Derek Thomas: The Pilgrim’s Progress: A Guided Tour

of all the things I've been asked to do teach preach right I think that being asked to do this little series the DVD series on pilgrims progress was was the most fun 19 lectures on program's progress the retakes were enormous fun when when you might have said the wrong day to something and you go back and have to edit these those who are just enormous fun I was introduced to pilgrims progress I wanted to do what Bob Godfrey did and ask how many people have not read pilgrims progress but I don't want you to identify yourselves i I just need need you to identify yourselves to yourselves because it is criminal there there is a reason why pilgrims progress next to the Bible is the most published work in religious literature but I do think that this generation may be the generation that doesn't read pilgrims progress anymore I teach her the summary and I ask my classes on a fairly frequent basis how many of these are future preachers and missionaries how many of you have read pilgrims progress and out of a class of twenty five you know maybe one sometimes if it's two I feel really good and it's it's sad and someone gave me a copy of children's progress just after I was converted and I fell in love with it and in an age where fantasy literature is all the vogue Lord of the Rings the Narnia Chronicles Harry Potter perhaps why would we not enjoy a pilgrims progress it's a it's a cracking good story and there are two books there is part one and then there's part two part two is the story of Christiana and the four boys bunion bunions dates 1628 to 1688 so it falls right smack dab in the middle of the 17th century he is 16 years old his mother has died and his sister has died and his father remarried with enormous haste within about a month of his wife's death he remarried that wasn't altogether unheard of in in Puritan England but but that really was quick I don't think Bunyan had a great affection for his new mother-in-law and he left he lied about his age he joined this is the 1640s and he's at 1644 about a year prior to that the civil war between the Parliamentarians and the Royalists had had broken out and Bunyan joined the parliamentary army with Cromwell of course at the head of it he would have lied about his age to do that I don't think Bunyan ever saw any any battle I think he saw the results of battles they were the civil war was fought in very set battles but he would have seen men coming back with with horrendous wounds and some some being fatal wounds and some of that description will find its way into permanence progress when he was disbanded he married 16:49 they have four children she brings to the marriage two books of of general Christian piety and we don't know her name Bunyan would write sixty books but he would never mention the name of his first wife this is one of those odd things about Bunyan in 1660 Bunyan has been converted he went through a fairly lengthy process maybe a three-year process in which he was under conviction of sin he was playing a game tip-cat which I think he's a bit like what we what we used to call hoops you have a metal ring and and you have to tip it on either side to keep it upright as it as it goes along and but he was playing this on a Sunday and was chastised for breaking Puritan rules about the Sabbath on on the Lord's Day and that brought him under conviction of sin and then he had a foul mouth he swore a lot and the story is told of a certain group of women not pious women at that who referred to him as as foul-mouthed and chastise him and these are events that that lead him further down the path of of conviction and eventually he comes to an assurance of faith as he puts his trust in the Lord Jesus Christ interestingly as as in so many after him and some before him it was reading Luther's commentary on Galatians that brought about that understanding of the gospel in 16 16:49 Charles the first is beheaded and this happens in public in London Richard Sims the Puritan was there the beheading of Charles the first he fainted when the king's head fell to the floor and then for the 1650s england is a republic for the only the only period in its history that it's ever been a republic with oliver cromwell at its at its at its head it's not a good thing for the leader of the army then to become the political leader Africa has lots to teach us about how bad that can get and and it got bad in in cromwell's case then in 1660 there's the restoration Charles the second is restored to the crown Britain is no longer a republic but a monarchy and immediately there is persecution persecution of Christians and in particular there are sets of rules that forbid those who are not licensed to preach and basically want Anglicans forbidding them to preach and there were there were things like at first you weren't allowed to to preach before a congregation so they were direct they were direct some kind of veil between the preacher and the congregation then the law was tightened that you couldn't preach in the same same building as a congregation so the congregation would stay inside they'd open the windows in the preacher would preach through the window and then there was a the five mile act and you couldn't preach within five miles of of a registered Congregational meeting place so they would walk five miles put a stake in the ground and they would preach there and and it was in in that period in the 1660s that that Bunyan falls foul he's preaching and not only that he's a Baptist in in 1660 and this is when when just 75 80 years prior to Bunyan being a Baptist would have meant also being a Unitarian and and denial of the Trinity and so on so so bad so Daniel