…to be a pilgrim The life of John Bunyan 1628 - 1688
1. "Who would true valour see, Let him come hither; One here will constant be, Come wind, come weather; There's no discouragement Shall make him once relent His first avowed intent To be a pilgrim. 2. Whoso beset him round 3. Hobgoblin nor foul fiend With dismal stories, Can daunt his spirit; Do but themselves confound; He knows he at the end His strength the more is. Shall life inherit. No lion can him fright, Then fancies fly away, He'll with a giant fight, He’ll fear not what men say; But he will have a right He'll labour night and day To be a pilgrim. To be a pilgrim."
Hebrews 11 v 8 - 16 By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to the place which he would receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going. 9 By faith he dwelt in the land of promise as in a foreign country, dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise; 10 for he waited for the city which has foundations, whose builder and maker is God. 11 By faith Sarah herself also received strength to conceive seed, and she bore a child when she was past the age, because she judged Him faithful who had promised. 12 Therefore from one man, and him as good as dead, were born as many as the stars of the sky in multitude — innumerable as the sand which is by the seashore. 13 These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off were assured of them, embraced them and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth. 14 For those who say such things declare plainly that they seek a homeland. 15 And truly if they had called to mind that country from which they had come out, they would have had opportunity to return. 16 But now they desire a better, that is, a heavenly country. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for He has prepared a city for them.
…to be a pilgrim The life of John Bunyan 1628 - 1688
As I walked through the wilderness of this world, I lighted on a certain place where there was a Den, and I laid me down in that place to sleep and as I slept I dreamed a dream.
The Pilgrim’s Progress First published and seen in print on 18 th February 1678 and has never been out of print since!
"Who would true valour see, Let him come hither; One here will constant be, Come wind, come weather; There's no discouragement Shall make him once relent His first avowed intent To be a pilgrim.“ The story of “Pilgrim” is graphically & engagingly told…
Rudyard Kipling called Bunyan, “One of the great creative minds of the 17 th century”.
John Owen said of Bunyan “If I could preach as that man preaches, I would give up all my learning.”
C H Spurgeon “…prick Bunyan anywhere, out would run the Bible – he oozes Scripture.”
Bunyan’s birthplace
“From a child I had but few equals for cursing and swearing and blaspheming the holy name of God.”
Learning from Bunyan today: His honesty with God & with himself “In this my relation of the merciful working of God upon my soul, it will not be amiss if in the first place I do, in a few words, give you a hint of my pedigree and manner of bringing up; that thereby the goodness and bounty of God towards me may be the more advanced and magnified…” – the opening words of “Grace Abounding to the Chief of Sinners” by John Bunyan
Thomas Fairfax Newport Pagnell
Roundheads Cavaliers
King Charles I 1625 – 1649
Oliver Cromwell Commonwealth 1649 – 1653 Protectorate 1653 – 1658
Charles I and Queen Henrietta
Archbishop William Laud
“Puritans” typified by the “Pilgrim Fathers” who left England for North America in Sept 1620
Charles I raising his standard at Nottingham 22 nd August 1642
Supporters of Charles I were caricatured by the term “Cavaliers” • Often flamboyant, landowners & wealthy • Supporters of the established Church of England, its formality & its Prayer Book.
Supporters of Parliament and Oliver Cromwell were caricatured by the term “Roundheads” • Plain men - many who were godly Christians • Dissenters - who looked for freedom of worship outside of the Church of England • Who opposed the increasing influence of Roman Catholic doctrine & practices within the church.
A Souldier must not doe wickedly A Souldier must be valiant for God's cause A Souldier must consider that sometimes God's people have the worst in battel as well as God's enemies.
“I, with others were drawn out to go to such a place to besiege it; but when I was just ready to go, one of the company desired to go in my room to which, when I consented, he took my place; and coming to the siege, as he stood sentinel, he was shot into the head with a musket bullet, and he died.”
Nothing remains of “…had not so the house where much as a dish Bunyan and is or a spoon family lived in Elstow village between after he returned them” from the army
Mary owned two books “…though they did not reach my heart to awaken it about my sad and sinful state, yet they did beget within me some desires after religion, so that, because I knew no better, I fell in very eagerly with the religion of the times, to wit, to go to church twice a day… and there should very devoutly both say and sing as others did, yet retaining my wicked life.”
Elstow Church, Bell Tower & village green
“Wilt thou have thy sins and go to hell or wilt thou leave thy sins and come to heaven?”
“No man in England could please God better than I, poor wretch as I was. I was all this while ignorant of Jesus Christ, going about to establish my own righteousness, and had perished therein had not God in mercy shewed me more of my state by nature”.
“…a brisk talker in the matters of religion”
“ Their talk was about a new birth, the work of God in their hearts, and also how they were convinced of their miserable state by nature, they talked of how God had visited their souls with His love in the Lord Jesus…”
“ They spoke as if joy did make them speak…”
“… on the sunny side of a mountain refreshing themselves with the pleasant beams of the sun” “…shivering and shrinking in the cold, afflicted with frost, snow and dark clouds.”
St John’s Church - Bedford
Through Gifford’s help and encouragement and through a greater understanding of the relationship of law and of grace in Luther’s commentary, eventually the light came. Bunyan stepped out of the darkness of his sin into the glorious light of the gospel of Jesus Christ.
“His burden loosed from off his shoulders and fell from off his back, and it began to tumble, and so continued to do, till it came to the mouth of the sepulchre, where it fell in, and I saw it no more”.
Learning from Bunyan today: The varied timescale of conversion “It would seem that in the case of Bunyan’s pilgrim, as in his own, this present experience represents not conversion itself, but an assurance of his acceptance by God and a seal of the forgiveness of his sins.” Faith Cook
Learning from Bunyan today: Large-heartedness “Nothing that the younger John could tell the older John could shock or dismay him.” Faith Cook – writing about John Gifford & his care for John Bunyan
“I preached that I felt, that I smartingly did feel.” “I went myself in chains to preach to those in chains.”
Learning from Bunyan today: Bunyan’s view of preaching & the preacher (in the House of the Interpreter in Piligrim’s Progress) Christian saw the picture of a very grave person hang up against the wall; and this was the fashion of it: It had eyes lifted up to Heaven, the best of Books in his hand, the Law of Truth was written upon his lips, the World was behind his back; it stood as if pleading with men, and a Crown of Gold did hang over its head.
King Charles II landing at Dover
“If I am freed today, I will preach tomorrow!”
“It was as if one was plucking the skin from off my bones while I was still alive.”
Learning from Bunyan today: Readiness to suffer for the sake of conscience He confessed that he felt like " a man pulling down his house upon the head of his wife and children” and yet he could see no alternative Faith Cook quoting John Bunyan
“The Clarendon Code” Included: 1662 The Act of Uniformity 1664 The Conventicle Act 1665 The Five Mile Act
Geneva Bible
Pilgrim’s Progress The Holy War Grace Abounding
A classic “wicket gate” has been preserved in Elstow Church
Scenes from Pilgrims Progress
Vanity Fair
Learning from Bunyan today: The “pilgrim” emphasis to the Christian life “I beheld then that they all went on till they came to the foot of the Hill Difficulty… the narrow way lay right up the hill…” John Bunyan – Pilgrim’s Progress
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