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    The Pilgrim's Progress
    The Pilgrim's Progress
    The Pilgrim's Progress
    Ebook194 pages3 hours

    The Pilgrim's Progress

    By John Bunyan and Rosalie De Rosset

    3.5/5

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    About this ebook

    This is not a devotional classic; it is a dangerous tale. It is a call to the high stakes of every Christian's journey. Don't pick it up expecting quaint amusement- it is a story woven through with undeniable truth, great cost, and overwhelming joy. 

    One of the most widely read books of all time, this adventure reveals John Bunyan's intense grasp of the Scriptures. Penned while in prison for refusing to compromise the gospel, The Pilgrim's Progress is a guide for the journey from death to life. The times have changed, but the landmarks and adversaries are very much the same.

    Moody Classics
    Of all the factors influencing our spiritual growth and development, pivotal books play a key role. Learning from those who have walked the path and fought the fight brings wisdom and strengthens resolve. And hearing the familiar chords of kingdom living sung by voices from other times can penetrate cultural barriers that limit our allegiance to the King. To this end, Moody Publishers is honored to introduce the first six volumes in what is to be an ongoing series of spiritual classics. Selected for their enduring influence and timeless perspective, these new editions promise to shape the lives of spiritual pilgrims for generations to come.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherMoody Publishers
    Release dateOct 1, 2007
    ISBN9781575674551
    Author

    John Bunyan

    John Bunyan (1628–1688) was a Reformed Baptist preacher in the Church of England. He is most famous for his celebrated Pilgrim's Progress, which he penned in prison. Bunyan was author of nearly sixty other books and tracts, including The Holy War and Grace Abounding to the Chief of Sinners. 

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    Reviews for The Pilgrim's Progress

