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(Bunyan died 31 August 1688, but is remembered
a day early, to make room for Aidan.)
John Bunyan was born in 1628 near Bedford (52:08 N 0:29 W), in the agricultural
midlands
of England. He was the son of a tinker (a maker
and mender of metal pots). He had little schooling. During the
English
Civil War, he served in the Parliamentary Army. He underwent a period
of acute spiritual anxiety, and finally found peace in a Baptist
congregation. He became a lay preacher, while earning his living
as a tinker.
After the Restoration in 1660, Bunyan (under suspicion
for having fought on the anti-Anglican side) was ordered to preach
no more, and, since he refused to desist, he was several times
sentenced to jail, where he spent his time studying, preaching
to his fellow prisoners, and writing. His first substantial work
was an autobiography, Grace Abounding to the Chief of Sinners.
This was followed by other works, of which by far the most read
and most loved is The Pilgrim's Progress from This World to
That Which is to Come, usually called Pilgrim's Progress. The work recounts
in allegorical form the experience of a person (called Christian),
from his his first awareness of his sinfulness and spiritual
need, to his personal conversion to Christ, to his walk as a
believer. He is shown as a pilgrim in this world on his way to
the "Celestial City," which will be his true home forever.
The work was an immediate sensation, and its
popularity endured. For a century and more thereafter, there
were many English-speaking Christians who were thoroughly familiar
with only two books, The Bible and Pilgrim's Progess.
(Those who have read the book or seen the movie Little Women, portraying the life of
an American family in the 1860's, will remember that the book
was a family favorite.)
Three extracts follow:
The Pilgrim's Progress in the Similitude
of a Dream
As I walked through the wilderness
of this world, I lighted on a certain place where was a Den,
and I laid me down in that place to sleep: and, as I slept, I
dreamed a dream. I dreamed, and behold, I saw a man clothed with
rags, standing in a certain place, with his face from his own
house, a book in his hand, and a great burden upon his back.
I looked, and saw him open the book, and read therein; and, as
he read, he wept, and trembled; and, not being able longer to
contain, he brake out with a lamentable cry, saying, What shall
I do?
In this plight, therefore, he went
home and refrained himself as long as he could, that his wife
and children should not perceive his distress; but he could not
be silent long, because that his trouble increased. Wherefore
at length he brake his mind to his wife and children; and thus
he began to talk to them: O my dear wife, said he, and you the
children of my bowels, I, your dear friend, am in my self undone
by reason of a burden that lieth hard upon me; moreover, I am
for certain informed that this our city will be burned with fire
from heaven; in which fearful overthrow, both myself, with thee
my wife, and you my sweet babes, shall miserably come to ruin,
except (the which yet I see not) some way of escape can be found,
whereby we may be delivered. At this his relations were sore
amazed; not for that they believed that what he had said to them
was true, but because they thought that some frenzy distemper
had got into his head; therefore, it drawing towards night, and
they hoping that sleep might settle his brains, with all haste
they got him to bed. But the night was as troublesome to him
as the day; wherefore, instead of sleeping, he spent it in sighs
and tears. So, when the morning was come, they would know how
he did. He told them, Worse and worse: he also set to talking
to them again; but they began to be hardened. They also sought
to drive away his distemper by harsh and surly carriages to him;
sometimes they would deride, sometimes they would chide, and
sometimes they would quite neglect him. Wherefore he began to
retire himself to his chamber, to pray for and pity them, and
also to condole his own misery; he would also walk solitarily
in the fields, sometimes reading, and sometimes praying: and
thus for some days he spent his time.
Now, I saw, upon a time, when he was
walking in the fields, that he was, as he was wont, reading in
his book, and greatly distressed in his mind; and, as he read,
he burst out, as he had done before, crying, What shall I do
to be saved?
I saw also that he looked this way
and that way, as if he would run; yet he stood still, because,
as I perceived, he could not tell which way to go. I looked then,
and saw a man named Evangelist coming to him, who asked, Wherefore
dost thou cry? He answered, Sir, I perceive by the book in my
hand, at I am condemned to die, and after that to come to judgment;
and I find that I am not willing to do the first, nor able to
do the second.
Then said Evangelist, Why not willing
to die, since this life is attended with so many evils? The man
answered, Because I fear that this burden that is upon my back
will sink me lower than the grave, and I shall fall into Tophet.
And, Sir, if I be not fit to go to prison, I am not fit, I am
sure, to go to judgment, and from thence to execution; and the
thoughts of these things make me cry.
Then said Evangelist, If this be thy
condition, why standest thou still? He answered, Because I know
not whither to go. Then he gave him a parchment roll, and there
was written within, Flee from the wrath to come.
Now when he [Christian] was got up
to the top of the Hill, there came two men running up against
him amain; the name of the one was Timorous, and the name of
the other Mistrust. To whom Christian said, "Sirs, what's
the matter you run the wrong way?" Timorous answered that
they were going to the city of Sion, and had got up that difficult
place; "But," said he, "the further we go, the
more danger we meet with, wherefore we turned, and are going
back again."
"Yes," said Mistrust, 'for
just before us lie a couple of lions in the way, whether sleeping
or waking we know not and we could not think, if we came within
reach, but they would presently pull us in pieces."
Then said Christian, "You make
me afraid, but whither shall I fly to be safe? If I go back to
mine own country, that is prepared for fire and brimstone, and
I shall certainly perish there. If I can get to the Celestial
City, I am sure to be in safety there. I must venture: to go
back is nothing but death, to go forward is fear of death, and
life everlasting beyond it. I will yet go forward." So Mistrust
and Timorous ran down the Hill, and Christian went on his way.
Now I saw in my dream, that these
two men [Christian and Hopeful] went in at the Gate; and lo,
as these entered they were transfigured, and they had raiment
put on that shone like gold. There was also that met them, with
harps and crowns, and gave them to them, the harp to praise withal,
and the crowns in token of honour. Then I heard in my dream,
that all the bells in the City rang again for joy; and that it
was said unto them, "ENTER YE INTO THE JOY OF YOUR LORD."
I also heard the men themselves, that they sang with a loud voice,
saying, "BLESSING, HONOUR, GLORY, AND POWER, BE TO HIM THAT
SITTETH UPON THE THRONE AND TO THE LAMB FOR EVER AND EVER."
Now just as the Gates were opened
to let in the men, I looked in after them; and behold, the City
shone like the sun, the streets also were paved with gold, and
in them walked many men with crowns on their heads, palms in
their hands, and golden harps to sing praises withal.
There were also of them that had wings,
and they answered one another without intermission, saying, HOLY,
HOLY, HOLY, IS THE LORD. And after that, they shut up the Gates:
which when I had seen, I wished myself among them.
Prayer
Almighty God, who by your Holy Spirit give
to some the word of wisdom, to others the word of knowledge,
and to others the word of faith: We praise your name for the
gifts of grace displayed in your servant John Bunyan, and we
pray that by his teaching we may be led to a fuller knowledge
of the truth which you have revealed in your Son our Saviour
Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever.
written by James Kiefer
w-annotations and links by E. Barsabe
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Notes for this article:
Places:
Bedford
the midlands
England
People:
Baptists
References:
English
Civil War
Parliamentary
Army
The
Restoration
Grace Abounding to the Chief of Sinners
(Grace Abounding)
Pilgrim's Progress
Little Women
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