The Project Gutenberg eBook of The Pilgrim's Progress, by John Bunyan

Published：2026-07-30 05:24:53 Source: gift drawing kits for 4 year olds Author: RC Cars

Notes:

1. Legends: = Sidenotes [Bible reference] = Bible references

2. Sections are best plush dolls for 11 year oldsnumbered for future reference. These sectionshave been chosen arbitrarily, i.e., { 1}, { 2}

3. This is 'Part 1', but is a complete work in itself. Bunyanwrote a sequel ('Part 2') some years after the first part, hencethe 'Parts'.

THE PILGRIM'S PROGRESS

From This World To That Which Is To Come

by

John Bunyan

Part One

DELIVERED UNDER THE SIMILITUDE OF A DREAM BY JOHN BUNYAN

The Author's Apology for his Book

{ 1} When at the first I took my pen in hand
Thus for to write, I did not understand
That I at all should make a little book
In such a mode; nay, I had undertook
To make another; which, when almost done,
Before I was aware, I this begun.

And thus it was: I, writing of the way
And race of saints, in this our gospel day,
Fell suddenly into an allegory
About their journey, and the way to glory,
In more than twenty things which I set down.
This done, I twenty more had in my crown;
And they again began to multiply,
Like sparks that from the coals of fire do fly.

Nay, then, thought I, if that you breed so fast,
I'll put you by yourselves, lest you at last
Should prove ad infinitum, and eat out
The book that I already am about.

Well, so I did; but yet I did not think
To shew to all the world my pen and ink
In such a mode; I only thought to make
I knew not what; nor did I undertake
Thereby to please my neighbour: no, not I;
I did it my own self to gratify.

{ 2} Neither did I but vacant seasons spend
In this my scribble; nor did I intend
But to divert myself in doing this
From worser thoughts which make me do amiss.

Thus, I set pen to paper with delight,
And quickly had my thoughts in black and white.
For, having now my method by the end,
Still as I pulled, it came; and so I penned
It down: until it came at last to be,
For length and breadth, the bigness which you see.

Well, when I had thus put mine ends together,
I shewed them others, that I might see whether
They would condemn them, or them justify:
And some said, Let them live; some, Let them die;
Some said, JOHN, print it; others said, Not so;
Some said, It might do good; others said, No.

Now was I in a strait, and did not see
Which was the best thing to be done by me:
At last I thought, Since you are thus divided,
I print it will, and so the case decided.

{ 3} For, thought I, some, I see, would have it done,
Though others in that channel do not run:
To prove, then, who advised for the best,
Thus I thought fit to put it to the test.

I further thought, if now I did deny
Those that would have it, thus to gratify.
I did not know but hinder them I might
Of that which would to them be great delight.

For those which were not for its coming forth,
I said to them, Offend you I am loth,
Yet, since your brethren pleased with it be,
Forbear to judge till you do further see.

If that thou wilt not read, let it alone;
Some love the meat, some love to pick the bone.
Yea, that I might them better palliate,
I did too with them thus expostulate:--

{ 4} May I not write in such a style as this?
In such a method, too, and yet not miss
My end--thy good? Why may it not be done?
Dark clouds bring waters, when the bright bring none.
Yea, dark or bright, if they their silver drops
Cause to descend, the earth, by yielding crops,
Gives praise to both, and carpeth not at either,
But treasures up the fruit they yield together;
Yea, so commixes both, that in her fruit
None can distinguish this from that: they suit
Her well when hungry; but, if she be full,
She spews out both, and makes their blessings null.

You see the ways the fisherman doth take
To catch the fish; what engines doth he make?
Behold how he engageth all his wits;
Also his snares, lines, angles, hooks, and nets;
Yet fish there be, that neither hook, nor line,
Nor snare, nor net, nor engine can make thine:
They must be groped for, and be tickled too,
Or they will not be catch'd, whate'er you do.

How does the fowler seek to catch his game
By divers means! all which one cannot name:
His guns, his nets, his lime-twigs, light, and bell:
He creeps, he goes, he stands; yea, who can tell
Of all his postures? Yet there's none of these
Will make him master of what fowls he please.
Yea, he must pipe and whistle to catch this,
Yet, if he does so, that bird he will miss.

If that a pearl may in a toad's head dwell,
And may be found too in an oyster-shell;
If things that promise nothing do contain
What better is than gold; who will disdain,
That have an inkling of it, there to look,
That they may find it? Now, my little book,
(Though void of all these paintings that may make
It with this or the other man to take)
Is not without those things that do excel
What do in brave but empty notions dwell.

{ 5} 'Well, yet I am not fully satisfied,
That this your book will stand, when soundly tried.'
Why, what's the matter? 'It is dark.' What though?
'But it is feigned.' What of that? I trow?
Some men, by feigned words, as dark as mine,
Make truth to spangle and its rays to shine.

'But they want solidness.' Speak, man, thy mind.
'They drown the weak; metaphors make us blind.'

Solidity, indeed, becomes the pen
Of him that writeth things divine to men;
But must I needs want solidness, because
By metaphors I speak? Were not God's laws,
His gospel laws, in olden times held forth
By types, shadows, and metaphors? Yet loth
Will any sober man be to find fault
With them, lest he be found for to assault
The highest wisdom. No, he rather stoops,
And seeks to find out what by pins and loops,
By calves and sheep, by heifers and by rams,
By birds and herbs, and by the blood of lambs,
God speaketh to him; and happy is he
That finds the light and grace that in them be.

{ 6} Be not too forward, therefore, to conclude
That I want solidness--that I am rude;
All things solid in show not solid be;
All things in parables despise not we;
Lest things most hurtful lightly we receive,
And things that good are, of our souls bereave.

My dark and cloudy words, they do but hold
The truth, as cabinets enclose the gold.

The prophets used much by metaphors
To set forth truth; yea, who so considers Christ,
his apostles too, shall plainly see,
That truths to this day in such mantles be.

Am I afraid to say, that holy writ,
Which for its style and phrase puts down all wit,
Is everywhere so full of all these things--
Dark figures, allegories? Yet there springs
From that same book that lustre, and those rays
Of light, that turn our darkest nights to days.

{ 7} Come, let my carper to his life now look,
And find there darker lines than in my book
He findeth any; yea, and let him know,
That in his best things there are worse lines too.

May we but stand before impartial men,
To his poor one I dare adventure ten,
That they will take my meaning in these lines
Far better than his lies in silver shrines.
Come, truth, although in swaddling clouts, I find,
Informs the judgement, rectifies the mind;
Pleases the understanding, makes the will
Submit; the memory too it doth fill
With what doth our imaginations please;
Likewise it tends our troubles to appease.

Sound words, I know, Timothy is to use,
And old wives' fables he is to refuse;
But yet grave Paul him nowhere did forbid
The use of parables; in which lay hid
That gold, those pearls, and precious stones that were
Worth digging for, and that with greatest care.

Let me add one word more. O man of God,
Art thou offended? Dost thou wish I had
Put forth my matter in another dress?
Or, that I had in things been more express?
Three things let me propound; then I submit
To those that are my betters, as is fit.

{ 8} 1. I find not that I am denied the use
Of this my method, so I no abuse
Put on the words, things, readers; or be rude
In handling figure or similitude,
In application; but, all that I may,
Seek the advance of truth this or that way
Denied, did I say? Nay, I have leave
(Example too, and that from them that have
God better pleased, by their words or ways,
Than any man that breatheth now-a-days)
Thus to express my mind, thus to declare
Things unto thee that excellentest are.

2. I find that men (as high as trees) will write
Dialogue-wise; yet no man doth them slight
For writing so: indeed, if they abuse
Truth, cursed be they, and the craft they use
To that intent; but yet let truth be free
To make her sallies upon thee and me,
Which way it pleases God; for who knows how,
Better than he that taught us first to plough,
To guide our mind and pens for his design?
And he makes base things usher in divine.

3. I find that holy writ in many places
Hath semblance with this method, where the cases
Do call for one thing, to set forth another;
Use it I may, then, and yet nothing smother
Truth's golden beams: nay, by this method may
Make it cast forth its rays as light as day.
And now before I do put up my pen,
I'll shew the profit of my book, and then
Commit both thee and it unto that Hand
That pulls the strong down, and makes weak ones stand.

This book it chalketh out before thine eyes
The man that seeks the everlasting prize;
It shews you whence he comes, whither he goes;
What he leaves undone, also what he does;
It also shows you how he runs and runs,
Till he unto the gate of glory comes.

{ 9} It shows, too, who set out for life amain,
As if the lasting crown they would obtain;
Here also you may see the reason why
They lose their labour, and like fools do die.

This book will make a traveller of thee,
If by its counsel thou wilt ruled be;
It will direct thee to the Holy Land,
If thou wilt its directions understand:
Yea, it will make the slothful active be;
The blind also delightful things to see.

Art thou for something rare and profitable?
Wouldest thou see a truth within a fable?
Art thou forgetful? Wouldest thou remember
From New-Year's day to the last of December?
Then read my fancies; they will stick like burs,
And may be, to the helpless, comforters.

This book is writ in such a dialect
As may the minds of listless men affect:
It seems a novelty, and yet contains
Nothing but sound and honest gospel strains.
Wouldst thou divert thyself from melancholy?
Wouldst thou be pleasant, yet be far from folly?
Wouldst thou read riddles, and their explanation?
Or else be drowned in thy contemplation?
Dost thou love picking meat? Or wouldst thou see
A man in the clouds, and hear him speak to thee?
Wouldst thou be in a dream, and yet not sleep?
Or wouldst thou in a moment laugh and weep?
Wouldest thou lose thyself and catch no harm,
And find thyself again without a charm?
Wouldst read thyself, and read thou knowest not what,
And yet know whether thou art blest or not,

By reading the same lines? Oh, then come hither,
And lay my book, thy head, and heart together.

JOHN BUNYAN.

THE PILGRIM'S PROGRESS

In the Similitude of a Dream

{ 10} As I walked through the wilderness of this world, I lightedon a certain place where was a Den, and I laid me down in thatplace to sleep: and, as I slept, I dreamed a dream. I dreamed,and behold, I saw a man clothed with rags, standing in a certainplace, with his face from his own house, a book in his hand, anda great burden upon his back. [Isa. 64:6; Luke 14:33; Ps. 38:4;Hab. 2:2; Acts 16:30,31] I looked, and saw him open the book,and read therein; and, as he read, he wept, and trembled; and, notbeing able longer to contain, he brake out with a lamentable cry,saying, "What shall I do?" [Acts 2:37]

{ 11} In this plight, therefore, he went home and refrained himselfas long as he could, that his wife and children should not perceivehis distress; but he could not be silent long, because that histrouble increased. Wherefore at length he brake his mind to hiswife and children; and thus he began to talk to them: O my dearwife, said he, and you the children of my bowels, I, your dearfriend, am in myself undone by reason of a burden that lieth hardupon me; moreover, I am for certain informed that this our citywill be burned with fire from heaven; in which fearful overthrow,both myself, with thee my wife, and you my sweet babes, shallmiserably come to ruin, except (the which yet I see not) some wayof escape can be found, whereby we may be delivered. At this hisrelations were sore amazed; not for that they believed that whathe had said to them was true, but because they thought that somefrenzy distemper had got into his head; therefore, it drawingtowards night, and they hoping that sleep might settle his brains,with all haste they got him to bed. But the night was as troublesometo him as the day; wherefore, instead of sleeping, he spent it insighs and tears. So, when the morning was come, they would knowhow he did. He told them, Worse and worse: he also set to talkingto them again; but they began to be hardened. They also thoughtto drive away his distemper by harsh and surly carriages tohim; sometimes they would deride, sometimes they would chide, andsometimes they would quite neglect him. Wherefore he began toretire himself to his chamber, to pray for and pity them, and alsoto condole his own misery; he would also walk solitarily in thefields, sometimes reading, and sometimes praying: and thus forsome days he spent his time.

{ 12} Now, I saw, upon a time, when he was walking in the fields,that he was, as he was wont, reading in his book, and greatlydistressed in his mind; and, as he read, he burst out, as he haddone before, crying, "What shall I do to be saved?"

{ 13} I saw also that he looked this way and that way, as if hewould run; yet he stood still, because, as I perceived, he couldnot tell which way to go. I looked then, and saw a man namedEvangelist coming to him and asked, Wherefore dost thou cry? [Job33:23]

{ 14} He answered, Sir, I perceive by the book in my hand, thatI am condemned to die, and after that to come to judgement [Heb.9:27]; and I find that I am not willing to do the first [Job 16:21],nor able to do the second. [Ezek. 22:14]

CHRISTIAN no sooner leaves the World but meets EVANGELIST, wholovingly him greets With tidings of another: and doth show Himhow to mount to that from this below.

{ 15} Then said Evangelist, Why not willing to die, since this lifeis attended with so many evils? The man answered, Because I fearthat this burden is upon my back will sink me lower than the grave,and I shall fall into Tophet. [Isa. 30:33] And, Sir, if I be notfit to go to prison, I am not fit, I am sure, to go to judgement,and from thence to execution; and the thoughts of these things makeme cry.

{ 16} Then said Evangelist, If this be thy condition, why standestthou still? He answered, Because I know not whither to go. Thenhe gave him a parchment roll, and there was written within, Fleefrom the wrath to come. [Matt. 3.7]

{ 17} The man therefore read it, and looking upon Evangelistvery carefully, said, Whither must I fly? Then said Evangelist,pointing with his finger over a very wide field, Do you see yonderwicket-gate? [Matt. 7:13,14] The man said, No. Then said the other,Do you see yonder shining light? [Ps. 119:105; 2 Pet. 1:19] Hesaid, I think I do. Then said Evangelist, Keep that light in youreye, and go up directly thereto: so shalt thou see the gate; atwhich, when thou knockest, it shall be told thee what thou shaltdo.

{ 18} So I saw in my dream that the man began to run.

Now, he had not run far from his own door, but his wife and children,perceiving it, began to cry after him to return; but the man puthis fingers in his ears, and ran on, crying, Life! life! eternallife! [Luke 14:26] So he looked not behind him, but fled towardsthe middle of the plain. [Gen. 19:17]

{ 19} The neighbours also came out to see him run [Jer. 20:10];and, as he ran, some mocked, others threatened, and some criedafter him to return; and, among those that did so, there were twothat resolved to fetch him back by force. The name of the one wasObstinate and the name of the other Pliable. Now, by this time,the man was got a good distance from them; but, however, they wereresolved to pursue him, which they did, and in a little time theyovertook him. Then said the man, Neighbours, wherefore are ye come?They said, To persuade you to go back with us. But he said, Thatcan by no means be; you dwell, said he, in the City of Destruction,the place also where I was born: I see it to be so; and, dyingthere, sooner or later, you will sink lower than the grave, intoa place that burns with fire and brimstone: be content, goodneighbours, and go along with me.

{ 20} OBST. What! said Obstinate, and leave our friends and ourcomforts behind us?

CHR. Yes, said Christian, for that was his name, because that ALLwhich you shall forsake is not worthy to be compared with a littleof that which I am seeking to enjoy [2 Cor. 4:18]; and, if youwill go along with me, and hold it, you shall fare as I myself;for there, where I go, is enough and to spare. [Luke 15:17] Comeaway, and prove my words.

{ 21} OBST. What are the things you seek, since you leave all theworld to find them?

CHR. I seek an inheritance incorruptible, undefiled, and that fadethnot away [1 Pet. 1:4], and it is laid up in heaven, and safe there[Heb. 11:16], to be bestowed, at the time appointed, on them thatdiligently seek it. Read it so, if you will, in my book.

OBST. Tush! said Obstinate, away with your book; will you go backwith us or no?

CHR. No, not I, said the other, because I have laid my hand to theplough. [Luke 9:62]

{ 22} OBST. Come, then, neighbour Pliable, let us turn again,and go home without him; there is a company of these crazy-headedcoxcombs, that, when they take a fancy by the end, are wiser intheir own eyes than seven men that can render a reason. [Prov.26:16]

PLI. Then said Pliable, Don't revile; if what the good Christiansays is true, the things he looks after are better than ours: myheart inclines to go with my neighbour.

OBST. What! more fools still! Be ruled by me, and go back; whoknows whither such a brain-sick fellow will lead you? Go back, goback, and be wise.

{ 23} CHR. Nay, but do thou come with thy neighbour, Pliable; thereare such things to be had which I spoke of, and many more gloriousbesides. If you believe not me, read here in this book; and forthe truth of what is expressed therein, behold, all is confirmedby the blood of Him that made it. [Heb. 9:17-22; 13:20]

PLI. Well, neighbour Obstinate, said Pliable, I begin to come to apoint; I intend to go along with this good man, and to cast in mylot with him: but, my good companion, do you know the way to thisdesired place?

{ 24} CHR. I am directed by a man, whose name is Evangelist, tospeed me to a little gate that is before us, where we shall receiveinstructions about the way.

PLI. Come, then, good neighbour, let us be going. Then they wentboth together.

OBST. And I will go back to my place, said Obstinate; I will be nocompanion of such misled, fantastical fellows.

{ 25} Now, I saw in my dream, that when Obstinate was gone back,Christian and Pliable went talking over the plain; and thus theybegan their discourse.

{ 26} CHR. Come, neighbour Pliable, how do you do? I am glad youare persuaded to go along with me. Had even Obstinate himselfbut felt what I have felt of the powers and terrors of what is yetunseen, he would not thus lightly have given us the back.

PLI. Come, neighbour Christian, since there are none but us twohere, tell me now further what the things are, and how to be enjoyed,whither we are going.

{ 27} CHR. I can better conceive of them with my mind, than speakof them with my tongue. God's things unspeakable: but yet, sinceyou are desirous to know, I will read of them in my book.

PLI. And do you think that the words of your book are certainlytrue?

CHR. Yes, verily; for it was made by Him that cannot lie. [Titus1:2]

PLI. Well said; what things are they?

CHR. There is an endless kingdom to be inhabited, and everlastinglife to be given us, that we may inhabit that kingdom for ever.[Isa. 45:17; John 10:28,29]

PLI. Well said; and what else?

CHR. There are crowns and glory to be given us, and garments thatwill make us shine like the sun in the firmament of heaven. [2Tim. 4:8; Rev. 3:4; Matt. 13:43]

PLI. This is very pleasant; and what else?

CHR. There shall be no more crying, nor Sorrow: for He that isowner of the place will wipe all tears from our eyes. [Isa. 25.6-8;Rev. 7:17, 21:4]

{ 28} PLI. And what company shall we have there?

CHR. There we shall be with seraphims and cherubims, creatures thatwill dazzle your eyes to look on them. [Isa. 6:2] There also youshall meet with thousands and ten thousands that have gone beforeus to that place; none of them are hurtful, but loving and holy;every one walking in the sight of God, and standing in his presencewith acceptance for ever. [1 Thess. 4:16,17; Rev. 5:11] In aword, there we shall see the elders with their golden crowns [Rev.4:4], there we shall see the holy virgins with their golden harps[Rev. 14:1-5], there we shall see men that by the world were cutin pieces, burnt in flames, eaten of beasts, drowned in the seas,for the love that they bare to the Lord of the place, all well, andclothed with immortality as with a garment. [John 12:25; 2 Cor.5:4]

PLI. The hearing of this is enough to ravish one's heart. But arethese things to be enjoyed? How shall we get to be sharers thereof?

CHR. The Lord, the Governor of the country, hath recorded that inthis book; the substance of which is, If we be truly willing tohave it, he will bestow it upon us freely.

PLI. Well, my good companion, glad am I to hear of these things:come on, let us mend our pace.

CHR. I cannot go so fast as I would, by reason of this burden thatis on my back.

{ 29} Now I saw in my dream, that just as they had ended this talkthey drew near to a very miry slough, that was in the midst of theplain; and they, being heedless, did both fall suddenly into thebog. The name of the slough was Despond. Here, therefore, theywallowed for a time, being grievously bedaubed with the dirt; andChristian, because of the burden that was on his back, began tosink in the mire.

{ 30} PLI. Then said Pliable; Ah! neighbour Christian, where areyou now?

CHR. Truly, said Christian, I do not know.

PLI. At this Pliable began to be offended, and angrily said to hisfellow, Is this the happiness you have told me all this while of?If we have such ill speed at our first setting out, what may weexpect betwixt this and our journey's end? May I get out againwith my life, you shall possess the brave country alone for me.And, with that, he gave a desperate struggle or two, and got outof the mire on that side of the slough which was next to his ownhouse: so away he went, and Christian saw him no more.

{ 31} Wherefore Christian was left to tumble in the Slough of Despondalone: but still he endeavoured to struggle to that side of theslough that was still further from his own house, and next to thewicket-gate; the which he did, but could not get out, because ofthe burden that was upon his back: but I beheld in my dream, thata man came to him, whose name was Help, and asked him, What he didthere?

CHR. Sir, said Christian, I was bid go this way by a man calledEvangelist, who directed me also to yonder gate, that I might escapethe wrath to come; and as I was going thither I fell in here.

{ 32} HELP. But why did not you look for the steps?

CHR. Fear followed me so hard, that I fled the next way, and fellin.

HELP. Then said he, Give me thy hand: so he gave him his hand, andhe drew him out, and set him upon sound ground, and bid him go onhis way. [Ps. 40:2]

{ 33} Then I stepped to him that plucked him out, and said,Sir, wherefore, since over this place is the way from the City ofDestruction to yonder gate, is it that this plat is not mended,that poor travellers might go thither with more security? And hesaid unto me, This miry slough is such a place as cannot be mended;it is the descent whither the scum and filth that attends convictionfor sin doth continually run, and therefore it is called the Sloughof Despond; for still, as the sinner is awakened about his lostcondition, there ariseth in his soul many fears, and doubts, anddiscouraging apprehensions, which all of them get together, andsettle in this place. And this is the reason of the badness ofthis ground.

{ 34} It is not the pleasure of the King that this place should remainso bad. [Isa. 35:3,4] His labourers also have, by the directionof His Majesty's surveyors, been for above these sixteen hundredyears employed about this patch of ground, if perhaps it might havebeen mended: yea, and to my knowledge, said he, here have beenswallowed up at least twenty thousand cart-loads, yea, millions ofwholesome instructions, that have at all seasons been brought fromall places of the King's dominions, and they that can tell, saythey are the best materials to make good ground of the place; ifso be, it might have been mended, but it is the Slough of Despondstill, and so will be when they have done what they can.

{ 35} True, there are, by the direction of the Law-giver, certaingood and substantial steps, placed even through the very midst ofthis slough; but at such time as this place doth much spew out itsfilth, as it doth against change of weather, these steps are hardlyseen; or, if they be, men, through the dizziness of their heads,step beside, and then they are bemired to purpose, notwithstandingthe steps be there; but the ground is good when they are once gotin at the gate. [1 Sam. 12:23]

{ 36} Now, I saw in my dream, that by this time Pliable was got hometo his house again, so that his neighbours came to visit him; andsome of them called him wise man for coming back, and some calledhim fool for hazarding himself with Christian: others again did mockat his cowardliness; saying, Surely, since you began to venture, Iwould not have been so base to have given out for a few difficulties.So Pliable sat sneaking among them. But at last he got moreconfidence, and then they all turned their tales, and began toderide poor Christian behind his back. And thus much concerningPliable.

{ 37} Now, as Christian was walking solitarily by himself, he espiedone afar off, come crossing over the field to meet him; and theirhap was to meet just as they were crossing the way of each other.The gentleman's name that met him was Mr. Worldly Wiseman, he dweltin the town of Carnal Policy, a very great town, and also hard byfrom whence Christian came. This man, then, meeting with Christian,and having some inkling of him,--for Christian's setting forthfrom the City of Destruction was much noised abroad, not only inthe town where he dwelt, but also it began to be the town talk insome other places,--Mr. Worldly Wiseman, therefore, having someguess of him, by beholding his laborious going, by observing hissighs and groans, and the like, began thus to enter into some talkwith Christian.

{ 38} WORLD. How now, good fellow, whither away after this burdenedmanner?

CHR. A burdened manner, indeed, as ever, I think, poor creaturehad! And whereas you ask me, Whither away? I tell you, Sir, I amgoing to yonder wicket-gate before me; for there, as I am informed,I shall be put into a way to be rid of my heavy burden.

WORLD. Hast thou a wife and children?

CHR. Yes; but I am so laden with this burden that I cannot takethat pleasure in them as formerly; methinks I am as if I had none.[1 Cor 7:29]

WORLD. Wilt thou hearken unto me if I give thee counsel?

CHR. If it be good, I will; for I stand in need of good counsel.

{ 39} WORLD. I would advise thee, then, that thou with all speed getthyself rid of thy burden; for thou wilt never be settled in thymind till then; nor canst thou enjoy the benefits of the blessingwhich God hath bestowed upon thee till then.

CHR. That is that which I seek for, even to be rid of this heavyburden; but get it off myself, I cannot; nor is there any man inour country that can take it off my shoulders; therefore am I goingthis way, as I told you, that I may be rid of my burden.

WORLD. Who bid thee go this way to be rid of thy burden?

CHR. A man that appeared to me to be a very great and honourableperson; his name, as I remember, is Evangelist.

