CONTENTS.

LECTURE I.

BUNYAN AND HIS TIMES.

Historical sketch of the period-Bunyan's contem-

poraries-His boyhood and convictions of sin-

The providence and grace of God illustrated in

his life and conversion-The characters he met

with-His evangelist-His spiritual and intellect-

ual discipline-Necessity of experimental piety,

for a full appreciation and understanding of the

Pilgrim's Progress.....

LECTURE II.

BUNYAN'S TEMPTATIONS.

The Valley of the Shadow of Death in Bunyan's

experience-Blasphemous suggestions of Satan-

Bunyan's meeting with Luther-Conflict of scrip-

ture with scripture in his mind-The fiery darts

of the Wicked One-Power of conscience by the

aid of memory-Bunyan's intense study of the

Bible-Secret of his power in preaching-Of the

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purity and simplicity of his style-Bunyan's call

to the ministry-Existence and agency of Satan

as the tempter and adversary of mankind.

LECTURE III.

BUNYAN'S EXAMINATION.

......

Bunyan's use of his temptations-The gloom of his

mind in the early part of his imprisonment-His

faithfulness to Christ in the midst of it-His per-

fect disinterestedness-His little blind daughter-

Relation of his examination and imprisonment-

That old enemy Dr. Lindale-Bunyan's admira-

ble answers and Christian deportment-The na-

ture and preciousness of religious liberty-Para-

ble by Dr. Franklin

.......

LECTURE IV.

BUNYAN IN PRISON.

PAGE

Illustrations of the times of Bunyan-Results o.

the spirit of persecution-The Puritans driven to

America-Baxter in the parliamentary army-

The multiplicity of sects, and Milton's opinion

thereon-Bedford jail, and Bunyan in it, with his

little child-The plague in London, and the per-

secuting king and court in Oxford-Bunyan's

conference with the justice's clerk-Interview of

Bunyan's wife with the judges-Bunyan's prison

employments-Suggestion and pursuit of the

Pilgrim's Progress

....... .....

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125.

LECTURE V.

PROVIDENCE, GRACE, AND GENIUS,

IN BUNYAN AND THE PILGRIM'S PROGRESS.

Illustrations of Divine Providence in selecting Bun-
yan to write the Pilgrim's Progress-Weak things
chosen to confound the mighty-The author of
the Pilgrim's Progress selected not from the es-
tablishment, but from without it-Signal rebuke
of ecclesiastical exclusiveness and hierarchical
pretensions, in the Pilgrim's Progress and the
Saint's Rest-More of Bunyan's Divine Emblems
-Bunyan's release from prison-His release from
life, and entrance into the Celestial City-Dr.
Scott's opinion of the Pilgrim's Progress-Its
entire freedom from sectarianism-Its univers-
ality both in genius and piety-Comparison be-
tween Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress, and Edwards
on the Religious Affections-Bunyan and Spenser
-Survey of the events, characters, and scenery
in the Pilgrim's Progress-The splendour of its
conclusion

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169

LECTURE I.

BUNYAN AND HIS TIMES.

Historical sketch of the period-Bunyan's contemporaries-His boyhood and convictions of sin-The providence and grace of God illustrated in his life and conversion-The characters he met with-His evangelist-His spiritual and intellectual disciplineNecessity of experimental piety, for a full appreciation and understanding of the Pilgrim's Progress.

Ir a man were to look about the world, or over all the world's history, for that one of his race, in whose life there should be found the completest illustration of the providence and grace of God, he could hardly fix upon a more perfect instance than that of John Bunyan. The detailed biography of this man I shall not attempt to present, in so short a sketch as that to which I must of necessity confine myself. But there are points in his life, where the Divine Providence is unfolded so gloriously, and junctures where the Divine grace comes out so clearly and so brightly, that nothing could be more simple, beautiful, and deeply interesting, than their illustration. On some of these points I shall dwell, premising, in order to a right view of them, a rapid but important glance at the age in which he lived.

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