You might know I developed a passion for reading John Bunyan’s work a few years ago. Actual, forming a small reading group of men, reading out loud Bunyan’s Pilgrims Progress….and several other shorter works.
Acacia John Bunyan
Includes John Bunyan’s sermons, allegories, and poetry.
And for those of you anticipating seeing the movie “Heaven is Real”, which I don’t actually recommend, I would point you back to just reading and mediating on the Bible, and perhaps pulling out an old copy of The Pilgrim’s Progress.
Vision of Heaven.
The place of Bunyan’s confinement has been described as a “dark, dank, dreary dungeon,” but despite his discomfort he set about finishing the book he was writing when he was arrested. It was entitled, Instruction for the Ignorant and within a short time he also wrote, Saved By Graceand The Strait Gate (1676). and begun to work on The Pilgrim’s Progress. He had contemplated writing an account of a Christian’s experiences through life in the form of a journey, but had never set about the task until one night in a dream he had a vision which stirred him so deeply that he felt compelled to write. He related to his wife, “I have had a vision of Heaven…and of Hell too!…I have lived my whole life over in a single night, I passed through this sin-stained world, and I crossed the bridgeless river…I saw in my dream those that had raiment that shone like gold. They had harps and crowns too. Then I heard that all the bells in the City rang for joy! The City shone like the sun and the streets were paved with gold. When I had seen, I wished myself among them! Then I saw too a way to Hell even from the gates of Heaven, as well as from this sin besmirched earth of ours.” The narrative was clearly based very closely on Bunyan’s own spiritual experience and it reveals a profound knowledge of the Bible. As he completed his story of Christian’s journey to the Celestial City, his friends worked for his release which was secured in 1677, and soon after the first part of The Pilgrim’s Progress was printed.
Many recognised the importance of the book even before it was published, including Dr. John Owen, the great Puritan theologian who claimed he would, “willingly exchange all my learning for the tinker’s power of touching men’s hearts.” Yet Bunyan still threw himself into the work of preaching and writing with renewed energy. He accepted invitations to preach at chapels and churches over a wide area, and large crowds gathered to hear him particularly in London. Similarly his output of books was maintained with, The Life and Death of Mr. Badman(1680), The Holy War (1682) and the Second part of The Pilgrim’s Progress (1684) as he wielded his pen for the sake of the gospel.
Rainbow Trout 