In 1722, in his eightieth year, Newton began to suffer from stone; but by means of a strict regimen and other precautions he was enabled to alleviate the complaint, and to procure long intervals of ease.  But a journey to London on February 28, 1727, to preside at a meeting of the Royal Society greatly aggravated the complaint.  On Wednesday, March 15, he appeared to be somewhat better.  On Saturday morning he carried on a pretty long conversation with Dr. Mead; but at six o’clock the same evening he became insensible, and continued in that state until Monday, the 20th, when he expired, without pain, between one and two o’clock in the morning, in the eighty-fifth year of his age.

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JOHN BUNYAN

Grace Abounding

During his life of sixty years Bunyan wrote sixty books, and of all these undoubtedly the most popular are the “Pilgrim’s Progress,” “The Holy War,” and “Grace Abounding.”  His “Grace Abounding to the Chief of Sinners,” generally called simply “Grace Abounding,” is a record of his own religious experiences. (Bunyan, biography:  see FICTION.)

I.—­To the Chief of Sinners

In this relation of the merciful working of God upon my soul I do in the first place give you a hint of my pedigree and manner of bringing up.  My descent was, as is well-known to many, of a low and inconsiderable generation, my father’s house being of that rank that is meanest and most despised of all the families in the land.  Though my parents put me to school, to my shame I confess I did soon lose that little I learnt.  As for my own natural life, for the time that I was without God in the world, it was indeed according to the course of this world, and the spirit that worketh in the children of disobedience, for from a child I had but few equals for cursing, lying, and blaspheming.  In these days the thoughts of religion were very grievous to me.  I could neither endure it myself, nor that any other should.  But God did not utterly leave me, but followed me with judgements, yet such as were mixed with mercy.

Once I fell into a creek of the sea and hardly escaped drowning; and another time I fell out of a boat into Bedford river, but mercy yet preserved me alive.  When I was a soldier, I and others were drawn to such a place to besiege it; but when I was ready to go, one of the company desired to go in my place, to which I consented.  Coming to the siege, as he stood sentinel, he was shot in the head with a musket bullet, and died.  Here were judgement and mercy, but neither of them did awaken my soul to righteousness.