The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1849-03-23
Sketch 0fJOhn Bunyan.
from Nacau.ey- History Of England

from Nacauieys History oF Eug.onl
To the names of Baxter and Howe, must
be added the name Of a man lar below them
in station aul in acquired knowledge, but
in virtue their equal, aud in genius their
Superior-John Bnnyan. Bunyan had been
bred ii tinker, aud had served as i private
soldier in the Parliamentary army. Erly
in his life he had been fearfully tortured by
rOmorSe for his youthful sins, the worst of
which seew, however. TO have been such as
the world thinks venial. His veen sen>ibli-
~ and his powerful ina .ination made his
internal conflicts slngularly terrible, lie
fanried that he was under sentence Of
reprobation. that he had committed blasphe-
my against the Holy Ghost, that he had sold
Christ, that he was actually possessed by n
demon. Sometimes loud voices from
Heaven cried ont TO warn tim. Sometimes
iiends whispered impious suggestions in his
ear. He saw visions Of distant mountain
tops, OF which the sun shone brightly, but
from which he was separated by a waste Of
snow.-Ile felt the devil behind him, pulling
hit clothes. lie thought that the brand OF
Cain had been set upon him. lIo feared
that he was about TO bust asunder. h< e
Judas. His mental agony dsordered his
health, One day be shook ike man in he,
palsy. On another day he felt fire within
his breast. II is difficult to understand how
he survived sufftrineS so intense and 50
long continued. Atlangth the clouds broke
From the depths of despair. the peniten'
passed 10 "A sintc Of serene felicity.
An irresistible impulse now urged him 10
impart to others tee blessings Of which he
vas himself possessed. lie joined the
BaptSts, and became preacher and writer
education had been that Of amccharic. lie
knew no language bat the English, as i,
was spoken by the common people. He
had studied uu great model nf composition.
with the exception, undoubtedly, Of our
rode transIatunS Of the Bible. His spell
lims was bad. He frequently crossed
the rules Of grammar. Yctthc native force
OF genius, and his experimental knowledge
OF all the religious passions, from despair 10
ecs'acy, amply supplied in him the want Of
learning. His rude oratory reused and
warmed his hearers, who listened without
interest TO the labored discourses Of rrea,
logcians and Hebrai>ts. His works were
widely circulated among the humber clas-
Scs. One Of them. The Pilgrims Progress,
was, in his own life time, translated into
several foreign languages. II was. how
ever, scarcely known to the learned and
pal,e, and had been, during near century.
the delight Of pouS cottaGerS and artisans,
before IT was publicly commended by any
man Of high literary cminencer
At length critics condeScenlcd n inquire
where the secret of>o wide and so durable
a popularity lay. They were COMPELLED 10
own that the ignorant multitude had udged
more correctly than the learned. and that
the deSpsed little book was really n mas
ter piece. Bunyan i indeed as decidedly
the FIRST Of aHcgOri>tS, as DemoSlleneS j.
the first of orators, or Shakespeare the frs,
al dranatiStS.-Othera lleeoriS,S have shown
equal ingenuity; but no other ale oTiSt has
ever been able TO touch the heart, and Ia
make distractions objects Of terror, of pity.
and Of love.
Ii may be doubted whether any Enrli >h
DiSscuter had suffered more severely under
! the penal laws than John Buuyau.-Ofthe
twenty seven years which had clarsed since
the Restoration. he had rasScd u in con.
tinement. He still persisted in preaching
but that he might preach. he was under the
necessity Of Disgusting himself like carter
lie was often introduced into meeting,
through back doors, with \ >moclS frock on
his back and whip in his hand. If he
had Thought only Of his own case and safety
he would have hailed the indulgence with
delight. He was now, at length. free TO
pray and eXhCrt in tho oppn air. His CON
cregaton rapidly increased; thousands hung
upon his wCr :, and at Bediore, where he
originally resided money was pleutifully
contributed to build meeting house for him.
His influence among the common people
was such that the government would Will.
ingly have bestowed ON him some munich
pal Office; but his vigorous understanding
and his stout English heart were proof a.
gainst all dclu>ion and all Temptation. He
felt assured that the preferred tolcraionva,
merely bait intended to lure the Puritan
party 90 destruction; nor would he. by ac.
cep'ng place for which he was not legal.
" qualified, recognize the validity of the
dispensing power One uf the las, acts of
his virtuouS life waste decline an interview
10 which he was invited by an agent Of The
government.