The Life of John Bunyan [25]
that whatsoever man do make
a religion out of, having no warrant for it in Scripture, is but
walking after their own lusts, and not after the Spirit of God."
Burrough had most unwarrantably stigmatized Bunyan as one of "the
false prophets, who love the wages of unrighteousness, and through
covetousness make merchandise of souls." Bunyan calmly replies,
"Friend, dost thou speak this as from thy own knowledge, or did any
other tell thee so? However that spirit that led thee out this way
is a lying spirit. For though I be poor and of no repute in the
world as to outward things, yet through grace I have learned by the
example of the Apostle to preach the truth, and also to work with
my hands both for mine own living, and for those that are with me,
when I have opportunity. And I trust that the Lord Jesus who bath
helped me to reject the wages of unrighteousness hitherto, will
also help me still so that I shall distribute that which God hath
given me freely, and not for filthy lucre's sake." The
fruitfulness of his ministry which Burrough had called in question,
charging him with having "run before he was sent," he refuses to
discuss. Bunyan says, "I shall leave it to be taken notice of by
the people of God and the country where I dwell, who will testify
the contrary for me, setting aside the carnal ministry with their
retinue who are so mad against me as thyself."
In his third book, published in 1658, at "the King's Head, in the
Old Bailey," a few days before Oliver Cromwell's death, Bunyan left
the thorny domain of polemics, for that of Christian exhortation,
in which his chief work was to be done. This work was an
exposition of the parable of "the Rich Man and Lazarus," bearing
the horror-striking title, "A Few Sighs from Hell, or the Groans of
a Damned Soul." In this work, as its title would suggest, Bunyan,
accepting the literal accuracy of the parable as a description of
the realities of the world beyond the grave, gives full scope to
his vivid imagination in portraying the condition of the lost. It
contains some touches of racy humour, especially in the similes,
and is written in the nervous homespun English of which he was
master. Its popularity is shown by its having gone through nine
editions in the author's lifetime. To take an example or two of
its style: dealing with the excuses people make for not hearing
the Gospel, "O, saith one, I dare not for my master, my brother, my
landlord; I shall lose his favour, his house of work, and so decay
my calling. O, saith another, I would willingly go in this way but
for my father; he chides me and tells me he will not stand my
friend when I come to want; I shall never enjoy a pennyworth of his
goods; he will disinherit me - And I dare not, saith another, for
my husband, for he will be a-railing, and tells me he will turn me
out of doors, he will beat me and cut off my legs;" and then
turning from the hindered to the hinderers: "Oh, what red lines
will there be against all those rich ungodly landlords that so keep
under their poor tenants that they dare not go out to hear the word
for fear that their rent should be raised or they turned out of
their houses. Think on this, you drunken proud rich, and scornful
landlords; think on this, you madbrained blasphemous husbands, that
are against the godly and chaste conversation of your wives; also
you that hold your servants so hard to it that you will not spare
them time to hear the Word, unless it will be where and when your
lusts will let you." He bids the ungodly consider that "the
profits, pleasures, and vanities of the world" will one day "give
thee the slip, and leave thee in the sands and the brambles of all
that thou hast done." The careless man lies "like the smith's dog
at the foot of the anvil, though the fire sparks flee in his face."
The rich man remembers how he once despised Lazarus, "scrubbed
beggarly Lazarus. What, shall
a religion out of, having no warrant for it in Scripture, is but
walking after their own lusts, and not after the Spirit of God."
Burrough had most unwarrantably stigmatized Bunyan as one of "the
false prophets, who love the wages of unrighteousness, and through
covetousness make merchandise of souls." Bunyan calmly replies,
"Friend, dost thou speak this as from thy own knowledge, or did any
other tell thee so? However that spirit that led thee out this way
is a lying spirit. For though I be poor and of no repute in the
world as to outward things, yet through grace I have learned by the
example of the Apostle to preach the truth, and also to work with
my hands both for mine own living, and for those that are with me,
when I have opportunity. And I trust that the Lord Jesus who bath
helped me to reject the wages of unrighteousness hitherto, will
also help me still so that I shall distribute that which God hath
given me freely, and not for filthy lucre's sake." The
fruitfulness of his ministry which Burrough had called in question,
charging him with having "run before he was sent," he refuses to
discuss. Bunyan says, "I shall leave it to be taken notice of by
the people of God and the country where I dwell, who will testify
the contrary for me, setting aside the carnal ministry with their
retinue who are so mad against me as thyself."
In his third book, published in 1658, at "the King's Head, in the
Old Bailey," a few days before Oliver Cromwell's death, Bunyan left
the thorny domain of polemics, for that of Christian exhortation,
in which his chief work was to be done. This work was an
exposition of the parable of "the Rich Man and Lazarus," bearing
the horror-striking title, "A Few Sighs from Hell, or the Groans of
a Damned Soul." In this work, as its title would suggest, Bunyan,
accepting the literal accuracy of the parable as a description of
the realities of the world beyond the grave, gives full scope to
his vivid imagination in portraying the condition of the lost. It
contains some touches of racy humour, especially in the similes,
and is written in the nervous homespun English of which he was
master. Its popularity is shown by its having gone through nine
editions in the author's lifetime. To take an example or two of
its style: dealing with the excuses people make for not hearing
the Gospel, "O, saith one, I dare not for my master, my brother, my
landlord; I shall lose his favour, his house of work, and so decay
my calling. O, saith another, I would willingly go in this way but
for my father; he chides me and tells me he will not stand my
friend when I come to want; I shall never enjoy a pennyworth of his
goods; he will disinherit me - And I dare not, saith another, for
my husband, for he will be a-railing, and tells me he will turn me
out of doors, he will beat me and cut off my legs;" and then
turning from the hindered to the hinderers: "Oh, what red lines
will there be against all those rich ungodly landlords that so keep
under their poor tenants that they dare not go out to hear the word
for fear that their rent should be raised or they turned out of
their houses. Think on this, you drunken proud rich, and scornful
landlords; think on this, you madbrained blasphemous husbands, that
are against the godly and chaste conversation of your wives; also
you that hold your servants so hard to it that you will not spare
them time to hear the Word, unless it will be where and when your
lusts will let you." He bids the ungodly consider that "the
profits, pleasures, and vanities of the world" will one day "give
thee the slip, and leave thee in the sands and the brambles of all
that thou hast done." The careless man lies "like the smith's dog
at the foot of the anvil, though the fire sparks flee in his face."
The rich man remembers how he once despised Lazarus, "scrubbed
beggarly Lazarus. What, shall