{ 40} WORLD. I beshrew him for his counsel! there is not a moredangerous and troublesome way in the world than is that unto whichhe hath directed thee; and that thou shalt find, if thou wilt beruled by his counsel. Thou hast met with something, as I perceive,already; for I see the dirt of the Slough of Despond is upon thee;but that slough is the beginning of the sorrows that do attendthose that go on in that way. Hear me, I am older than thou; thouart like to meet with, in the way which thou goest, wearisomeness,painfulness, hunger, perils, nakedness, sword, lions, dragons,darkness, and, in a word, death, and what not! These things arecertainly true, having been confirmed by many testimonies. And whyshould a man so carelessly cast away himself, by giving heed to astranger?

CHR. Why, Sir, this burden upon my back is more terrible to me thanall these things which you have mentioned; nay, methinks I carenot what I meet with in the way, if so be I can also meet withdeliverance from my burden.

{ 41} WORLD. How camest thou by the burden at first?

CHR. By reading this book in my hand.

WORLD. I thought so; and it is happened unto thee as to other weakmen, who, meddling with things too high for them, do suddenly fallinto thy distractions; which distractions do not only unman men, asthine, I perceive, have done thee, but they run them upon desperateventures to obtain they know not what.

CHR. I know what I would obtain; it is ease for my heavy burden.

{ 42} WORLD. But why wilt thou seek for ease this way, seeing somany dangers attend it? especially since, hadst thou but patienceto hear me, I could direct thee to the obtaining of what thou desirest,without the dangers that thou in this way wilt run thyself into;yea, and the remedy is at hand. Besides, I will add, that insteadof those dangers, thou shalt meet with much safety, friendship,and content.

CHR. Pray, Sir, open this secret to me.

{ 43} WORLD. Why, in yonder village--the village is named Morality--there dwells a gentleman whose name is Legality, a very judiciousman, and a man of very good name, that has skill to help menoff with such burdens as thine are from their shoulders: yea, tomy knowledge, he hath done a great deal of good this way; ay, andbesides, he hath skill to cure those that are somewhat crazed intheir wits with their burdens. To him, as I said, thou mayest go,and be helped presently. His house is not quite a mile from thisplace, and if he should not be at home himself, he hath a prettyyoung man to his son, whose name is Civility, that can do it (tospeak on) as well as the old gentleman himself; there, I say, thoumayest be eased of thy burden; and if thou art not minded to goback to thy former habitation, as, indeed, I would not wish thee,thou mayest send for thy wife and children to thee to this village,where there are houses now stand empty, one of which thou mayesthave at reasonable rates; provision is there also cheap and good;and that which will make thy life the more happy is, to be sure,there thou shalt live by honest neighbours, in credit and goodfashion.

{ 44} Now was Christian somewhat at a stand; but presently he concluded,if this be true, which this gentleman hath said, my wisest courseis to take his advice; and with that he thus further spoke.

{ 45} CHR. Sir, which is my way to this honest man's house?

WORLD. Do you see yonder hill?

CHR. Yes, very well.

WORLD. By that hill you must go, and the first house you come atis his.

{ 46} So Christian turned out of his way to go to Mr. Legality'shouse for help; but, behold, when he was got now hard by the hill,it seemed so high, and also that side of it that was next thewayside did hang so much over, that Christian was afraid to venturefurther, lest the hill should fall on his head; wherefore there hestood still and wotted not what to do. Also his burden now seemedheavier to him than while he was in his way. There came alsoflashes of fire out of the hill, that made Christian afraid thathe should be burned. [Ex. 19:16, 18] Here, therefore, he sweatand did quake for fear. [Heb. 12:21]

When Christians unto carnal men give ear, Out of their way theygo, and pay for 't dear; For Master Worldly Wiseman can but shewA saint the way to bondage and to woe.

{ 47} And now he began to be sorry that he had taken Mr. WorldlyWiseman's counsel. And with that he saw Evangelist coming to meethim; at the sight also of whom he began to blush for shame. SoEvangelist drew nearer and nearer; and coming up to him, he lookedupon him with a severe and dreadful countenance, and thus began toreason with Christian.

{ 48} EVAN. What dost thou here, Christian? said he: at whichwords Christian knew not what to answer; wherefore at present hestood speechless before him. Then said Evangelist further, Art notthou the man that I found crying without the walls of the City ofDestruction?

CHR. Yes, dear Sir, I am the man.

EVAN. Did not I direct thee the way to the little wicket-gate?

CHR. Yes, dear Sir, said Christian.

EVAN. How is it, then, that thou art so quickly turned aside? forthou art now out of the way.

{ 49} CHR. I met with a gentleman so soon as I had got over theSlough of Despond, who persuaded me that I might, in the villagebefore me, find a man that would take off my burden.

EVAN. What was he?

CHR. He looked like a gentleman, and talked much to me, and got meat last to yield; so I came hither; but when I beheld this hill, andhow it hangs over the way, I suddenly made a stand lest it shouldfall on my head.

EVAN. What said that gentleman to you?

CHR. Why, he asked me whither I was going, and I told him.

EVAN. And what said he then?

CHR. He asked me if I had a family? And I told him. But, said I,I am so loaden with the burden that is on my back, that I cannottake pleasure in them as formerly.

EVAN. And what said he then?

{ 50} CHR. He bid me with speed get rid of my burden; and I told himthat it was ease that I sought. And said I, I am therefore goingto yonder gate, to receive further direction how I may get to theplace of deliverance. So he said that he would shew me a betterway, and short, not so attended with difficulties as the way,Sir, that you set me in; which way, said he, will direct you toa gentleman's house that hath skill to take off these burdens, soI believed him, and turned out of that way into this, if haply Imight be soon eased of my burden. But when I came to this place,and beheld things as they are, I stopped for fear (as I said) ofdanger: but I now know not what to do.

{ 51} EVAN. Then, said Evangelist, stand still a little, that Imay show thee the words of God. So he stood trembling. Then saidEvangelist, "See that ye refuse not him that speaketh. For if theyescaped not who refused him that spake on earth, much more shallnot we escape, if we turn away from him that speaketh from heaven."[Heb. 12:25] He said, moreover, "Now the just shall live by faith:but if any man draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him."[Heb. 10:38] He also did thus apply them: Thou art the man thatart running into this misery; thou hast begun to reject the counselof the Most High, and to draw back thy foot from the way of peace,even almost to the hazarding of thy perdition.

{ 52} Then Christian fell down at his feet as dead, crying, "Woeis me, for I am undone!" At the sight of which Evangelist caughthim by the right hand, saying, "All manner of sin and blasphemiesshall be forgiven unto men." [Matt. 12:31, Mark 3:28] "Be notfaithless, but believing." [John 20:27] Then did Christian again alittle revive, and stood up trembling, as at first, before Evangelist.

{ 53} Then Evangelist proceeded, saying, Give more earnest heed tothe things that I shall tell thee of. I will now show thee who itwas that deluded thee, and who it was also to whom he sent thee.--The man that met thee is one Worldly Wiseman, and rightly is heso called; partly, because he savoureth only the doctrine of thisworld, [1 John 4:5] (therefore he always goes to the town of Moralityto church): and partly because he loveth that doctrine best, forit saveth him best from the cross. [Gal 6:12] And because he isof this carnal temper, therefore he seeketh to pervert my ways,though right. Now there are three things in this man's counsel,that thou must utterly abhor.

1. His turning thee out of the way. 2. His labouring to renderthe cross odious to thee. And, 3. His setting thy feet in thatway that leadeth unto the administration of death.

{ 54} First, Thou must abhor his turning thee out of the way; andthine own consenting thereunto: because this is to reject thecounsel of God for the sake of the counsel of a Worldly Wiseman.The Lord says, "Strive to enter in at the strait gate" [Luke 13:24],the gate to which I sent thee; for "strait is the gate that leadethunto life, and few there be that find it." [Matt. 7:14] From thislittle wicket-gate, and from the way thereto, hath this wicked manturned thee, to the bringing of thee almost to destruction; hate,therefore, his turning thee out of the way, and abhor thyself forhearkening to him.

{ 55} Secondly, Thou must abhor his labouring to render the crossodious unto thee; for thou art to prefer it "before the treasuresin Egypt." [Heb. 11:25,26] Besides the King of glory hath toldthee, that he that "will save his life shall lose it." [Mark 8:35;John 12:25; Matt. 10:39] And, "He that cometh after me, and hatethnot his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren,and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple."[Luke 14:26] I say, therefore, for man to labour to persuade thee,that that shall be thy death, without which, THE TRUTH hath said,thou canst not have eternal life; this doctrine thou must abhor.

{ 56} Thirdly, Thou must hate his setting of thy feet in the waythat leadeth to the ministration of death. And for this thou mustconsider to whom he sent thee, and also how unable that person wasto deliver thee from thy burden.

{ 57} He to whom thou wast sent for ease, being by name Legality,is the son of the bond-woman which now is, and is in bondage withher children [Gal 4:21-27]; and is, in a mystery, this Mount Sinai,which thou hast feared will fall on thy head. Now, if she, withher children, are in bondage, how canst thou expect by them to bemade free? This Legality, therefore, is not able to set thee freefrom thy burden. No man was as yet ever rid of his burden by him;no, nor ever is like to be: ye cannot be justified by the worksof the law; for by the deeds of the law no man living can be ridof his burden: therefore, Mr. Worldly Wiseman is an alien, andMr. Legality is a cheat; and for his son Civility, notwithstandinghis simpering looks, he is but a hypocrite and cannot help thee.Believe me, there is nothing in all this noise, that thou hastheard of these sottish men, but a design to beguile thee of thysalvation, by turning thee from the way in which I had set thee.After this, Evangelist called aloud to the heavens for confirmationof what he had said: and with that there came words and fire outof the mountain under which poor Christian stood, that made thehair of his flesh stand up. The words were thus pronounced: 'Asmany as are of the works of the law are under the curse; for itis written, Cursed is every one that continueth not in all thingswhich are written in the book of the law to do them.' [Gal. 3:10]

{ 58} Now Christian looked for nothing but death, and began to cryout lamentably; even cursing the time in which he met with Mr. WorldlyWiseman; still calling himself a thousand fools for hearkeningto his counsel; he also was greatly ashamed to think that thisgentleman's arguments, flowing only from the flesh, should havethe prevalency with him as to cause him to forsake the right way.This done, he applied himself again to Evangelist in words andsense as follow:

{ 59} CHR. Sir, what think you? Is there hope? May I now go backand go up to the wicket-gate? Shall I not be abandoned for this,and sent back from thence ashamed? I am sorry I have hearkened tothis man's counsel. But may my sin be forgiven?

EVAN. Then said Evangelist to him, Thy sin is very great, for byit thou hast committed two evils: thou hast forsaken the way thatis good, to tread in forbidden paths; yet will the man at the gatereceive thee, for he has goodwill for men; only, said he, take heedthat thou turn not aside again, 'lest thou perish from the way,when his wrath is kindled but a little.' [Ps. 2:12] Then didChristian address himself to go back; and Evangelist, after he hadkissed him, gave him one smile, and bid him God-speed. So he wenton with haste, neither spake he to any man by the way; nor, if anyasked him, would he vouchsafe them an answer. He went like onethat was all the while treading on forbidden ground, and could byno means think himself safe, till again he was got into the waywhich he left, to follow Mr. Worldly Wiseman's counsel. So, inprocess of time, Christian got up to the gate. Now, over the gatethere was written, 'Knock, and it shall be opened unto you.' [Matt7:8]

{ 60} "He that will enter in must first without
Stand knocking at the Gate, nor need he doubt
That is A KNOCKER but to enter in;
For God can love him, and forgive his sin."

He knocked, therefore, more than once or twice, saying--

"May I now enter here? Will he within
Open to sorry me, though I have been
An undeserving rebel? Then shall I
Not fail to sing his lasting praise on high."

At last there came a grave person to the gate, named Good-will, whoasked who was there? and whence he came? and what he would have?

{ 61} CHR. Here is a poor burdened sinner. I come from the City ofDestruction, but am going to Mount Zion, that I may be deliveredfrom the wrath to come. I would therefore, Sir, since I am informedthat by this gate is the way thither, know if you are willing tolet me in?

GOOD-WILL. I am willing with all my heart, said he; and with thathe opened the gate.

{ 62} So when Christian was stepping in, the other gave him apull. Then said Christian, What means that? The other told him.A little distance from this gate, there is erected a strong castle,of which Beelzebub is the captain; from thence, both he and themthat are with him shoot arrows at those that come up to this gate,if haply they may die before they can enter in.

Then said Christian, I rejoice and tremble. So when he was gotin, the man of the gate asked him who directed him thither?

{ 63} CHR. Evangelist bid me come hither, and knock, (as I did);and he said that you, Sir, would tell me what I must do.

GOOD-WILL. An open door is set before thee, and no man can shutit.

CHR. Now I begin to reap the benefits of my hazards.

GOOD-WILL. But how is it that you came alone?

CHR. Because none of my neighbours saw their danger, as I saw mine.

GOOD-WILL. Did any of them know of your coming?

CHR. Yes; my wife and children saw me at the first, and calledafter me to turn again; also, some of my neighbours stood cryingand calling after me to return; but I put my fingers in my ears,and so came on my way.

GOOD-WILL. But did none of them follow you, to persuade you to goback?

CHR. Yes, both Obstinate and Pliable; but when they saw that theycould not prevail, Obstinate went railing back, but Pliable camewith me a little way.

GOOD-WILL. But why did he not come through?

{ 64} CHR. We, indeed, came both together, until we came at the Sloughof Despond, into the which we also suddenly fell. And then wasmy neighbour, Pliable, discouraged, and would not venture further.Wherefore, getting out again on that side next to his own house,he told me I should possess the brave country alone for him; so hewent his way, and I came mine--he after Obstinate, and I to thisgate.

GOOD-WILL. Then said Good-will, Alas, poor man! is the celestialglory of so small esteem with him, that he counteth it not worthrunning the hazards of a few difficulties to obtain it?

{ 65} CHR. Truly, said Christian, I have said the truth of Pliable,and if I should also say all the truth of myself, it will appearthere is no betterment betwixt him and myself. It is true, he wentback to his own house, but I also turned aside to go in the way ofdeath, being persuaded thereto by the carnal arguments of one Mr.Worldly Wiseman.

GOOD-WILL. Oh, did he light upon you? What! he would have had youa sought for ease at the hands of Mr. Legality. They are, both ofthem, a very cheat. But did you take his counsel?

CHR. Yes, as far as I durst; I went to find out Mr. Legality, untilI thought that the mountain that stands by his house would havefallen upon my head; wherefore there I was forced to stop.

GOOD-WILL. That mountain has been the death of many, and will bethe death of many more; it is well you escaped being by it dashedin pieces.

CHR. Why, truly, I do not know what had become of me there, hadnot Evangelist happily met me again, as I was musing in the midstof my dumps; but it was God's mercy that he came to me again, forelse I had never come hither. But now I am come, such a one asI am, more fit, indeed, for death, by that mountain, than thus tostand talking with my lord; but, oh, what a favour is this to me,that yet I am admitted entrance here!

{ 66} GOOD-WILL. We make no objections against any, notwithstandingall that they have done before they came hither. They are in nowise cast out [John vi.37]; and therefore, good Christian, come alittle way with me, and I will teach thee about the way thou mustgo. Look before thee; dost thou see this narrow way? THAT isthe way thou must go; it was cast up by the patriarchs, prophets,Christ, and his apostles; and it is as straight as a rule can makeit. This is the way thou must go.

{ 67} CHR. But, said Christian, are there no turnings or windingsby which a stranger may lose his way?

GOOD-WILL. Yes, there are many ways butt down upon this, and theyare crooked and wide. But thus thou mayest distinguish the rightfrom the wrong, the right only being straight and narrow. [Matt7:14]

{ 68} Then I saw in my dream that Christian asked him further ifhe could not help him off with his burden that was upon his back;for as yet he had not got rid thereof, nor could he by any meansget it off without help.

He told him, As to thy burden, be content to bear it, until thoucomest to the place of deliverance; for there it will fall fromthy back of itself.

{ 69} Then Christian began to gird up his loins, and to addresshimself to his journey. So the other told him, That by that hewas gone some distance from the gate, he would come at the house ofthe Interpreter, at whose door he should knock, and he would showhim excellent things. Then Christian took his leave of his friend,and he again bid him God-speed.

{ 70} Then he went on till he came to the house of the Interpreter,where he knocked over and over; at last one came to the door, andasked who was there.

{ 71} CHR. Sir, here is a traveller, who was bid by an acquaintanceof the good-man of this house to call here for my profit; I wouldtherefore speak with the master of the house. So he called for themaster of the house, who, after a little time, came to Christian,and asked him what he would have.

CHR. Sir, said Christian, I am a man that am come from the Cityof Destruction, and am going to the Mount Zion; and I was told bythe man that stands at the gate, at the head of this way, that ifI called here, you would show me excellent things, such as wouldbe a help to me in my journey.

{ 72} INTER. Then said the Interpreter, Come in; I will show thatwhich will be profitable to thee. So he commanded his man to lightthe candle, and bid Christian follow him: so he had him intoa private room, and bid his man open a door; the which when hehad done, Christian saw the picture of a very grave person hangup against the wall; and this was the fashion of it. It had eyeslifted up to heaven, the best of books in his hand, the law oftruth was written upon his lips, the world was behind his back.It stood as if it pleaded with men, and a crown of gold did hangover his head.

CHR. Then said Christian, What meaneth this?

{ 73} INTER. The man whose picture this is, is one of a thousand; hecan beget children [1 Cor. 4:15], travail in birth with children[Gal. 4:19], and nurse them himself when they are born. And whereasthou seest him with his eyes lift up to heaven, the best of booksin his hand, and the law of truth writ on his lips, it is to showthee that his work is to know and unfold dark things to sinners;even as also thou seest him stand as if he pleaded with men: andwhereas thou seest the world as cast behind him, and that a crownhangs over his head, that is to show thee that slighting anddespising the things that are present, for the love that he hathto his Master's service, he is sure in the world that comes nextto have glory for his reward. Now, said the Interpreter, I haveshowed thee this picture first, because the man whose picture thisis, is the only man whom the Lord of the place whither thou artgoing, hath authorised to be thy guide in all difficult places thoumayest meet with in the way; wherefore, take good heed to what Ihave shewed thee, and bear well in thy mind what thou hast seen,lest in thy journey thou meet with some that pretend to lead theeright, but their way goes down to death.

{ 74} Then he took him by the hand, and led him into a very largeparlour that was full of dust, because never swept; the which afterhe had reviewed a little while, the Interpreter called for a man tosweep. Now, when he began to sweep, the dust began so abundantlyto fly about, that Christian had almost therewith been choked.Then said the Interpreter to a damsel that stood by, Bring hitherthe water, and sprinkle the room; the which, when she had done, itwas swept and cleansed with pleasure.

{ 75} CHR. Then said Christian, What means this?

INTER. The Interpreter answered, This parlour is the heart ofa man that was never sanctified by the sweet grace of the gospel;the dust is his original sin and inward corruptions, that have defiledthe whole man. He that began to sweep at first, is the Law; butshe that brought water, and did sprinkle it, is the Gospel. Now,whereas thou sawest, that so soon as the first began to sweep, thedust did so fly about that the room by him could not be cleansed,but that thou wast almost choked therewith; this is to shew thee,that the law, instead of cleansing the heart (by its working) fromsin, doth revive, put strength into, and increase it in the soul,even as it doth discover and forbid it, for it doth not give powerto subdue. [Rom. 7:6; 1 Cor. 15:56; Rom. 5:20]

{ 76} Again, as thou sawest the damsel sprinkle the room with water,upon which it was cleansed with pleasure; this is to show thee,that when the gospel comes in the sweet and precious influencesthereof to the heart, then, I say, even as thou sawest the damsellay the dust by sprinkling the floor with water, so is sin vanquishedand subdued, and the soul made clean through the faith of it, andconsequently fit for the King of glory to inhabit. [John 15:3;Eph. 5:26; Acts 15:9; Rom. 16:25,26; John 15:13]

{ 77} I saw, moreover, in my dream, that the Interpreter took himby the hand, and had him into a little room, where sat two littlechildren, each one in his chair. The name of the eldest wasPassion, and the name of the other Patience. Passion seemed tobe much discontented; but Patience was very quiet. Then Christianasked, What is the reason of the discontent of Passion? TheInterpreter answered, The Governor of them would have him stay forhis best things till the beginning of the next year; but he willhave all now: but Patience is willing to wait.

Then I saw that one came to Passion, and brought him a bag of treasure,and poured it down at his feet, the which he took up and rejoicedtherein, and withal laughed Patience to scorn. But I beheld but awhile, and he had lavished all away, and had nothing left him butrags.

{ 78} CHR. Then said Christian to the Interpreter, Expound thismatter more fully to me.

INTER. So he said, These two lads are figures: Passion, of the menof this world; and Patience, of the men of that which is to come;for as here thou seest, Passion will have all now this year, thatis to say, in this world; so are the men of this world, they musthave all their good things now, they cannot stay till next year,that is until the next world, for their portion of good. Thatproverb, 'A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush', is of moreauthority with them than are all the Divine testimonies of thegood of the world to come. But as thou sawest that he had quicklylavished all away, and had presently left him nothing but rags; sowill it be with all such men at the end of this world.

CHR. Then said Christian, Now I see that Patience has the bestwisdom, and that upon many accounts. First, because he stays forthe best things. Second, and also because he will have the gloryof his, when the other has nothing but rags.

{ 79} INTER. Nay, you may add another, to wit, the glory of the nextworld will never wear out; but these are suddenly gone. ThereforePassion had not so much reason to laugh at Patience, because he hadhis good things first, as Patience will have to laugh at Passion,because he had his best things last; for first must give place tolast, because last must have his time to come; but last gives placeto nothing; for there is not another to succeed. He, therefore,that hath his portion first, must needs have a time to spend it;but he that hath his portion last, must have it lastingly; thereforeit is said of Dives, "Thou in thy life-time receivedst thy goodthings, and likewise Lazarus evil things; but now he is comforted,and thou art tormented." [Luke 16:25]

CHR. Then I perceive it is not best to covet things that are now,but to wait for things to come.

INTER. You say the truth: "For the things which are seen aretemporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal." [2 Cor.4:18] But though this be so, yet since things present and ourfleshly appetite are such near neighbours one to another; and again,because things to come, and carnal sense, are such strangers oneto another; therefore it is, that the first of these so suddenlyfall into amity, and that distance is so continued between thesecond.

{ 80} Then I saw in my dream that the Interpreter took Christian bythe hand, and led him into a place where was a fire burning againsta wall, and one standing by it, always casting much water upon it,to quench it; yet did the fire burn higher and hotter.

Then said Christian, What means this?

{ 81} The Interpreter answered, This fire is the work of grace thatis wrought in the heart; he that casts water upon it, to extinguishand put it out, is the Devil; but in that thou seest the firenotwithstanding burn higher and hotter, thou shalt also see thereason of that. So he had him about to the backside of the wall,where he saw a man with a vessel of oil in his hand, of the whichhe did also continually cast, but secretly, into the fire.

Then said Christian, What means this?

{ 82} The Interpreter answered, This is Christ, who continually,with the oil of his grace, maintains the work already begun in theheart: by the means of which, notwithstanding what the devil cando, the souls of his people prove gracious still. [2 Cor. 12:9]And in that thou sawest that the man stood behind the wall tomaintain the fire, that is to teach thee that it is hard for thetempted to see how this work of grace is maintained in the soul.

I saw also, that the Interpreter took him again by the hand, andled him into a pleasant place, where was builded a stately palace,beautiful to behold; at the sight of which Christian was greatlydelighted. He saw also, upon the top thereof, certain personswalking, who were clothed all in gold.

Then said Christian, May we go in thither?

{ 83} Then the Interpreter took him, and led him up towards thedoor of the palace; and behold, at the door stood a great companyof men, as desirous to go in; but durst not. There also sat a manat a little distance from the door, at a table-side, with a bookand his inkhorn before him, to take the name of him that shouldenter therein; he saw also, that in the doorway stood many men inarmour to keep it, being resolved to do the men that would enterwhat hurt and mischief they could. Now was Christian somewhat inamaze. At last, when every man started back for fear of the armedmen, Christian saw a man of a very stout countenance come up to theman that sat there to write, saying, Set down my name, Sir: thewhich when he had done, he saw the man draw his sword, and puta helmet upon his head, and rush toward the door upon the armedmen, who laid upon him with deadly force; but the man, not at alldiscouraged, fell to cutting and hacking most fiercely. So afterhe had received and given many wounds to those that attempted tokeep him out, he cut his way through them all [Acts 14:22], andpressed forward into the palace, at which there was a pleasant voiceheard from those that were within, even of those that walked uponthe top of the palace, saying--

"Come in, come in; Eternal glory thou shalt win."

So he went in, and was clothed with such garments as they. ThenChristian smiled and said; I think verily I know the meaning ofthis.

{ 84} Now, said Christian, let me go hence. Nay, stay, said theInterpreter, till I have shewed thee a little more, and after thatthou shalt go on thy way. So he took him by the hand again, andled him into a very dark room, where there sat a man in an ironcage.