    3.5/5

    67 ratings60 reviews

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    • 3/5
      A lucid story that weaves and flows its way through inception to conclusion.Recommended for everyone
    • 3/5
      Yes, I liked this book. Although I am not normally interested in this kind of Christian literature, I own that it is cleverly written, with plain and simple words which make you feel in peace. Perhaps the best way to enjoy this book would be to read it aloud for the musicality of the sentences.
    • 4/5
      Read the children's version half a dozen times as a child. I believe this is the first time I have read the original... I'm sure it isn't the last.
    • 5/5
      One of the old Christian classics that I thought was going to be tedious but I ought to read...instead within a few pages, I found it extremely engrossing and wound up loving it. It presents an amazingly colorful allegory of the Christian life.
    • 4/5
      Written in the 1600's while John Bunyan was in prison for his criticism of the "Church". The book however, supports the "Church" ... maybe he had a change of heart while in prison? It begins with the author entering into a dream where Christian foresees the destruction of his city and desires to travel to the Celestial city. He longs for his family to join him but they aren't convinced and refuse to go. Along the way he meets many different characters which try to distract him and convince him to turn back. Some of whom he comes in contact with are: good will, faith, by-ends, hope, ignorance, giant despair, etc. All of which teach him a different lesson. Eventually he does make it to the Celestial city and is welcome in. Part two is Christian's wife Christiana who decides she was foolish to stay behind and longs to join her husband. She sets off with her 4 sons along the same journey with Mercy accompanying her. They come across some of the same challenges as Christian but have more help along the way. An interesting read on the struggles in life and the desire to live with God again.
    • 5/5
      By reputation John Bunyan's The Pilgrim's Progress is one of the classics of English literature, being in print continuously since 1678 and being translated into over 200 languages. In its essence it is the story of Christian faith, following a person of faith as he journeys through life until he arrives at his heavenly home. It is told from the vantage point of a dream and makes excellent use of the method of allegory. Bunyan wrote this masterpiece in two parts, the first being the story of the journey of a pilgrim, Christian, from the City of Destruction to the Celestial City. The second part is the story of his wife, Christiana, and their four children taking the same journey several years later. Christiana had mocked her husband when he left and she delights in learning the details of his travel as she finds herself being led along the same road. I found Christiana's travels more compelling, perhaps due to the way in which vibrant faith was also expressed in the children.While Bunyan used allegory to tell this story everything about it comes across as something he knows first-hand, either from his own personal experience as a Christian who was jailed for his faith, or that he learned while serving as a pastor. The struggles that Christian and Christiana go through, although written over 300 years ago, are the struggles of Christians today. And so are the joys and delights that are found in the Christian life. I received this book three years ago as a gift from someone who said he read from it often. And now, having read it myself, I am beginning to understand why, and I anticipate I will follow his habit.
    • 5/5
      Pilgrim's Progress by John Bunyan is a landmark work in both Christian theology and English literature. Since its publication in 1678, it has encouraged countless Christians on their journey from this world to the next, and its impact on the literary tradition of England has been profound.Pilgrim's Progress is an allegory in the purest sense of the word; everything in the book has a one-to-one correlation with a spiritual principle. In part one, a man living in the City of Destruction becomes troubled by what he reads in a book (the Bible) and leaves his home, warning his scoffing family and neighbors that their city is going to be destroyed. He carries a heavy weight on his back and initially undertakes his journey to find a way to take it off. Along the way he meets a man named Evangelist who speaks truth to him, but not all fellow travelers are so congenial. He meets with characters with names like Mr. Worldly-wiseman, Formalist, Hypocrisy, Timorous, Mistrust, and Wanton, as well as Apollyon (an archdevil) and the Giant Despair, among others. Through a landscape of theological traps and oases Christian (for that is now his name) must make his way ever onward to the Celestial City, sustained on his travels by the Lord of Pilgrims.The second part recounts the story of Christiana, Christian's wife, who eventually follows her husband's path from the City of Destruction to eternal life in the Celestial City. In terms of sheer dramatic effect, part two is far inferior to part one; instead of fleeing her city in despair over its coming destruction, Christiana receives an invitation from the Lord of Pilgrims to join Him and her husband in His city. She takes along her four sons and her handmaid Mercy, and they are aided on their journey by a Mr. Great-heart. There seems