Grace Abounding to the Chief of Sinners

<p><I>Grace Abounding to the Chief of Sinners</I> (1666) is a spiritual autobiography by English author and Puritan preacher John Bunyan. Written while Bunyan was serving a lengthy prison sentence for preaching without a license <I>Grace Abounding to the Chief of Sinners</I> is both a record of Bunyan's personal experience the story of his conversion and a document of a time of historical and political crisis in England. The restoration of King Charles II to the throne in 1660-which followed years of sectarian violence and the 1649 execution of his father Charles I-initiated a period of religious and political repression. Nonconformist Christians and preachers especially were forbidden from practicing their faith a crime for which Bunyan was arrested. He was tried and convicted in 1661 spending the next twelve years in Bedford County Gaol.</p><p><I>Grace Abounding to the Chief of Sinners</I> written and published during this period is the story of Bunyan's life focusing on his conversion to Puritanism and his personal trials as a man punished for his beliefs. Containing numerous biblical references Bunyan's work is similar to Saint Augustine's <I>Confessions</I> in its compositional structure-beginning with the author's sinful youth it moves through his process of conversion to his growth as a Christian and rise to the status of preacher. Where it differs however is in its detailed description of Bunyan's arrest and imprisonment a time he relied on his belief in God to carry him safely through.</p><p>While less popular than <I>The Pilgrim's Progress</I> a Christian allegory Bunyan began writing in jail <I>Grace Abounding to the Chief of Sinners</I> is an important and powerful work which has inspired generations of Christians including John Brown and Martin Luther King Jr.</p><p>With a beautifully designed cover and professionally typeset manuscript this edition of John Bunyan's <p><I>Grace Abounding to the Chief of Sinners</I> is a classic of English literature reimagined for modern readers.</p>