Now the man, to look on, seemed very sad; he sat with his eyes lookingdown to the ground, his hands folded together, and he sighed as ifhe would break his heart. Then said Christian, What means this?At which the Interpreter bid him talk with the man.

Then said Christian to the man, What art thou? The man answered,I am what I was not once.

{ 85} CHR. What wast thou once?

MAN. The man said, I was once a fair and flourishing professor,both in mine own eyes, and also in the eyes of others; I once was,as I thought, fair for the Celestial City, and had then even joyat the thoughts that I should get thither. [Luke 8:13]

CHR. Well, but what art thou now?

MAN. I am now a man of despair, and am shut up in it, as in thisiron cage. I cannot get out. Oh, now I cannot!

CHR. But how camest thou in this condition?

MAN. I left off to watch and be sober. I laid the reins, upon theneck of my lusts; I sinned against the light of the Word and thegoodness of God; I have grieved the Spirit, and he is gone; I temptedthe devil, and he is come to me; I have provoked God to anger, andhe has left me: I have so hardened my heart, that I cannot repent.

{ 86} Then said Christian to the Interpreter, But is there no hopefor such a man as this? Ask him, said the Interpreter. Nay, saidChristian, pray, Sir, do you.

INTER. Then said the Interpreter, Is there no hope, but you mustbe kept in the iron cage of despair?

MAN. No, none at all.

INTER. Why, the Son of the Blessed is very pitiful.

MAN. I have crucified him to myself afresh [Heb. 6:6]; I havedespised his person [Luke 19:14]; I have despised his righteousness;I have "counted his blood an unholy thing"; I have "done despiteto the Spirit of grace". [Heb. 10:28-29] Therefore I have shutmyself out of all the promises, and there now remains to me nothingbut threatenings, dreadful threatenings, fearful threatenings, ofcertain judgement and fiery indignation, which shall devour me asan adversary.

{ 87} INTER. For what did you bring yourself into this condition?

MAN. For the lusts, pleasures, and profits of this world; in theenjoyment of which I did then promise myself much delight; but nowevery one of those things also bite me, and gnaw me like a burningworm.

INTER. But canst thou not now repent and turn?

{ 88} MAN. God hath denied me repentance. His Word gives me noencouragement to believe; yea, himself hath shut me up in this ironcage; nor can all the men in the world let me out. O eternity,eternity! how shall I grapple with the misery that I must meetwith in eternity!

INTER. Then said the Interpreter to Christian, Let this man's miserybe remembered by thee, and be an everlasting caution to thee.

CHR. Well, said Christian, this is fearful! God help me to watchand be sober, and to pray that I may shun the cause of this man'smisery! Sir, is it not time for me to go on my way now?

INTER. Tarry till I shall show thee one thing more, and then thoushalt go on thy way.

{ 89} So he took Christian by the hand again, and led him intoa chamber, where there was one rising out of bed; and as he puton his raiment, he shook and trembled. Then said Christian, Whydoth this man thus tremble? The Interpreter then bid him tell toChristian the reason of his so doing. So he began and said, Thisnight, as I was in my sleep, I dreamed, and behold the heavens grewexceeding black; also it thundered and lightened in most fearfulwise, that it put me into an agony; so I looked up in my dream, andsaw the clouds rack at an unusual rate, upon which I heard a greatsound of a trumpet, and saw also a man sit upon a cloud, attendedwith the thousands of heaven; they were all in flaming fire: alsothe heavens were in a burning flame. I heard then a voice saying,"Arise, ye dead, and come to judgement"; and with that the rocksrent, the graves opened, and the dead that were therein came forth.Some of them were exceeding glad, and looked upward; and somesought to hide themselves under the mountains. [1 Cor. 15:52; 1Thes. 4:16; Jude 14; John 5:28,29; 2 Thes. 1:7,8; Rev. 20:11-14;Isa. 26:21; Micah 7:16,17; Ps. 95:1-3; Dan. 7:10] Then I saw theman that sat upon the cloud open the book, and bid the world drawnear. Yet there was, by reason of a fierce flame which issued outand came from before him, a convenient distance betwixt him andthem, as betwixt the judge and the prisoners at the bar. [Mal.3:2,3; Dan. 7:9,10] I heard it also proclaimed to them that attendedon the man that sat on the cloud, Gather together the tares, thechaff, and stubble, and cast them into the burning lake. [Matt.3:12; 13:30; Mal. 4:1] And with that, the bottomless pit opened,just whereabout I stood; out of the mouth of which there came, inan abundant manner, smoke and coals of fire, with hideous noises.It was also said to the same persons, "Gather my wheat intothe garner." [Luke 3:17] And with that I saw many catched up andcarried away into the clouds, but I was left behind. [1 Thes.4:16,17] I also sought to hide myself, but I could not, for the manthat sat upon the cloud still kept his eye upon me; my sins alsocame into my mind; and my conscience did accuse me on every side.[Rom. 3:14,15] Upon this I awaked from my sleep.

{ 90} CHR. But what is it that made you so afraid of this sight?

MAN. Why, I thought that the day of judgement was come, and that Iwas not ready for it: but this frighted me most, that the angelsgathered up several, and left me behind; also the pit of hell openedher mouth just where I stood. My conscience, too, afflicted me;and, as I thought, the Judge had always his eye upon me, shewingindignation in his countenance.

{ 91} Then said the Interpreter to Christian, Hast thou consideredall these things?

CHR. Yes, and they put me in hope and fear.

INTER. Well, keep all things so in thy mind that they may be as agoad in thy sides, to prick thee forward in the way thou must go.Then Christian began to gird up his loins, and to address himselfto his journey. Then said the Interpreter, The Comforter be alwayswith thee, good Christian, to guide thee in the way that leads tothe City. So Christian went on his way, saying--

"Here I have seen things rare and profitable; Things pleasant,dreadful, things to make me stable In what I have begun to takein hand; Then let me think on them, and understand Wherefore theyshowed me were, and let me be Thankful, O good Interpreter, tothee."

{ 92} Now I saw in my dream, that the highway up which Christianwas to go, was fenced on either side with a wall, and that wallwas called Salvation. [Isa. 26:1] Up this way, therefore, didburdened Christian run, but not without great difficulty, becauseof the load on his back.

{ 93} He ran thus till he came at a place somewhat ascending, andupon that place stood a cross, and a little below, in the bottom,a sepulchre. So I saw in my dream, that just as Christian came upwith the cross, his burden loosed from off his shoulders, and fellfrom off his back, and began to tumble, and so continued to do,till it came to the mouth of the sepulchre, where it fell in, andI saw it no more.

{ 94} Then was Christian glad and lightsome, and said, with amerry heart, "He hath given me rest by his sorrow, and life by hisdeath." Then he stood still awhile to look and wonder; for it wasvery surprising to him, that the sight of the cross should thusease him of his burden. He looked therefore, and looked again,even till the springs that were in his head sent the waters downhis cheeks. [Zech. 12:10] Now, as he stood looking and weeping,behold three Shining Ones came to him and saluted him with "Peacebe unto thee". So the first said to him, "Thy sins be forgiventhee" [Mark 2:5]; the second stripped him of his rags, and clothedhim with change of raiment [Zech. 3:4]; the third also set a markon his forehead, and gave him a roll with a seal upon it, which hebade him look on as he ran, and that he should give it in at theCelestial Gate. [Eph. 1:13] So they went their way.

"Who's this? the Pilgrim. How! 'tis very true, Old things arepast away, all's become new. Strange! he's another man, upon myword, They be fine feathers that make a fine bird.

Then Christian gave three leaps for joy, and went on singing--

"Thus far I did come laden with my sin;
Nor could aught ease the grief that I was in
Till I came hither: What a place is this!
Must here be the beginning of my bliss?
Must here the burden fall from off my back?
Must here the strings that bound it to me crack?
Blest cross! blest sepulchre! blest rather be
The Man that there was put to shame for me!"

{ 95} I saw then in my dream, that he went on thus, even until hecame at a bottom, where he saw, a little out of the way, three menfast asleep, with fetters upon their heels. The name of the onewas Simple, another Sloth, and the third Presumption.

{ 96} Christian then seeing them lie in this case went to them, ifperadventure he might awake them, and cried, You are like them thatsleep on the top of a mast, for the Dead Sea is under you--a gulfthat hath no bottom. [Prov. 23:34] Awake, therefore, and comeaway; be willing also, and I will help you off with your irons. Healso told them, If he that "goeth about like a roaring lion" comesby, you will certainly become a prey to his teeth. [1 Pet. 5:8]With that they looked upon him, and began to reply in this sort:Simple said, "I see no danger"; Sloth said, "Yet a little moresleep"; and Presumption said, "Every fat must stand upon its ownbottom; what is the answer else that I should give thee?" And sothey lay down to sleep again, and Christian went on his way.

{ 97} Yet was he troubled to think that men in that danger shouldso little esteem the kindness of him that so freely offered to helpthem, both by awakening of them, counselling of them, and profferingto help them off with their irons. And as he was troubled thereabout,he espied two men come tumbling over the wall on the left hand ofthe narrow way; and they made up apace to him. The name of the onewas Formalist, and the name of the other Hypocrisy. So, as I said,they drew up unto him, who thus entered with them into discourse.

{ 98} CHR. Gentlemen, whence came you, and whither go you?

FORM. and HYP. We were born in the land of Vain-glory, and aregoing for praise to Mount Zion.

CHR. Why came you not in at the gate which standeth at the beginningof the way? Know you not that it is written, that he that comethnot in by the door, "but climbeth up some other way, the same isa thief and a robber?" [John 10:1]

FORM. and HYP. They said, That to go to the gate for entrance was,by all their countrymen, counted too far about; and that, therefore,their usual way was to make a short cut of it, and to climb overthe wall, as they had done.

CHR. But will it not be counted a trespass against the Lord of thecity whither we are bound, thus to violate his revealed will?

{ 99} FORM. and HYP. They told him, that, as for that, he needed notto trouble his head thereabout; for what they did they had customfor; and could produce, if need were, testimony that would witnessit for more than a thousand years.

CHR. But, said Christian, will your practice stand a trial at law?

FORM. and HYP. They told him, That custom, it being of so long astanding as above a thousand years, would, doubtless, now be admittedas a thing legal by any impartial judge; and besides, said they,if we get into the way, what's matter which way we get in? if weare in, we are in; thou art but in the way, who, as we perceive,came in at the gate; and we are also in the way, that came tumblingover the wall; wherein, now, is thy condition better than ours?

CHR. I walk by the rule of my Master; you walk by the rude workingof your fancies. You are counted thieves already, by the Lord ofthe way; therefore, I doubt you will not be found true men at theend of the way. You come in by yourselves, without his direction;and shall go out by yourselves, without his mercy.

{ 100} To this they made him but little answer; only they bid himlook to himself. Then I saw that they went on every man in hisway without much conference one with another, save that these twomen told Christian, that as to laws and ordinances, they doubtednot but they should as conscientiously do them as he; therefore,said they, we see not wherein thou differest from us but by the coatthat is on thy back, which was, as we trow, given thee by some ofthy neighbours, to hide the shame of thy nakedness.

{ 101} CHR. By laws and ordinances you will not be saved, since youcame not in by the door. [Gal. 2:16] And as for this coat thatis on my back, it was given me by the Lord of the place whither Igo; and that, as you say, to cover my nakedness with. And I takeit as a token of his kindness to me; for I had nothing but ragsbefore. And besides, thus I comfort myself as I go: Surely, thinkI, when I come to the gate of the city, the Lord thereof will knowme for good since I have this coat on my back--a coat that hegave me freely in the day that he stripped me of my rags. I have,moreover, a mark in my forehead, of which, perhaps, you have takenno notice, which one of my Lord's most intimate associates fixedthere in the day that my burden fell off my shoulders. I will tellyou, moreover, that I had then given me a roll, sealed, to comfortme by reading as I go on the way; I was also bid to give it in atthe Celestial Gate, in token of my certain going in after it; allwhich things, I doubt, you want, and want them because you camenot in at the gate.

{ 102} To these things they gave him no answer; only they lookedupon each other, and laughed. Then, I saw that they went on all,save that Christian kept before, who had no more talk but withhimself, and that sometimes sighingly, and sometimes comfortably;also he would be often reading in the roll that one of the ShiningOnes gave him, by which he was refreshed.

{ 103} I beheld, then, that they all went on till they came to thefoot of the Hill Difficulty; at the bottom of which was a spring.There were also in the same place two other ways besides that whichcame straight from the gate; one turned to the left hand, and theother to the right, at the bottom of the hill; but the narrow waylay right up the hill, and the name of the going up the side ofthe hill is called Difficulty. Christian now went to the spring,and drank thereof, to refresh himself [Isa. 49:10], and then beganto go up the hill, saying--

"The hill, though high, I covet to ascend,
The difficulty will not me offend;
For I perceive the way to life lies here.
Come, pluck up heart, let's neither faint nor fear;
Better, though difficult, the right way to go,
Than wrong, though easy, where the end is woe."

{ 104} The other two also came to the foot of the hill; but whenthey saw that the hill was steep and high, and that there were twoother ways to go, and supposing also that these two ways might meetagain, with that up which Christian went, on the other side of thehill, therefore they were resolved to go in those ways. Now thename of one of these ways was Danger, and the name of the otherDestruction. So the one took the way which is called Danger,which led him into a great wood, and the other took directly up theway to Destruction, which led him into a wide field, full of darkmountains, where he stumbled and fell, and rose no more.

"Shall they who wrong begin yet rightly end? Shall they at allhave safety for their friend? No, no; in headstrong manner theyset out, And headlong will they fall at last no doubt."

{ 105} I looked, then, after Christian, to see him go up the hill,where I perceived he fell from running to going, and from going toclambering upon his hands and his knees, because of the steepnessof the place. Now, about the midway to the top of the hill was apleasant arbour, made by the Lord of the hill for the refreshingof weary travellers; thither, therefore, Christian got, where alsohe sat down to rest him. Then he pulled his roll out of his bosom,and read therein to his comfort; he also now began afresh to takea review of the coat or garment that was given him as he stood bythe cross. Thus pleasing himself awhile, he at last fell into aslumber, and thence into a fast sleep, which detained him in thatplace until it was almost night; and in his sleep, his roll fellout of his hand. Now, as he was sleeping, there came one to him,and awaked him, saying, Go to the ant, thou sluggard; consider herways and be wise. [Prov. 6:6] And with that Christian startedup, and sped him on his way, and went apace, till he came to thetop of the hill.

{ 106} Now, when he was got up to the top of the hill, there cametwo men running to meet him amain; the name of the one was Timorous,and of the other, Mistrust; to whom Christian said, Sirs, what'sthe matter? You run the wrong way. Timorous answered, that theywere going to the City of Zion, and had got up that difficultplace; but, said he, the further we go, the more danger we meetwith; wherefore we turned, and are going back again.

Yes, said Mistrust, for just before us lie a couple of lions inthe way, whether sleeping or waking we know not, and we could notthink, if we came within reach, but they would presently pull usin pieces.

{ 107} CHR. Then said Christian, You make me afraid, but whithershall I fly to be safe? If I go back to mine own country, thatis prepared for fire and brimstone, and I shall certainly perishthere. If I can get to the Celestial City, I am sure to be insafety there. I must venture. To go back is nothing but death;to go forward is fear of death, and life-everlasting beyond it. Iwill yet go forward. So Mistrust and Timorous ran down the hill,and Christian went on his way. But, thinking again of what he hadheard from the men, he felt in his bosom for his roll, that hemight read therein, and be comforted; but he felt, and found itnot. Then was Christian in great distress, and knew not what todo; for he wanted that which used to relieve him, and that whichshould have been his pass into the Celestial City. Here, therefore,he begun to be much perplexed, and knew not what to do. At lasthe bethought himself that he had slept in the arbour that is onthe side of the hill; and, falling down upon his knees, he askedGod's forgiveness for that his foolish act, and then went back tolook for his roll. But all the way he went back, who can sufficientlyset forth the sorrow of Christian's heart? Sometimes he sighed,sometimes he wept, and oftentimes he chid himself for being sofoolish to fall asleep in that place, which was erected only fora little refreshment for his weariness. Thus, therefore, he wentback, carefully looking on this side and on that, all the way as hewent, if happily he might find his roll, that had been his comfortso many times in his journey. He went thus, till he came againwithin sight of the arbour where he sat and slept; but that sightrenewed his sorrow the more, by bringing again, even afresh, hisevil of sleeping into his mind. [Rev. 2:5; 1 Thes. 5:7,8] Thus,therefore, he now went on bewailing his sinful sleep, saying, Owretched man that I am that I should sleep in the day-time! that Ishould sleep in the midst of difficulty! that I should so indulgethe flesh, as to use that rest for ease to my flesh, which theLord of the hill hath erected only for the relief of the spiritsof pilgrims!

{ 108} How many steps have I took in vain! Thus it happenedto Israel, for their sin; they were sent back again by the way ofthe Red Sea; and I am made to tread those steps with sorrow, whichI might have trod with delight, had it not been for this sinfulsleep. How far might I have been on my way by this time! I ammade to tread those steps thrice over, which I needed not to havetrod but once; yea, now also I am like to be benighted, for theday is almost spent. O, that I had not slept!

{ 109} Now, by this time he was come to the arbour again, where fora while he sat down and wept; but at last, as Christian would haveit, looking sorrowfully down under the settle, there he espied hisroll; the which he, with trembling and haste, catched up, and putit into his bosom. But who can tell how joyful this man was whenhe had gotten his roll again! for this roll was the assurance ofhis life and acceptance at the desired haven. Therefore he laidit up in his bosom, gave thanks to God for directing his eye to theplace where it lay, and with joy and tears betook himself again tohis journey. But oh, how nimbly now did he go up the rest of thehill! Yet, before he got up, the sun went down upon Christian;and this made him again recall the vanity of his sleeping to hisremembrance; and thus he again began to condole with himself: Othou sinful sleep; how, for thy sake, am I like to be benighted inmy journey! I must walk without the sun; darkness must cover thepath of my feet; and I must hear the noise of the doleful creatures,because of my sinful sleep. [1 Thes. 5:6,7] Now also he rememberedthe story that Mistrust and Timorous told him of; how they werefrighted with the sight of the lions. Then said Christian tohimself again, These beasts range in the night for their prey; andif they should meet with me in the dark, how should I shift them?How should I escape being by them torn in pieces? Thus he went onhis way. But while he was thus bewailing his unhappy miscarriage,he lift up his eyes, and behold there was a very stately palacebefore him, the name of which was Beautiful; and it stood just bythe highway side.

{ 110} So I saw in my dream that he made haste and went forward,that if possible he might get lodging there. Now, before he hadgone far, he entered into a very narrow passage, which was abouta furlong off the porter's lodge; and looking very narrowly beforehim as he went, he espied two lions in the way. Now, thought he,I see the dangers that Mistrust and Timorous were driven back by.(The lions were chained, but he saw not the chains.) Then he wasafraid, and thought also himself to go back after them, for hethought nothing but death was before him. But the porter at thelodge, whose name is Watchful, perceiving that Christian made a haltas if he would go back, cried unto him, saying, Is thy strength sosmall? [Mark 8:34-37] Fear not the lions, for they are chained, andare placed there for trial of faith where it is, and for discoveryof those that had none. Keep in the midst of the path, no hurtshall come unto thee.

"Difficulty is behind, Fear is before,
Though he's got on the hill, the lions roar;
A Christian man is never long at ease,
When one fright's gone, another doth him seize."

{ 111} Then I saw that he went on, trembling for fear of the lions,but taking good heed to the directions of the porter; he heardthem roar, but they did him no harm. Then he clapped his hands,and went on till he came and stood before the gate where the porterwas. Then said Christian to the porter, Sir, what house is this?And may I lodge here to-night? The porter answered, This housewas built by the Lord of the hill, and he built it for the reliefand security of pilgrims. The porter also asked whence he was,and whither he was going.

{ 112} CHR. I am come from the City of Destruction, and am going toMount Zion; but because the sun is now set, I desire, if I may, tolodge here to-night.

POR. What is your name?

CHR. My name is now Christian, but my name at the first was Graceless;I came of the race of Japheth, whom God will persuade to dwell inthe tents of Shem. [Gen. 9:27]

POR. But how doth it happen that you come so late? The sun is set.

{ 113} CHR. I had been here sooner, but that, "wretched man thatI am!" I slept in the arbour that stands on the hillside; nay, Ihad, notwithstanding that, been here much sooner, but that, in mysleep, I lost my evidence, and came without it to the brow of thehill and then feeling for it, and finding it not, I was forced withsorrow of heart, to go back to the place where I slept my sleep,where I found it, and now I am come.

POR. Well, I will call out one of the virgins of this place, whowill, if she likes your talk, bring you into the rest of the family,according to the rules of the house. So Watchful, the porter, ranga bell, at the sound of which came out at the door of the house,a grave and beautiful damsel, named Discretion, and asked why shewas called.

{ 114} The porter answered, This man is in a journey from the Cityof Destruction to Mount Zion, but being weary and benighted, heasked me if he might lodge here to-night; so I told him I would callfor thee, who, after discourse had with him, mayest do as seemeththee good, even according to the law of the house.

{ 115} Then she asked him whence he was, and whither he was going,and he told her. She asked him also how he got into the way; andhe told her. Then she asked him what he had seen and met within the way; and he told her. And last she asked his name; so hesaid, It is Christian, and I have so much the more a desire to lodgehere to-night, because, by what I perceive, this place was builtby the Lord of the hill for the relief and security of pilgrims.So she smiled, but the water stood in her eyes; and after alittle pause, she said, I will call forth two or three more of thefamily. So she ran to the door, and called out Prudence, Piety,and Charity, who, after a little more discourse with him, had himinto the family; and many of them, meeting him at the thresholdof the house, said, Come in, thou blessed of the Lord; this housewas built by the Lord of the hill, on purpose to entertain suchpilgrims in. Then he bowed his head, and followed them into thehouse. So when he was come in and sat down, they gave him somethingto drink, and consented together, that until supper was ready, someof them should have some particular discourse with Christian, forthe best improvement of time; and they appointed Piety, and Prudence,and Charity to discourse with him; and thus they began:

{ 116} PIETY. Come, good Christian, since we have been so lovingto you, to receive you in our house this night, let us, if perhapswe may better ourselves thereby, talk with you of all things thathave happened to you in your pilgrimage.

CHR. With a very good will, and I am glad that you are so welldisposed.

{ 117} PIETY. What moved you at first to betake yourself to apilgrim's life?

CHR. I was driven out of my native country by a dreadful sound thatwas in mine ears: to wit, that unavoidable destruction did attendme, if I abode in that place where I was.

PIETY. But how did it happen that you came out of your country thisway?

CHR. It was as God would have it; for when I was under the fearsof destruction, I did not know whither to go; but by chance therecame a man, even to me, as I was trembling and weeping, whose nameis Evangelist, and he directed me to the wicket-gate, which else Ishould never have found, and so set me into the way that hath ledme directly to this house.

{ 118} PIETY. But did you not come by the house of the Interpreter?

CHR. Yes, and did see such things there, the remembrance of whichwill stick by me as long as I live; especially three things: towit, how Christ, in despite of Satan, maintains his work of gracein the heart; how the man had sinned himself quite out of hopes ofGod's mercy; and also the dream of him that thought in his sleepthe day of judgement was come.

PIETY. Why, did you hear him tell his dream?

CHR. Yes, and a dreadful one it was. I thought it made my heartache as he was telling of it; but yet I am glad I heard it.

{ 119} PIETY. Was that all that you saw at the house of the Interpreter?

CHR. No; he took me and had me where he shewed me a stately palace,and how the people were clad in gold that were in it; and how therecame a venturous man and cut his way through the armed men thatstood in the door to keep him out, and how he was bid to come in,and win eternal glory. Methought those things did ravish my heart!I would have stayed at that good man's house a twelvemonth, butthat I knew I had further to go.

{ 120} PIETY. And what saw you else in the way?

CHR. Saw! why, I went but a little further, and I saw one, asI thought in my mind, hang bleeding upon the tree; and the verysight of him made my burden fall off my back, (for I groaned undera very heavy burden,) but then it fell down from off me. It wasa strange thing to me, for I never saw such a thing before; yea,and while I stood looking up, for then I could not forbear looking,three Shining Ones came to me. One of them testified that my sinswere forgiven me; another stripped me of my rags, and gave me thisbroidered coat which you see; and the third set the mark which yousee in my forehead, and gave me this sealed roll. (And with thathe plucked it out of his bosom.)

{ 121} PIETY. But you saw more than this, did you not?

CHR. The things that I have told you were the best; yet some othermatters I saw, as, namely--I saw three men, Simple, Sloth, andPresumption, lie asleep a little out of the way, as I came, withirons upon their heels; but do you think I could awake them? Ialso saw Formality and Hypocrisy come tumbling over the wall, togo, as they pretended, to Zion, but they were quickly lost, evenas I myself did tell them; but they would not believe. But aboveall, I found it hard work to get up this hill, and as hard to comeby the lions' mouths, and truly if it had not been for the goodman, the porter that stands at the gate, I do not know but thatafter all I might have gone back again; but now I thank God I amhere, and I thank you for receiving of me.