to be less action and more catechizing in this section of the book, but there are some valuable theological refinements as well. There are some pilgrims who probably wouldn't have been considered worthy of pilgrimage in the first part, like Mr. Fearing, Mr. Despondency, and his daughter Much-Afraid. These pilgrims are characterized by fear and weakness, but they are still loved by their Lord and they too eventually come to the Celestial City.Nowadays I think there is an attitude of amused condescension that many feel toward Pilgrim's Progress because of its theological themes sticking out in plain sight under the see-through fictional covering. I know I felt that way... oh Bunyan, my dear man, you mean well but must you be so hamfisted? Can't you cover things up a little more artistically, add some adornment to your catechismic dialogues? Don't you know that straight allegory is far, far out of fashion just now? But this was before I read it, before I understood the narrative power that can come from an author being completely honest about his themes and intentions. By stripping away every non-essential, Bunyan can get down to the theology while still working within his fictional frame. The result is rich doctrine with the immediacy of a gripping story — a heady mix that is very rarely imitated successfully.And you can't doubt the man's sincerity. Bunyan knew what it meant to be persecuted; he started the book from a prison cell where he ultimately spent twelve years of his life, imprisoned for holding church services outside the bounds of the Church of England. His imprisonment was costly not just to him, but to his family. His message is given weight by his experiences — here is a man who knows what it means to be on pilgrimage through lands ruled by the enemy. Persecution is inevitable; Christians will suffer in this world. But equally true is our reward in the Celestial City, where our Lord Himself will welcome us home. What a hope, what a joy on our journey!I have said that Pilgrim's Progress is stripped down, but maybe a truer statement would be that our conceptions of the Christian life are covered in needless accretions that both complicate and hinder our journey. Vanity Fair, the Slough of Despond, Doubting Castle, the Valley of the Shadow of Death — these are universal places we all visit. Bunyan's characters also have their counterparts in our world. Bunyan dramatizes the Christian life not to change it or present it as something it's not, but to show us where our experience is deceptive. Things are clearer in the realm of allegory. If we have never had pilgrimage experiences like those of Christian, we ought to check that we're on the right road and that we've come in through the right gate.The language is beautiful and not at all hard to understand. It has its quaint 1678-isms, but for me they added to the flavor. In many places I just stopped to savor it. I read this with my adult Bible fellowship, and most people read a version that was updated with modern English. I wouldn't advise that. The original writing is not that difficult, and while the updated version isn't terrible, it does lack Bunyan's indefinable force of language. Also there were some odd additions in the new version, theology I agreed with but that was not part of the original text. Hmm.I had read an abridged version as a child which didn't really grab me, but now I'm a pilgrim and have had some experience of the road. And now I see how powerful this story is and why it has informed the Christian imagination for centuries. In some sections I would just stop and marvel at Bunyan's fantastic theology and fertile imagination. And it doesn't hurt that the narrative is soaked in Scripture! Of Bunyan, Charles Spurgeon said, "'Prick him anywhere, his blood is Bibline, the very essence of the Bible flows from him. He cannot speak without quoting a text, for his very soul is FULL of the Word of God.'" I couldn't get enough of it; who knew that Pilgrim's Progress could induce late-night reading vigils? I will certainly be rereading this!In the "apology" poem at the beginning, Bunyan writes, "this book will make a traveler of thee." Indeed it will.
    • 5/5
      A Must Read...sure to entertain and enlighten, read slowly, savor every word. A true life study guide...the perfect heirloom gift for parents to give to their children...as they graduate in life. *Plus in the back there is included, a fold out Color Historical Time-line and a chapter on The Life of John Bunyan...what an insightful. timeless dream!I want this book with me everywhere and always...wish it was hardcover. ... thank you so much Mr Hazelbaker!
    • 5/5
      This is a classic for good reason. While it was written three hundred years ago, the characters come to life and shed light on the struggle of living as a Christian. This is a must read.
    • 2/5
      Honestly, I love Christian Allegory, but I felt this was a diluted rip off of the Everyman moral play. I was looking forward to a provocative tale but this came up short with blatant imagery pulled together with the smallest bit of finesse. Sorry to be so scathing Mr. Bunyan. I get that it was to be accessible to the common man, but this is more a pamphlet than a serious piece of literature.The only reason I think I'll keep reading it is so that I know the references and allusions people take from it. It's an easy enough read.
    • 4/5
