There was no sufferer whose behalf John Owen exerted more his influence more earnestly than John Bunyan.
It is well known that, as a preacher, Bunyan excited, wherever he went, an interest not surpassed even by the ministry of Baxter. When Bunyan preached in barns or on commons, he gathered eager thousands around him; and when he came to London, 1200 people would be found gathered together at seven on the dark of morning of a winter working-day to hear him expound the Word of God. Among these admiring multitudes John Owen had often been discovered;-- the most learned of the Puritans hung for hours, that seemed like moments, upon the lips of this untutored genius.
The King is reported to have asked Owen on one occasion, how a learned man like him could go "to hear a tinker prate;" to which the great theologian answered, "May it please your majesty, could I poosess the tinker's abilities for preaching, I would willingly relinquish all my learning."
Volume 1. The Works of John Owen, page. XCII