"God Had Visited"

“In one of the streets of Bedford I came to where there were three or four poor women sitting at a door in the sun and talking about the things of God.  Willing to listen, I drew near to hear what they said, for I was a brisk talker myself in matters of religion.  But I have to say that I heard, but I didn’t understand, for they were far above, out of my reach.  They spoke about a new birth, the work of God in their hearts . . . . They said how God had visited their souls with his love in the Lord Jesus, and with what words and promises they had been refreshed, comforted and supported against the temptations of the devil . . . . And it seemed to me they spoke as if joy did make them speak.  They spoke with such pleasantness of biblical language, and with such obvious grace in all they said, that they were to me as if they had found a new world.”

-- John Bunyan, quoted in Monica Furlong, The Trial of John Bunyan & The Persecution of the Puritans (London, 1978), page 56.  Style updated.

HT: Ray Ortlund, Jr.