One of the great ironies of Christian history occurred in the latter part of seventeenth-century England in the little town of Bedford. A poor tinker (mender of pots and pans and such) named John Bunyan had recently begun to preach the gospel in the 1650s with uncommon effect. In increasing numbers the people began to give him a hearing, and it was evident to all but those insensitive to God that his preaching was divinely blessed.
But Bunyan was not part of the established church, and he was not properly licensed to preach. This didn’t matter to him, for it was under the orders of the Lord Christ that he preached. But it did matter to the authorities, and in 1660 they demanded that he stop. Under orders by a higher authority, of course, he would not and could not stop. And for his crime of preaching without proper authorization, and in order specifically to keep him from preaching, Bunyan was locked up in the Bedford jail.
The irony of the story is that as a direct result of his imprisonment his voice has been heard by more people than nearly any other preacher in history. Not only did he preach sometimes even while in prison to a very “captive” audience, but languishing there he turned to writing and produced a number of works of Christian literature. And among them was the renowned Pilgrim’s Progress, the most widely published book in all history, second only to the Bible itself.
We are told that Pilgrim’s Progress has been translated into more than two hundred languages, and it has passed through countless English editions, with millions of copies worldwide. It was a runaway best seller in Bunyan’s day; it has been continuously in print ever since; and never before or since has a book ever been published that can rival it—the Bible only excepted. It has been a staple in Christian homes for three and a half centuries, and even in secular studies of literature it has been studied and hailed as the greatest allegory ever written. This from a man who was imprisoned for more than twelve years, from 1660 to 1672, so as to keep his tongue silent. And yet still he speaks, and few men in history have been heard more!
Of course, not all Christian suffering results in such obvious triumph. God’s providence is mysterious, and he has often allowed his children to suffer with little evident success. We trust him in either case. But it is encouraging indeed to be reminded how easy it is for God to give success to the gospel and accomplish the advance of his kingdom. Let the world do as it will, no one will ever stay his hand or frustrate his purpose (Dan 4:34–35). He works all things according to the counsel of his own will (Eph 1:11)—so infallibly, in fact, that even the wrath of man shall praise him (Ps 76:10). Such a God we can surely trust.