      I started it once and put it down. Too boring. I picked it up a few years later and found it interesting - the tedious journey no longer seemed so. A puritanical pursuit of the good.
    • 3/5
      Bunyan begins his allegory with an interesting argument that fiction can be used to strengthen Christian faith. By giving examples from the Bible he demonstrates a need to silence critics of fiction who apparently would limit spiritual training to reading the Bible. He also inoculates the reader by stating that the book was written primarily for the author's own spiritual development.Beginning the story in the wilderness brings Dante to mind at the start of the allegory. Christian seems to learn various things in the course of his pilgrimage, but throughout it he hardly appears to change at all. This was just one aspect that disappointed me. I did not find the book as impressive an argument for spiritual growth as other more personal memoirs from writers like Augustine or Thomas Merton. Perhaps this classic may be best appreciated by those who are true believers rather than those who are truly seeking wisdom.
    • 5/5
      Classic allegory about the Christian journey thorugh life. Belongs in every Christian library.
    • 3/5
      The classic 17th century Christian allegory.I thought this was worth reading for its literary significance and classic status. I'm glad that I read it, but I'm not sure I'll read it again.A couple of things I didn't like were:1. Christian seems to have no great connection with his family, friends or companions. He seems too quick to abandon people, and this made it difficult for me to connect with the character.2. The allegory is too direct. Yes, we all know it's an allegorical work, but it just seems too specific and everything has a one-to-one relationship with Christian theology.
    • 3/5
      The first was a whole heap of fun, but the second was a little tedious. I'm sure it's a perfectly good book if you are a puritan Christian, but as I am neither of the two, I found it quite mediocre.
    • 5/5
      I know exactly how Christian feels. His non-conformity has estranged him not only from the world, but from his wife and children, who laugh at him and his philosophy with the others. Why would Christian choose this lonely path? It is because he has had revelation of the future, which brings realization of the present and past. He simply does not find his lifestyle appealing anymore. It was not a fondness of isolation that brought Christian to his pilgrimage, it was Divine Providence--the Revealer. He did not ignore it and go back to his life of illusion. He asked "What shall I do?", and he was given answer. As we come to learn, setting forth on the pilgrimage is only a first step. Bunyan was not only allegory, Bunyan was life, truth, experience. Spending much of his time in prison, Bunyan related to us why his choices were right. He brought to Christianity something no one had. He brought simple truth, logical reasoning, a map to a map. As our protangonist, Christian, comes to his last step, the world and his family take note of his accomplishments. They become open to the Holy Spirit's whispers. They follow, as Christian showed them how, as Christian learned from Christ. They go from this world, to that which is to come. All Faiths will enjoy this read, as all Faiths have. The book's age is a testament to the wisdoms within. You will recognize all of the characters here--their names reveal them.
    • 5/5
      I throughly enjoyed this book. There are so many references to this work throughout modern and classic literature that it was interesting to finally hear the original work. Furthermore, I highly recommend listening to the public domain audio recording of this book found at librivox.com. Although these audio files are not professionally done, the English woman who reads this work for Librivox has a wonderful voice that really compliments the work and brings the book to life.
    • 1/5
      This has to be one of the most tedious books ever written. The imagery used such as the Slough of Despondency is great but that's about it. It's the second time I've read it and don't think I'll manage a third.
    • 5/5
      This is an amazingly helpful book for Christians. It's a reminder that we are on a constant journey which only began at the wicket gate and continues until our death. I'll be reading this again and again!
    • 5/5
      love every minute. Names are so poignant!
    • 3/5
      This book is ancient! As an allegory of the Christian life, it still makes (almost?) perfect sense today. The second part with Christian's wife and children was kind of boring, probably because it's the retelling of the same story.
    • 2/5
      I didn't really get on with this book, for three main reasons:1) An allegory for edification written in 16-mumble is not going to be a page turning plot or character driven romp. It was quite heavy going in places, and the number of times Christian spent much of the chapter telling someone what happened to him last chapter left me going 'I know! I just read that!'2) I didn't really agree with the theology that it was proposing. I spent a lot of the book wanting to clobber the author with 'there's a wideness in God's mercy'. There is one gate, and you must come in through that gate, even at the gates of heaven if you've Done It Wrong you'll be cast into Hell, and there are very precise things that make Good Christians and Fake Christians (the sections with Ignorance and Talkative make me twitch, lots). Most of these things involve constantly