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by John Bunyan (Author)
This small book will present you with things of the consideration of life and death to eternity. It will open to you that the time is at hand when there shall be a resurrection of the dead, both of the just and the unjust - and this will see from the scriptures of God.This resurrection shall be a resurrection of the bodies of both the just and unjust from the graves where they are, or shall be, at the approach of that day. Also, you will have the order and the manner in which these two sorts of people shall rise, and you will be shown the kind of body which shall rise, as well as their state and condition at that day of judgment. Here you shall see the truth and the manner of the terrible judgment, the opening of the books of God, the examining of witnesses, with a final conclusion upon good and bad. This, I hope will be profitable to your soul as you read it. For if you are godly, here is that which will through God's blessing encourage you to go on in the faith of the truth of Gospel. But if you are ungodly, then here you may meet your conviction. Yes, you will meet that which will be your end at the end of the world, whether you continue in your sins, or repent. If you continue in your sins, you will meet with blackness and darkness and everlasting destruction. But if you repent and believe the Gospel, then you will meet with light and life and joy and comfort, with glory and happiness - and that to eternity. You are shown that the knowledge of the resurrection will support your soul through temptations, afflictions, reproaches and necessities which we meet in this world. Bunyan (1628-1688) rose from an humble beginning to being a preacher to a little house church, to 12 years in jail because he would not agree to quit preaching, to a huge church in London. He wrote 66 books, nearly all while in jail. Most do not know that Bunyan wrote some 60 books, and poetry too. And also almost a well-kept secret is that his doctrine was so biblically laced that many good men would call him too severe. He believed in, and taught, ALL the doctrines of grace, including double-predestination, or reprobation. Why then is he not smeared with the name of hyper-Calvinist like Goodwin, Gill, and others? I guess the same people ought to call Luther a hyper-Lutheran, for he believed and taught it, too. Why begin a review of Bunyan's writings with such a view of his doctrine? It is to show that a Pilgrim's Progress can come only from someone who believes and teaches ALL the counsel of God, without flinching, yea, with loving-kindness. Illegally, He sat in a jail cell over a river for 12 years with his Bible, Galatians by Luther, and another book or two. He had the choice of feeling miserable and murmuring, or of filling his time, thoughts, and energies with studying that Bible, and seeking a way to be of help to his more comfortable, but less dedicated, brothers and sisters. Listen, dear saints, you can't do any better than reading Bunyan. Like Gurnall, he covers everything here and there, and with a sweetness that can come only from God. Like digging gold, Bunyan's writing are worth the time and trouble to dig spiritual gold.
