Later in life, God transformed Bunyan’s heart and called him to preach. He spoke boldly about Christ wherever he went, even though it was illegal to preach without permission from the official state church.

Because he refused to stop preaching, Bunyan was arrested in 1660 and spent many years in prison. He was separated from his wife and children, including a dear daughter who was blind, yet he did not lose hope. Instead, Bunyan used his time in jail to write books that encouraged believers to remain faithful.

During this season, he began his famous allegory Pilgrim’s Progress, a story that pictures the Christian life as a journey toward heaven. The hymn we know as “He Who Would Valiant Be” first appeared in this book as a poem titled “Who Would True Valor See.”

Pilgrim’s Progress has been read by millions of people around the world and remains one of the most widely read Christian books in history. Over time, the hymn drawn from its pages has been a popular song in English schools and assemblies, helping generations of students remember that the Christian life is a pilgrimage—one that calls for courage, faithfulness, and an eternal perspective.