CHAPTER X.

BUNYAN'S TEMPTATIONS.

WE come now to that mysterious period in the history of Bunyan, concerning which Philosophy must be silent, or say with Religion," he was led into the wilderness to be tempted of the Devil." To say any thing else or less would be, as we have partly seen, unphilosophical and impertinent.

Philosophy can afford to lose from her ranks, all the "brisk talkers" about the Principle of Moral Evil, as Bunyan would have called the anti-supernaturalists; especially, as the best of them will not be lost to Literature. Some of them own, as Poets, the Satan they deny as theologians; and thus prove that their craft cannot dispense with him, however their creed discard him. For, what if Poetry deal in fiction? She has never been able, in all her dealings with it, to invent a more plausible or pliable agency, than that of Satan, in order to explain the vices or the violence of her daring characters. She was glad to speak common sense, in common terms, when she had to disown the Byron-School. She could not have pilloried it or its founder, before the Church or the world, had she not uttered those words of truth and soberness, "THE SATANIC SCHOOL." The hearts of all wise and good men responded at once to this descriptive epithet. It will be everlasting, just because it is "the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth."

It will readily occur to, or be allowed by, every thinking man, that if there be a Devil, John Bunyan was just the person he was likely to "sift as wheat." It was worth his while to keep him out of the Church of Christ, if he could. It required no great sagacity to foresee, that such a man would be "a host in himself," whatever side he might espouse in the contest between Truth and Error. Bunyan could be nothing by halves. Besides, whatever he was or wished to be, he could not conceal it. Out it came, by day or by night! He both thought and dreamt aloud. He talked to himself whenever he was alone, and had dreamt of Satan and his angels from his youth up. Satan had thus no great difficulty to find out either the talents or the taste of Bunyan. He had not to "consider" him, half so long as he studied Job, before hitting upon the likeliest method of betraying him. He saw his weak side at a glance, and poured "fiery darts" into it without delay.

Thus it is not necessary to ascribe to Satan any improbable degree of intuition or influence, in order to account for his attempts upon Bunyan. A duller eye than the devil's might have foreseen, that the genius of John Bunyan, if once under the power of Divine Truth, would do more for that Truth, than even the Harp of John Milton. Accordingly, Satan was more afraid of the Tinker than of the poet. He let Milton alone; but came in like a flood upon Bunyan; well knowing that a real Allegorist was more dangerous to the kingdom of darkness, than even the Prince of epic poetry; and that the Apollyon of the Pilgrim, would awe more than the Lucifer of the Paradise Lost. I do not mean, of course, that Satan anticipated either picture of himself; but that he could easily guess how the two Artists would paint him, and thus calculate their comparative influence upon his own power in the world.

It may be unusual to speak in this straightforward way about Satan: but thus he should be spoken of, if we would think of

him, or resist him, as the Scriptures teach. There is neither extravagance nor levity in their descriptions of the Tempter. I have studied and written the Life of Bunyan, chiefly in order to prove this. And if I allow myself to be somewhat playful occasionally, it is only because mere theology on this subject would not gain a hearing with many at present.

Bunyan himself had no doubts about the reality of Satanic agency, in his own case. How could he, after suffering even And that is nothing compared

what we have already seen?

with what we have now to contemplate. I have shown, that I am not inclined to ascribe to Satan too many of Bunyan's distractions. I have been, perhaps, over-cautious hitherto: but now I must speak out, if I speak agreeably to the Oracles of God.

Bunyan's comfort from the words, "My Love," did not last long. He did not calculate upon this. It was so strong when it "kindled in his spirit," that he exclaimed, "Surely, I will not forget this forty years hence." It went away, however, "within less than forty days." This can hardly be wondered at. It gave place, however, to a storm, utterly unaccountable, apart from Satan. "In about the "In about the space of a month," he says, "a very great storm came down upon me, which handled me twenty times worse than all I had met with before. It came stealing upon me, now by one piece, and then by another. First, all my comfort was taken from me. Then, darkness seized upon me. After which, whole floods of blasphemous thoughts against God, Christ, and the Scriptures, were poured in upon my spirit, to my great confusion and astonishment." Thus he was taken by surprise: and Bunyan is too honest, to be suspected of tampering with sin or speculation, when he does not say so. Indeed, he had been more than usually prudent. for him, in reasoning about the comfort, when it came, and whilst it lasted. When, lo, a storm of blasphemous thoughts