Gifted Tinker
And some said, Let them live; some, Let them die. Some said, John, print it; others said, Not so. Some said, It might do good; others said, No.
John Bunyan, Pilgrim’s Progress, “The Author’s Apology for His Book”
The most famous and influential book in English is the Bible; the second is John Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s Progress. The book was first released in 1676 and became so popular that nearly every house in his country had a copy. Wherever there was a Bible, it seemed, there was a copy of Pilgrim’s Progress. Not bad for a tinker turned preacher, a convict turned author.
Penniless
John Bunyan was born in November 1628 to a tinker’s family. A tinker traveled from house to house fixing metal pots for a living. Thomas and Margaret Bunyan of Elstow, Bedfordshire, England, eked out a living this way for themselves and their children. As was done in those days, the son followed in the father’s footsteps and Bunyan became an itinerate tinker, plying his trade the same way his father had, traveling from place to place fixing pots and pans for those who could not afford new ones.
During the English Civil War, he served in the parliamentary army before returning and taking up his father’s trade. Around the age of twenty, he married a woman as poor as he. She was an orphan with a dowry of just two books: Plain Man’s Pathway to Heaven by Arthur Dent and Lewis Bayly’s Practice of Piety, both Christian books. These books would play a role in his spiritual formation.
The name of his wife is lost to us. We do know he had a blind daughter named Mary. Some speculate she might have shared the name with her mother.
Bunyan was not a practicing Christian. In fact, he considered himself a great sinner, prone to swearing and disreputable behavior. His wife tried to reform him but had little luck. Yet a spark of spirituality burned within him.
Two Books + Three Poor Women + One Pastor = Conversion
Bunyan behaved well enough to be considered a fine Christian by his neighbors, but he knew better. “For though as yet I was nothing but a poor painted hypocrite, yet I loved to be talked of as one that was truly godly.”1
The books that came as part of his wife’s meager dowry had raised an interest in spiritual matters, but had still not instigated true change in him. But in his early twenties, Bunyan began attending a church in Bedford. The church was an independent congregation. There he encountered a pastor who taught the Bible with intensity, and soon Bunyan was poring over the Holy Book.
Bunyan admitted that he was trying to work out his own righteousness but failing. He was acquiring head knowledge but had yet to connect to Christ in a personal way. While plying his tinker’s trade in Bedford, he “came where there were three or four poor women sitting at a door, in the sun, talking about the things of God; and being now willing to hear their discourse, I drew near to hear what they said.”2 Bunyan had become someone who talked religion but did not understand faith. He listened to the impoverished women speak of God and faith and came to a moment of self-discovery. “They were far above [his understanding], out of reach. Their talk was about a new birth, the work of God in their hearts, as how they were convinced of their miserable state by nature. They talked how God had visited their souls with his love in the Lord Jesus.”3 He would spend more time with people like this, and gradually came to understand his soul’s need.
A third catalyst in Bunyan’s path to faith came from John Gifford, the minister of the church in Bedford who invited him to his home, where he spoke to others about faith. Bunyan accepted the invitation, and soon after joined the church. A rapid spiritual transformation began taking place. Within four years he was drawing large crowds to hear his preaching. Bunyan now had head and heart in the church.
Go to Church or Go to Jail
For two decades the Separatists—those churches that chose to be apart from the Church of England—worked with little fear, but that changed suddenly. Charles II came to the throne and allowed the Clarendon Code to be reenacted. The code was designed to keep anyone who was not in fellowship with the Anglican church from holding a political position. It also required adherence to the Anglican church. Nonconformists like Bunyan were forbidden to preach. Later, it became illegal for a Nonconformist minister to come within five miles of incorporated towns.
Those who did not comply with the code could be jailed. Bunyan chose the Bedford jail over submission to the code. It would be his home for twelve years. To be freed, all he had to do was promise to stop preaching. Bunyan couldn’t do it. He would sit in jail until “moss shall grow on mine eyebrows, rather than thus to violate my faith and principles.”4
His incarceration was not as brutal as some imagine. He was allowed visitors, he was allowed to go home from time to time, and on occasion he was even allowed to preach to crowds who gathered outside the prison. But these occasional liberties shouldn’t take away from the sacrifice Bunyan made. While his family could visit him, the separation was grueling. His incarceration made supporting his family nearly impossible and the family had to rely on the kindness of others. Making this all the more poignant was the fact that Bunyan had four children. Concern for his family tormented him, yet he remained true to his cause.
Turning a Jail Cell into an Office
Bunyan remained in jail for twelve years. During that time he wrote nine books. He was released for a time in 1666, but the authorities soon brought him back to his cell. From 1667–1672 he worked on Pilgrim’s Progress, the timeless classic that would make him a household name and cement his legacy. One of the greatest English classics was not written by some intellectual in a famous university but rather by a creative genius in a jail cell who had, at best, a grammar school education.
When not working on his writing, he served as prison chaplain to other inmates, made musical instruments from items in his cell, and wove shoelaces to help support his family.
The Declaration of Religious Indulgence, issued in 1672, eased the restrictions on non-Anglicans. Bunyan was freed and accepted the post as pastor of the Bedford church. Later, he was forced to return to prison again but this time the stay was much shorter—six months. After his second release, Pilgrim’s Progress went to press. The book became a bestseller, and crossed the lines of social class. In one year the book sold over one hundred thousand copies, and to date has never been out of print.
Pilgrim’s Progress
Pilgrim’s Progress is an allegory, a story that carries additional meaning or a lesson. Bunyan wrapped spiritual truths around his characters, the places they visit, and the people they meet. The protagonist is Christian, who represents “the everyman” on a journey from his City of Destruction (the world) to Celestial City (heaven). His journey is made difficult because of the great burden on his back. He seeks help along the way and receives it, but he also faces temptations and trials.
The story parallels Bunyan’s struggle with faith. His was not an instant conversion but one that went through several steps and involved interaction with others. Like Christian, he felt the burden of his sin and wanted to be released of it, and to be assured of entrance into a better world.
Anyone familiar with the gospel message and the basics of Christian belief will see the meaning behind the story. Bunyan makes no effort to hide the truth in some clever way. The names of the characters (Christian, Obstinate, Pliable, Companion, etc.) and the places they visit (Vanity Fair, House Beautiful, Wicket Gate, etc.) are easy to recognize as illustrations of biblical concepts.
Fame and Faith
Pilgrim’s Progress made Bunyan famous. Although none of his other books rose to similar acclaim, each was still well-received on its own merit. Despite the change in his fortunes, Bunyan remained on the job as a pastor. He had spent twelve years in prison because he refused to give up his calling to preach, and he had no desire to surrender it now that he was free.
Bunyan may have been slow to come to faith, but once he arrived he never left. He remained the pastor he had become, forged from his own pilgrim’s journey. Out of his hardships came a book that opened many eyes to the challenges and benefits of the spiritual journey.
His commitment to service may have cost him his life. In August of 1688, the fifty-nine-year-old Bunyan—now nicknamed “Bishop Bunyan”—rode through a summer rainstorm in hopes of healing a rift between a father and son. He became ill soon after and died.
Pilgrim’s Progress has withstood changes in language, cultures, technology, social shifts, and more to become one of the most revered religious books written for the average person. It still touches lives today. Bunyan showed by deed and word how deep a commitment a person can make to his or her calling.