*34 It could rightly be said that Bedford's tinker is one of those 'of whom the world is not worthy'. like the apostle Paul, who recognized himself as 'the prisoner of the Lord' and not of the Roman government, John Bunyan, though bound with chains for preaching the truth of God, was in spirit free. like Paul also, Bunyan's writings have lived through the centuries and wherever the Bible has gone in hundreds of translations Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress has followed.
*35 ...one day while pursuing his trade as a tinker he observed '3 or 4 poor women sitting at a door in the sun talking about the things of God' and being now willing to hear about God he drew near to listen. 'their talk was about a New Birth, the work of God in their hearts...they talked how God had visited their souls with His love in the Lord Jesus... Bunyan did not understand what they meant, but was 'greatly affected with their words'.
he made repeated efforts at self reformation. he was admired by others for his ceasing to swear. he thought that the task of ringing the church bell would gain merit for him, but he found no inner change; rather, he became apprehensive that the church bell might fall on him. now that he was married and had learned to read he began to go through the Scriptures, but found no understanding of them. he received help from a Mr. Gifford, a godly pastor in that area, who undoubtedly is represented in Pilgrim's Progress as Evangelist.
B was puzzled about the doctrine of election and troubled by blasphemous thoughts. he was given to frequent depressions and was under sore temptation by the enemy of mankind to 'sell Christ!' finally, in despair of gaining Christ, he said, 'let Him go if He will!'
thereafter, the statement in Hebrews 12.17 regarding Esau filled him with dismay, for the Scriptures said: 'ye know how that afterward, when he would have inherited the blessing, he was rejected; for he found no place of repentance, though he sought it carefully with tears'.
*36 B would gain brief encouragement by remembering that Peter repented and was received back by the Savior; then the dreadful words about Esau would dash him to the ground. there was nothing on earth that he desired so much as assurance of forgiveness and salvation. but where could it be found?
John 6.37 - 'and him that cometh to me, I will in no wise cast out' - was the scriptural key that unlocked the bondage brought on by his blasphemy. it sweetly visited his soul and he said: 'Oh! the comfort that i found from this word, In No Wise! as if he had said, by no means, for nothing, whatever he hath done. but Satan would greatly labour to pull this promise from me by telling me that Christ did not mean me and such as i, but sinners of a lower rank, that had not done as I had done. but I would answer him again, 'satan, there is in these words no such exception: but Him That Cometh, Him, Any Him, Him That h To Me. I will in no wise cast out....' if ever Satan and I did strive for any word of God in all my life, it was for this good word of Christ; He at one end and I at the other. oh! what work we made! it was for this in John, I say, that we did so tug and strive; he pulled and I pulled; but, God be praised, I overcame him; I got sweetness from it'.
although at long length B had deep inner assurance of acceptance with God, he was still unsettled in his mind and deeply troubled by that Scripture about Esau. quietly and painstakingly the Spirit of god taught him that Esau despised the birthright and afterward was refused the blessing. thus he learned that 'the birthright signified regeneration and the blessing the eternal inheritance....' that those who despise regeneration will be denied heaven he understood correctly.
other Scripture also disturbed him such as Hebrews 10.26; 'for if we sin willfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins'. he learned, however, that his sin was not that open
*37 denial of the Savior and casting off His commandments and thereby he was comforted.
the crisis of the deeper life came to Bunyan one day as he was walking in the fields. 'suddenly, he said, this sentence fell upon my soul, Thy Righteousness Is In Heaven. and me thought, with awe, I saw, with the eyes of my soul, Jesus Christ at God's right hand; there, i say, was my righteousness, so that wherever i was, or whatever i was doing, god could not say of me, he wants my righteousness, for that was just before him. I also saw, moreover, that it was not my good frame of heart that made my righteousness better, nor yet my bad frame that made my righteousness worse; for my righteousness was Jesus Christ Himself, 'the same yesterday, today and forever'. hebrews 13.8
forcefully and with finality the Holy Spirit presented to B the reality of the risen Savior who 'is made unto us wisdom and righteousness and sanctification and redemption.' therefore with delight he could say:
'Now did my chains fall off my legs indeed I was loosed from my afflictions and irons; my temptations also fled away; so that from that time those dreadful scriptures of God left off to trouble me....
