Hello and welcome to the Discourse. John Bunyan was an English writer and Puritan preacher who suffered imprisonment after the restoration of the monarch Charles II for 12 years. During his period of imprisonment, he wrote some nine works which included some of his finest literary works including Grace Abounding to the Chief of Sinners and began writing his magnum opus The Pilgrim’s Progress. Bunyan took birth in the Parish of Elstow, Bedford in 1628 and he died on 31st August 1688. His father was a tinker from whom Bunyan also learned the art of tinkering and mending utensils. He began his professional career as a tinker and used to visit different towns searching for jobs mending utensils and other homely appliances. Initially, Bunyan was not a religious person. In 1644, he was enlisted as a soldier in the Parliamentary army. He mentioned some incidences of this period in his work Grace Abounding to the Chief of Sinners. Bunyan left the army in 1647 and he got married sometime during 1649. His wife was a pious woman who had a strong influence on John Bunyan. Gradually, he turned towards religion. Bunyan mentioned in Grace Abounding: "So that until I came to the state of Marriage, I was the very ringleader of all the Youth that kept me company, in all manner of vice and ungodliness". One day, Bunyan had a vision in which he heard a voice from Heaven asking him "Wilt thou leave thy sins, and go to Heaven? Or have thy sins, and go to Hell?" That incident completely changed Bunyan and he strived to become a pious man of God. He then became an active member of the parish church of Elstow and soon began teaching as a preacher. In 1656, Bunyan published his first book titled Gospel Truths Opened in which he highlighted the dispute between Ranters and Quackers. Those were the time of religious tolerance but soon Charles II was restored to the throne of England and he had some reservations against Puritans and Non-Anglicans. The King issued an ordinance according to which no one could preach in any church unless he has got a license as a preacher. John Bunyan had no license and he refused to apply for a license. As he continued to preach, an arrest warrant was issued against him. He could have avoided jail term by restraining from preaching but he chose not to succumb to the pressure and ultimately he was arrested and sentenced to 12 years in jail.
John Bunyan was in jail when he published Grace Abounding in 1666. The full title of this work was Grace Abounding to the Chief of Sinners, or a Brief Relation of the Exceeding Mercy of God in Christ to His Poor Servant John Bunyan. In this work, Bunyan expressed that despite him being involved in all sorts of sins, God showed mercy on him, forgave him, and offered chances to mend his ways. Obviously, he was mentioning the time before his vision and first marriage when he used to be irreligious. Grace Abounding to the Chief of Sinners is a spiritual autobiography of John Bunyan. He mentioned many memories and anecdotes of his life t suggest how God showered mercy on him. In this book, he also mentioned how during his army days, when once he was about to go to besiege a place from the enemies, one of his fellow soldiers demanded him to let him go to which he agreed. However, when his fellow soldier reached there, he was shot dead. Bunyan suggests that despite him being a sinner at that time, God saved him for better purposes. The title of this autobiography of John Bunyan contains allusions to two Biblical passages. 'Grace Abounding' is a reference to the Epistle to the Romans 5:20, which states 'Where sin abounded, grace did much more abound' and 'Chief of Sinners' refers to the First Epistle to Timothy 1:15, where Paul refers to himself by the same appellation.
The Life and Death of Mr. Badman
'The Life and Death of Mr. Badman' was again a religious allegory by John Bunyan which was published in the year 1680 as a companion book to his previously published book The Pilgrim’s Progress. It is a religious dialogue between two people Mr. Wiseman and Mr. Attentive about a dead man named Mr. Badman. The Courteous Reader is also addressed within the book by the author assumed to be a probable sinner. The author asks the courteous reader seriously to consider Mr. Badman's life and to decide whether or not he is following him on the road to destruction.
Mr. Wiseman is the author’s narrator who tells to Mr. Attentive the story of the late Mr. Badman's evil life. Each sinful episode related by Mr. Wiseman brings forth from him or his listener a kind of sermon or the recitation of a series of edifying examples designed to prove the author's point to his readers. Mr. Attentive, the listener to, and commentator on, Mr. Wiseman's account of Mr. Badman's wicked career.