{ 122} Then Prudence thought good to ask him a few questions, anddesired his answer to them.

PRUD. Do you not think sometimes of the country from whence youcame?

Christian's thoughts of his native country

CHR. Yes, but with much shame and detestation: "Truly, if I hadbeen mindful of that country from whence I came out, I might havehad opportunity to have returned; but now I desire a better country,that is, an heavenly." [Heb. 11:15,16]

PRUD. Do you not yet bear away with you some of the things thatthen you were conversant withal?

CHR. Yes, but greatly against my will; especially my inward andcarnal cogitations, with which all my countrymen, as well as myself,were delighted; but now all those things are my grief; and mightI but choose mine own things,

Christian's choice

I would choose never to think of those things more; but when Iwould be doing of that which is best, that which is worst is withme. [Rom 7:16-19]

{ 123} PRUD. Do you not find sometimes, as if those things werevanquished, which at other times are your perplexity?

Christian's golden hours

CHR. Yes, but that is seldom; but they are to me golden hours inwhich such things happen to me.

PRUD. Can you remember by what means you find your annoyances, attimes, as if they were vanquished?

CHR. Yes, when I think what I saw at the cross, that will do it;and when I look upon my broidered coat, that will do it; also whenI look into the roll that I carry in my bosom, that will do it;and when my thoughts wax warm about whither I am going, that willdo it.

{ 124} PRUD. And what is it that makes you so desirous to go toMount Zion?

CHR. Why, there I hope to see him alive that did hang dead on thecross; and there I hope to be rid of all those things that to thisday are in me an annoyance to me; there, they say, there is nodeath; and there I shall dwell with such company as I like best.[Isa. 25:8; Rev. 21:4] For, to tell you truth, I love him,because I was by him eased of my burden; and I am weary of my inwardsickness. I would fain be where I shall die no more, and with thecompany that shall continually cry, "Holy, Holy, Holy!"

{ 125} Then said Charity to Christian, Have you a family? Are youa married man?

CHR. I have a wife and four small children.

CHAR. And why did you not bring them along with you?

Christian's love to his wife and children

CHR. Then Christian wept, and said, Oh, how willingly would I havedone it! but they were all of them utterly averse to my going onpilgrimage.

CHAR. But you should have talked to them, and have endeavoured tohave shown them the danger of being behind.

CHR. So I did; and told them also of what God had shown to meof the destruction of our city; "but I seemed to them as one thatmocked", and they believed me not. [Gen. 19:14]

CHAR. And did you pray to God that he would bless your counsel tothem?

CHR. Yes, and that with much affection: for you must think thatmy wife and poor children were very dear unto me.

CHAR. But did you tell them of your own sorrow, and fear ofdestruction? for I suppose that destruction was visible enough toyou.

Christian's fears of perishing might be read in his very countenance

CHR. Yes, over, and over, and over. They might also see my fearsin my countenance, in my tears, and also in my trembling under theapprehension of the judgement that did hang over our heads; butall was not sufficient to prevail with them to come with me.

CHAR. But what could they say for themselves, why they came not?

{ 126} CHR. Why, my wife was afraid of losing this world, andmy children were given to the foolish delights of youth: so whatby one thing, and what by another, they left me to wander in thismanner alone.

CHAR. But did you not, with your vain life, damp all that you bywords used by way of persuasion to bring them away with you?

{ 127} Christian's good conversation before his wife and children

CHR. Indeed, I cannot commend my life; for I am conscious to myselfof many failings therein; I know also that a man by his conversationmay soon overthrow what by argument or persuasion he doth labour tofasten upon others for their good. Yet this I can say, I was verywary of giving them occasion, by any unseemly action, to make themaverse to going on pilgrimage. Yea, for this very thing they wouldtell me I was too precise, and that I denied myself of things,for their sakes, in which they saw no evil. Nay, I think I maysay, that if what they saw in me did hinder them, it was my greattenderness in sinning against God, or of doing any wrong to myneighbour.

CHAR. Indeed Cain hated his brother, "because his own works wereevil, and his brother's righteous" [1 John 3:12]; and if thy wifeand children have been offended with thee for this, they therebyshow themselves to be implacable to good, and "thou hast deliveredthy soul from their blood". [Ezek. 3:19]

{ 128} Now I saw in my dream, that thus they sat talking togetheruntil supper was ready. So when they had made ready, they sat downto meat. Now the table was furnished "with fat things, and withwine that was well refined": and all their talk at the table wasabout the Lord of the hill; as, namely, about what he had done, andwherefore he did what he did, and why he had builded that house.And by what they said, I perceived that he had been a great warrior,and had fought with and slain "him that had the Power of death",but not without great danger to himself, which made me love himthe more. [Heb. 2:14,15]

{ 129} For, as they said, and as I believe (said Christian), he didit with the loss of much blood; but that which put glory of graceinto all he did, was, that he did it out of pure love to his country.And besides, there were some of them of the household that saidthey had been and spoke with him since he did die on the cross; andthey have attested that they had it from his own lips, that he issuch a lover of poor pilgrims, that the like is not to be foundfrom the east to the west.

{ 130} They, moreover, gave an instance of what they affirmed, andthat was, he had stripped himself of his glory, that he might dothis for the poor; and that they heard him say and affirm, "thathe would not dwell in the mountain of Zion alone." They said,moreover, that he had made many pilgrims princes, though by naturethey were beggars born, and their original had been the dunghill.[1 Sam 2:8; Ps. 113:7]

{ 131} Christian's bedchamber

Thus they discoursed together till late at night; and after they hadcommitted themselves to their Lord for protection, they betookthemselves to rest: the Pilgrim they laid in a large upperchamber, whose window opened towards the sun-rising: the name ofthe chamber was Peace; where he slept till break of day, and thenhe awoke and sang--

"Where am I now? Is this the love and care
Of Jesus for the men that pilgrims are?
Thus to provide! that I should be forgiven!
And dwell already the next door to heaven!"

{ 132} So in the morning they all got up; and, after some morediscourse, they told him that he should not depart till they hadshown him the rarities of that place. And first they had him intothe study, where they showed him records of the greatest antiquity;in which, as I remember my dream, they showed him first the pedigree ofthe Lord of the hill, that he was the son of the Ancient of Days,and came by that eternal generation. Here also was more fullyrecorded the acts that he had done, and the names of many hundredsthat he had taken into his service; and how he had placed them insuch habitations that could neither by length of days, nor decaysof nature, be dissolved.

{ 133} Then they read to him some of the worthy acts that some ofhis servants had done: as, how they had "subdued kingdoms, wroughtrighteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions,quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, outof weakness were made strong, waxed valiant in fight, and turnedto flight the armies of the aliens." [Heb 11:33,34]

{ 134} They then read again, in another part of the records of thehouse, where it was shewed how willing their Lord was to receiveinto his favour any, even any, though they in time past had offeredgreat affronts to his person and proceedings. Here also wereseveral other histories of many other famous things, of all whichChristian had a view; as of things both ancient and modern; togetherwith prophecies and predictions of things that have their certainaccomplishment, both to the dread and amazement of enemies, andthe comfort and solace of pilgrims.

{ 135} The next day they took him and had him into the armoury,where they showed him all manner of furniture, which their Lordhad provided for pilgrims, as sword, shield, helmet, breastplate,ALL-PRAYER, and shoes that would not wear out. And there was hereenough of this to harness out as many men for the service of theirLord as there be stars in the heaven for multitude.

{ 136} They also showed him some of the engines with which some ofhis servants had done wonderful things. They shewed him Moses'rod; the hammer and nail with which Jael slew Sisera; the pitchers,trumpets, and lamps too, with which Gideon put to flight the armiesof Midian. Then they showed him the ox's goad wherewith Shamgarslew six hundred men. They showed him also the jaw-bone with whichSamson did such mighty feats. They showed him, moreover, the slingand stone with which David slew Goliath of Gath; and the sword,also, with which their Lord will kill the Man of Sin, in the daythat he shall rise up to the prey. They showed him, besides, manyexcellent things, with which Christian was much delighted. Thisdone, they went to their rest again.

{ 137} Then I saw in my dream, that on the morrow he got up to goforward; but they desired him to stay till the next day also; andthen, said they, we will, if the day be clear, show you the DelectableMountains, which, they said, would yet further add to his comfort,because they were nearer the desired haven than the place where atpresent he was; so he consented and stayed. When the morning wasup, 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 pleasantmountainous country, beautified with woods, vineyards, fruits ofall sorts, flowers also, with springs and fountains, very delectableto behold. [Isa. 33:16,17] Then he asked the name of the country.They said it was Immanuel's Land; and it is as common, said they,as this hill is, to and for all the pilgrims. And when thou comestthere from thence, said they, thou mayest see to the gate of theCelestial City, as the shepherds that live there will make appear.

{ 138} Now he bethought himself of setting forward, and they werewilling he should. But first, said they, let us go again into thearmoury. So they did; and when they came there, they harnessed himfrom head to foot with what was of proof, lest, perhaps, he shouldmeet with assaults in the way. He being, therefore, thus accoutred,walketh out with his friends to the gate, and there he asked theporter if he saw any pilgrims pass by. Then the porter answered,Yes.

{ 139} CHR. Pray, did you know him? said he.

POR. I asked him his name, and he told me it was Faithful.

CHR. Oh, said Christian, I know him; he is my townsman, my nearneighbour; he comes from the place where I was born. How far doyou think he may be before?

POR. He is got by this time below the hill.

CHR. Well, said Christian, good Porter, the Lord be with thee, andadd to all thy blessings much increase, for the kindness that thouhast showed to me.

{ 140} Then he began to go forward; but Discretion, Piety, Charity,and Prudence would accompany him down to the foot of the hill. Sothey went on together, reiterating their former discourses, tillthey came to go down the hill. Then said Christian, As it wasdifficult coming up, so, so far as I can see, it is dangerous goingdown. Yes, said Prudence, so it is, for it is a hard matter fora man to go down into the Valley of Humiliation, as thou art now,and to catch no slip by the way; therefore, said they, are we comeout to accompany thee down the hill. So he began to go down, butvery warily; yet he caught a slip or two.

{ 141} Then I saw in my dream that these good companions, whenChristian was gone to the bottom of the hill, gave him a loaf ofbread, a bottle of wine, and a cluster of raisins; and then he wenton his way.

But now, in this Valley of Humiliation, poor Christian was hard putto it; for he had gone but a little way, before he espied a foulfiend coming over the field to meet him; his name is Apollyon. Thendid Christian begin to be afraid, and to cast in his mind whetherto go back or to stand his ground. But he considered again thathe had no armour for his back; and therefore thought that to turnthe back to him might give him the greater advantage with ease topierce him with his darts.

Christian's resolution at the approach of Apollyon

Therefore he resolved to venture and stand his ground; for, thoughthe, had I no more in mine eye than the saving of my life, it wouldbe the best way to stand.

{ 142} So he went on, and Apollyon met him. Now the monster washideous to behold; he was clothed with scales, like a fish, (andthey are his pride,) he had wings like a dragon, feet like a bear,and out of his belly came fire and smoke, and his mouth was as themouth of a lion. When he was come up to Christian, he beheld himwith a disdainful countenance, and thus began to question with him.

{ 143} APOL. Whence come you? and whither are you bound?

CHR. I am come from the City of Destruction, which is the place ofall evil, and am going to the City of Zion.

APOL. By this I perceive thou art one of my subjects, for all thatcountry is mine, and I am the prince and god of it. How is it,then, that thou hast run away from thy king? Were it not that Ihope thou mayest do me more service, I would strike thee now, atone blow, to the ground.

{ 144} CHR. I was born, indeed, in your dominions, but your servicewas hard, and your wages such as a man could not live on, "for thewages of sin is death" [Rom 6:23]; therefore, when I was come toyears, I did, as other considerate persons do, look out, if, perhaps,I might mend myself.

Apollyon's flattery

APOL. There is no prince that will thus lightly lose his subjects,neither will I as yet lose thee; but since thou complainest of thyservice and wages, be content to go back: what our country willafford, I do here promise to give thee.

CHR. But I have let myself to another, even to the King of princes;and how can I, with fairness, go back with thee?

{ 145} APOL. Thou hast done in this, according to the proverb,"Changed a bad for a worse"; but it is ordinary for those thathave professed themselves his servants, after a while to give himthe slip, and return again to me. Do thou so too, and all shallbe well.

CHR. I have given him my faith, and sworn my allegiance to him;how, then, can I go back from this, and not be hanged as a traitor?

APOL. Thou didst the same to me, and yet I am willing to pass byall, if now thou wilt yet turn again and go back.

{ 146} CHR. What I promised thee was in my nonage; and, besides, Icount the Prince under whose banner now I stand is able to absolveme; yea, and to pardon also what I did as to my compliance withthee; and besides, O thou destroying Apollyon! to speak truth,I like his service, his wages, his servants, his government, hiscompany, and country, better than thine; and, therefore, leave offto persuade me further; I am his servant, and I will follow him.

{ 147} APOL. Consider, again, when thou art in cool blood, what thouart like to meet with in the way that thou goest. Thou knowestthat, for the most part, his servants come to an ill end, becausethey are transgressors against me and my ways. How many of themhave been put to shameful deaths! and, besides, thou countest hisservice better than mine, whereas he never came yet from the placewhere he is to deliver any that served him out of their hands; butas for me, how many times, as all the world very well knows, haveI delivered, either by power, or fraud, those that have faithfullyserved me, from him and his, though taken by them; and so I willdeliver thee.

CHR. His forbearing at present to deliver them is on purpose to trytheir love, whether they will cleave to him to the end; and as forthe ill end thou sayest they come to, that is most glorious in theiraccount; for, for present deliverance, they do not much expect it,for they stay for their glory, and then they shall have it whentheir Prince comes in his and the glory of the angels.

APOL. Thou hast already been unfaithful in thy service to him; andhow dost thou think to receive wages of him?

CHR. Wherein, O Apollyon! have I been unfaithful to him?

{ 148} APOL. Thou didst faint at first setting out, when thou wastalmost choked in the Gulf of Despond; thou didst attempt wrong waysto be rid of thy burden, whereas thou shouldst have stayed tillthy Prince had taken it off; thou didst sinfully sleep and losethy choice thing; thou wast, also, almost persuaded to go back atthe sight of the lions; and when thou talkest of thy journey, andof what thou hast heard and seen, thou art inwardly desirous ofvain-glory in all that thou sayest or doest.

CHR. All this is true, and much more which thou hast left out;but the Prince whom I serve and honour is merciful, and ready toforgive; but, besides, these infirmities possessed me in thy country,for there I sucked them in; and I have groaned under them, beensorry for them, and have obtained pardon of my Prince.

{ 149} APOL. Then Apollyon broke out into a grievous rage, saying,I am an enemy to this Prince; I hate his person, his laws, andpeople; I am come out on purpose to withstand thee.

CHR. Apollyon, beware what you do; for I am in the King's highway,the way of holiness; therefore take heed to yourself.

APOL. Then Apollyon straddled quite over the whole breadth of theway, and said, I am void of fear in this matter: prepare thyselfto die; for I swear by my infernal den, that thou shalt go nofurther; here will I spill thy soul.

{ 150} And with that he threw a flaming dart at his breast; butChristian had a shield in his hand, with which he caught it, andso prevented the danger of that.

Then did Christian draw, for he saw it was time to bestir him; andApollyon as fast made at him, throwing darts as thick as hail; bythe which, notwithstanding all that Christian could do to avoid it,Apollyon wounded him in his head, his hand, and foot. This madeChristian give a little back; Apollyon, therefore, followed his workamain, and Christian again took courage, and resisted as manfullyas he could. This sore combat lasted for above half a day, eventill Christian was almost quite spent; for you must know thatChristian, by reason of his wounds, must needs grow weaker andweaker.

{ 151} Then Apollyon, espying his opportunity, began to gather upclose to Christian, and wrestling with him, gave him a dreadfulfall; and with that Christian's sword flew out of his hand. Thensaid Apollyon, I am sure of thee now. And with that he had almostpressed him to death, so that Christian began to despair of life;but as God would have it, while Apollyon was fetching of hislast blow, thereby to make a full end of this good man, Christiannimbly stretched out his hand for his sword, and caught it, saying,"Rejoice not against me, O mine enemy; when I fall I shall arise"[Micah 7:8];

Christian's victory over Apollyon

and with that gave him a deadly thrust, which made him give back,as one that had received his mortal wound. Christian perceivingthat, made at him again, saying, "Nay, in all these things we aremore than conquerors through him that loved us". [Rom. 8:37] Andwith that Apollyon spread forth his dragon's wings, and sped himaway, that Christian for a season saw him no more. [James 4:7]

{ 152} In this combat no man can imagine, unless he had seen andheard as I did, what yelling and hideous roaring Apollyon made allthe time of the fight--he spake like a dragon; and, on the otherside, what sighs and groans burst from Christian's heart. I neversaw him all the while give so much as one pleasant look, till heperceived he had wounded Apollyon with his two-edged sword; then,indeed, he did smile, and look upward; but it was the dreadfullestsight that ever I saw.

A more unequal match can hardly be,--CHRISTIAN must fight anAngel; but you see,

The valiant man by handling Sword and Shield,
Doth make him, tho' a Dragon, quit the field.

{ 153} So when the battle was over, Christian said, "I will heregive thanks to him that delivered me out of the mouth of the lion,to him that did help me against Apollyon." And so he did, saying--

Great Beelzebub, the captain of this fiend,
Design'd my ruin; therefore to this end
He sent him harness'd out: and he with rage
That hellish was, did fiercely me engage.
But blessed Michael helped me, and I,
By dint of sword, did quickly make him fly.
Therefore to him let me give lasting praise,
And thank and bless his holy name always.

{ 154} Then there came to him a hand, with some of the leaves of thetree of life, the which Christian took, and applied to the woundsthat he had received in the battle, and was healed immediately.He also sat down in that place to eat bread, and to drink of thebottle that was given him a little before; so, being refreshed,he addressed himself to his journey, with his sword drawn in hishand; for he said, I know not but some other enemy may be at hand.But he met with no other affront from Apollyon quite through thisvalley.

{ 155} Now, at the end of this valley was another, called the Valleyof the Shadow of Death, and Christian must needs go through it,because the way to the Celestial City lay through the midst of it.Now, this valley is a very solitary place. The prophet Jeremiahthus describes it: "A wilderness, a land of deserts and of pits,a land of drought, and of the shadow of death, a land that no man"(but a Christian) "passed through, and where no man dwelt." [Jer.2:6]

Now here Christian was worse put to it than in his fight withApollyon, as by the sequel you shall see.

{ 156} I saw then in my dream, that when Christian was got to theborders of the Shadow of Death, there met him two men, children ofthem that brought up an evil report of the good land [Num. 13],making haste to go back; to whom Christian spake as follows:--

{ 157} CHR. Whither are you going?

MEN. They said, Back! back! and we would have you to do so too,if either life or peace is prized by you.

CHR. Why, what's the matter? said Christian.

MEN. Matter! said they; we were going that way as you are going,and went as far as we durst; and indeed we were almost past comingback; for had we gone a little further, we had not been here tobring the news to thee.

CHR. But what have you met with? said Christian.

MEN. Why, we were almost in the Valley of the Shadow of Death; butthat, by good hap, we looked before us, and saw the danger beforewe came to it. [Ps. 44:19; 107:10]

CHR. But what have you seen? said Christian.

{ 158} MEN. Seen! Why, the Valley itself, which is as dark as pitch;we also saw there the hobgoblins, satyrs, and dragons of the pit;we heard also in that Valley a continual howling and yelling, as ofa people under unutterable misery, who there sat bound in afflictionand irons; and over that Valley hangs the discouraging clouds ofconfusion. Death also doth always spread his wings over it. Ina word, it is every whit dreadful, being utterly without order.[Job 3:5; 10:22]

CHR. Then, said Christian, I perceive not yet, by what you havesaid, but that this is my way to the desired haven. [Jer. 2:6]

MEN. Be it thy way; we will not choose it for ours. So, they parted,and Christian went on his way, but still with his sword drawn inhis hand, for fear lest he should be assaulted.

{ 159} I saw then in my dream, so far as this valley reached, therewas on the right hand a very deep ditch; that ditch is it intowhich the blind have led the blind in all ages, and have both theremiserably perished. [Ps. 69:14,15] Again, behold, on the lefthand, there was a very dangerous quag, into which, if even a goodman falls, he can find no bottom for his foot to stand on. Intothat quag King David once did fall, and had no doubt therein beensmothered, had not HE that is able plucked him out.

{ 160} The pathway was here also exceeding narrow, and thereforegood Christian was the more put to it; for when he sought, in thedark, to shun the ditch on the one hand, he was ready to tip overinto the mire on the other; also when he sought to escape the mire,without great carefulness he would be ready to fall into the ditch.Thus he went on, and I heard him here sigh bitterly; for, besidesthe dangers mentioned above, the pathway was here so dark, andofttimes, when he lift up his foot to set forward, he knew notwhere or upon what he should set it next.

Poor man! where art thou now? thy day is night.
Good man, be not cast down, thou yet art right,
Thy way to heaven lies by the gates of Hell;
Cheer up, hold out, with thee it shall go well.

{ 161} About the midst of this valley, I perceived the mouth ofhell to be, and it stood also hard by the wayside. Now, thoughtChristian, what shall I do? And ever and anon the flame and smokewould come out in such abundance, with sparks and hideous noises,(things that cared not for Christian's sword, as did Apollyonbefore), that he was forced to put up his sword, and betake himselfto another weapon called All-prayer. [Eph. 6:18] So he cried in myhearing, "O Lord, I beseech thee, deliver my soul!" [Ps. 116:4]Thus he went on a great while, yet still the flames would bereaching towards him. Also he heard doleful voices, and rushingsto and fro, so that sometimes he thought he should be torn inpieces, or trodden down like mire in the streets. This frightfulsight was seen, and these dreadful noises were heard by him forseveral miles together; and, coming to a place where he thought heheard a company of fiends coming forward to meet him, he stopped,and began to muse what he had best to do. Sometimes he had halfa thought to go back; then again he thought he might be half waythrough the valley; he remembered also how he had already vanquishedmany a danger, and that the danger of going back might be much morethan for to go forward; so he resolved to go on. Yet the fiendsseemed to come nearer and nearer; but when they were come evenalmost at him, he cried out with a most vehement voice, "I will walkin the strength of the Lord God!" so they gave back, and came nofurther.

{ 162} One thing I would not let slip. I took notice that now poorChristian was so confounded, that he did not know his own voice;and thus I perceived it. Just when he was come over against themouth of the burning pit, one of the wicked ones got behind him, andstepped up softly to him, and whisperingly suggested many grievousblasphemies to him, which he verily thought had proceeded from hisown mind. This put Christian more to it than anything that he metwith before, even to think that he should now blaspheme him thathe loved so much before; yet, if he could have helped it, he wouldnot have done it; but he had not the discretion either to stop hisears, or to know from whence these blasphemies came.

{ 163} When Christian had travelled in this disconsolate conditionsome considerable time, he thought he heard the voice of a man,as going before him, saying, "Though I walk through the valley ofthe shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for thou art with me."[Ps. 23:4]

{ 164} Then he was glad, and that for these reasons:

First, Because he gathered from thence, that some who feared Godwere in this valley as well as himself.

Secondly, For that he perceived God was with them, though in thatdark and dismal state; and why not, thought he, with me? though,by reason of the impediment that attends this place, I cannotperceive it. [Job 9:11]

Thirdly, For that he hoped, could he overtake them, to have companyby and by. So he went on, and called to him that was before; buthe knew not what to answer; for that he also thought to be alone.And by and by the day broke; then said Christian, He hath turned"the shadow of death into the morning". [Amos 5:8]

{ 165} Now morning being come, he looked back, not out of desire toreturn, but to see, by the light of the day, what hazards he hadgone through in the dark. So he saw more perfectly the ditch thatwas on the one hand, and the mire that was on the other; also hownarrow the way was which led betwixt them both; also now he saw thehobgoblins, and satyrs, and dragons of the pit, but all afar off,(for after break of day, they came not nigh;) yet they were discoveredto him, according to that which is written, "He discovereth deepthings out of darkness, and bringeth out to light the shadow ofdeath." [Job 12:22]

{ 166} Now was Christian much affected with his deliverance from allthe dangers of his solitary way; which dangers, though he fearedthem more before, yet he saw them more clearly now, because the lightof the day made them conspicuous to him. And about this time thesun was rising, and this was another mercy to Christian; for youmust note, that though the first part of the Valley of the Shadowof Death was dangerous, yet this second part which he was yet togo, was, if possible, far more dangerous; for from the place wherehe now stood, even to the end of the valley, the way was all alongset so full of snares, traps, gins, and nets here, and so full ofpits, pitfalls, deep holes, and shelvings down there, that, had itnow been dark, as it was when he came the first part of the way,had he had a thousand souls, they had in reason been cast away; but,as I said just now, the sun was rising. Then said he, "His candleshineth upon my head, and by his light I walk through darkness."[Job 29:3]

{ 167} In this light, therefore, he came to the end of the valley.Now I saw in my dream, that at the end of this valley lay blood,bones, ashes, and mangled bodies of men, even of pilgrims that hadgone this way formerly; and while I was musing what should be thereason, I espied a little before me a cave, where two giants, POPEand PAGAN, dwelt in old time; by whose power and tyranny the menwhose bones, blood, and ashes, &c., lay there, were cruelly putto death. But by this place Christian went without much danger,whereat I somewhat wondered; but I have learnt since, that PAGANhas been dead many a day; and as for the other, though he be yetalive, he is, by reason of age, and also of the many shrewd brushesthat he met with in his younger days, grown so crazy and stiff inhis joints, that he can now do little more than sit in his cave'smouth, grinning at pilgrims as they go by, and biting his nailsbecause he cannot come at them.

