Awakening Words: John Bunyan and the Language of CommunityDavid Gay, James G. Randall, Arlette Zinck This study examines Bunyan's questions concerning the power and limitations of language to effect personal, social, and political transformation within and beyond his nonconformist community. Its focus is the interaction of textual and political worlds in seventeenth-century England, as Bunyan considers and portrays the possibility of acting meaningfully by creating imaginative worlds in writing for members of an oppressed and persecuted community. |
Contents
9 | |
23 | |
27 | |
Bunyan and the Cry of Blood | 51 |
Bunyan Allegory and the Samsonian Moment | 68 |
John Bunyan and English Millenarianism | 81 |
Grace Abounding and the Labyrinth of Predestination | 97 |
Pilgrims Progress and the Liturgies of Nonconformity | 113 |
Unfolding of their Secret Things | 141 |
Misogyny in the Works of John Bunyan | 153 |
Bunyan and the Alternative Society in the Second Part of The Pilgrims Progress | 169 |
Derivative Texts and the SeventeenthCentury Reader | 186 |
Bibliography | 202 |
Contributors | 215 |
Index | 218 |
John Bunyan and Radical Religion | 127 |
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Agnes Beaumont allegory Antichrist authority Badman Baptist Bedford church believers biblical Book Calvin Cambridge century Christ Christian Christopher Hill Clarendon Press congregation Conscience Conventicle Culture Diabolus dissenters divine doctrine edition elect England English episode Erbery experience faith Familists female fictional Fifth Monarchists Fifth Monarchy Men Friends George God's godly Grace Abounding Great-heart Greaves Heaven History Holy City interpretation John Bunyan labyrinth Literary Literature liturgy Lodowick Lodowick Muggleton London Lord Mansoul Mercy millenarian millennium Milton Muggleton Muggletonians N. H. Keeble narrative Nonconformist Nonconformity Oxford Paradise pastor persecution Pilgrim's Progress pilgrimage political prayer preaching prison Protestant Puritan Quaker radical Ranters readers reading Religion religious Restoration Revelation Richard Richard Baxter Roger Sharrock saints Samson Samson Agonistes Scripture Seasonable Counsel Seekers sense seventeenth Seventeenth-Century Sinners Society spiritual autobiography Stuart suffering suggests Thomas tion University Press Vanity Fair violence W. R. Owens William William Erbery women Word worship writing yan's
Popular passages
Page 31 - Against revolted multitudes the cause Of truth, in word mightier than they in arms...
Page 52 - What shall be given unto thee? or what shall be done unto thee, thou false tongue? Sharp arrows of the mighty, with coals of juniper.
Page 56 - For, behold, the Lord will come with fire, and with his chariots like a whirlwind, to render his anger with fury, and his rebuke with flames of fire.
Page 31 - More safe I sing with mortal voice, unchanged To hoarse or mute, though fallen on evil days, On evil days though fallen, and evil tongues...
Page 97 - At this I was put to an exceeding maze ; wherefore leaving my cat upon the ground I looked up to heaven, and was, as if I had, with the eyes of my understanding, seen the Lord Jesus looking down upon me, as being very hotly displeased with me, and as if he did severely threaten me with some grievous punishment for these and other ungodly practices.
Page 50 - Almighty, nodding, gave consent; And peals of thunder shook the firmament. Henceforth a series of new time began, The mighty years in long procession ran: Once more the god-like David was restored, And willing nations knew their lawful lord.
Page 38 - His godlike guest, walks forth, without more train Accompanied than with his own complete Perfections; in himself was all his state, More solemn than the tedious pomp that waits On princes, when their rich retinue long Of horses led, and grooms besmeared with gold, Dazzles the crowd, and sets them all agape.
Page 56 - ... who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Bring forth therefore fruits worthy of repentance, and begin not to say within yourselves, We have Abraham to our father: for I say unto you, that God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham.
Page 38 - But admit that monarchy of itself may be convenient to some nations; yet to us who have thrown it out, received back again, it cannot but prove pernicious. For kings to come, never forgetting their former ejection, will be sure to fortify and arm themselves sufficiently for the future against all such attempts hereafter from the people...
Page 86 - When the morning was up, they had him to the top of the house, and bid him look south. So he did ; and behold, at a great distance he saw a most pleasant mountainous country, beautified with woods, vineyards, fruits of all sorts, flowers also, with springs and fountains, very Delectable to behold.