Mr. Badman is a sinner. He is lately dead and the subject of a dialogue that makes up this story. The very epitome of evil, Mr. Badman is used, in a conversation between Mr. Wiseman and Mr. Attentive, as a model of what happens to the unrepentant sinner as he makes his heedless way through life. His evil-doing begins while he is yet a child; one sin begets another until the sinner's corruption is complete. The author expects his reader to rejoice in the punishment Mr. Badman so richly deserves. Mr. Wiseman says, “As his life was full of sin, so his death was without repentance.” Throughout a long sickness, Badman fails to acknowledge his sins, remaining firm in his self-satisfaction. He dies without struggle, “like a chrisom child, quietly and without fear.” However, Mr. Badman did not earn the four themes that the funeral of any great man should get. First is that there is no wrought image of Mr. Badman that may serve as a memorial. Second, Mr. Badman died without honor and didn’t get any badge or accolade. Third, Mr. Badman didn’t deserve a sermon and forth, no one will mourn and lament his death. After that, Mr. Wiseman describes the sort of Hell awaiting Mr. Badman, citing Scripture.
John Bunyan’s The Holy War
In 1682, John Bunyan published a novel titled The Holy War. The full title of the novel was The Holy War Made by King Shaddai Upon Diabolus, to Regain the Metropolis of the World, Or, The Losing and Taking Again of the Town of Mansoul. It is an allegorical novel that tells the story of a town named Mansoul (Man’s Soul). The ruler of this town is King Shaddai. The town is perfect and reflects the image of King Shaddai. However, a deceiver deceives the people of the town and makes people rebel and throw off King Shaddai’s gracious rule, replacing it instead with the rule of Diabolus, the deceiver. Under the influence of Diabolus, Mansoul rejects the Kingship of Shaddai but King Shaddai sends his son Emanuel to reclaim the town.
It is an allegorical novel that retells the Biblical story of the fall, conversion, fellowship with Emmanuel, and many more intricate doctrines. El Shaddai is one of the Judai names of Almighty God whereas, Emmanuel literary means God is with us and refers to Christ in Isaiah 7: 14.
King Shaddai’s town Mansoul had three distinguished men holding authority named “Understanding”, “Conscience”, and “Lord WillbeWill.” All these three are corrupted by Diabolous which refers to Satan. The three give entry to Diabolus in town and help him in throwing out the King. As a result, “Understanding” the mayor of the town loses his eyes, Conscience” the recorder of the town loses his mind and becomes a madman. Lord WillbeWill becomes a pawn of Diabolus and is forced to serve him. As a result, the townspeople can't return to sanity and accept the rule of King Shaddai again by their own will. While King Al Shadai is sad over the situation, his son Emmanuel decides to take the town Mansoul back from the grip of Diabolus. Diabolus has his own cohort. Ill-Pause is his servant who slays Lord Innocence. Incredulity is a friend of Diabolous who leads his army against Mansoul against Emmanuel. He is one of the two mayors of Mansoul under the rule of Diabolus. Lusting is the other mayor and friend of Diabolus. Forget Good is another confidante of Diabolous who is appointed as the new recorder of Mansoul after Conscience goes mad under his rule.
Meanwhile, Mansoul suffers mismanagement. The mayor Understanding cannot see light and hence cannot differentiate between right and wrong. The recorded Conscience has gone mad and Lord WillbeWill is a forced servant of Diaobolous. The only way of rescue and restoration is through the victory of Emmanuel over Diabolus. Boanerges, Conviction, Judgement, Execution, Credence, Good-Hope, Charity, Innocence, and Patience are the nine Captains leading the army of Shaddai against Diabolus. Eventually, Emmanuel wins over Diabolus and The Secretary, who is equal to King Shaddai, and Emmanuel is given the charge of Mansoul after victory of Emmanuel. However, another Diabolian Carnal-Security causes Mansoul to break fellowship with Emmanuel again after He had so graciously saved the city. As we can see, this novel by John Bunyan is heavily based on Christian theology.
So this is it for today. We will continue to discuss the History of English Literature and in the next video, we will discuss John Bunyan’s magnum opus The Pilgrim’s Progress in detail. Please stay connected with the Discourse. Thanks and Regards.
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