{ 168} So I saw that Christian went on his way; yet, at the sight ofthe Old Man that sat in the mouth of the cave, he could not tellwhat to think, especially because he spake to him, though he couldnot go after him, saying, "You will never mend till more of you beburned." But he held his peace, and set a good face on it, and sowent by and catched no hurt. Then sang Christian:

O world of wonders! (I can say no less),
That I should be preserved in that distress
That I have met with here! O blessed be
That hand that from it hath deliver'd me!
Dangers in darkness, devils, hell, and sin
Did compass me, while I this vale was in:
Yea, snares, and pits, and traps, and nets, did lie
My path about, that worthless, silly I
Might have been catch'd, entangled, and cast down;
But since I live, let JESUS wear the crown.

{ 169} Now, as Christian went on his way, he came to a little ascent,which was cast up on purpose that pilgrims might see before them.Up there, therefore, Christian went, and looking forward, he sawFaithful before him, upon his journey. Then said Christian aloud,"Ho! ho! So-ho! stay, and I will be your companion!" At that,Faithful looked behind him; to whom Christian cried again, "Stay,stay, till I come up to you!" But Faithful answered, "No, I amupon my life, and the avenger of blood is behind me."

{ 170} At this, Christian was somewhat moved, and putting to allhis strength, he quickly got up with Faithful, and did also overrunhim; so the last was first. Then did Christian vain-gloriouslysmile, because he had gotten the start of his brother; but nottaking good heed to his feet, he suddenly stumbled and fell, andcould not rise again until Faithful came up to help him.

Christian's fall makes Faithful and he go lovingly together

Then I saw in my dream they went very lovingly on together, and hadsweet discourse of all things that had happened to them in theirpilgrimage; and thus Christian began:

{ 171} CHR. My honoured and well-beloved brother, Faithful, I amglad that I have overtaken you; and that God has so tempered ourspirits, that we can walk as companions in this so pleasant a path.

FAITH. I had thought, dear friend, to have had your company quitefrom our town; but you did get the start of me, wherefore I wasforced to come thus much of the way alone.

CHR. How long did you stay in the City of Destruction before youset out after me on your pilgrimage?

FAITH. Till I could stay no longer; for there was great talk presentlyafter you were gone out that our city would, in short time, withfire from heaven, be burned down to the ground.

CHR. What! did your neighbours talk so?

FAITH. Yes, it was for a while in everybody's mouth.

CHR. What! and did no more of them but you come out to escape thedanger?

FAITH. Though there was, as I said, a great talk thereabout, yetI do not think they did firmly believe it. For in the heat of thediscourse, I heard some of them deridingly speak of you and of yourdesperate journey, (for so they called this your pilgrimage), butI did believe, and do still, that the end of our city will be withfire and brimstone from above; and therefore I have made myescape.

{ 172} CHR. Did you hear no talk of neighbour Pliable?

FAITH. Yes, Christian, I heard that he followed you till he cameat the Slough of Despond, where, as some said, he fell in; but hewould not be known to have so done; but I am sure he was soundlybedabbled with that kind of dirt.

CHR. And what said the neighbours to him?

FAITH. He hath, since his going back, been had greatly in derision,and that among all sorts of people; some do mock and despise him;and scarce will any set him on work. He is now seven times worsethan if he had never gone out of the city.

CHR. But why should they be so set against him, since they alsodespise the way that he forsook?

FAITH. Oh, they say, hang him, he is a turncoat! he was not trueto his profession. I think God has stirred up even his enemies tohiss at him, and make him a proverb, because he hath forsaken theway. [Jer. 29:18,19]

CHR. Had you no talk with him before you came out?

FAITH. I met him once in the streets, but he leered away on theother side, as one ashamed of what he had done; so I spake not tohim.

{ 173} CHR. Well, at my first setting out, I had hopes of that man;but now I fear he will perish in the overthrow of the city; forit is happened to him according to the true proverb, "The dog isturned to his own vomit again; and the sow that was washed, to herwallowing in the mire." [2 Pet. 2:22]

FAITH. These are my fears of him too; but who can hinder that whichwill be?

CHR. Well, neighbour Faithful, said Christian, let us leave him,and talk of things that more immediately concern ourselves. Tellme now, what you have met with in the way as you came; for I knowyou have met with some things, or else it may be writ for a wonder.

{ 174} FAITH. I escaped the Slough that I perceived you fell into,and got up to the gate without that danger; only I met with onewhose name was Wanton, who had like to have done me a mischief.

CHR. It was well you escaped her net; Joseph was hard put to it byher, and he escaped her as you did; but it had like to have costhim his life. [Gen. 39:11-13] But what did she do to you?

FAITH. You cannot think, but that you know something, what aflattering tongue she had; she lay at me hard to turn aside withher, promising me all manner of content.

CHR. Nay, she did not promise you the content of a good conscience.

FAITH. You know what I mean; all carnal and fleshly content.

CHR. Thank God you have escaped her: "The abhorred of the Lordshall fall into her ditch." [Ps. 22:14]

FAITH. Nay, I know not whether I did wholly escape her or no.

CHR. Why, I trow, you did not consent to her desires?

FAITH. No, not to defile myself; for I remembered an old writingthat I had seen, which said, "Her steps take hold on hell." [Prov.5:5] So I shut mine eyes, because I would not be bewitched withher looks. [Job 31:1] Then she railed on me, and I went my way.

CHR. Did you meet with no other assault as you came?

{ 175} FAITH. When I came to the foot of the hill called Difficulty,I met with a very aged man, who asked me what I was, and whitherbound. I told him that I am a pilgrim, going to the CelestialCity. Then said the old man, Thou lookest like an honest fellow;wilt thou be content to dwell with me for the wages that I shallgive thee? Then I asked him his name, and where he dwelt. Hesaid his name was Adam the First, and that he dwelt in the townof Deceit. [Eph. 4:22] I asked him then what was his work, andwhat the wages he would give. He told me that his work was manydelights; and his wages that I should be his heir at last. I furtherasked him what house he kept, and what other servants he had. Sohe told me that his house was maintained with all the dainties inthe world; and that his servants were those of his own begetting.Then I asked if he had any children. He said that he had but threedaughters: The Lust of the Flesh, The Lust of the Eyes, and ThePride of Life, and that I should marry them all if I would. [1John 2:16] Then I asked how long time he would have me live withhim? And he told me, As long as he lived himself.

CHR. Well, and what conclusion came the old man and you to at last?

FAITH. Why, at first, I found myself somewhat inclinable to gowith the man, for I thought he spake very fair; but looking in hisforehead, as I talked with him, I saw there written, "Put off theold man with his deeds."

CHR. And how then?

{ 176} FAITH. Then it came burning hot into my mind, whatever hesaid, and however he flattered, when he got me home to his house,he would sell me for a slave. So I bid him forbear to talk, forI would not come near the door of his house. Then he reviled me,and told me that he would send such a one after me, that shouldmake my way bitter to my soul. So I turned to go away from him;but just as I turned myself to go thence, I felt him take hold ofmy flesh, and give me such a deadly twitch back, that I thought hehad pulled part of me after himself. This made me cry, "O wretchedman!" [Rom. 7:24] So I went on my way up the hill.

Now when I had got about half-way up, I looked behind, and saw onecoming after me, swift as the wind; so he overtook me just aboutthe place where the settle stands.

CHR. Just there, said Christian, did I sit down to rest me; butbeing overcome with sleep, I there lost this roll out of my bosom.

{ 177} FAITH. But, good brother, hear me out. So soon as the manovertook me, he was but a word and a blow, for down he knockedme, and laid me for dead. But when I was a little come to myselfagain, I asked him wherefore he served me so. He said, because ofmy secret inclining to Adam the First; and with that he struck meanother deadly blow on the breast, and beat me down backward; soI lay at his foot as dead as before. So, when I came to myselfagain, I cried him mercy; but he said, I know not how to show mercy;and with that he knocked me down again. He had doubtless made anend of me, but that one came by, and bid him forbear.

CHR. Who was that that bid him forbear?

FAITH. I did not know him at first, but as he went by, I perceivedthe holes in his hands and in his side; then I concluded that hewas our Lord. So I went up the hill.

{ 178} CHR. That man that overtook you was Moses. He spareth none,neither knoweth he how to show mercy to those that transgress hislaw.

FAITH. I know it very well; it was not the first time that he hasmet with me. It was he that came to me when I dwelt securely athome, and that told me he would burn my house over my head if Istayed there.

CHR. But did you not see the house that stood there on the top ofthe hill, on the side of which Moses met you?

FAITH. Yes, and the lions too, before I came at it: but for thelions, I think they were asleep, for it was about noon; and becauseI had so much of the day before me, I passed by the porter, andcame down the hill.

CHR. He told me, indeed, that he saw you go by, but I wish youhad called at the house, for they would have showed you so manyrarities, that you would scarce have forgot them to the day ofyour death. But pray tell me, Did you meet nobody in the Valleyof Humility?

{ 179} FAITH. Yes, I met with one Discontent, who would willinglyhave persuaded me to go back again with him; his reason was, forthat the valley was altogether without honour. He told me, moreover,that there to go was the way to disobey all my friends, as Pride,Arrogancy, Self-conceit, Worldly-glory, with others, who he knew,as he said, would be very much offended, if I made such a fool ofmyself as to wade through this valley.

CHR. Well, and how did you answer him?

{ 180} Faithful's answer to Discontent

FAITH. I told him, that although all these that he named might claimkindred of me, and that rightly, for indeed they were my relationsaccording to the flesh; yet since I became a pilgrim, they havedisowned me, as I also have rejected them; and therefore they wereto me now no more than if they had never been of my lineage.

I told him, moreover, that as to this valley, he had quite misrepresentedthe thing; for before honour is humility, and a haughty spiritbefore a fall. Therefore, said I, I had rather go through thisvalley to the honour that was so accounted by the wisest, thanchoose that which he esteemed most worthy our affections.

CHR. Met you with nothing else in that valley?

{ 181} FAITH. Yes, I met with Shame; but of all the men that I metwith in my pilgrimage, he, I think, bears the wrong name. Theothers would be said nay, after a little argumentation, and somewhatelse; but this bold-faced Shame would never have done.

CHR. Why, what did he say to you?

FAITH. What! why, he objected against religion itself; he said itwas a pitiful, low, sneaking business for a man to mind religion;he said that a tender conscience was an unmanly thing; and thatfor a man to watch over his words and ways, so as to tie up himselffrom that hectoring liberty that the brave spirits of the timesaccustom themselves unto, would make him the ridicule of the times.He objected also, that but few of the mighty, rich, or wise, wereever of my opinion [1 Cor. 1:26; 3:18; Phil. 3:7,8]; nor any ofthem neither [John 7:48], before they were persuaded to be fools,and to be of a voluntary fondness, to venture the loss of all, fornobody knows what. He, moreover, objected the base and low estateand condition of those that were chiefly the pilgrims of the timesin which they lived: also their ignorance and want of understandingin all natural science. Yea, he did hold me to it at that ratealso, about a great many more things than here I relate; as, thatit was a shame to sit whining and mourning under a sermon, anda shame to come sighing and groaning home: that it was a shame toask my neighbour forgiveness for petty faults, or to make restitutionwhere I have taken from any. He said, also, that religion madea man grow strange to the great, because of a few vices, whichhe called by finer names; and made him own and respect the base,because of the same religious fraternity. And is not this, saidhe, a shame?

{ 182} CHR. And what did you say to him?

FAITH. Say! I could not tell what to say at the first. Yea, heput me so to it, that my blood came up in my face; even this Shamefetched it up, and had almost beat me quite off. But at last Ibegan to consider, that "that which is highly esteemed among men,is had in abomination with God." [Luke 16:15] And I thought again,this Shame tells me what men are; but it tells me nothing what Godor the Word of God is. And I thought, moreover, that at the dayof doom, we shall not be doomed to death or life according to thehectoring spirits of the world, but according to the wisdom andlaw of the Highest. Therefore, thought I, what God says is best,indeed is best, though all the men in the world are against it.Seeing, then, that God prefers his religion; seeing God prefers atender conscience; seeing they that make themselves fools for thekingdom of heaven are wisest; and that the poor man that lovethChrist is richer than the greatest man in the world that hateshim; Shame, depart, thou art an enemy to my salvation! Shall Ientertain thee against my sovereign Lord? How then shall I lookhim in the face at his coming? Should I now be ashamed of hisways and servants, how can I expect the blessing? [Mark 8:38] But,indeed, this Shame was a bold villain; I could scarce shake himout of my company; yea, he would be haunting of me, and continuallywhispering me in the ear, with some one or other of the infirmitiesthat attend religion; but at last I told him it was but in vain toattempt further in this business; for those things that he disdained,in those did I see most glory; and so at last I got past thisimportunate one. And when I had shaken him off, then I began tosing--

The trials that those men do meet withal,
That are obedient to the heavenly call,
Are manifold, and suited to the flesh,
And come, and come, and come again afresh;
That now, or sometime else, we by them may
Be taken, overcome, and cast away.
Oh, let the pilgrims, let the pilgrims, then
Be vigilant, and quit themselves like men.

{ 183} CHR. I am glad, my brother, that thou didst withstand thisvillain so bravely; for of all, as thou sayest, I think he has thewrong name; for he is so bold as to follow us in the streets, andto attempt to put us to shame before all men: that is, to make usashamed of that which is good; but if he was not himself audacious,he would never attempt to do as he does. But let us still resisthim; for notwithstanding all his bravadoes, he promoteth the fooland none else. "The wise shall inherit glory, said Solomon, butshame shall be the promotion of fools." [Prov. 3:35]

FAITH. I think we must cry to Him for help against Shame, who wouldhave us to be valiant for the truth upon the earth.

CHR. You say true; but did you meet nobody else in that valley?

FAITH. No, not I; for I had sunshine all the rest of the way throughthat, and also through the Valley of the Shadow of Death.

{ 184} CHR. It was well for you. I am sure it fared far otherwisewith me; I had for a long season, as soon almost as I entered intothat valley, a dreadful combat with that foul fiend Apollyon; yea,I thought verily he would have killed me, especially when he gotme down and crushed me under him, as if he would have crushed meto pieces; for as he threw me, my sword flew out of my hand; nay,he told me he was sure of me: but I cried to God, and he heardme, and delivered me out of all my troubles. Then I entered intothe Valley of the Shadow of Death, and had no light for almost halfthe way through it. I thought I should have been killed there,over and over; but at last day broke, and the sun rose, and I wentthrough that which was behind with far more ease and quiet.

{ 185} Moreover, I saw in my dream, that as they went on, Faithful,as he chanced to look on one side, saw a man whose name is Talkative,walking at a distance beside them; for in this place there was roomenough for them all to walk. He was a tall man, and something morecomely at a distance than at hand. To this man Faithful addressedhimself in this manner:

FAITH. Friend, whither away? Are you going to the heavenly country?

TALK. I am going to the same place.

FAITH. That is well; then I hope we may have your good company.

TALK. With a very good will will I be your companion.

{ 186} FAITH. Come on, then, and let us go together, and let usspend our time in discoursing of things that are profitable.

Talkative's dislike of bad discourse

TALK. To talk of things that are good, to me is very acceptable,with you or with any other; and I am glad that I have met with thosethat incline to so good a work; for, to speak the truth, there arebut few that care thus to spend their time, (as they are in theirtravels), but choose much rather to be speaking of things to noprofit; and this hath been a trouble for me.

FAITH. That is indeed a thing to be lamented; for what things soworthy of the use of the tongue and mouth of men on earth as arethe things of the God of heaven?

TALK. I like you wonderful well, for your sayings are full ofconviction; and I will add, what thing is so pleasant, and whatso profitable, as to talk of the things of God? What things sopleasant (that is, if a man hath any delight in things that arewonderful)? For instance, if a man doth delight to talk of thehistory or the mystery of things; or if a man doth love to talk ofmiracles, wonders, or signs, where shall he find things recordedso delightful, and so sweetly penned, as in the Holy Scripture?

{ 187} FAITH. That is true; but to be profited by such things inour talk should be that which we design.

Talkative's fine discourse

TALK. That is it that I said; for to talk of such things is mostprofitable; for by so doing, a man may get knowledge of many things;as of the vanity of earthly things, and the benefit of things above.Thus, in general, but more particularly by this, a man may learnthe necessity of the new birth, the insufficiency of our works,the need of Christ's righteousness, &c. Besides, by this a manmay learn, by talk, what it is to repent, to believe, to pray,to suffer, or the like; by this also a man may learn what are thegreat promises and consolations of the gospel, to his own comfort.Further, by this a man may learn to refute false opinions, tovindicate the truth, and also to instruct the ignorant.

FAITH. All this is true, and glad am I to hear these things fromyou.

TALK. Alas! the want of this is the cause why so few understandthe need of faith, and the necessity of a work of grace in theirsoul, in order to eternal life; but ignorantly live in the worksof the law, by which a man can by no means obtain the kingdom ofheaven.

{ 188} FAITH. But, by your leave, heavenly knowledge of these is thegift of God; no man attaineth to them by human industry, or onlyby the talk of them.

TALK. All this I know very well; for a man can receive nothing,except it be given him from Heaven; all is of grace, not of works.I could give you a hundred scriptures for the confirmation of this.

FAITH. Well, then, said Faithful, what is that one thing that weshall at this time found our discourse upon?

TALK. What you will. I will talk of things heavenly, or thingsearthly; things moral, or things evangelical; things sacred, orthings profane; things past, or things to come; things foreign, orthings at home; things more essential, or things circumstantial;provided that all be done to our profit.

{ 189} FAITH. Now did Faithful begin to wonder; and stepping toChristian, (for he walked all this while by himself), he said tohim, (but softly), What a brave companion have we got! Surely thisman will make a very excellent pilgrim.

CHR. At this Christian modestly smiled, and said, This man, withwhom you are so taken, will beguile, with that tongue of his, twentyof them that know him not.

FAITH. Do you know him, then?

{ 190} CHR. Know him! Yes, better than he knows himself.

FAITH. Pray, what is he?

CHR. His name is Talkative; he dwelleth in our town. I wonder thatyou should be a stranger to him, only I consider that our town islarge.

FAITH. Whose son is he? And whereabout does he dwell?

CHR. He is the son of one Say-well; he dwelt in Prating Row; and isknown of all that are acquainted with him, by the name of Talkativein Prating Row; and notwithstanding his fine tongue, he is but asorry fellow.

{ 191} FAITH. Well, he seems to be a very pretty man.

CHR. That is, to them who have not thorough acquaintance with him;for he is best abroad; near home, he is ugly enough. Your sayingthat he is a pretty man, brings to my mind what I have observed inthe work of the painter, whose pictures show best at a distance,but, very near, more unpleasing.

{ 192} FAITH. But I am ready to think you do but jest, because yousmiled.

CHR. God forbid that I should jest (although I smiled) in thismatter, or that I should accuse any falsely! I will give youa further discovery of him. This man is for any company, and forany talk; as he talketh now with you, so will he talk when he is onthe ale-bench; and the more drink he hath in his crown, the moreof these things he hath in his mouth; religion hath no place in hisheart, or house, or conversation; all he hath lieth in his tongue,and his religion is, to make a noise therewith.

{ 193} FAITH. Say you so! then am I in this man greatly deceived.

CHR. Deceived! you may be sure of it; remember the proverb, "Theysay and do not." [Matt. 23:3] But the kingdom of God is not inword, but in Power. [1 Cor 4:20] He talketh of prayer, of repentance,of faith, and of the new birth; but he knows but only to talk ofthem. I have been in his family, and have observed him both athome and abroad; and I know what I say of him is the truth. Hishouse is as empty of religion as the white of an egg is of savour.There is there neither prayer nor sign of repentance for sin; yea,the brute in his kind serves God far better than he. He is thevery stain, reproach, and shame of religion, to all that know him;it can hardly have a good word in all that end of the town wherehe dwells, through him. [Rom. 2:24,25] Thus say the common peoplethat know him, A saint abroad, and a devil at home. His poorfamily finds it so; he is such a churl, such a railer at and sounreasonable with his servants, that they neither know how to dofor or speak to him. Men that have any dealings with him say it isbetter to deal with a Turk than with him; for fairer dealing theyshall have at their hands. This Talkative (if it be possible) willgo beyond them, defraud, beguile, and overreach them. Besides, hebrings up his sons to follow his steps; and if he findeth in any ofthem a foolish timorousness, (for so he calls the first appearanceof a tender conscience,) he calls them fools and blockheads, and byno means will employ them in much, or speak to their commendationsbefore others. For my part, I am of opinion, that he has, by hiswicked life, caused many to stumble and fall; and will be, if Godprevent not, the ruin of many more.

{ 194} FAITH. Well, my brother, I am bound to believe you; not onlybecause you say you know him, but also because, like a Christian,you make your reports of men. For I cannot think that you speakthese things of ill-will, but because it is even so as you say.

CHR. Had I known him no more than you, I might perhaps have thoughtof him, as, at the first, you did; yea, had he received this reportat their hands only that are enemies to religion, I should havethought it had been a slander,--a lot that often falls from badmen's mouths upon good men's names and professions; but all thesethings, yea, and a great many more as bad, of my own knowledge,I can prove him guilty of. Besides, good men are ashamed of him;they can neither call him brother, nor friend; the very naming ofhim among them makes them blush, if they know him.

{ 195} FAITH. Well, I see that saying and doing are two things, andhereafter I shall better observe this distinction.

CHR. They are two things, indeed, and are as diverse as are thesoul and the body; for as the body without the soul is but a deadcarcass, so saying, if it be alone, is but a dead carcass also.The soul of religion is the practical part: "Pure religionand undefiled, before God and the Father, is this, To visit thefatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himselfunspotted from the world." [James 1:27; see vv. 22-26] ThisTalkative is not aware of; he thinks that hearing and saying willmake a good Christian, and thus he deceiveth his own soul. Hearingis but as the sowing of the seed; talking is not sufficient toprove that fruit is indeed in the heart and life; and let us assureourselves, that at the day of doom men shall be judged accordingto their fruits. [Matt. 13, 25] It will not be said then, Did youbelieve? but, Were you doers, or talkers only? and accordinglyshall they be judged. The end of the world is compared to ourharvest; and you know men at harvest regard nothing but fruit.Not that anything can be accepted that is not of faith, but I speakthis to show you how insignificant the profession of Talkative willbe at that day.

{ 196} FAITH. This brings to my mind that of Moses, by which hedescribeth the beast that is clean. [Lev. 11:3-7; Deut. 14:6-8]He is such a one that parteth the hoof and cheweth the cud; notthat parteth the hoof only, or that cheweth the cud only. Thehare cheweth the cud, but yet is unclean, because he parteth notthe hoof. And this truly resembleth Talkative; he cheweth the cud,he seeketh knowledge, he cheweth upon the word; but he dividethnot the hoof, he parteth not with the way of sinners; but, as thehare, he retaineth the foot of a dog or bear, and therefore he isunclean.

CHR. You have spoken, for aught I know, the true gospel senseof those texts. And I will add another thing: Paul calleth somemen, yea, and those great talkers, too, sounding brass and tinklingcymbals; that is, as he expounds them in another place, thingswithout life, giving sound. [1 Cor. 13:1-3; 14:7] Things withoutlife, that is, without the true faith and grace of the gospel;and consequently, things that shall never be placed in the kingdomof heaven among those that are the children of life; though theirsound, by their talk, be as if it were the tongue or voice of anangel.

FAITH. Well, I was not so fond of his company at first, but I amas sick of it now. What shall we do to be rid of him?

CHR. Take my advice, and do as I bid you, and you shall find thathe will soon be sick of your company too, except God shall touchhis heart, and turn it.

FAITH. What would you have me to do?

CHR. Why, go to him, and enter into some serious discourse aboutthe power of religion; and ask him plainly (when he has approvedof it, for that he will) whether this thing be set up in his heart,house, or conversation.

{ 197} FAITH. Then Faithful stepped forward again, and said toTalkative, Come, what cheer? How is it now?

TALK. Thank you, well. I thought we should have had a great dealof talk by this time.

{ 198} FAITH. Well, if you will, we will fall to it now; and sinceyou left it with me to state the question, let it be this: How doththe saving grace of God discover itself when it is in the heart ofman?