feeling utterly sinful and definitely having a Revelation TM. Still, 16 century protestants, it's hardly a surprise (and the fault may be with me and not the author...)3) Some of the time I was just plain confused - what are the wicker gate and scroll analogies for? [I have done some googling and looked at the Spark notes and am still confused]. The wicker gate is the Only Way to Heaven TM, and you Must have your Scroll or you won't get in (and you can drop it on the way)... for a book that is so painfully a direct analogy then I really feel I ought to know what these things are an analogy _of_!That aside, there are some lovely bits to it. The Pilgrims are not supermen - they are flawed and human, and mess up, and get back to things again, and the passage when they are trapped by Giant Despair really touched me. And it gets plus points for being the source of vast amounts of Stuff though, including 'Vanity Fair', the Slough of Despond, and even the holy text from Bujold's Borders of Infinity (It quite surprised me when I stumbled across the latter!)
    • 2/5
      I'll be brutally honest. I didn't understand this book at all. It seems to be the symbolic journey of a Christian, who meets various challenges and emotions in human form. A lot of people loved it, I didn't get it. The language put me off - it's written in a sort of King James English, which I didn't have the energy to follow.
    • 4/5
      Pilgrim's Progress is one of the most influential Christian allegories. Long before Narnia, Bunyan put pen to parchment to record his dream while being held in prison. The end result was Pilgrim's Progress.PP takes us on a journey through the life of a Christian, that is, the allegorical life of a Christian. The trials faced by a Christian are all anthropomorphisms here. The main character must navigate away from the City of Destruction, and eventually arrive at his final destination, The Celestial City.Definitely an enjoyable read for those who appreciate renowned and well-written religious allegories.
    • 2/5
      John Bunyan writes, Pilgrim’s Progress; his allegory, his dream; depicting a spiritual journey leading to everlasting freedom while he himself was in prison. Dreams were given great significance in the ancient world. Pilgrim’s Progress is a dream, with characters and events symbolizing knowledge, and lessons learned throughout the story, which is quite an adventure. An adventure, that would appeal to both adult and child.
    • 3/5
      When I was in my early high school, I read Little Pilgrim's Progress and thought it was a quite a fun story with swords and battles and adventures. Reading the 'adult' version of the book has brought back memories as I try and align the two.
      This version was still quite readable and the first part of the book followed Christian as he journeyed to the wicket gate to start walking on the narrow path. He struggled with or fought of or was almost misled by various characters and trials. Each of the people was given a name that reflected their character, such as Faithful, Hopeful, Ignorance, Evangelist and Pliable.
      However, after passing through Vanity Fair and the Celestial Mountains, the story started to slow down with several lengthy theological explanations as they walked along. The end of the journey appeared suddenly and the characters walked a pretty easy path near the end, with not many challenges.
      And of course, in the end, they successfully reach heaven and are allowed to enter in.
      One thing that concerned me as I read was that the book was running out of pages to cover his wife's story. From what I recall, Little Pilgrim's Progress covers both Christian and Christiana's stories. According to Wikipedia, there is a second book that covers her story, although it is possible the edition I read was slightly abridged and did not include it.
    • 4/5
      Good and very readable allegory.
    • 5/5
      There is a reason why this is the most widely published Christian book outside of the Bible. Bunyan, with seriousness and at times with humor, dissects the human condition. I recommend this both to Christians and non-Christians, as it reveals the subtle deceit of many paradigms that we encounter in our lifetime.
    • 1/5
      The book is composed of two stories. The story of the pilgrimage of Christian is followed by a story of his wife Christiana's pilgrimage with her children. The story has similarities to that of paradise lost. Bunyan's story is tedious and boring. I cannot recommend the book to anyone but the fanatic.
    • 1/5
      This book wasn't bad or awful, per se, it was simply painfully dull and boring with absolutely no vested interest in what occurs with the characters. Which brings us to the characters! Look, I get that this is a biblically-woven highly religious allegory of personal salvation, that much is clear, but does the reader have to be blunted over the head with it? The lead player is named Christian? Really? Couldn't call him Bob? And his wife is Christina? You're joking, right? Pamela would've been better. The biggest surprise - and there are none - is that his children aren't named Christine, Christopher, and Jiminy Christmas. Also, did Bunyan HAVE to name everyone else exactly what they are in metaphor? I found that aggravating, and the slog-through was mighty difficult, and the sudden bursts of rhyme were ridiculous and often non-rhyming, but I'm all the richer for having read it, right? Wrong. Guess I'm going to hell.

