15 "To tend," to watch, to guard, to attend.—Ed.
16 How pointedly, how admirably, does this illustrate the fond absurdities, the extreme follies of the human heart! "To serve God with such dainty dishes," the cleanest being befouled with sin. "A cleaner way to hell than our neighbours!"—Ed.
17 O how humbling a consideration! Our sins are numberless, of omission, of commission, openly and secretly; nay, in a thousand cases they escape the sinner's observation. "Cleanse thou me from secret faults."—Ed.
18 "Shuck," to shake or start back.—Ed.
19 In Bunyan's time, the saints of God were sorely tormented by penalties, fines, and imprisonments. It required great faith in a mother, who saw all her goods seized, for not going to church, the incarnate devils throwing the milk that was warming for her infant on the dunghill, and the skillet in which it was contained into the cart, answering her prayers for mercy on her babe. Let the brat of a heretic starve.—Ed.
20 How abasing and humbling to human pride is it thus to conceive, that all have sinned, and, in the sight of God, are hell-deserving. What! says the honourable man, must I take mercy upon no higher consideration than the thief on the cross? Or the highly virtuous dame, Must I sue for mercy upon the same terms as the Magdalene? The faithful answer to both is, YES, or you must perish.—Ed.
21 "False apostles," mentioned in Acts 15, who would have blended Jewish observances with Christianity, and have brought the converts into misery and thraldom. They are specially referred to in 2 Corinthians 11:13, "false apostles," deceitful workers, that devour you and take from you (verse 20). In contradistinction to Paul, who was "chargeable to no man" (verse 9).—Ed.
22 We must not for a moment imagine that Bunyan was afraid of temporal consequences, which prevents his enlarging upon this part of his subject. His contemptuous answer to Fowler for attacking the doctrine of justification, although a great man with the state, and soon afterwards made a bishop, is a proof that he was a stranger to the fear of man. He had said enough, and therefore there was no need to enlarge.—Ed.
23 How does Bunyan here exhibit the perfection as well as the freeness of the pardon that Micah celebrates! That which is sunk in the depths of the sea is lost for ever.—Ed.
24 "Tang," taste, touch, savour, flavour, relish, tone, sound. A word of extensive meaning, but now nearly obsolete. "No tang of prepossession or fancy appears in the morality of our Saviour or his apostles."—Locke.—Ed.