Authors, English -- Early modern, 1500-1700 -- Biography; Bunyan, John, 1628-1688; Puritans -- England -- Clergy -- Biography
Burrough entitled his reply, "The Gospel of Peace, contended for in the
Spirit of Meekness and Love against the secret opposition of John Bunyan,
a professed minister in Bedfordshire." His opening words, too
characteristic of the entire treatise, display but little of the meekness
professed. "How long, ye crafty fowlers, will ye prey upon the innocent?
How long shall the righteous be a prey to your teeth, ye subtle foxes!
Your dens are in darkness, and your mischief is hatched upon your beds of
secret whoredoms?" Of John Burton and the others who recommended
Bunyan's treatise, he says, "They have joined themselves with the broken
army of Magog, and have showed themselves in the defence of the dragon
against the Lamb in the day of war betwixt them." We may well echo Dr.
Brown's wish that "these two good men could have had a little free and
friendly talk face to face. There would probably have been better
understanding, and fewer hard words, for they were really not so far
apart as they thought. Bunyan believed in the inward light, and Burrough
surely accepted an objective Christ. But failing to see each other's
exact point of view, Burrough thunders at Bunyan, and Bunyan swiftly
returns the shot."
The rapidity of Bunyan's literary work is amazing, especially when we
take his antecedents into account. Within a few weeks he published his
rejoinder to Friend Burrough, under the title of "A Vindication of Gospel
Truths Opened." In this work, which appeared in 1667, Bunyan repays
Burrough in his own coin, styling him "a proved enemy to the truth," a
"grossly railing Rabshakeh, who breaks out with a taunt and a jeer," is
very "censorious and utters many words without knowledge." In vigorous,
nervous language, which does not spare his opponent, he defends himself
from Burrough's charges, and proves that the Quakers are "deceivers." "As
for you thinking that to drink water, and wear no hatbands is not walking
after your own lusts, I say that whatsoever man do make a religion out
of, having no warrant for it in Scripture, is but walking after their own
lusts, and not after the Spirit of God." Burrough had most unwarrantably
stigmatized Bunyan as one of "the false prophets, who love the wages of
unrighteousness, and through covetousness make merchandise of souls."
Bunyan calmly replies, "Friend, dost thou speak this as from thy own
knowledge, or did any other tell thee so? However that spirit that led
thee out this way is a lying spirit. For though I be poor and of no
repute in the world as to outward things, yet through grace I have
learned by the example of the Apostle to preach the truth, and also to
work with my hands both for mine own living, and for those that are with
me, when I have opportunity. And I trust that the Lord Jesus who hath
helped me to reject the wages of unrighteousness hitherto, will also help
me still so that I shall distribute that which God hath given me freely,
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account