    Book preview

    The Pilgrim's Progress - John Bunyan

    About

    INTRODUCTION

    The Pilgrim’s Progress

    by John Bunyan

    THIS BOOK IS WRIT IN SUCH A DIALECT

    AS MAY THE MINDS OF LISTLESS MEN AFFECT;

    IT SEEMS A NOVELTY, AND YET CONTAINS

    NOTHING BUT SOUND AND HONEST GOSPEL STRAINS.

    (THE AUTHOR’S APOLOGIE FOR HIS BOOK)

    WE LEARN BETTER, and our faith becomes more personal and solid when we are delighted or drawn into truth rather than talked at. That John Bunyan understood this seems clear from these words written as an introduction to his unforgettable work Pilgrim’s Progress. In a poetic apologie he expresses the twofold purpose of his brilliant allegory. He wanted to both affect the minds of the listless, those who had grown bored and lazy in their faith (in this work those who sleep when it is not appropriate), and to present the gospel with such urgency and warning that the lost would fall on their knees at the cross.

    He chose a novel approach, an extended metaphor of the Christian life as a journey with a geography and weather, an approach so original he felt he had to cover himself with an opening poem of defense. Furthermore, he did not want to write to just entertain; he wanted to move readers’ hearts to recognition and repentance by dramatizing the principles outlined in Scripture that will keep a man and woman true until they pass through the river of death to their eternal home.

    That Bunyan succeeded is a matter of historical record. Written about 330 years ago (published in 1678), it has been translated into over two hundred languages, including Fijan, Cree, Esperanto, and Pitman shorthand, and the book penetrated the non-Christian world by being read by cultivated Muslims during the rise of religious individualism within Islam, all the while remaining the supreme classic of the English Puritan tradition.

    At one time it was the book most read by Christians with the exception of the Bible. Even up until about seventy-five years ago, it was part of the common stock of our culture, one of the handful of books that bound generation to generation, a book alluded to everywhere in sermons, advertising, and as the title of a prominent and very secular magazine. Sadly, today it is more well known than well read; in fact, it is now one of the world’s least-read books. It is hard to understand why it has suffered such neglect, for right from the opening sentence the tale is charged with the dynamic of a great narrative:

    I dreamed, and behold I saw a man clothed with rags

    standing in a certain place, with his face from his own

    house, a book in his hand, and a great burden upon his

    back. I looked, and saw him open the book and read

    therein, and as he read, he wept and trembled, and not

    being able longer to contain, he broke out with a

    lamentable cry, saying, What shall I do?

    Who can stop reading there? One has to find out the answer to many questions. Who was the man? Why was he in rags? Why was his back turned to his home? What burden did he carry? What book was in his hands? What in it made him weep and tremble? And why did he cry? All in one sweep, these questions are posed. This allegory, the best ever written in a tradition that has fallen into disrepute because it has often been done so woodenly and unimaginatively, is actually a great adventure story.

    What it is not, as the well-known historian Perry Miller asserts, is a devotional classic, a description too often used of it. In fact, when it was first written, it was viewed as a political tract as revolutionary in its time as Marx’s Das Kapital was a couple of hundred years later. It made the most headway not in Old England but in New England, where it was a smashing success because in it were the makings of a theocracy. There is nothing quaint or soft about it; it is not written in a mild or pietistic spirit. Instead, it is a story that contains a program for action, not just meditation. As was once said of another writer, Bunyan warns his readers that God has a terrible plan for their lives if they don’t wake up and smell the coffee. Besides, those readers contented with the merely devotional or artistic would be incapable of enduring a trial like Vanity Fair. What Bunyan tried to show is that the Christian life is not for the lazy or the cowardly; knowledge of Scripture and doctrine and the practice of obedience and attentiveness are central in the life of the growing child of God. A pilgrimage is an arduous walk, not a cross-continental flight. What is also true is that while Bunyan’s protagonist, Christian, has the most difficulties to face, he also has the most adventure, the most exhilaration.

    The author of such a complex and enduring work, a work for all peoples at all times, a work that emerged from the circumstances of his life, interestingly enough never traveled more than a few miles from home, disproving the modern conception that outward experience is the best instructor. Little that one reads in the facts of Bunyan’s birth and early history warrant such brilliance, little, one could suggest but an intense immersion in the Bible and, of course, a gift of insight and writing. Born in 1628 at Elstow near Bedford, England, he continued to live in this area until his death in 1688. He came from a farming family who fell upon hard times, his father becoming a traveling tinker. Nevertheless, Bunyan’s father had enough money to send John to a country grammar school where he learned to read and write. While preparing to follow in the same trade, Bunyan was conscripted at sixteen into the militia on the Parliamentary side in the Civil War of 1644 and spent a number of years on garrison duty before his discharge.

    After his discharge, Bunyan went back to being a tinker, a business that could easily be combined with itinerant preaching, a vocation he took up after being converted to the Baptist faith. His theological education came through listening to sermons and having conversations with men who had had more schooling than he and through a voracious reading of the Bible and religious treatises such as Martin Luther’s commentary on Galatians. He had also been exposed to stories in the romantic tradition of the adventures of knights fighting dragons, giants, and other enemies, the details of which fill Pilgrim’s Progress.

