Grace Abounding to the Chief of Sinners

John Bunyan, born in England in 1628, was a well-known Puritan preacher and author. He is most famous for his allegorical work “The Pilgrim's Progress”, a story of the Christian pilgrimage toward salvation and widely considered one of the most important works of religious English literature. “The Pilgrim’s Progress” was published in 1678, but was written several years earlier during Bunyan’s time in prison from 1660 to 1672, when he was sentenced to twelve years for holding unlicensed church services outside of the established Church of England. During his imprisonment, Bunyan also completed “Grace Abounding to the Chief of Sinners”, an autobiography recounting the story of his own conversion from a life of sin and impiety to one of virtue and spiritual regeneration. “Grace Abounding to the Chief of Sinners” was published in 1666 and illustrates the tenets of Puritanism through what Bunyan saw as God’s saving grace in his own life. He reflects on his sinful youth and how faith led him away from an impious adulthood. Those who read this work are comforted by Bunyan’s honest admission to feelings of despair and doubt; even today, many people can identify with his struggles, and find inspiration in his faith and religious conviction. This edition includes a biographical afterword.