Genre - Religion. You are on the page - 5
tted; Bunyan's own title--'The Holy War made by Shaddai upon Diabolus for the regaining of the Metropolis of the World'--is altered to the feebler and more commonplace form--'The Holy War made by Christ upon the Devil for the Regaining of Man'; and, further, when a new edition was issued in 1696, the alterations and omissions of 168 4 were ignored, and a simple reprint made of the first edition of 1682.J. B. {1c} 9 October, 1905. THE AUTHOR TO THE READER Courteous Reader, I was considering with
ne was to appear not only for an appointed work, but for an appointed period: "He shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you forever"--eis ton aiΓ΅na. If we translate literally and say "for the age," it harmonizes with a parallel passage. In giving the great commission, Jesus says: "And lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the age." Here his presence by the Holy Ghost is evidently meant. The perpetuity of that presence is guaranteed,
pifies the pre-natal stage of life.Lauds, the office of dawn, seems to resemble the beginnings ofchildhood. Prime recalls to him youth. Terce, recited whenthe sun is high in the heavens shedding brilliant light, symbolisesearly manhood with its strength and glory. Sext typifies matureage. None, recited when the sun is declining, suggests man in hismiddle age. Vespers reminds all of decrepit age gliding gentlydown to the grave. Compline, night prayer said before sleep,should remind us of the
ection.A second condition of the spiritual life has been expressed in the precept, reiterated in many religions, by many experts in things relating to the life of the soul: "Live as if this hour were thy last." You will recall, as I pronounce these words, the memento mori of the Ancients, their custom of exhibiting a skeleton at the feast, in order to remind the banqueters of the fate that awaited them. You will remember the other-worldliness of Christian monks and ascetics who
ntoprison and even voted for their being put to death. I became soexceedingly mad against them that I even pursued them to foreigncities."Then as I was journeying[6] to Damascus, with the authority of thechief priests themselves, at mid-day I saw on the way a light from thesky, brighter than the blaze of the sun, shining round about me and mycompanions. And, as we were all fallen on to the road, I heard a voicesaying to me: "'Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me? It is hard for you to