has many strokes here against him he's in Elst oh he's preaching at the poor just before he begins to preach the sheriff's come in they arrest him he's taken to a prison he he waits six months before the trial and during the trial the person who is the judge in 1660 had himself been arrested by the parliamentarians in 1644 he had spent 16 years in prison this is your judge so it was it was hopeless for bunny and as soon as they had chosen that man to be the judge bunions fate was secure and he would spend the next 12 years in prison from 1660 to 1672 it's during that period that he writes most of part one of pilgrims progress there is a point in the narrative of pilgrims progress where and it's only a couple of sentences so you can easily miss it but Bunyan says that he woke from his dream and then he fell asleep again and he dreamed again and and what he's telling you is that that up to that point was written during that first period of imprisonment from 1660 to 1672 he was released for for five years and then was imprisoned again in 1676 to 1677 for about six to seven months where he finished part one our programs progressed it was published the following year in 1678 he couldn't find a publisher for it and it was John Owen the famous Puritan and and John Owen is an extraordinary story John Owen was the chaplain to Oliver Cromwell during the parliamentary Civil War but after the restoration of Charles the second John Owen is in the company of the King on many an occasion how how oh and managed manages to play all of those cards is an astonishing thing in itself but he's in the presence of charles ii charles ii by this time Bunyan is preaching in a church in london and charles ii makes some sneering comment about Bunyan and Owen says about Bunyan that he would give all of his learning if he could preach one sermon like John Bunyan it was John Owens it was John Owens doing he contacted his own publishers to ensure that John Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress part one would be published it was an immediate success I think it brought John Bunyan some much-needed finance it spent 12 and a half almost thirteen years in prison he wouldn't have had two pennies to rub together but I think the publication of pilgrims progress meant that his lot of years and he would die in 1610 years after the publication of part one of pilgrims progress but those 10 years were or were a little better most of the pictures that you see of John Bunyan are pictures of him you know not lacking a pound or two I mean he's it's quite full in his face and I think Bunyan loved food and when you read pilgrims progress read closely the description of meals and and he he tells you a great deal I think I think in prison he missed a great deal of good food and I think he made up for it when he when he was out of prison it was a it was an enormous success he went through several publications but then anonymously three different editions of part to appear because the question at the end of pilgrims progress is what happened to Christians wife and four children and Bunyan himself has four children he remarried and and the second wife raised his four children when when his wife died and his first wife died the story of Christiana and and the four boys opportunists seeing an opportunity to publish a book can make some money wrote part two on Bunyan's behalf not let me say with bananas permission and his publisher said to Bunyan it's you know you must publish a second part which he does and that's published in 1684 six years after part one in many ways part to our Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress is more important theologically than part one part one of pilgrims progress raises some in an enormous ly interesting issues you've got a man he's his back is toward the city of disruption he's got a book in his hand he's got a burden on his back and he's crying what shall I do to be saved and he meets evangelists you remember and evangelist says do you see yon cross which he doesn't so he says to him do you see yon wicket-gate and after a brush with with legalist and and formalist and the city of morality and so on eventually gets you remember to the wicked gate and through the wit knocks on the wicked gate gets through the wicket-gate wit wickets with a tee not wicked with a d' wicket meaning narrow the narrow gate the straight gate the wicked gate that confused me a lot when I first read it so he gets through the the wicket gate and and he's in the house of interpreter you remember all the different things he sees he sees a fire for example and somebody's throwing water on the fire but the fire is getting hotter and hotter because on the other side which you cannot see somebody's throwing oil on the fire and it's a it's an allegory about the Holy Spirit despite all the attempts of unbelief and Satanists on to put out the fire of the gospel the Holy Spirit pours oil on on the fire to reignite it remember he sees the man in the iron cage who had sinned grievously and and couldn't get out this this this this fearful phenomenon in the 17th century that you could sin the sin against the Holy Spirit which was unforgivable and all of this before Christian has lost his burden and and it's only you're about 1/4 of the way into the narrative before Bunyan actually comes to that hill called difficulty and and as he as he's climbing that hill his burden falls off his back and rolls down into the tomb into the Sepulcher and discipline disappears forever and he's given us a scroll you remember and and so on now the question arises as a result of reading that why did it take so long for Bunyan to have Christian lose his burden there's a famous sermon