Life of John Bunyan, Volume 19W. Scott, 1888 - 195 pages "All who have undertaken to take an estimate of Bunyan's literary genius call special attention to the richness of his imaginative power. Few writers indeed have possessed this power in so high a degree. In nothing, perhaps, is its vividness more displayed than in the reality of its impersonations. The dramatis persons are not shadowy abstractions, moving far above us in a mystical world, or lay figures ticketed with certain names, but solid men and women of our own flesh and blood, living in our own everyday world, and of like passions with ourselves. Many of them we know familiarly; there is hardly one we should be surprised to meet any day. This lifelike power of characterization belongs in the highest degree to 'The Pilgrim's Progress.' It is hardly inferior in "The Holy War," though with some exceptions the people of 'Mansoul' have failed to engrave themselves on the popular memory as the characters of the earlier allegory have done. The secret of this graphic power, which gives 'The Pilgrim's Progress' its universal popularity, is that Bunyan describes men and women of his own day, such as he had known and seen them. They are not fancy pictures, but literal portraits."--Edmund Venables, M.A. (Author) - Amazon.com |
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addi allegory Badman Bedford Bedfordshire Bible biographer Brown Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress called chief of sinners Christian Church congregation conscience death Declaration of Indulgence Divine Edinburgh printed Elstow English engravings explanatory notes faith father fear Fifth Monarchy men friends Froude gaol Glasgow godly Gospel Grace Abounding grim's Progress Harlington heart heaven Holy Holy War illustrations imprisonment Jesus Christ John Bunyan liberty Littell's Living Age London Lord Lord Macaulay magistrates Mansoul Mason meet memoir mittimus ness never Nonconformists Offor peace Pilgrim's Progress poor pray prayer preacher preaching prison Puritan religion religious Robert Southey says Scott Scripture Second edition sermon sins Sir Matthew Hale soul Southey spirit suffer tells thee things Third edition thou thought tinker tion title-page town true truth twentieth edition verse village warrant wife Wingate words writes
Popular passages
Page 117 - He that is down needs fear no fall, He that is low, no pride; He that is humble ever shall Have God to be his guide.
Page 157 - Surely in vain is the net spread in the sight of any bird," or, before the eyes of every thing that hath a wing, as in the original.
Page 118 - There's no discouragement , • Shall make him once relent His first avowed intent To be a pilgrim. Whoso beset him round With dismal stories, Do but themselves confound ; His strength the more is. No lion can him fright, He'll with a giant fight, But he will have a right To be a pilgrim.
Page 40 - Gold! could it have been gotten for gold, what would I have given for it ! Had I had a whole world, it had all gone ten thousand times over for this, that my soul might have been in a converted state.
Page 30 - I was so overrun with the spirit of superstition, that I adored, and that with great devotion, even all things (both the high place, priest, clerk, vestment service, and what else) belonging to the church; counting all things holy that were therein contained, and especially, the priest and clerk most happy, and without doubt greatly blessed, because they were the servants, as I then thought, of God, and were principal in the holy temple to do his work therein.
Page x - What is it then? I will pray with the spirit, and I will pray with the understanding also: I will sing with the spirit, and I will sing with the understanding also.
Page 104 - I will leap off the ladder even blindfold into eternity, — sink or swim, — come heaven, come hell ; Lord Jesus, if thou wilt catch me, do ; — if not, I will venture for thy name...
Page 24 - I have taken notice of, with thanksgiving: when I was a soldier, I, with others, were drawn out to go to such a place to besiege it ; but when I was just ready to go, one of the company desired to go in my room; to which when I had consented, he took my place, and coming to the siege, as he stood sentinel, he was shot in the head with a musket bullet, and died.
Page 119 - Let them live ; " some, " Let them die.' Some said, " John, print it ;" others said, " Not so." Some said, " It might do good ;" others said,
Page 91 - That John Bunyan of the town of Bedford, labourer, being a person of such and such conditions, he hath (since such a time) devilishly and perniciously abstained from coming to church to hear divine service, and is a common upholder of several unlawful meetings and conventicles, to the great disturbance and distraction of the good subjects of this kingdom, contrary to the laws of our sovereign lord the king, &c.