oh! me thought, Christ! Christ! there was nothing but Christ that was before my eyes. i was not now only for looking upon this and the other benefits of Christ apart, as of his blood, burial or resurrection, but considering him as a whole Christ, as He in whom all these and all other virtues, relations offices and operations met together and that he sat on the right hand of God in heaven it was glorious to me to see his exultation and the worth and prevalency of all His benefits....'
thus it was that B earned the wonderful reality of 'the life that is Christ'. Ephesians 5.30 became 'a sweet word' to him: 'for we are members of His body, of his flesh and of
*38 His bones'. he could say: 'further, the Lord did also lead me into the mystery of union with the Son of God...by this also was my faith in Him, as my righteousness, the more confirmed in me; for if He and I were one, then His righteousness was mine, His merits mine, his victory also mine. now i could see myself in heaven and earth at once; in heaven by my Christ, by my head, by me righteousness and life, though on earth by me body and person.
....and what were the results of Bunyan's being unchained from his doubts and fears? in his Grace Abounding to the Chief of Sinners, which ranks with Augustine's Confessions as among the best spiritual chronicles of that kind, he tells of many results. among them he list Grace that could keep him in deepest difficulties, Insight into the Scriptures, No Fear of death, and Assurance of his Lord's presence with him and a Fruitful Service for the Savior both in the pulpit and in the prison.
'I never saw such heights and depths in grace and love and mercy, he declared. 'I had 2 or 3 times at or about my deliverance from this temptation, such strange apprehensions of the grace of God, that i could hardly bear up under it and it was so out of measure amazing, when I thought it could reach me, that i do think if that sense of it had abode long upon me it would have made me incapable for business'.
whereas before he had been perplexed with unbelief, blasphemy and hardness of heart, he could say, 'now was God and Christ continually before my face....the glory of the holiness of God did at this time break me to pieces...'
he added, when facing a deep testing, 'As I was sitting by the fire I suddenly felt this word to sound in my heart: I Must Go To Jesus. at this my former darkness and atheism fled away,
*39 and the blessed things of heaven were set in my view...that night was a good night to me, I have had but few better; I long for the company of some of god's people, that i might imp0art unto them what God had showed me. Christ was a precious Christ to my soul that night; I could scarce lie in my bed for joy and peace and triumph, through Christ.
the fears that had beset him about death were banished and he could testify: 'I saw myself within the arms of grace and mercy and though I was before afraid to think of a dying hour, yet, now I cried, Let me die; now death was lovely and beautiful in my sight, for I saw we shall never live indeed until we be gone to the other world... God Himself is the portion of His saints. this i saw and wondered at, but cannot tell you what i saw'.
his neighbors and friends were aware of a great change in his life and urged him to preach the Word to them and to others. he was timid to do so but then was persuaded that God had given him the ministry of preaching and teaching. at first his message was altogether about sin and the Savior. '...the terrors of the law and guilt from my transgressions lay heavy on my conscience; i preached what i felt, what I smartingly did feel....indeed, I have been as one sent to them from the dead; I went myself in chains, to preached to them in chains and carried that fire in my own conscience that i persuaded them to be aware of'.
then his preaching took on more of an exaltation of 'Jesus Christ in all His offices, relations and benefits unto the world' then he began to teach 'the mystery of the union of Christ'. after 5 years of fruitful ministry, in which many found the Savior, he was imprisoned; but during those 2 terms in Bedford Jail he completed the immortal allegories of Pilgrim's Progress and The Holy War.
the Scriptures also were wonderful to me, he stated earnestly after he had learned the reality of union with the
*40 risen Savior ; 'I saw that the truth and verity of them were the keys of the kingdom of Heaven'. while in prison he could write: 'I never had in all my life so great an inlet into the Word of God as now: those Scriptures that i saw nothing in before are made in this place and state to shine before me; Jesus Christ also was never more real and apparent than now....
'I never knew what it was for God to stand by me at all times and every offer of satan to afflict me, as I have found him since i came in hither; for, lo! as fears have presented themselves, so have supports and encouragements; yea, when i have started even as it were at nothing else but my shadow, yet God, as being every tender of me. hath not suffered me to be molested, but would with one Scripture or another strengthen me against all; insomuch that i have often said, were it lawful I could pray for greater trouble for greater comfort.sake'....
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