    What is apparent from beginning to end in both parts of Pilgrim’s Progress is Bunyan’s command of Scripture, a book he pored over with energy and passion, looking as was the custom of his time for the allegorical, spiritual meaning he thought lay behind the literal words of the text. As many critics have noted, Scripture became so much a part of him that its language became fused with his own country speech. Such a discipline with and love for the Word sustained him in what would be a hard life.

    The period in which Bunyan lived proved to be one of the most revolutionary in English history. A series of rulers, beginning with Elizabeth I and continuing through James VI and Charles II, established a tight liturgy in the Church of England that allowed no extemporaneous prayers and insisted on a conformity of expression that suffocated the clergy and the people. In 1604, three hundred clergy were ejected for not conforming and left the church to become Presbyterians or Congregationalists. In 1620 a large number took off for New England. Bunyan, of course, was born eight years later into an even worse situation.

    In 1661, Charles II was on the throne, and his hatred for Puritans was intense. Bunyan was jailed, imprisoned on the grounds of being a dissenter; his only offense was to preach or teach at a conventicle meeting or assembly outside of the liturgical practice and purview of the Church of England. He could have come out of jail at any time, but he would not submit to this kind of control, so instead he wrote one of the most influential religious books ever composed in the English language. How divinely ironic that what was intended for evil gave John Bunyan the time to write.

    I seldom pass a day in which I do not visualize some scene out of Pilgrim’s Progress; I never teach a course without referring to it, and when I speak publicly, it is always in the back of my mind as the source of an illustration, quote, or injunction. It has been part of my life for as long as I can remember. My mother, who loved the book and had a large, beautifully illustrated nineteenth-century version of it, read it to me before I could talk clearly and taught it to me in Sunday school (complete with craft projects based on it). I studied it as part of an English literature class in college and again more than a decade later in a Christian classics course in seminary. As a professor, I have, of course, taught it. With each reading, its narrative has become more compelling, its characters, despite their simple-sounding names, more recognizable, more psychologically sophisticated, its theology more vivid and profound.

    When I wonder about the relationship between grace and law, I invariably think of the scene in the Interpreter’s house where Christian is shown a parlor in which a man is called to sweep. The man raises the dust (the law), but only the water of grace can settle it. When I talk to the depressed, I am reminded of Christian’s thoughts of suicide after having been imprisoned by Giant Despair who caught him sleeping after having wondered off the appointed path. At his lowest, however, his companion, Hopeful, reminds him of the key of prayer. Always, Bunyan underlines, the Christian must be in community, must have companionship on the journey of life.

    And what characters Bunyan draws! I have met people like Talkative who mesmerize with their words but who are insubstantial in their beliefs and seek to deceive. And rarely a week goes by that I don’t go over the riveting encounter Christian has with Apollyon (a satanic figure) in which Apollyon tries to seduce him back to his dominion, and when that doesn’t work, reminds the pilgrim of his failures. Having failed, the monster goes into a rage and assaults him physically. Christian’s replies to every accusation are high moments of articulate understanding of his position in Christ, of firm humility, and utter conviction—passages to commit to memory for personal use and for the guidance of others.

    The path from the City of Destruction to the Celestial City is essentially the same for everyone, with similar landmarks along the way.

    The struggle to live out one’s life in a world unwelcoming to the Christian faith is becoming more and more of a reality. We need the help of a Christian who has been there before us, a Christian who never avoided theology, who loved and knew the Word of God, who presented suffering in all its rawness and joy in all its exuberance, who in the midst of failure knew who he was and who he belonged to. This book, Bunyan said, will make a traveler of thee. And . . . there is wonder in this journey.