Talkative's false discovery of a work of grace

TALK. I perceive, then, that our talk must be about the power ofthings. Well, it is a very good question, and I shall be willingto answer you. And take my answer in brief, thus: First, Wherethe grace of God is in the heart, it causeth there a great outcryagainst sin. Secondly--

FAITH. Nay, hold, let us consider of one at once. I think youshould rather say, It shows itself by inclining the soul to abhorits sin.

TALK. Why, what difference is there between crying out against,and abhorring of sin?

{ 199} FAITH. Oh, a great deal. A man may cry out against sin ofpolicy, but he cannot abhor it, but by virtue of a godly antipathyagainst it. I have heard many cry out against sin in the pulpit,who yet can abide it well enough in the heart, house, and conversation.Joseph's mistress cried out with a loud voice, as if she had beenvery holy; but she would willingly, notwithstanding that, havecommitted uncleanness with him. Some cry out against sin even asthe mother cries out against her child in her lap, when she callethit slut and naughty girl, and then falls to hugging and kissingit.

TALK. You lie at the catch, I perceive.

{ 200} FAITH. No, not I; I am only for setting things right. Butwhat is the second thing whereby you would prove a discovery of awork of grace in the heart?

TALK. Great knowledge of gospel mysteries.

FAITH. This sign should have been first; but first or last, it isalso false; for knowledge, great knowledge, may be obtained in themysteries of the gospel, and yet no work of grace in the soul. [1Cor. 13] Yea, if a man have all knowledge, he may yet be nothing,and so consequently be no child of God. When Christ said, "Do youknow all these things?" and the disciples had answered, Yes; headdeth, "Blessed are ye if ye do them." He doth not lay the blessingin the knowing of them, but in the doing of them. For there isa knowledge that is not attended with doing: He that knoweth hismasters will, and doeth it not. A man may know like an angel, andyet be no Christian, therefore your sign of it is not true. Indeed,to know is a thing that pleaseth talkers and boasters, but to do isthat which pleaseth God. Not that the heart can be good withoutknowledge; for without that, the heart is naught. There is,therefore, knowledge and knowledge. Knowledge that resteth in thebare speculation of things; and knowledge that is accompanied withthe grace of faith and love; which puts a man upon doing even thewill of God from the heart: the first of these will serve thetalker; but without the other the true Christian is not content."Give me understanding, and I shall keep thy law; yea, I shallobserve it with my whole heart." [Ps. 119:34]

TALK. You lie at the catch again; this is not for edification.

FAITH. Well, if you please, propound another sign how this work ofgrace discovereth itself where it is.

TALK. Not I, for I see we shall not agree.

FAITH. Well, if you will not, will you give me leave to do it?

TALK. You may use your liberty.

{ 201} FAITH. A work of grace in the soul discovereth itself, eitherto him that hath it, or to standers by.

To him that hath it thus: It gives him conviction of sin, especiallyof the defilement of his nature and the sin of unbelief, (for thesake of which he is sure to be damned, if he findeth not mercy atGod's hand, by faith in Jesus Christ [John 16:8, Rom. 7:24, John16:9, Mark 16:16]). This sight and sense of things worketh in himsorrow and shame for sin; he findeth, moreover, revealed in him theSaviour of the world, and the absolute necessity of closing withhim for life, at the which he findeth hungerings and thirstingsafter him; to which hungerings, &c., the promise is made. [Ps.38:18, Jer. 31:19, Gal. 2:16, Acts 4:12, Matt. 5:6, Rev. 21:6]Now, according to the strength or weakness of his faith in hisSaviour, so is his joy and peace, so is his love to holiness, soare his desires to know him more, and also to serve him in thisworld. But though I say it discovereth itself thus unto him, yetit is but seldom that he is able to conclude that this is a workof grace; because his corruptions now, and his abused reason, makehis mind to misjudge in this matter; therefore, in him that haththis work, there is required a very sound judgement before he can,with steadiness, conclude that this is a work of grace.

{ 202} To others, it is thus discovered:

1. By an experimental confession of his faith in Christ. [Rom.10:10, Phil. 1:27, Matt. 5:19]

2. By a life answerable to that confession; to wit, a life ofholiness, heart-holiness, family-holiness, (if he hath a family),and by conversation-holiness in the world which, in the general,teacheth him, inwardly, to abhor his sin, and himself for that, insecret; to suppress it in his family and to promote holiness inthe world; not by talk only, as a hypocrite or talkative person maydo, but by a practical subjection, in faith and love, to the powerof the Word. [John 14:15, Ps. 50:23, Job 42:5-6, Eze. 20:43]And now, Sir, as to this brief description of the work of grace,and also the discovery of it, if you have aught to object, object;if not, then give me leave to propound to you a second question.

{ 203} TALK. Nay, my part is not now to object, but to hear; letme, therefore, have your second question.

FAITH. It is this: Do you experience this first part of thisdescription of it? and doth your life and conversation testify thesame? or standeth your religion in word or in tongue, and not indeed and truth? Pray, if you incline to answer me in this, sayno more than you know the God above will say Amen to; and alsonothing but what your conscience can justify you in; for not hethat commendeth himself is approved, but whom the Lord commendeth.Besides, to say I am thus and thus, when my conversation, and allmy neighbours, tell me I lie, is great wickedness.

{ 204} TALK. Then Talkative at first began to blush; but, recoveringhimself, thus he replied: You come now to experience, to conscience,and God; and to appeal to him for justification of what is spoken.This kind of discourse I did not expect; nor am I disposed togive an answer to such questions, because I count not myself boundthereto, unless you take upon you to be a catechiser, and, thoughyou should so do, yet I may refuse to make you my judge. But, Ipray, will you tell me why you ask me such questions?

{ 205} FAITH. Because I saw you forward to talk, and because I knewnot that you had aught else but notion. Besides, to tell you allthe truth, I have heard of you, that you are a man whose religionlies in talk, and that your conversation gives this your mouth-professionthe lie.

Faithful's plain dealing with Talkative

They say, you are a spot among Christians; and that religion fareththe worse for your ungodly conversation; that some have alreadystumbled at your wicked ways, and that more are in danger of beingdestroyed thereby; your religion, and an ale-house, and covetousness,and uncleanness, and swearing, and lying, and vain-company keeping,&c., will stand together. The proverb is true of you which issaid of a whore, to wit, that she is a shame to all women; so areyou a shame to all professors.

TALK. Since you are ready to take up reports and to judge so rashlyas you do, I cannot but conclude you are some peevish or melancholyman, not fit to be discoursed with; and so adieu.

{ 206} CHR. Then came up Christian, and said to his brother, I toldyou how it would happen: your words and his lusts could not agree;he had rather leave your company than reform his life. But he isgone, as I said; let him go, the loss is no man's but his own; hehas saved us the trouble of going from him; for he continuing (asI suppose he will do) as he is, he would have been but a blot in ourcompany: besides, the apostle says, "From such withdraw thyself."

FAITH. But I am glad we had this little discourse with him; itmay happen that he will think of it again: however, I have dealtplainly with him, and so am clear of his blood, if he perisheth.

{ 207} CHR. You did well to talk so plainly to him as you did;there is but little of this faithful dealing with men now-a-days,and that makes religion to stink so in the nostrils of many, as itdoth; for they are these talkative fools whose religion is only inword, and are debauched and vain in their conversation, that (beingso much admitted into the fellowship of the godly) do puzzle theworld, blemish Christianity, and grieve the sincere. I wish thatall men would deal with such as you have done: then should theyeither be made more conformable to religion, or the company ofsaints would be too hot for them. Then did Faithful say,

How Talkative at first lifts up his plumes!
How bravely doth he speak! How he presumes
To drive down all before him! But so soon
As Faithful talks of heart-work, like the moon
That's past the full, into the wane he goes.
And so will all, but he that HEART-WORK knows.

{ 208} Thus they went on talking of what they had seen by the way,and so made that way easy which would otherwise, no doubt, havebeen tedious to them; for now they went through a wilderness.

{ 209} Now, when they were got almost quite out of this wilderness,Faithful chanced to cast his eye back, and espied one coming afterthem, and he knew him. Oh! said Faithful to his brother, whocomes yonder? Then Christian looked, and said, It is my good friendEvangelist. Ay, and my good friend too, said Faithful, for it washe that set me in the way to the gate. Now was Evangelist come upto them, and thus saluted them:

{ 210} EVAN. Peace be with you, dearly beloved; and peace be to yourhelpers.

CHR. Welcome, welcome, my good Evangelist, the sight ofthy countenance brings to my remembrance thy ancient kindness andunwearied labouring for my eternal good.

FAITH. And a thousand times welcome, said good Faithful. Thycompany, O sweet Evangelist, how desirable it is to us poor pilgrims!

EVAN. Then said Evangelist, How hath it fared with you, my friends,since the time of our last parting? What have you met with, andhow have you behaved yourselves?

{ 211} Then Christian and Faithful told him of all things that hadhappened to them in the way; and how, and with what difficulty,they had arrived at that place.

{ 212} EVAN. Right glad am I, said Evangelist, not that you havemet with trials, but that you have been victors; and for that youhave, notwithstanding many weaknesses, continued in the way to thisvery day.

I say, right glad am I of this thing, and that for mine own sakeand yours. I have sowed, and you have reaped: and the day iscoming, when both he that sowed and they that reaped shall rejoicetogether; that is, if you hold out: "for in due season ye shallreap, if ye faint not." [John 4:36, Gal. 6:9] The crown is beforeyou, and it is an incorruptible one; so run, that you may obtainit. [1 Cor. 9:24-27] Some there be that set out for this crown,and, after they have gone far for it, another comes in, and takesit from them: hold fast, therefore, that you have; let no mantake your crown. [Rev. 3:11] You are not yet out of the gun-shotof the devil; you have not resisted unto blood, striving againstsin; let the kingdom be always before you, and believe steadfastlyconcerning things that are invisible. Let nothing that is on thisside the other world get within you; and, above all, look well toyour own hearts, and to the lusts thereof, "for they are deceitfulabove all things, and desperately wicked"; set your faces like aflint; you have all power in heaven and earth on your side.

{ 213} CHR. Then Christian thanked him for his exhortation; buttold him, withal, that they would have him speak further to themfor their help the rest of the way, and the rather, for that theywell knew that he was a prophet, and could tell them of things thatmight happen unto them, and also how they might resist and overcomethem. To which request Faithful also consented. So Evangelistbegan as followeth:--

EVAN. My sons, you have heard, in the words of the truth ofthe gospel, that you must, through many tribulations, enter intothe kingdom of heaven. And, again, that in every city bonds andafflictions abide in you; and therefore you cannot expect that youshould go long on your pilgrimage without them, in some sort orother. You have found something of the truth of these testimoniesupon you already, and more will immediately follow; for now, asyou see, you are almost out of this wilderness, and therefore youwill soon come into a town that you will by and by see before you;and in that town you will be hardly beset with enemies, who willstrain hard but they will kill you; and be you sure that one orboth of you must seal the testimony which you hold, with blood; butbe you faithful unto death, and the King will give you a crown oflife.

{ 214} He that shall die there, although his death will be unnatural,and his pain perhaps great, he will yet have the better of hisfellow; not only because he will be arrived at the Celestial Citysoonest, but because he will escape many miseries that the otherwill meet with in the rest of his journey. But when you are cometo the town, and shall find fulfilled what I have here related,then remember your friend, and quit yourselves like men, and committhe keeping of your souls to your God in well-doing, as unto afaithful Creator.

{ 215} Then I saw in my dream, that when they were got out of thewilderness, they presently saw a town before them, and the name ofthat town is Vanity; and at the town there is a fair kept, calledVanity Fair: it is kept all the year long. It beareth the nameof Vanity Fair because the town where it is kept is lighter thanvanity; and, also because all that is there sold, or that comeththither, is vanity. As is the saying of the wise, "all that comethis vanity." [Eccl. 1; 2:11,17; 11:8; Isa. 11:17]

{ 216} This fair is no new-erected business, but a thing of ancientstanding; I will show you the original of it.

Almost five thousand years agone, there were pilgrims walking tothe Celestial City, as these two honest persons are: and Beelzebub,Apollyon, and Legion, with their companions, perceiving by thepath that the pilgrims made, that their way to the city lay throughthis town of Vanity, they contrived here to set up a fair; a fairwherein, should be sold all sorts of vanity, and that it should lastall the year long: therefore at this fair are all such merchandisesold, as houses, lands, trades, places, honours, preferments, titles,countries, kingdoms, lusts, pleasures, and delights of all sorts,as whores, bawds, wives, husbands, children, masters, servants,lives, blood, bodies, souls, silver, gold, pearls, precious stones,and what not.

And, moreover, at this fair there is at all times to be seen jugglingcheats, games, plays, fools, apes, knaves, and rogues, and that ofevery kind.

Here are to be seen, too, and that for nothing, thefts, murders,adulteries, false swearers, and that of a blood-red colour.

{ 217} And as in other fairs of less moment, there are the severalrows and streets, under their proper names, where such and suchwares are vended; so here likewise you have the proper places,rows, streets, (viz. countries and kingdoms), where the wares ofthis fair are soonest to be found. Here is the Britain Row, theFrench Row, the Italian Row, the Spanish Row, the German Row, whereseveral sorts of vanities are to be sold. But, as in other fairs,some one commodity is as the chief of all the fair, so the wareof Rome and her merchandise is greatly promoted in this fair; onlyour English nation, with some others, have taken a dislike thereat.

{ 218} Now, as I said, the way to the Celestial City lies justthrough this town where this lusty fair is kept; and he that willgo to the city, and yet not go through this town, must needs go outof the world. [1 Cor. 5:10] The Prince of princes himself, whenhere, went through this town to his own country, and that upon afair day too; yea, and as I think, it was Beelzebub, the chief lordof this fair, that invited him to buy of his vanities; yea, wouldhave made him lord of the fair, would he but have done him reverenceas he went through the town. [Matt. 4:8, Luke 4:5-7] Yea, becausehe was such a person of honour, Beelzebub had him from street tostreet, and showed him all the kingdoms of the world in a littletime, that he might, if possible, allure the Blessed One to cheapenand buy some of his vanities; but he had no mind to the merchandise,and therefore left the town, without laying out so much as onefarthing upon these vanities. This fair, therefore, is an ancientthing, of long standing, and a very great fair.

{ 219} Now these pilgrims, as I said, must needs go through thisfair. Well, so they did: but, behold, even as they entered intothe fair, all the people in the fair were moved, and the townitself as it were in a hubbub about them; and that for severalreasons: for--

{ 220} First, The pilgrims were clothed with such kind of raimentas was diverse from the raiment of any that traded in that fair.The people, therefore, of the fair, made a great gazing upon them:some said they were fools, some they were bedlams, and some theyare outlandish men. [1 Cor. 2:7-8]

{ 221} Secondly, And as they wondered at their apparel, so they didlikewise at their speech; for few could understand what they said;they naturally spoke the language of Canaan, but they that keptthe fair were the men of this world; so that, from one end of thefair to the other, they seemed barbarians each to the other.

{ 222} Thirdly, But that which did not a little amuse the merchandiserswas, that these pilgrims set very light by all their wares; theycared not so much as to look upon them; and if they called upon themto buy, they would put their fingers in their ears, and cry, Turnaway mine eyes from beholding vanity, and look upwards, signifyingthat their trade and traffic was in heaven. [Ps. 119:37, Phil.3:19-20]

{ 223} One chanced mockingly, beholding the carriage of the men, tosay unto them, What will ye buy? But they, looking gravely uponhim, answered, "We buy the truth." [Prov. 23:23] At that therewas an occasion taken to despise the men the more; some mocking,some taunting, some speaking reproachfully, and some calling uponothers to smite them. At last things came to a hubbub and greatstir in the fair, insomuch that all order was confounded. Now wasword presently brought to the great one of the fair, who quicklycame down, and deputed some of his most trusty friends to take thesemen into examination, about whom the fair was almost overturned. Sothe men were brought to examination; and they that sat upon them,asked them whence they came, whither they went, and what they didthere, in such an unusual garb? The men told them that they werepilgrims and strangers in the world, and that they were going totheir own country, which was the heavenly Jerusalem, [Heb. 11:13-16]and that they had given no occasion to the men of the town, noryet to the merchandisers, thus to abuse them, and to let them intheir journey, except it was for that, when one asked them whatthey would buy, they said they would buy the truth. But they thatwere appointed to examine them did not believe them to be any otherthan bedlams and mad, or else such as came to put all things intoa confusion in the fair. Therefore they took them and beat them,and besmeared them with dirt, and then put them into the cage, thatthey might be made a spectacle to all the men of the fair.

Behold Vanity Fair! the Pilgrims there
Are chain'd and stand beside:
Even so it was our Lord pass'd here,
And on Mount Calvary died.

{ 224} There, therefore, they lay for some time, and were made theobjects of any man's sport, or malice, or revenge, the great one ofthe fair laughing still at all that befell them. But the men beingpatient, and not rendering railing for railing, but contrariwise,blessing, and good words for bad, and kindness for injuries done,some men in the fair that were more observing, and less prejudicedthan the rest, began to check and blame the baser sort for theircontinual abuses done by them to the men; they, therefore, inangry manner, let fly at them again, counting them as bad as themen in the cage, and telling them that they seemed confederates, andshould be made partakers of their misfortunes. The other repliedthat, for aught they could see, the men were quiet, and sober, andintended nobody any harm; and that there were many that traded intheir fair that were more worthy to be put into the cage, yea, andpillory too, than were the men they had abused. Thus, after diverswords had passed on both sides, the men behaving themselves allthe while very wisely and soberly before them, they fell to someblows among themselves, and did harm one to another. Then werethese two poor men brought before their examiners again, and therecharged as being guilty of the late hubbub that had been in thefair. So they beat them pitifully, and hanged irons upon them,and led them in chains up and down the fair, for an example and aterror to others, lest any should speak in their behalf, or jointhemselves unto them. But Christian and Faithful behaved themselvesyet more wisely, and received the ignominy and shame that wascast upon them, with so much meekness and patience, that it won totheir side, though but few in comparison of the rest, several ofthe men in the fair. This put the other party yet into greaterrage, insomuch that they concluded the death of these two men.Wherefore they threatened, that the cage nor irons should servetheir turn, but that they should die, for the abuse they had done,and for deluding the men of the fair.

Then were they remanded to the cage again, until further ordershould be taken with them. So they put them in, and made theirfeet fast in the stocks.

{ 225} Here, therefore, they called again to mind what they had heardfrom their faithful friend Evangelist, and were the more confirmedin their way and sufferings by what he told them would happen tothem. They also now comforted each other, that whose lot it wasto suffer, even he should have the best of it; therefore each mansecretly wished that he might have that preferment: but committingthemselves to the all-wise disposal of Him that ruleth all things,with much content, they abode in the condition in which they were,until they should be otherwise disposed of.

{ 226} Then a convenient time being appointed, they brought themforth to their trial, in order to their condemnation. When thetime was come, they were brought before their enemies and arraigned.The judge's name was Lord Hate-good. Their indictment was one andthe same in substance, though somewhat varying in form, the contentswhereof were this:--

{ 227} "That they were enemies to and disturbers of their trade;that they had made commotions and divisions in the town, and hadwon a party to their own most dangerous opinions, in contempt ofthe law of their prince."

Now, FAITHFUL, play the man, speak for thy God:
Fear not the wicked's malice; nor their rod:
Speak boldly, man, the truth is on thy side:
Die for it, and to life in triumph ride.

{ 228} Faithful's answer for himself

Then Faithful began to answer, that he had only set himself againstthat which hath set itself against Him that is higher than thehighest. And, said he, as for disturbance, I make none, beingmyself a man of peace; the parties that were won to us, were wonby beholding our truth and innocence, and they are only turned fromthe worse to the better. And as to the king you talk of, since heis Beelzebub, the enemy of our Lord, I defy him and all his angels.

{ 229} Then proclamation was made, that they that had aught to sayfor their lord the king against the prisoner at the bar, shouldforthwith appear and give in their evidence. So there came inthree witnesses, to wit, Envy, Superstition, and Pickthank. Theywere then asked if they knew the prisoner at the bar; and what theyhad to say for their lord the king against him.

{ 230} Then stood forth Envy, and said to this effect: My Lord, Ihave known this man a long time, and will attest upon my oath beforethis honourable bench, that he is--

JUDGE. Hold! Give him his oath. (So they sware him.) Then he said--

ENVY. My Lord, this man, notwithstanding his plausible name, isone of the vilest men in our country. He neither regardeth princenor people, law nor custom; but doth all that he can to possess allmen with certain of his disloyal notions, which he in the generalcalls principles of faith and holiness. And, in particular, Iheard him once myself affirm that Christianity and the customs ofour town of Vanity were diametrically opposite, and could not bereconciled. By which saying, my Lord, he doth at once not onlycondemn all our laudable doings, but us in the doing of them.

JUDGE. Then did the Judge say to him, Hast thou any more to say?

ENVY. My Lord, I could say much more, only I would not be tediousto the court. Yet, if need be, when the other gentlemen have givenin their evidence, rather than anything shall be wanting that willdespatch him, I will enlarge my testimony against him. So he wasbid to stand by. Then they called Superstition, and bid him lookupon the prisoner. They also asked, what he could say for theirlord the king against him. Then they sware him; so he began.

{ 231} SUPER. My Lord, I have no great acquaintance with this man,nor do I desire to have further knowledge of him; however, this Iknow, that he is a very pestilent fellow, from some discourse that,the other day, I had with him in this town; for then, talking withhim, I heard him say, that our religion was naught, and such bywhich a man could by no means please God. Which sayings of his, myLord, your Lordship very well knows, what necessarily thence willfollow, to wit, that we do still worship in vain, are yet in oursins, and finally shall be damned; and this is that which I haveto say.

{ 232} Then was Pickthank sworn, and bid say what he knew, in behalfof their lord the king, against the prisoner at the bar.

Pickthank's testimony

PICK. My Lord, and you gentlemen all, This fellow I have known of along time, and have heard him speak things that ought not to be spoke;for he hath railed on our noble prince Beelzebub, and hath spokencontemptibly of his honourable friends, whose names are the Lord OldMan, the Lord Carnal Delight, the Lord Luxurious, the Lord Desireof Vain Glory, my old Lord Lechery, Sir Having Greedy, with allthe rest of our nobility; and he hath said, moreover, That if allmen were of his mind, if possible, there is not one of these noblemenshould have any longer a being in this town. Besides, he hath notbeen afraid to rail on you, my Lord, who are now appointed to behis judge, calling you an ungodly villain, with many other suchlike vilifying terms, with which he hath bespattered most of thegentry of our town.

{ 233} When this Pickthank had told his tale, the Judge directed hisspeech to the prisoner at the bar, saying, Thou runagate, heretic,and traitor, hast thou heard what these honest gentlemen havewitnessed against thee?

FAITH. May I speak a few words in my own defence?

JUDGE. Sirrah! sirrah! thou deservest to live no longer, but tobe slain immediately upon the place; yet, that all men may see ourgentleness towards thee, let us hear what thou, vile runagate, hastto say.

{ 234} Faithful's defence of himself

FAITH. 1. I say, then, in answer to what Mr. Envy hath spoken,I never said aught but this, That what rule, or laws, or customs,or people, were flat against the Word of God, are diametricallyopposite to Christianity. If I have said amiss in this, convinceme of my error, and I am ready here before you to make my recantation.

{ 235} 2. As to the second, to wit, Mr. Superstition, and his chargeagainst me, I said only this, That in the worship of God there isrequired a Divine faith; but there can be no Divine faith withouta Divine revelation of the will of God. Therefore, whateveris thrust into the worship of God that is not agreeable to Divinerevelation, cannot be done but by a human faith, which faith willnot be profitable to eternal life.

{ 236} 3. As to what Mr. Pickthank hath said, I say (avoiding terms,as that I am said to rail, and the like) that the prince of thistown, with all the rabblement, his attendants, by this gentlemannamed, are more fit for a being in hell, than in this town andcountry: and so, the Lord have mercy upon me!

{ 237} Then the Judge called to the jury (who all this while stoodby, to hear and observe): Gentlemen of the jury, you see this manabout whom so great an uproar hath been made in this town. Youhave also heard what these worthy gentlemen have witnessed againsthim. Also you have heard his reply and confession. It lieth nowin your breasts to hang him or save his life; but yet I think meetto instruct you into our law.

{ 238} There was an Act made in the days of Pharaoh the Great,servant to our prince, that lest those of a contrary religion shouldmultiply and grow too strong for him, their males should be throwninto the river. [Exo. 1:22] There was also an Act made in thedays of Nebuchadnezzar the Great, another of his servants, thatwhosoever would not fall down and worship his golden image, shouldbe thrown into a fiery furnace. [Dan. 3:6] There was also an Actmade in the days of Darius, that whoso, for some time, called uponany god but him, should be cast into the lions' den. [Dan. 6]Now the substance of these laws this rebel has broken, not onlyin thought, (which is not to be borne), but also in word and deed;which must therefore needs be intolerable.

{ 239} For that of Pharaoh, his law was made upon a supposition, toprevent mischief, no crime being yet apparent; but here is a crimeapparent. For the second and third, you see he disputeth againstour religion; and for the treason he hath confessed, he deservethto die the death.

