The Holy War, Made by King Shaddai Upon Diabolus, for the Regaining of the by John Bunyan

“In working out the details of ‘The Holy War’ Bunyan seems to have kept in mind his own experience. The fortifications of the city, the movements of the opposing forces, the changes in the municipal offices of Mansoul were reproductions of scenes and events that had but recently gone on under Bunyan’s eyes. He adapted them with extraordinary success to the presentation both of the doctrines of grace and of the temptations which attend the Christian life. The characters and the incidents are, in effect, the characters and incidents of every age. It is this which gives to the story of Mansoul its undying freshness, and suits it to the needs of men in all climes. ‘The Holy War’ has been translated into many languages, including some of those with the scantiest of literature. Indeed, as this edition is being prepared for the press, assistance is being rendered by the Religious Tract Society in the printing of ‘The Holy War’ in Kongo.” -Preface by A. R. BUCKLAND