by Spurgeon and Spurgeon is telling a story of having met a fishwife I don't believe any of this but bunions Spurgeon says that he he had been walking to church that evening and he'd passed this fishwife and she said to him where are you going and you say my name is Charles Haddon Spurgeon I'm going to preach and and this is my text and I'm gonna mention about Bunyan and she said to him according to Spurgeon she said to him ah that that mister Bunyan if I had written pilgrims progress I would have ensured that Christian would have lost his burden a lot sooner than Bunyan managed to get it done or words to that effect and then Spurgeon agrees with her in the summer I actually think Spurgeon is being a little unfair to his fellow Baptist preacher but it is a it is a significant issue why does why does Christian first of all go through a narrow gate then to the house of interpreter only then to lose his burden if if Bunyan is saying that you need to experience all of these things before you can become a Christian the allegation the charge then becomes that Bunyan is and and I've got to use the p-word here preparation istic and and that's and that's not nice that's about as a bad a thing to call Bunyan as you could possibly imagine actually that issue and it still it still is an important issue I actually think that's that it's a somewhat misguided issue although I do think I do think that Bunyan himself was caught in that charge and he corrects it in part two of the story part one of pilgrims progress is to all intents and purposes an autobiography he is saying this is how he experienced faith coming to faith it's a bit like me and and and and my wife rosemary is an Irish girl she's a Presbyterian parents or presidents or grandparents or presidents or great-grandparents forever she went to church three times on Sunday she sat around the piano singing hymns on Sunday afternoon she was a sabbatarian I was a pagan I would go to the local dump looking for wheels to make to make a icicle a tubeless bicycle on a Sunday that we grew up in different worlds my conversion was was was very definite December 28 1971 11:15 at night there was I mean it's that close rosemarie my wife will say I don't remember a day when I didn't believe I've always believed from the first from the first conscious memory she has been a Christian she she's never known a time in her life when she did not believe a bit like a bit like John the Baptist or or Samuel when when when were they regenerated we might ask and the answer is perhaps in their mother's womb cesar millan the french hymn writer said some some of God's children are awakened like a mother awakens her children from her sleep with a kiss you know gently quietly and some of us it's entirely different it's very dramatic and I think part one of pilgrims progresses is how Bunyan himself experienced coming to faith he went through a three three and a half year period of conviction of sin he's not saying that every conversion must be like that and in between 1678 and 1684 part 1 and part 2 of religions progress that allegation that misunderstanding grew so in part to christianas conversion is very gentle and it's an and there is no period where she's carrying this great burden nor the boys the four sons in in the allegory and then in the notes and these were notes that Bunyan added to the third edition of children's progress he adds the wicked gate is coming to Christ in in in the third edition of brilliance rose when when Christian you know when was when was Christian converted was he converted at the wicked Gator was he converted at the tomb at the Sepulcher and and he says at the wicked gate and he does that I think because because of the allegation that he was being somewhat preparation istic that he was saying that there are certain things that you that you must do before you can be assured of your salvation and and that and that got him into trouble perhaps because it undermined justification by faith alone and apart from any doing or any works or any experience of religion on on your part why should we read and remember pilgrims progress a variety of reasons and let me just give a a couple of them that the Christian life is a battle it's a battle it's a war against the world and the flesh and the devil that it's a sore fight all the way that Christians are called upon to take up a sword and to enter into a battle against sin indwelling sin against the hostility of the world against the rulers of the powers of the darkness of this world the description in part one of the battle with apollyon is one of the most graphic battle descriptions that you will ever read pilgrims progress contains some of the most wonderful names and locations a worldly Wiseman pliable obstinate formalist hypocrisy talkative giant despair and then in the second part madame bubble and mr. great heart and mr. valiant for truth places like the wilderness of this world vanity fair' the slough slough slough sous-sous of this bond it's not right it's the slough of despond and doubting castle the delectable mountains and and so on but here's the reason why absolutely love children's progress this is at the end of part 1 and hopeful faithful of course has died and the story of his death in vanity city of vanity is a very graphic one and the trial but now Christian has another friend hopeful it's amazing how important friends were to Bunyan I think after spending 12 years in prison I think friends were important to him and this is them this is hopeful and Christian then they addressed themselves to the water an entering Christian began to sink and crying out to his good friend hopeful he said I sink in deep waters the billows go over my