John Bunyan's Portrait
So far as is known, there is only one other authentic portrait of the great Christian writer in existence. It is the one which was painted in 1685 by Thomas Sadler, when Bunyan was fifty-six years of age, and which represents him in a somewhat more genial, but less manly aspect. It was acquired by the National Portrait Gallery of London right at the turn of the twentieth century.
The border on the cover, depicting scenes from The Pilgrim's Progress, is taken from another old edition of Bunyan's works published in 1871.
An interesting word-picture found in one of the old volumes reads as follows: “He appeared in countenance to be of a stern and rough temper; but in his conversation mild and affable, not given to loquacity, much discourse in company, unless some urgent occasion required it; observing never to boast of himself, or his parts, but rather seem low in his own eyes, and submit himself to the judgment of others; abhorring lying and swearing, being just in all that lay in his power to his word; not seeming to revenge injuries, loving to reconcile differences, and make friendships with all. He had a sharp quick eye, accomplished with an excellent discerning of persons, being of good judgment and quick wit. As for his person, he was tall of stature, strong boned, though not corpulent, somewhat of a ruddy face, with sparkling eyes, wearing his hair on his upper lip, after the old British fashion; his hair reddish, but in his latter days, time had sprinkled it with gray; his nose well set, but not declining or bending, and his mouth moderately large; his forehead something high, and his habits always plain and honest. And thus have we impartially described the internal and external parts of a person whose death hath been much regretted" (Vale).
He Being Dead yet Speaketh”
The distinguished English writer of the nineteenth century, Lord Macaulay, evaluated John Bunyan thus, "Though there were many clever men in England during the latter half of the seventeenth century, there were only two minds which possessed the imaginative faculty in a very eminent degree. One of those minds produced the Paradise Lost, the other The Pilgrim's Progress.... The style of Bunyan is delightful to every reader, and invaluable as a study to every person who wishes to obtain a wide command over the English language.... There is no book in our literature on which we would so readily stake the fame of the old unpolluted English language, no book which shows so well how rich that language is in its own proper wealth, and how little it has been improved by all that it has borrowed.”
The writings of John Bunyan are the one great work that is found in the palace of the king, and on the shelf of the poorest of homes. Children are entranced with its interesting story. Men without benefit of schooling are attracted to its pages. Learned men feel the spell of its genius. The young Christian, just starting on his course, reads it for instruction and encouragement. The aged saint enjoys it as well, and testifies to the accuracy with which Bunyan has pictured the serene joys of Beulah land.
The Pilgrim's Progress is without question the most extraordinary book in the English language outside of the Bible. There is scarcely a language into which it has not been translated. It seems to answer the deep spiritual yearning of the human race.
The author himself, however, is no less interesting than his immortal dream. A study of his life enables a person better to understand and to appreciate his writings. In a most remarkable way Bunyan's personal story his own spiritual conflicts and triumphs is incorporated into the experiences of his personalities in The Pilgrim's Progress.
Much of the material in this well-written story of Bunyan's life is taken from his own descriptions and testimonies. We do not merely read a biography. We see a life. We are moved by Bunyan's words as by a cry of agony or a shout of joy uttered at our side. A human heart is uttering itself, not a musical tone or an oratorical inflection. Throughout the pages of this book, as in his writings, we hear Bunyan cry out to men to escape the city of Destruction, where I lived; to roll off their burdens at the cross, where I found pardon; to avoid Doubting Castle, where I was ensnared; to resist the Devil, with whom I contended in the Valley of Humiliation; to eschew the allurements of Vanity Fair, which I have seen to "bite like a serpent and sting like an adder;" to seek the instruction and delights of the Delectable Mountains, where I have drunk of the river of God's pleasures!
Bunyan was a Christian man in constant communion with God, whether in prison, in church, at home, or out in the world. All his writings bear testimony to it. He had received "a mouth and a wisdom" from God. He expressed himself, henceforth, not only with eloquence, learning, logic, or any of the ordinary forces of the orator, but his words flow with the unction of the Holy Spirit and the irresistible power of God. This is perhaps the chief reason why his writings have proved such a blessing in the lives of succeeding generations in the three centuries.
“When one who holds communion with the skies Has filled his urn where these pure waters rise.”