John Bunyan (1628-1688) was born into a poor English family near Bedford in the parish of Elstow, Bedfordshire , England. After some formal schooling, he became a tinker by trade. We may call such a trade "a handyman" today. He repaired all sorts of things, mostly for poor people who couldn't afford new items. After serving in the Parliamentary Army, and living an ungodly life, Bunyan came under powerful conviction for his sins.He believed that God was speaking audibly to him. The voice had said: "Wilt thou leave thy sins and go to heaven or have thy sins and go to hell?" There were several years of struggle, and seeking light from God. Like Paul, he saw himself as the "chief of sinners". When he was converted, he was baptized in St. Johns Church (a non-conformist church, which was baptist, immersing repentant sinners). Bunyan began to preach there in1655. This was in an era of turmoil in England. The state church (Church of England, i.e., Anglican) opposed all others, and especially the Puritans and Baptists, of which John Bunyan had, in the best sense, become both. He was a strict non-conformist, and had been immersed.
The next year (1656), he wrote his first of many books Some Gospel Truths. Ultimately, after the Restoration of the monarchy in England, Bunyan was jailed for preaching without a license. The monarchy had put the Anglicans back in power, and persecution against other churches increased.
John Bunyan wound up spending 12 years in the Bedford prison, with some short releases during that time. But, because he refused to conform to the statutes of the Anglicans he could not be licensed, therefore he remained imprisoned most of those 12 years. During that time in jail, he wrote his best known book Pilgrims Progress, an allegory of the Christian life. That book is still a good seller. In earlier times, it was the best selling book in the world, other than the Bible. In these apostate times, his books are still valuable, having been reprinted many times. Most are available online.
http://www.monergism.com/free_online_books.php and in print as three large volumes. Many of his individual books are still in print as well. I recommend to you, after first reading Pilgrims Progress, read Grace Abounding to the Chief of Sinners, which is Bunyan's autobiography. The try The Holy War. All of his work is in 17th century English (like the King James Version). If that troubles you too much, Pilgrims Progress and some of the others are available in modern English versions. Check Amazon, or Monergism.
Now a few short Bunyan quotes to further whet your appetite for this godly writer.
“He who runs from God in the morning will scarcely find him the rest of the day” John Bunyan
"Temptations, when we first meet them, are like a lion that roared at Samson; but if we overcome them, the next time we see them we shall find a nest of honey within them." John Bunyan
“You can do more than pray, after you have prayed, but you cannot do more than pray until you have prayed” John Bunyan
“He that is down needs fear no fall, He that is low, no pride” John Bunyan
“If you have sinned, do not lie down without repentance; for the want of repentance after one has sinned makes the heart yet harder and harder” John Bunyan
“No child of God sins to that degree as to make himself incapable of forgiveness” John Bunyan
"One leak will sink a ship: and one sin will destroy a sinner." John Bunyan
"Words easy to be understood do often hit the mark; when high and learned ones do only pierce the air." John Bunyan
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