8 “Donator”; giver, donor; now obsolete.-ED.
9 “Prevented”; gone before, so as to be seen. “Let thy grace, O Lord, always prevent and follow us.”-Common Prayer.-ED.
10This may refer to Bunyan’s own feelings, which are so passionately expressed in his Grace Abounding, No. 327, when he was dragged from his home, his wife, and his children, to be shut up in Bedford jail, for obedience to God. He exclaims, “My poor blind child, who lay nearer my heart than all I had besides, thou must be beaten, must beg, suffer hunger, cold, nakedness, and a thousand calamities, though I cannot now endure that the wind should blow upon thee. I thought this would break my heart to pieces.”-ED.
11 “A hank”; a check, an influence over; obsolete.-ED.
12 “Entertains his lawyer”; hires or retains. So Shakespeare-“Sweet lady, entertain him, To be my fellow-servant to your ladyship.” Gentleman of Verona, Scene IV.-ED.
13 “Shuff”; from the old Saxon word schufan, to reject, cast away.-ED.
14 “Supply of thy defects”; a sufficiency in himself to supply all thy defects and deficiencies.-ED.
15 “Supersedeas”; a writ to stay proceedings, for reasons expressed in it. “Cavils and motions”; quibbles or quirks of special pleading, and moving a court of law to occasion delay and weary out an honest suitor; much of this nuisance has been abated, but enough remains to render a lawsuit uncertain, vexatious, tedious, and expensive.-ED.
16 “Glaver;” to wheedle, flatter, or fawn upon; now obsolete.-ED.
17 This sentence at first sight seems obscure. The children’s bread is the superabounding riches of Divine grace. Satan putting pins into it, may refer to those who profanely pervert the grace of God to evil, by saying, “Let us do evil, that good may come. Whose damnation is just.” These are the dogs who are without, but never were within the fold of Christ. (Phil 3:2, Rev 22:15)-ED.