head all his waves go over me then said the other be of good cheer my brother I filled the bottom and it is good then said Christian are my friend The Sorrows of death have compass me about I shall not see the land that flows with milk and honey and without a great darkness and horror I fell upon Christian so that he could not see before him also here in a great measure lost his senses so that he could neither remember no orderly talk of any of those sweet refreshments that he had met with in the way of his pilgrimage but all the words that he spoke still tended to discover that he had horror of mind and heart fears that he should die in that river and never obtain entrance in at the gate here also as they stood by perceived he was much in the troublesome thoughts of the sins that he had committed both since and before he began to be a pilgrim it was also observed that he was troubled with apparitions of hobgoblins and evil spirits for ever and anon he would intimate so much by words hopeful therefore here had much ado to keep his brother's head above water yay sometimes you be quite down and then air a while he would rise up again half dead hopeful also would endeavour to comfort him saying brother I see the gate and men standing to receive us but Christian would not answer tis you tis you they wait for for you have being hopeful ever since I knew you and so have you said he to Christian our brother said he surely if I was right he would now arise to help me but for my sins he have brought me into the snare and hath left me then said hopeful my brother you have quite forgotten the text when it is said of the wicked there is no band in their death but their strength is firm they are not troubled as other men neither are they played like other men these troubles and de-stresses that you go through in these waters and no sign that God hath forsaken you but are sent to try you whether you will call to mind that which heretofore you have received of His goodness and live upon him in your de-stresses then I saw in my dream that Christian was in a muse a while to whom also hopeful added these words be of good cheer Jesus Christ make it the whole and with that Christian break out with a loud voice oh I see him again and he tells me when thou passes through the waters I will be with thee and through the rivers they shall not overflow thee and they both took courage and the enemy was after that as still as a stone until they were gone over Christian therefore presently found ground to stand upon and so it followed that the rest of the river was but shallow thus they got over now upon the bank of the river on the other side they saw the two shining men again who their waited for them wherefore being come out of the river they saluted them saying we are ministering spirits sent forth to minister for those that shall be heirs of salvation while the description goes on and how they climbed the hill to enter the gate they talk about the description of the the celestial city that lies before them and then we read a little further on while they were thus drawing towards the gate behold a company of the heavenly hosts came out to meet them to whom it was said by the other two shining ones these are the men that have loved our Lord when they were in the world and that have left all for his holy name and he have sent us to fetch them and we've brought them thus far on their desired journey that they may go in and look their Redeemer in the face with joy then the heavenly host gave a great shout saying blessed are they that are called to the marriage supper of the Lamb they came out also at this time to meet them several of the kings trumpeters clothed in white and shining raiment who with melodious noises and loud made even the heavens to echo with their sound his trumpet is saluted Christian and his fellow with 10,000 welcomes from the world and this they did was shouting and sound of trumpet this done they compass them round on every side some went before some behind some on the right hand some on the left as it were to guard them through the upper regions continually sounding as they went with melodious noise in notes on high so that the very sight was to them that could behold it as if heaven itself has come down to meet them thus therefore they walked on together and as they walked ever and anon these trumpeters even with joyful sound would by mixing their music with looks and gestures still signify to Christian and his brother how welcome they were into their company and with what gladness they came to meet them and now with these two men as it were in heaven before they came at it being swallowed up with the sight of angels and with hearing of their melodious notes here also they had the city itself in view and they thought they heard all the bells therein to ring to welcome them there too but above all the warm and joyful thoughts that they had about their own dwelling there with such company and that for ever and ever oh by what tongue or pen can their glorious joy be expressed thus they came to the gate well so it goes on and would love to read more and more of it but it's a beautiful description of triumph in death and that is probably one of the leading landmarks of Puritan theology and of John Bunyan we read pilgrims progress in order to learn how to be pilgrims but we read programs progress in order to learn how to live and how to die with assurance and in confidence in the Lord well if you listen to these lectures on pilgrims progress I wish you well and hope you profit from them thank you

Channel: Ligonier Ministries

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Length: 32min 50sec (1970 seconds)

Published: Thu Mar 26 2015