John Bunyan (1628–1688), author of The Pilgrim’s Progress and one of England’s greatest Puritan preachers, here expounds Ephesians 3:18–19 in a sermon that is among the richest meditations ever written on the love of Christ. Originally titled The Saints’ Knowledge of Christ’s Love, All Loves Excelling explores Paul’s prayer that believers “may be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; and to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge.”

Worthy to be ranked alongside the works of Richard Sibbes and other masters of devotional theology, Bunyan’s treatise deals with a subject too often neglected: the believer’s experiential knowledge of the Redeemer’s love. Drawing upon over 400 Scripture references, he shows that to know Christ’s love is not only the message of the Bible, but also the very essence of heaven itself—something to be tasted and expressed even in this life. Those who grasp it, he says, are “rich beyond measure,” and their lives “sweeten the churches and bring glory to God and to religion.”

This new edition, prepared from the second volume of Bunyan’s Works (George Offor edition, 1991), remains largely unaltered from the author’s own manuscript. The arrangement into chapters follows Bunyan’s original structure, with only slight editorial adjustments for clarity. A detailed analysis of the treatise appears in an appendix, providing readers with a guide to Bunyan’s thoughtful progression through the text.

All Loves Excelling is divided into four main parts. In “Describing the Inexpressible,” Bunyan explores the immeasurable dimensions of Christ’s love—its breadth, length, depth, and height. In “Desiring the Incomparable,” he leads believers in prayerful longing to comprehend that love. “Obtaining the Unsurpassable” unfolds its nature as free, divine, everlasting, and yet mysteriously beyond full comprehension. Finally, in “Uses and Counsels,” Bunyan applies the truth pastorally, urging both believers and unbelievers to see the greatness of God’s goodwill in Christ and to respond in faith and devotion.

The foreword rightly observes that this subject is “greatly needed today.” In an age where some emphasize spiritual experience apart from the glory of Christ, and others focus on doctrine to the neglect of heartfelt devotion, Bunyan’s sermon speaks powerfully to both extremes. He combines profound theology with living piety, showing that genuine spiritual knowledge is always both doctrinal and experiential, rooted in the transforming awareness of Christ’s personal love.

All Loves Excelling is one of Bunyan’s most moving and Christ-centered works—a luminous call to seek and savor the love that surpasses knowledge. Its pages direct the believer’s heart heavenward, to that “so heavenly, so goodly, so sweet, and so comfortable a thing” that alone can satisfy the soul forever.