{ 240} Then went the jury out, whose names were, Mr. Blind-man, Mr.No-good, Mr. Malice, Mr. Love-lust, Mr. Live-loose, Mr. Heady, Mr.High-mind, Mr. Enmity, Mr. Liar, Mr. Cruelty, Mr. Hate-light, andMr. Implacable; who every one gave in his private verdict againsthim among themselves, and afterwards unanimously concluded to bringhim in guilty before the Judge. And first, among themselves, Mr.Blind-man, the foreman, said, I see clearly that this man is aheretic. Then said Mr. No-good, Away with such a fellow from theearth. Ay, said Mr. Malice, for I hate the very looks of him.Then said Mr. Love-lust, I could never endure him. Nor I, said Mr.Live-loose, for he would always be condemning my way. Hang him,hang him, said Mr. Heady. A sorry scrub, said Mr. High-mind. Myheart riseth against him, said Mr. Enmity. He is a rogue, saidMr. Liar. Hanging is too good for him, said Mr. Cruelty. Let usdespatch him out of the way, said Mr. Hate-light. Then said Mr.Implacable, Might I have all the world given me, I could not bereconciled to him; therefore, let us forthwith bring him in guiltyof death. And so they did; therefore he was presently condemnedto be had from the place where he was, to the place from whencehe came, and there to be put to the most cruel death that could beinvented.

{ 241} They therefore brought him out, to do with him according totheir law; and, first, they scourged him, then they buffeted him,then they lanced his flesh with knives; after that, they stonedhim with stones, then pricked him with their swords; and, last ofall, they burned him to ashes at the stake. Thus came Faithful tohis end.

{ 242} Now I saw that there stood behind the multitude a chariotand a couple of horses, waiting for Faithful, who (so soon as hisadversaries had despatched him) was taken up into it, and straightwaywas carried up through the clouds, with sound of trumpet, thenearest way to the Celestial Gate.

Brave FAITHFUL, bravely done in word and deed;
Judge, witnesses, and jury have, instead
Of overcoming thee, but shown their rage:
When they are dead, thou'lt live from age to age*.

*In the New Heaven and New Earth. { footnote from one edition}

{ 243} But as for Christian, he had some respite, and was remandedback to prison. So he there remained for a space; but He thatoverrules all things, having the power of their rage in his ownhand, so wrought it about, that Christian for that time escapedthem, and went his way. And as he went, he sang, saying--

Well, Faithful, thou hast faithfully profest
Unto thy Lord; with whom thou shalt be blest,
When faithless ones, with all their vain delights,
Are crying out under their hellish plights:
Sing, Faithful, sing, and let thy name survive;
For though they kill'd thee, thou art yet alive!

{ 244} Now I saw in my dream, that Christian went not forth alone,for there was one whose name was Hopeful (being made so by thebeholding of Christian and Faithful in their words and behaviour,in their sufferings at the fair), who joined himself unto him, and,entering into a brotherly covenant, told him that he would be hiscompanion. Thus, one died to bear testimony to the truth, andanother rises out of his ashes, to be a companion with Christianin his pilgrimage. This Hopeful also told Christian, that therewere many more of the men in the fair, that would take their timeand follow after.

{ 245} So I saw that quickly after they were got out of the fair,they overtook one that was going before them, whose name was By-ends:so they said to him, What countryman, Sir? and how far go you thisway? He told them that he came from the town of Fair-speech, andhe was going to the Celestial City (but told them not his name).

From Fair-speech! said Christian. Is there any good that livesthere? [Prov. 26:25]

BY-ENDS. Yes, said By-ends, I hope.

CHR. Pray, Sir, what may I call you? said Christian.

BY-ENDS. I am a stranger to you, and you to me: if you be goingthis way, I shall be glad of your company; if not, I must be content.

CHR. This town of Fair-speech, said Christian, I have heard of;and, as I remember, they say it is a wealthy place.

BY-ENDS. Yes, I will assure you that it is; and I have very manyrich kindred there.

{ 246} CHR. Pray, who are your kindred there? if a man may be sobold.

BY-ENDS. Almost the whole town; and in particular, my LordTurn-about, my Lord Time-server, my Lord Fair-speech, (from whoseancestors that town first took its name), also Mr. Smooth-man, Mr.Facing-both-ways, Mr. Any-thing; and the parson of our parish, Mr.Two-tongues, was my mother's own brother by father's side; and totell you the truth, I am become a gentleman of good quality, yetmy great-grandfather was but a waterman, looking one way and rowinganother, and I got most of my estate by the same occupation.

CHR. Are you a married man?

BY-ENDS. Yes, and my wife is a very virtuous woman, the daughterof a virtuous woman; she was my Lady Feigning's daughter, thereforeshe came of a very honourable family, and is arrived to such apitch of breeding, that she knows how to carry it to all, even toprince and peasant. It is true we somewhat differ in religion fromthose of the stricter sort, yet but in two small points: first,we never strive against wind and tide; secondly, we are always mostzealous when religion goes in his silver slippers; we love muchto walk with him in the street, if the sun shines, and the peopleapplaud him.

{ 247} Then Christian stepped a little aside to his fellow, Hopeful,saying, It runs in my mind that this is one By-ends of Fair-speech;and if it be he, we have as very a knave in our company as dwellethin all these parts. Then said Hopeful, Ask him; methinks he shouldnot be ashamed of his name. So Christian came up with him again,and said, Sir, you talk as if you knew something more than all theworld doth; and if I take not my mark amiss, I deem I have half aguess of you: Is not your name Mr. By-ends, of Fair-speech?

BY-ENDS. This is not my name, but indeed it is a nick-name that isgiven me by some that cannot abide me: and I must be content tobear it as a reproach, as other good men have borne theirs beforeme.

{ 247} CHR. But did you never give an occasion to men to call youby this name?

BY-ENDS. Never, never! The worst that ever I did to give them anoccasion to give me this name was, that I had always the luck tojump in my judgment with the present way of the times, whatever itwas, and my chance was to get thereby; but if things are thus castupon me, let me count them a blessing; but let not the maliciousload me therefore with reproach.

{ 248} CHR. I thought, indeed, that you were the man that I heardof; and to tell you what I think, I fear this name belongs to youmore properly than you are willing we should think it doth.

BY-ENDS. Well, if you will thus imagine, I cannot help it; youshall find me a fair company-keeper, if you will still admit meyour associate.

CHR. If you will go with us, you must go against wind and tide;the which, I perceive, is against your opinion; you must also ownreligion in his rags, as well as when in his silver slippers; andstand by him, too, when bound in irons, as well as when he walkeththe streets with applause.

BY-ENDS. You must not impose, nor lord it over my faith; leave meto my liberty, and let me go with you.

CHR. Not a step further, unless you will do in what I propound aswe.

Then said By-ends, I shall never desert my old principles, sincethey are harmless and profitable. If I may not go with you, I mustdo as I did before you overtook me, even go by myself, until someovertake me that will be glad of my company.

{ 249} Now I saw in my dream that Christian and Hopeful forsook him,and kept their distance before him; but one of them looking back,saw three men following Mr. By-ends, and behold, as they came upwith him, he made them a very low conge { conge'}; and they alsogave him a compliment. The men's names were Mr. Hold-the-world,Mr. Money-love, and Mr. Save-all; men that Mr. By-ends had formerlybeen acquainted with; for in their minority they were schoolfellows,and were taught by one Mr. Gripe-man, a schoolmaster in Love-gain,which is a market town in the county of Coveting, in the north. Thisschoolmaster taught them the art of getting, either by violence,cozenage, flattery, lying, or by putting on the guise of religion;and these four gentlemen had attained much of the art of theirmaster, so that they could each of them have kept such a schoolthemselves.

{ 250} Well, when they had, as I said, thus saluted each other, Mr.Money-love said to Mr. By-ends, Who are they upon the road beforeus? (for Christian and Hopeful were yet within view).

By-ends' character of the pilgrims

BY-ENDS. They are a couple of far countrymen, that, after theirmode, are going on pilgrimage.

MONEY-LOVE. Alas! Why did they not stay, that we might have hadtheir good company? for they, and we, and you, Sir, I hope, areall going on pilgrimage.

BY-ENDS. We are so, indeed; but the men before us are so rigid,and love so much their own notions, and do also so lightly esteemthe opinions of others, that let a man be never so godly, yet ifhe jumps not with them in all things, they thrust him quite out oftheir company.

{ 251} SAVE-ALL. That is bad, but we read of some that are righteousovermuch; and such men's rigidness prevails with them to judge andcondemn all but themselves. But, I pray, what, and how many, werethe things wherein you differed?

BY-ENDS. Why, they, after their headstrong manner, conclude thatit is duty to rush on their journey all weathers; and I am forwaiting for wind and tide. They are for hazarding all for God ata clap; and I am for taking all advantages to secure my life andestate. They are for holding their notions, though all other menare against them; but I am for religion in what, and so far as thetimes, and my safety, will bear it. They are for religion whenin rags and contempt; but I am for him when he walks in his goldenslippers, in the sunshine, and with applause.

{ 252} HOLD-THE-WORLD. Ay, and hold you there still, good Mr.By-ends; for, for my part, I can count him but a fool, that, havingthe liberty to keep what he has, shall be so unwise as to lose it.Let us be wise as serpents; it is best to make hay when the sunshines; you see how the bee lieth still all winter, and bestirs heronly when she can have profit with pleasure. God sends sometimesrain, and sometimes sunshine; if they be such fools to go throughthe first, yet let us be content to take fair weather along withus. For my part, I like that religion best that will stand withthe security of God's good blessings unto us; for who can imagine,that is ruled by his reason, since God has bestowed upon us thegood things of this life, but that he would have us keep them forhis sake? Abraham and Solomon grew rich in religion. And Jobsays, that a good man shall lay up gold as dust. But he must notbe such as the men before us, if they be as you have describedthem.

SAVE-ALL. I think that we are all agreed in this matter, andtherefore there needs no more words about it.

MONEY-LOVE. No, there needs no more words about this matter, indeed;for he that believes neither Scripture nor reason (and you see wehave both on our side) neither knows his own liberty, nor seekshis own safety.

{ 253} BY-ENDS. My brethren, we are, as you see, going all onpilgrimage; and, for our better diversion from things that are bad,give me leave to propound unto you this question:--

Suppose a man, a minister, or a tradesman, &c., should have anadvantage lie before him, to get the good blessings of this life,yet so as that he can by no means come by them except, in appearanceat least, he becomes extraordinarily zealous in some pointsof religion that he meddled not with before, may he not use thesemeans to attain his end, and yet be a right honest man?

{ 254} MONEY-LOVE. I see the bottom of your question; and, with thesegentlemen's good leave, I will endeavour to shape you an answer.And first, to speak to your question as it concerns a ministerhimself: Suppose a minister, a worthy man, possessed but of a verysmall benefice, and has in his eye a greater, more fat, and plumpby far; he has also now an opportunity of getting of it, yet so asby being more studious, by preaching more frequently and zealously,and, because the temper of the people requires it, by alteringof some of his principles; for my part, I see no reason but a manmay do this, (provided he has a call), ay, and more a great dealbesides, and yet be an honest man. For why--

{ 255} 1. His desire of a greater benefice is lawful, (this cannotbe contradicted), since it is set before him by Providence; so then,he may get it, if he can, making no question for conscience' sake.

{ 256} 2. Besides, his desire after that benefice makes him morestudious, a more zealous preacher, &c., and so makes him a betterman; yea, makes him better improve his parts, which is accordingto the mind of God.

{ 257} 3. Now, as for his complying with the temper of his people,by dissenting, to serve them, some of his principles, this argueth,(1) That he is of a self-denying, temper; (2) Of a sweet and winningdeportment; and so (3) more fit for the ministerial function.

{ 258} 4. I conclude, then, that a minister that changes a smallfor a great, should not, for so doing, be judged as covetous; butrather, since he has improved in his parts and industry thereby,be counted as one that pursues his call, and the opportunity putinto his hands to do good.

{ 259} And now to the second part of the question, which concernsthe tradesman you mentioned. Suppose such a one to have but a pooremploy in the world, but by becoming religious, he may mend hismarket, perhaps get a rich wife, or more and far better customersto his shop; for my part, I see no reason but that this may belawfully done. For why--

1. To become religious is a virtue, by what means soever a manbecomes so.

2. Nor is it unlawful to get a rich wife, or more custom to myshop.

3. Besides, the man that gets these by becoming religious, getsthat which is good, of them that are good, by becoming good himself;so then here is a good wife, and good customers, and good gain,and all these by becoming religious, which is good; therefore, tobecome religious, to get all these, is a good and profitable design.

{ 260} This answer, thus made by this Mr. Money-love to Mr. By-ends'squestion, was highly applauded by them all; wherefore they concludedupon the whole, that it was most wholesome and advantageous. Andbecause, as they thought, no man was able to contradict it, andbecause Christian and Hopeful were yet within call, they jointlyagreed to assault them with the question as soon as they overtookthem; and the rather because they had opposed Mr. By-ends before.So they called after them, and they stopped, and stood still tillthey came up to them; but they concluded, as they went, that not Mr.By-ends, but old Mr. Hold-the-world, should propound the questionto them, because, as they supposed, their answer to him would bewithout the remainder of that heat that was kindled betwixt Mr.By-ends and them, at their parting a little before.

{ 260} So they came up to each other, and after a short salutation,Mr. Hold-the-world propounded the question to Christian and hisfellow, and bid them to answer it if they could.

CHR. Then said Christian, Even a babe in religion may answer tenthousand such questions. For if it be unlawful to follow Christ forloaves, (as it is in the sixth of John), how much more abominableis it to make of him and religion a stalking-horse to get and enjoythe world! Nor do we find any other than heathens, hypocrites,devils, and witches, that are of this opinion.

{ 261} 1. Heathens; for when Hamor and Shechem had a mind to thedaughter and cattle of Jacob, and saw that there was no way for themto come at them, but by becoming circumcised, they say to theircompanions, If every male of us be circumcised, as they are circumcised,shall not their cattle, and their substance, and every beast oftheirs, be ours? Their daughter and their cattle were that whichthey sought to obtain, and their religion the stalking-horse theymade use of to come at them. Read the whole story. [Gen. 34:20-23]

{ 262} 2. The hypocritical Pharisees were also of this religion;long prayers were their pretence, but to get widows' houses wastheir intent; and greater damnation was from God their judgment.[Luke 20:46-47]

{ 263} 3. Judas the devil was also of this religion; he was religiousfor the bag, that he might be possessed of what was therein; buthe was lost, cast away, and the very son of perdition.

{ 264} 4. Simon the witch was of this religion too; for he wouldhave had the Holy Ghost, that he might have got money therewith;and his sentence from Peter's mouth was according. [Acts 8:19-22]

{ 265} 5. Neither will it out of my mind, but that that man thattakes up religion for the world, will throw away religion forthe world; for so surely as Judas resigned the world in becomingreligious, so surely did he also sell religion and his Master forthe same. To answer the question, therefore, affirmatively, as Iperceive you have done, and to accept of, as authentic, such answer,is both heathenish, hypocritical, and devilish; and your rewardwill be according to your works. Then they stood staring one uponanother, but had not wherewith to answer Christian. Hopeful alsoapproved of the soundness of Christian's answer; so there was a greatsilence among them. Mr. By-ends and his company also staggeredand kept behind, that Christian and Hopeful might outgo them. Thensaid Christian to his fellow, If these men cannot stand before thesentence of men, what will they do with the sentence of God? Andif they are mute when dealt with by vessels of clay, what will theydo when they shall be rebuked by the flames of a devouring fire?

{ 266} Then Christian and Hopeful outwent them again, and went tillthey came to a delicate plain called Ease, where they went withmuch content; but that plain was but narrow, so they were quicklygot over it. Now at the further side of that plain was a littlehill called Lucre, and in that hill a silver mine, which some ofthem that had formerly gone that way, because of the rarity of it,had turned aside to see; but going too near the brink of the pit,the ground being deceitful under them, broke, and they were slain;some also had been maimed there, and could not, to their dying day,be their own men again.

{ 267} Then I saw in my dream, that a little off the road, overagainst the silver mine, stood Demas (gentlemanlike) to call topassengers to come and see; who said to Christian and his fellow,Ho! turn aside hither, and I will show you a thing.

CHR. What thing so deserving as to turn us out of the way to seeit?

DEMAS. Here is a silver mine, and some digging in it for treasure.If you will come, with a little pains you may richly provide foryourselves.

{ 268} HOPE. Then said Hopeful, Let us go see.

CHR. Not I, said Christian, I have heard of this place before now;and how many have there been slain; and besides that, treasureis a snare to those that seek it; for it hindereth them in theirpilgrimage. Then Christian called to Demas, saying, Is not theplace dangerous? Hath it not hindered many in their pilgrimage?[Hos. 14:8]

DEMAS. Not very dangerous, except to those that are careless, (butwithal, he blushed as he spake).

CHR. Then said Christian to Hopeful, Let us not stir a step, butstill keep on our way.

HOPE. I will warrant you, when By-ends comes up, if he hath thesame invitation as we, he will turn in thither to see.

CHR. No doubt thereof, for his principles lead him that way, anda hundred to one but he dies there.

DEMAS. Then Demas called again, saying, But will you not come overand see?

{ 269} CHR. Then Christian roundly answered, saying, Demas, thouart an enemy to the right ways of the Lord of this way, and hastbeen already condemned for thine own turning aside, by one of HisMajesty's judges [2 Tim. 4:10]; and why seekest thou to bring usinto the like condemnation? Besides, if we at all turn aside, ourLord and King will certainly hear thereof, and will there put usto shame, where we would stand with boldness before him.

Demas cried again, that he also was one of their fraternity; andthat if they would tarry a little, he also himself would walk withthem.

{ 270} CHR. Then said Christian, What is thy name? Is it not thesame by the which I have called thee?

DEMAS. Yes, my name is Demas; I am the son of Abraham.

CHR. I know you; Gehazi was your great-grandfather, and Judas yourfather; and you have trod in their steps. [2 Kings 5:20, Matt.26:14,15, 27:1-5] It is but a devilish prank that thou usest;thy father was hanged for a traitor, and thou deservest no betterreward. Assure thyself, that when we come to the King, we will dohim word of this thy behaviour. Thus they went their way.

{ 271} By this time By-ends and his companions were come againwithin sight, and they, at the first beck, went over to Demas. Now,whether they fell into the pit by looking over the brink thereof,or whether they went down to dig, or whether they were smothered inthe bottom by the damps that commonly arise, of these things I amnot certain; but this I observed, that they never were seen againin the way. Then sang Christian--

By-ends and silver Demas both agree;
One calls, the other runs, that he may be
A sharer in his lucre; so these do
Take up in this world, and no further go.

{ 272} Now I saw that, just on the other side of this plain,the pilgrims came to a place where stood an old monument, hard bythe highway side, at the sight of which they were both concerned,because of the strangeness of the form thereof; for it seemedto them as if it had been a woman transformed into the shape of apillar; here, therefore they stood looking, and looking upon it,but could not for a time tell what they should make thereof. Atlast Hopeful espied written above the head thereof, a writing inan unusual hand; but he being no scholar, called to Christian (forhe was learned) to see if he could pick out the meaning; so he came,and after a little laying of letters together, he found the sameto be this, "Remember Lot's Wife". So he read it to his fellow;after which they both concluded that that was the pillar of salt intowhich Lot's wife was turned, for her looking back with a covetousheart, when she was going from Sodom for safety. [Gen. 19:26]Which sudden and amazing sight gave them occasion of this discourse.

{ 273} CHR. Ah, my brother! this is a seasonable sight; it cameopportunely to us after the invitation which Demas gave us to comeover to view the Hill Lucre; and had we gone over, as he desiredus, and as thou wast inclining to do, my brother, we had, for aughtI know, been made ourselves like this woman, a spectacle for thosethat shall come after to behold.

HOPE. I am sorry that I was so foolish, and am made to wonder thatI am not now as Lot's wife; for wherein was the difference betwixther sin and mine? She only looked back; and I had a desire to gosee. Let grace be adored, and let me be ashamed that ever such athing should be in mine heart.

{ 274} CHR. Let us take notice of what we see here, for our helpfor time to come. This woman escaped one judgment, for she fellnot by the destruction of Sodom; yet she was destroyed by another,as we see she is turned into a pillar of salt.

HOPE. True; and she may be to us both caution and example; caution,that we should shun her sin; or a sign of what judgment will overtakesuch as shall not be prevented by this caution; so Korah, Dathan,and Abiram, with the two hundred and fifty men that perished intheir sin, did also become a sign or example to others to beware.[Num. 26:9,10] But above all, I muse at one thing, to wit, howDemas and his fellows can stand so confidently yonder to look forthat treasure, which this woman, but for looking behind her after,(for we read not that she stepped one foot out of the way) wasturned into a pillar of salt; especially since the judgment whichovertook her did make her an example, within sight of where theyare; for they cannot choose but see her, did they but lift up theireyes.

{ 275} CHR. It is a thing to be wondered at, and it argueth thattheir hearts are grown desperate in the case; and I cannot tell whoto compare them to so fitly, as to them that pick pockets in thepresence of the judge, or that will cut purses under the gallows.It is said of the men of Sodom, that they were sinners exceedingly,because they were sinners before the Lord, that is, in his eyesight,and notwithstanding the kindnesses that he had showed them [Gen.13:13]; for the land of Sodom was now like the garden of Edenheretofore. [Gen. 13:10] This, therefore, provoked him the moreto jealousy, and made their plague as hot as the fire of the Lordout of heaven could make it. And it is most rationally to beconcluded, that such, even such as these are, that shall sin inthe sight, yea, and that too in despite of such examples that areset continually before them, to caution them to the contrary, mustbe partakers of severest judgments.

HOPE. Doubtless thou hast said the truth; but what a mercy is it,that neither thou, but especially I, am not made myself this example!This ministereth occasion to us to thank God, to fear before him,and always to remember Lot's wife.

{ 276} I saw, then, that they went on their way to a pleasant river;which David the king called "the river of God", but John, "theriver of the water of life". [Ps. 65:9, Rev. 22, Ezek. 47] Nowtheir way lay just upon the bank of the river; here, therefore,Christian and his companion walked with great delight; they drankalso of the water of the river, which was pleasant, and enliveningto their weary spirits: besides, on the banks of this river, oneither side, were green trees, that bore all manner of fruit; andthe leaves of the trees were good for medicine; with the fruit ofthese trees they were also much delighted; and the leaves they eatto prevent surfeits, and other diseases that are incident to thosethat heat their blood by travels. On either side of the river wasalso a meadow, curiously beautified with lilies, and it was greenall the year long. In this meadow they lay down, and slept; forhere they might lie down safely. When they awoke, they gatheredagain of the fruit of the trees, and drank again of the waterof the river, and then lay down again to sleep. [Ps. 23:2, Isa.14:30] Thus they did several days and nights. Then they sang--

Behold ye how these crystal streams do glide,
To comfort pilgrims by the highway side;
The meadows green, beside their fragrant smell,
Yield dainties for them; and he that can tell
What pleasant fruit, yea, leaves, these trees do yield,
Will soon sell all, that he may buy this field.

So when they were disposed to go on, (for they were not, as yet,at their journey's end,) they ate and drank, and departed.

{ 277} Now, I beheld in my dream, that they had not journeyed far,but the river and the way for a time parted; at which they werenot a little sorry; yet they durst not go out of the way. Now theway from the river was rough, and their feet tender, by reason oftheir travels; so the souls of the pilgrims were much discouragedbecause of the way. [Num. 21:4] Wherefore, still as they wenton, they wished for better way. Now, a little before them, therewas on the left hand of the road a meadow, and a stile to go overinto it; and that meadow is called By-path Meadow. Then saidChristian to his fellow, If this meadow lieth along by our wayside,let us go over into it. Then he went to the stile to see, andbehold, a path lay along by the way, on the other side of the fence.It is according to my wish, said Christian. Here is the easiestgoing; come, good Hopeful, and let us go over.

{ 278} HOPE. But how if this path should lead us out of the way?

CHR. That is not like, said the other. Look, doth it not go alongby the wayside? So Hopeful, being persuaded by his fellow, wentafter him over the stile. When they were gone over, and were gotinto the path, they found it very easy for their feet; and withal,they, looking before them, espied a man walking as they did, (andhis name was Vain-confidence); so they called after him, and askedhim whither that way led. He said, To the Celestial Gate. Look,said Christian, did not I tell you so? By this you may see we areright. So they followed, and he went before them. But, behold,the night came on, and it grew very dark; so that they that werebehind lost the sight of him that went before.

{ 279} He, therefore, that went before, (Vain-confidence by name),not seeing the way before him, fell into a deep pit [Isa. 9:16],which was on purpose there made, by the Prince of those grounds,to catch vain-glorious fools withal, and was dashed in pieces withhis fall.

{ 280} Now Christian and his fellow heard him fall. So they calledto know the matter, but there was none to answer, only they hearda groaning. Then said Hopeful, Where are we now? Then was hisfellow silent, as mistrusting that he had led him out of the way;and now it began to rain, and thunder, and lighten in a very dreadfulmanner; and the water rose amain.

