome principalities and powers, and might, and dominions.
But, as I said, when these come a little to be settled, they are
prepared for helps for others, and are great comforts unto them.
Their great sins give encouragement to the devil to assault them;
and by these temptations Christ takes advantage to make them the
more helpful to the churches.

The biggest sinner, when he is converted, and comes into the church,
says to them all, by his very coming in, Behold me, all you that
are men and women of a low and timorous spirit, you whose hearts
are narrow, for that you never had the advantage to know, because
your sins are few, the largeness of the grace of God. Behold, I
say, in me, the exceeding riches of his grace! I am a pattern set
forth before your faces, on whom you may look and take heart. This,
I say, the great sinner can say, to the exceeding comfort of all
the rest. Wherefore, as I have hinted before, when God intends to
stock a place with saints, and to make that place excellently to
flourish with the riches of his grace, he usually begins with the
conversion of some of the most notorious thereabouts, and lays
them, as an example, to allure others, and to build up when they
are converted. It was Paul that must go to the Gentiles, because
Paul was the most outrageous of all the apostles, in the time of
his unregeneracy. Yea, Peter must be he, that after his horrible
fall, was thought fittest, when recovered again, to comfort and
strengthen his brethren (See Luke 22:31,32).

Some must be pillars in God's house; and if they be pillars of
cedar, they must stand while they are stout and sturdy sticks in
the forest, before they are cut down, and planted or placed there.
No man, when he buildeth his house, makes the principal parts
thereof of weak or feeble timber; for how could such bear up the
rest? but of great and able wood. Christ Jesus also goeth this
way to work; he makes of the biggest sinners bearers and supporters
to the rest. This, then, may serve for another reason, why Jesus
Christ gives out in commandment, that mercy should, in the first
place, be offered to the biggest sinners, because such, when converted,
are usually the best helps in the church against temptations, and
fittest for the support of the feeble-minded there.

Sixth, Another reason why Jesus Christ would have mercy offered,
in the first place, to the biggest sinners, is, because they, when
converted, are apt to love him most.

This agrees both with scripture and reason. Scripture says so.
To whom much is forgiven, the same loveth much. 'To whom little
is forgiven, the same loveth little' (Luke 7:47). Reason says so:
for as it would be the unreasonablest thing in the world to render
hatred for love, and contempt for forgiveness; so it would be as
ridiculous to think, that the reception of a little kindness should
lay the same obligations upon the heart to love as the reception
of a great deal. I would not disparage the love of Christ; I know
the least drachm of it, when it reaches to forgiveness, is great
above all the world; but comparatively, there are greater extensions
of the love of Christ to one than to another. He that has most sin,
if. forgiven, is partaker of the greatest love, of the greatest
forgiveness.

I know also, that there are some, that from this very doctrine
say, 'Let us do evil that good may come'; and that turn the grace
of our God into lasciviousness. But I speak not of these; these
will neither be ruled by grace nor reason. Grace would teach them,
if they knew it, to deny ungodly courses; and so would reason too,
if it could truly sense the love of God (Titus 2:11,12; Rom 12:1).

Doth it look like what hath any coherence with reason or mercy,
for a man to abuse his friend? Because Christ died for me, shall I
therefore spit in his face? The bread and water that was given by
Elisha to his enemies, that came into the land of Israel to take
him, had so much influence upon their minds, though heathens, that
they returned to their homes without hurting him; yea, it kept them
from coming again in a hostile manner into the coasts of Israel (2
Kings 6:19-23).