LIFE OF BUNYAN

by Rev. James Hamilton
Scotch Church, Regent Square, London.




After the pleasant sketches of pens so graceful as Southey's and
Montgomery's; after the elaborate biography of Mr Philip, whose
researches have left few desiderata for any subsequent devotee;
indeed, after Bunyan's own graphic and characteristic narrative, the
task on which we are now entering is one which, as we would have
courted it the less, so we feel that we have peculiar facilities for
performing it. Our main object is to give a simple and coherent
account of a most unusual man--and then we should like to turn to
some instructive purpose the peculiarities of his singular history,
and no less singular works.


John Bunyan was born at Elstow, near Bedford, in 1628. His father
was a brazier or tinker, and brought up his son as a craftsman of
like occupation. There is no evidence for the gipsy origin of the
house of Bunyan; and though extremely poor, John's father gave his
son such an education as poor men could then obtain for their
children. He was sent to school and taught to read and write.

There has been some needless controversy regarding Bunyan's early
days. Some have too readily taken for granted that he was in all
respects a reprobate; and others--the chief of whom is Dr Southey--