    ROSALIE DE ROSSET

    Pilgrim’s Progress

    THAT THE TRIAL OF YOUR FAITH, BEING MUCH MORE

    PRECIOUS THAN OF GOLD THAT PERISHETH, THOUGH IT BE TRIED

    WITH FIRE, MIGHT BE FOUND UNTO PRAISE AND HONOUR AND

    GLORY AT THE APPEARING OF JESUS CHRIST.—1 Peter, 1:7

    AS I WALKED through the wilderness of this world, I lighted on a certain place where was a den,¹ and laid me down in that place to sleep; and as I slept, I dreamed a dream. I dreamed, and behold I saw a man clothed with rags standing in a certain place, with his face from his own house, a Book in his hand, and a great burden upon his back (Isaiah 64:6; Luke 14:33; Psalm 38:4). I looked, and saw him open the Book and read therein; and as he read he wept and trembled; and not being able longer to contain, he break out with a lamentable cry, saying:

    PILGRIM: What shall I do? (Acts 2:37; 16:30; Habakkuk 1:2–3).

    In this plight, therefore, he went home, and restrained himself as long as he could, that his wife and children should not perceive his distress; but he could not be silent long, because that his trouble increased. Wherefore at length he break his mind to his wife and children; and thus he began to talk to them:

    PILGRIM: O my dear wife, and you my children, I, your dear friend, am in myself undone by reason of a burden that lieth hard upon me. Moreover, I am certainly informed that this our city will be burned with fire from Heaven; in which fearful overthrow, both myself, with thee my wife, and you my sweet babes, shall miserably come to ruin, except (the which yet I see not) some way of escape can be found, whereby we may be delivered.

    At this his relations were sore amazed, not for that they believed that what he had said to them was true, but because they thought that some frenzy distemper had got into his head. Therefore, it drawing toward night, and they hoping that sleep might settle his brains, with all haste they got him to bed. But the night was as troublesome to him as the day; wherefore, instead of sleeping, he spent it in sighs and tears. So when the morning was come, they would know how he did. He told them:

    PILGRIM: Worse and worse.

    He also set to talking to them again; but they began to be hardened. They also thought to drive away his distemper by harsh and surly carriage to him. Sometimes they would deride, sometimes they would chide, and sometimes they would quite neglect him. Wherefore he began to retire himself to his chamber to pray for and pity them, and also to condole his own misery; he would also walk solitarily in the fields, sometimes reading, and sometimes praying; and thus for some days he spent his time.

    Now I saw, upon a time when he was walking in the fields, that he was (as he was wont) reading in his Book, and greatly distressed in his mind: and as he read, he burst out as he had done before, crying.

    PILGRIM: What must I do to be saved? (Acts 16:30–31).

    I saw also that he looked this way, and that way, as if he would run; yet he stood still, because (as I perceived) he could not tell which way to go.

    Pilgrim Meets Evangelist

    I looked then, and saw a man named Evangelist coming to him, who asked:

    EVANGELIST: Wherefore dost thou cry?

    PILGRIM: Sir, I perceive by the Book in my hand, that I am condemned to die, and after that to come to judgment (Hebrews 9:27); and I find that I am not willing to do the first (Job 16:21–22), nor able to do the second (Ezekiel 22:14).

    EVANGELIST: Why not willing to die, since this life is attended with so many evils?

    PILGRIM: Because I fear that this burden that is upon my back will sink me lower than the grave, and I shall fall into Tophet (Isaiah 30:33). And, sir, if I be not fit to go to prison, I am not fit to go to judgment, and from thence to execution; and the thoughts of these things make me cry.

    EVANGELIST: If this be thy condition, why standest thou still?

    PILGRIM: Because I know not whither to go.

    Then he gave him a parchment roll, and there was written within, Flee from the wrath to come (Matthew 3:7).

    The man therefore read it, and, looking upon Evangelist very carefully, said:

    PILGRIM: Whither must I flee?

    EVANGELIST: (Pointing with his finger over a very wide field), Do you see yonder wicket gate? (Matthew 7:13–14.)

    PILGRIM: No.

    EVANGELIST: Do you see yonder shining light? (Psalm 119:105; 2 Peter 1:19.)

    PILGRIM: I think I do.

    EVANGELIST: Keep that light in your eye, and go up directly thereto, so shalt thou see the gate; at which, when thou knockest, it shall be told thee what thou shalt do.

    So I saw in my dream that

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