Then Hopeful groaned in himself, saying, Oh, that I had kept on myway!

{ 281} CHR. Who could have thought that this path should have ledus out of the way?

HOPE. I was afraid on it at the very first, and therefore gave youthat gentle caution. I would have spoken plainer, but that youare older than I.

Christian's repentance for leading of his brother out of the way

CHR. Good brother, be not offended; I am sorry I have brought theeout of the way, and that I have put thee into such imminent danger;pray, my brother, forgive me; I did not do it of an evil intent.

HOPE. Be comforted, my brother, for I forgive thee; and believe,too, that this shall be for our good.

CHR. I am glad I have with me a merciful brother; but we must notstand thus: let us try to go back again.

HOPE. But, good brother, let me go before.

CHR. No, if you please, let me go first, that if there be any danger,I may be first therein, because by my means we are both gone outof the way.

{ 282} HOPE. No, said Hopeful, you shall not go first; for yourmind being troubled may lead you out of the way again. Then, fortheir encouragement, they heard the voice of one saying, "Set thineheart toward the highway, even the way which thou wentest; turnagain." [Jer. 31:21] But by this time the waters were greatlyrisen, by reason of which the way of going back was very dangerous.(Then I thought that it is easier going out of the way, when weare in, than going in when we are out.) Yet they adventured to goback, but it was so dark, and the flood was so high, that in theirgoing back they had like to have been drowned nine or ten times.

{ 283} Neither could they, with all the skill they had, get again tothe stile that night. Wherefore, at last, lighting under a littleshelter, they sat down there until the daybreak; but, being weary,they fell asleep. Now there was, not far from the place where theylay, a castle called Doubting Castle, the owner whereof was GiantDespair; and it was in his grounds they now were sleeping: whereforehe, getting up in the morning early, and walking up and down in hisfields, caught Christian and Hopeful asleep in his grounds. Then,with a grim and surly voice, he bid them awake; and asked themwhence they were, and what they did in his grounds. They told himthey were pilgrims, and that they had lost their way. Then saidthe Giant, You have this night trespassed on me, by trampling inand lying on my grounds, and therefore you must go along with me.So they were forced to go, because he was stronger than they. Theyalso had but little to say, for they knew themselves in a fault.The Giant, therefore, drove them before him, and put them into hiscastle, into a very dark dungeon, nasty and stinking to the spiritsof these two men. [Ps. 88:18] Here, then, they lay from Wednesdaymorning till Saturday night, without one bit of bread, or drop ofdrink, or light, or any to ask how they did; they were, therefore,here in evil case, and were far from friends and acquaintance. Nowin this place Christian had double sorrow, because it was throughhis unadvised counsel that they were brought into this distress.

The pilgrims now, to gratify the flesh,
Will seek its ease; but oh! how they afresh
Do thereby plunge themselves new griefs into!
Who seek to please the flesh, themselves undo.

{ 284} Now, Giant Despair had a wife, and her name was Diffidence.So when he was gone to bed, he told his wife what he had done; towit, that he had taken a couple of prisoners and cast them into hisdungeon, for trespassing on his grounds. Then he asked her alsowhat he had best to do further to them. So she asked him what theywere, whence they came, and whither they were bound; and he toldher. Then she counselled him that when he arose in the morning heshould beat them without any mercy. So, when he arose, he gettethhim a grievous crab-tree cudgel, and goes down into the dungeonto them, and there first falls to rating of them as if they weredogs, although they never gave him a word of distaste. Then hefalls upon them, and beats them fearfully, in such sort that theywere not able to help themselves, or to turn them upon the floor.This done, he withdraws and leaves them there to condole theirmisery and to mourn under their distress. So all that day theyspent the time in nothing but sighs and bitter lamentations. Thenext night, she, talking with her husband about them further, andunderstanding they were yet alive, did advise him to counsel themto make away themselves. So when morning was come, he goes to themin a surly manner as before, and perceiving them to be very sorewith the stripes that he had given them the day before, he toldthem, that since they were never like to come out of that place,their only way would be forthwith to make an end of themselves,either with knife, halter, or poison, for why, said he, should youchoose life, seeing it is attended with so much bitterness? Butthey desired him to let them go. With that he looked ugly uponthem, and, rushing to them, had doubtless made an end of themhimself, but that he fell into one of his fits, (for he sometimes, insunshiny weather, fell into fits), and lost for a time the use ofhis hand; wherefore he withdrew, and left them as before, to considerwhat to do. Then did the prisoners consult between themselveswhether it was best to take his counsel or no; and thus they beganto discourse:--

{ 285} CHR. Brother, said Christian, what shall we do? The life thatwe now live is miserable. For my part I know not whether is best,to live thus, or to die out of hand. "My soul chooseth stranglingrather than life", and the grave is more easy for me than thisdungeon. [Job 7:15] Shall we be ruled by the Giant?

{ 286} HOPE. Indeed, our present condition is dreadful, and deathwould be far more welcome to me than thus for ever to abide;but yet, let us consider, the Lord of the country to which we aregoing hath said, Thou shalt do no murder: no, not to another man'sperson; much more, then, are we forbidden to take his counsel tokill ourselves. Besides, he that kills another, can but commitmurder upon his body; but for one to kill himself is to kill bodyand soul at once. And, moreover, my brother, thou talkest of easein the grave; but hast thou forgotten the hell, for certain themurderers go? "For no murderer hath eternal life," &c. And letus consider, again, that all the law is not in the hand of GiantDespair. Others, so far as I can understand, have been takenby him, as well as we; and yet have escaped out of his hand. Whoknows, but the God that made the world may cause that Giant Despairmay die? or that, at some time or other, he may forget to lockus in? or that he may, in a short time, have another of his fitsbefore us, and may lose the use of his limbs? and if ever thatshould come to pass again, for my part, I am resolved to pluckup the heart of a man, and to try my utmost to get from under hishand. I was a fool that I did not try to do it before; but, however,my brother, let us be patient, and endure a while. The time maycome that may give us a happy release; but let us not be our ownmurderers. With these words Hopeful at present did moderate themind of his brother; so they continued together (in the dark) thatday, in their sad and doleful condition.

{ 287} Well, towards evening, the Giant goes down into the dungeonagain, to see if his prisoners had taken his counsel; but when hecame there he found them alive; and truly, alive was all; for now,what for want of bread and water, and by reason of the wounds theyreceived when he beat them, they could do little but breathe. But,I say, he found them alive; at which he fell into a grievous rage,and told them that, seeing they had disobeyed his counsel, it shouldbe worse with them than if they had never been born.

{ 288} At this they trembled greatly, and I think that Christian fellinto a swoon; but, coming a little to himself again, they renewedtheir discourse about the Giant's counsel; and whether yet theyhad best to take it or no. Now Christian again seemed to be fordoing it, but Hopeful made his second reply as followeth:--

{ 289} HOPE. My brother, said he, rememberest thou not how valiantthou hast been heretofore? Apollyon could not crush thee, norcould all that thou didst hear, or see, or feel, in the Valley ofthe Shadow of Death. What hardship, terror, and amazement hastthou already gone through! And art thou now nothing but fear!Thou seest that I am in the dungeon with thee, a far weaker man bynature than thou art; also, this Giant has wounded me as well asthee, and hath also cut off the bread and water from my mouth; andwith thee I mourn without the light. But let us exercise a littlemore patience; remember how thou playedst the man at Vanity Fair,and wast neither afraid of the chain, nor cage, nor yet of bloodydeath. Wherefore let us (at least to avoid the shame, that becomesnot a Christian to be found in) bear up with patience as well aswe can.

{ 290} Now, night being come again, and the Giant and his wife beingin bed, she asked him concerning the prisoners, and if they hadtaken his counsel. To which he replied, They are sturdy rogues, theychoose rather to bear all hardship, than to make away themselves.Then said she, Take them into the castle-yard to-morrow, and showthem the bones and skulls of those that thou hast already despatched,and make them believe, ere a week comes to an end, thou also wilttear them in pieces, as thou hast done their fellows before them.

{ 291} So when the morning was come, the Giant goes to them again,and takes them into the castle-yard, and shows them, as his wifehad bidden him. These, said he, were pilgrims as you are, once,and they trespassed in my grounds, as you have done; and when Ithought fit, I tore them in pieces, and so, within ten days, I willdo you. Go, get you down to your den again; and with that he beatthem all the way thither. They lay, therefore, all day on Saturdayin a lamentable case, as before. Now, when night was come, andwhen Mrs. Diffidence and her husband, the Giant, were got to bed,they began to renew their discourse of their prisoners; and withalthe old Giant wondered, that he could neither by his blows norhis counsel bring them to an end. And with that his wife replied,I fear, said she, that they live in hope that some will come torelieve them, or that they have picklocks about them, by the meansof which they hope to escape. And sayest thou so, my dear? saidthe Giant; I will, therefore, search them in the morning.

{ 292} Well, on Saturday, about midnight, they began to pray, andcontinued in prayer till almost break of day.

Now a little before it was day, good Christian, as one half amazed,brake out in passionate speech: What a fool, quoth he, am I, thusto lie in a stinking Dungeon, when I may as well walk at liberty.I have a Key in my bosom called Promise, that will, I am persuaded,open any Lock in Doubting Castle. Then said Hopeful, That's goodnews; good Brother pluck it out of thy bosom and try.

A key in Christian's bosom, called Promise, opens any lock inDoubting Castle

Then Christian pulled it out of his bosom, and began to try at theDungeon door, whose bolt (as he turned the Key) gave back, and thedoor flew open with ease, and Christian and Hopeful both came out.Then he went to the outward door that leads into the Castle-yard,and with his Key opened that door also. After he went to the ironGate, for that must be opened too, but that Lock went damnablehard, yet the Key did open it. Then they thrust open the Gate tomake their escape with speed; but that Gate as it opened made sucha creaking, that it waked Giant Despair, who hastily rising topursue his Prisoners, felt his limbs to fail, for his Fits tookhim again, so that he could by no means go after them. Then theywent on, and came to the King's High-way again, and so were safe,because they were out of his jurisdiction

{ 294} Now, when they were over the stile, they began to contrivewith themselves what they should do at that stile to prevent thosethat should come after from falling into the hands of Giant Despair.So they consented to erect there a pillar, and to engrave upon theside thereof this sentence--"Over this stile is the way to DoubtingCastle, which is kept by Giant Despair, who despiseth the King ofthe Celestial Country, and seeks to destroy his holy pilgrims."Many, therefore, that followed after read what was written, andescaped the danger. This done, they sang as follows:--

Out of the way we went, and then we found
What 'twas to tread upon forbidden ground;
And let them that come after have a care,
Lest heedlessness makes them, as we, to fare.
Lest they for trespassing his prisoners are,
Whose castle's Doubting, and whose name's Despair.

{ 295} They went then till they came to the Delectable Mountains,which mountains belong to the Lord of that hill of which we havespoken before; so they went up to the mountains, to behold thegardens and orchards, the vineyards and fountains of water; wherealso they drank and washed themselves, and did freely eat of thevineyards. Now there were on the tops of these mountains Shepherdsfeeding their flocks, and they stood by the highway side. ThePilgrims therefore went to them, and leaning upon their staves, (asis common with weary pilgrims when they stand to talk with any bythe way), they asked, Whose Delectable Mountains are these? Andwhose be the sheep that feed upon them?

Mountains delectable they now ascend,
Where Shepherds be, which to them do commend
Alluring things, and things that cautious are,
Pilgrims are steady kept by faith and fear.

{ 296} SHEP. These mountains are Immanuel's Land, and they arewithin sight of his city; and the sheep also are his, and he laiddown his life for them. [John 10:11]

CHR. Is this the way to the Celestial City?

SHEP. You are just in your way.

CHR. How far is it thither?

SHEP. Too far for any but those that shall get thither indeed.

CHR. Is the way safe or dangerous?

SHEP. Safe for those for whom it is to be safe; but the transgressorsshall fall therein. [Hos. 14:9]

CHR. Is there, in this place, any relief for pilgrims that areweary and faint in the way?

SHEP. The Lord of these mountains hath given us a charge not to beforgetful to entertain strangers, therefore the good of the placeis before you. [Heb. 13:1-2]

{ 297} I saw also in my dream, that when the Shepherds perceivedthat they were wayfaring men, they also put questions to them, towhich they made answer as in other places; as, Whence came you?and, How got you into the way? and, By what means have you sopersevered therein? For but few of them that begin to come hitherdo show their face on these mountains. But when the Shepherds heardtheir answers, being pleased therewith, they looked very lovinglyupon them, and said, Welcome to the Delectable Mountains.

{ 298} The Shepherds, I say, whose names were Knowledge, Experience,Watchful, and Sincere, took them by the hand, and had them to theirtents, and made them partake of that which was ready at present.They said, moreover, We would that ye should stay here awhile, tobe acquainted with us; and yet more to solace yourselves with thegood of these Delectable Mountains. They then told them, thatthey were content to stay; so they went to their rest that night,because it was very late.

{ 299} Then I saw in my dream, that in the morning the Shepherds calledup to Christian and Hopeful to walk with them upon the mountains;so they went forth with them, and walked a while, having a pleasantprospect on every side. Then said the Shepherds one to another,Shall we show these pilgrims some wonders? So when they had concludedto do it, they had them first to the top of a hill called Error,which was very steep on the furthest side, and bid them look downto the bottom. So Christian and Hopeful looked down, and saw atthe bottom several men dashed all to pieces by a fall that theyhad from the top. Then said Christian, What meaneth this? TheShepherds answered, Have you not heard of them that were made toerr by hearkening to Hymeneus and Philetus as concerning the faithof the resurrection of the body? [2 Tim. 2:17,18] They answered,Yes. Then said the Shepherds, Those that you see lie dashedin pieces at the bottom of this mountain are they; and they havecontinued to this day unburied, as you see, for an example to othersto take heed how they clamber too high, or how they come too nearthe brink of this mountain.

{ 300} Then I saw that they had them to the top of another mountain,and the name of that is Caution, and bid them look afar off; which,when they did, they perceived, as they thought, several men walkingup and down among the tombs that were there; and they perceivedthat the men were blind, because they stumbled sometimes upon thetombs, and because they could not get out from among them. Thensaid Christian, What means this?

{ 301} The Shepherds then answered, Did you not see a little belowthese mountains a stile, that led into a meadow, on the left handof this way? They answered, Yes. Then said the Shepherds, Fromthat stile there goes a path that leads directly to Doubting Castle,which is kept by Giant Despair, and these, pointing to them amongthe tombs, came once on pilgrimage, as you do now, even till theycame to that same stile; and because the right way was rough inthat place, they chose to go out of it into that meadow, and therewere taken by Giant Despair, and cast into Doubting Castle; where,after they had been a while kept in the dungeon, he at last did putout their eyes, and led them among those tombs, where he has leftthem to wander to this very day, that the saying of the wise man mightbe fulfilled, "He that wandereth out of the way of understanding,shall remain in the congregation of the dead." [Pro. 21:16] ThenChristian and Hopeful looked upon one another, with tears gushingout, but yet said nothing to the Shepherds.

{ 302} Then I saw in my dream, that the Shepherds had them to anotherplace, in a bottom, where was a door in the side of a hill, and theyopened the door, and bid them look in. They looked in, therefore,and saw that within it was very dark and smoky; they also thoughtthat they heard there a rumbling noise as of fire, and a cry ofsome tormented, and that they smelt the scent of brimstone. Thensaid Christian, What means this? The Shepherds told them, This isa by-way to hell, a way that hypocrites go in at; namely, such assell their birthright, with Esau; such as sell their master, withJudas; such as blaspheme the gospel, with Alexander; and thatlie and dissemble, with Ananias and Sapphira his wife. Then saidHopeful to the Shepherds, I perceive that these had on them, evenevery one, a show of pilgrimage, as we have now; had they not?

{ 303} SHEP. Yes, and held it a long time too.

HOPE. How far might they go on in pilgrimage in their day, sincethey notwithstanding were thus miserably cast away?

SHEP. Some further, and some not so far, as these mountains.

Then said the Pilgrims one to another, We have need to cry to theStrong for strength.

SHEP. Ay, and you will have need to use it, when you have it, too.

{ 304} By this time the Pilgrims had a desire to go forward, andthe Shepherds a desire they should; so they walked together towardsthe end of the mountains. Then said the Shepherds one to another,Let us here show to the Pilgrims the gates of the Celestial City,if they have skill to look through our perspective glass. ThePilgrims then lovingly accepted the motion; so they had them tothe top of a high hill, called Clear, and gave them their glass tolook.

{ 305} Then they essayed to look, but the remembrance of that lastthing that the Shepherds had shown them, made their hands shake;by means of which impediment, they could not look steadily throughthe glass; yet they thought they saw something like the gate, andalso some of the glory of the place. Then they went away, and sangthis song--

Thus, by the Shepherds, secrets are reveal'd,
Which from all other men are kept conceal'd.
Come to the Shepherds, then, if you would see
Things deep, things hid, and that mysterious be.

{ 306} When they were about to depart, one of the Shepherds gavethem a note of the way. Another of them bid them beware of theFlatterer. The third bid them take heed that they sleep not uponthe Enchanted Ground. And the fourth bid them God-speed. So Iawoke from my dream.

{ 307} And I slept, and dreamed again, and saw the same two Pilgrimsgoing down the mountains along the highway towards the city. Now,a little below these mountains, on the left hand, lieth the countryof Conceit; from which country there comes into the way in whichthe Pilgrims walked, a little crooked lane. Here, therefore, theymet with a very brisk lad, that came out of that country; and hisname was Ignorance. So Christian asked him from what parts hecame, and whither he was going.

{ 308} IGNOR. Sir, I was born in the country that lieth off therea little on the left hand, and I am going to the Celestial City.

CHR. But how do you think to get in at the gate? for you may findsome difficulty there.

IGNOR. As other people do, said he.

CHR. But what have you to show at that gate, that may cause thatthe gate should be opened to you?

IGNOR. I know my Lord's will, and I have been a good liver; I payevery man his own; I pray, fast, pay tithes, and give alms, andhave left my country for whither I am going.

{ 309} CHR. But thou camest not in at the wicket-gate that is at thehead of this way; thou camest in hither through that same crookedlane, and therefore, I fear, however thou mayest think of thyself,when the reckoning day shall come, thou wilt have laid to thy chargethat thou art a thief and a robber, instead of getting admittanceinto the city.

IGNOR. Gentlemen, ye be utter strangers to me, I know you not; becontent and follow the religion of your country, and I will followthe religion of mine. I hope all will be well. And as for thegate that you talk of, all the world knows that that is a great wayoff of our country. I cannot think that any man in all our partsdoth so much as know the way to it, nor need they matter whetherthey do or no, since we have, as you see, a fine, pleasant greenlane, that comes down from our country, the next way into the way.

{ 310} When Christian saw that the man was "wise in his own conceit",he said to Hopeful, whisperingly, "There is more hope of a foolthan of him." [Prov. 26:12] And said, moreover, "When he that isa fool walketh by the way, his wisdom faileth him, and he saith toevery one that he is a fool." [Eccl. 10:3] What, shall we talkfurther with him, or out-go him at present, and so leave him tothink of what he hath heard already, and then stop again for himafterwards, and see if by degrees we can do any good to him? Thensaid Hopeful--

Let Ignorance a little while now muse
On what is said, and let him not refuse
Good counsel to embrace, lest he remain
Still ignorant of what's the chiefest gain.
God saith, those that no understanding have,
Although he made them, them he will not save.

HOPE. He further added, It is not good, I think, to say all to himat once; let us pass him by, if you will, and talk to him anon,even as he is able to bear it.

{ 311} So they both went on, and Ignorance he came after. Now whenthey had passed him a little way, they entered into a very darklane, where they met a man whom seven devils had bound with sevenstrong cords, and were carrying of him back to the door that theysaw on the side of the hill. [Matt. 12:45, Prov. 5:22] Now goodChristian began to tremble, and so did Hopeful his companion; yetas the devils led away the man, Christian looked to see if he knewhim; and he thought it might be one Turn-away, that dwelt in thetown of Apostasy. But he did not perfectly see his face, for hedid hang his head like a thief that is found. But being once past,Hopeful looked after him, and espied on his back a paper with thisinscription, "Wanton professor and damnable apostate".

Then said Christian to his fellow, Now I call to remembrance, thatwhich was told me of a thing that happened to a good man hereabout.The name of the man was Little-faith, but a good man, and he dweltin the town of Sincere. The thing was this:--At the enteringin at this passage, there comes down from Broad-way Gate, a lanecalled Dead Man's Lane; so called because of the murders that arecommonly done there; and this Little-faith going on pilgrimage,as we do now, chanced to sit down there, and slept. Now therehappened, at that time, to come down the lane, from Broad-way Gate,three sturdy rogues, and their names were Faint-heart, Mistrust,and Guilt, (three brothers), and they espying Little-faith, wherehe was, came galloping up with speed. Now the good man was justawake from his sleep, and was getting up to go on his journey.So they came up all to him, and with threatening language bid himstand. At this Little-faith looked as white as a clout, and hadneither power to fight nor fly. Then said Faint-heart, Deliver thypurse. But he making no haste to do it (for he was loath to losehis money), Mistrust ran up to him, and thrusting his hand intohis pocket, pulled out thence a bag of silver. Then he cried out,Thieves! Thieves! With that Guilt, with a great club that wasin his hand, struck Little-faith on the head, and with that blowfelled him flat to the ground, where he lay bleeding as one thatwould bleed to death. All this while the thieves stood by. But,at last, they hearing that some were upon the road, and fearinglest it should be one Great-grace, that dwells in the city ofGood-confidence, they betook themselves to their heels, and leftthis good man to shift for himself. Now, after a while, Little-faithcame to himself, and getting up, made shift to scrabble on his way.This was the story.

{ 312} HOPE. But did they take from him all that ever he had?

Chr. No; the place where his jewels were they never ransacked, sothose he kept still. But, as I was told, the good man was much afflictedfor his loss, for the thieves got most of his spending-money. Thatwhich they got not (as I said) were jewels, also he had a littleodd money left, but scarce enough to bring him to his journey'send [1 Peter 4:18]; nay, if I was not misinformed, he was forcedto beg as he went, to keep himself alive; for his jewels he mightnot sell. But beg, and do what he could, he went (as we say) withmany a hungry belly the most part of the rest of the way.

{ 313} HOPE. But is it not a wonder they got not from him his certificate,by which he was to receive his admittance at the Celestial Gate?

CHR. It is a wonder; but they got not that, though they missed itnot through any good cunning of his; for he, being dismayed withtheir coming upon him, had neither power nor skill to hide anything;so it was more by good Providence than by his endeavour, that theymissed of that good thing.

{ 314} HOPE. But it must needs be a comfort to him, that they gotnot his jewels from him.

CHR. It might have been great comfort to him, had he used it ashe should; but they that told me the story said, that he made butlittle use of it all the rest of the way, and that because of thedismay that he had in the taking away his money; indeed, he forgotit a great part of the rest of his journey; and besides, when at anytime it came into his mind, and he began to be comforted therewith,then would fresh thoughts of his loss come again upon him, andthose thoughts would swallow up all. [1 Peter 1:9]

{ 315} HOPE. Alas! poor man! This could not but be a great griefto him.

CHR. Grief! ay, a grief indeed. Would it not have been so to anyof us, had we been used as he, to be robbed, and wounded too, andthat in a strange place, as he was? It is a wonder he did not diewith grief, poor heart! I was told that he scattered almost allthe rest of the way with nothing but doleful and bitter complaints;telling also to all that overtook him, or that he overtook in theway as he went, where he was robbed, and how; who they were thatdid it, and what he lost; how he was wounded, and that he hardlyescaped with his life.

{ 316} HOPE. But it is a wonder that his necessity did not put himupon selling or pawning some of his jewels, that he might havewherewith to relieve himself in his journey.

CHR. Thou talkest like one upon whose head is the shell to thisvery day; for what should he pawn them, or to whom should he sellthem? In all that country where he was robbed, his jewels were notaccounted of; nor did he want that relief which could from thencebe administered to him. Besides, had his jewels been missing at thegate of the Celestial City, he had (and that he knew well enough)been excluded from an inheritance there; and that would have beenworse to him than the appearance and villainy of ten thousandthieves.

{ 317} HOPE. Why art thou so tart, my brother? Esau sold hisbirthright, and that for a mess of pottage, and that birthrightwas his greatest jewel; and if he, why might not Little-faith doso too? [Heb. 12:16]

CHR. Esau did sell his birthright indeed, and so do many besides,and by so doing exclude themselves from the chief blessing, asalso that caitiff did; but you must put a difference betwixt Esauand Little-faith, and also betwixt their estates. Esau's birthrightwas typical, but Little-faith's jewels were not so; Esau's bellywas his god, but Little-faith's belly was not so; Esau's want layin his fleshly appetite, Little-faith's did not so. Besides, Esaucould see no further than to the fulfilling of his lusts; "Behold,I am at the point to die, (said he), and what profit shall thisbirthright do me?" [Gen. 25:32] But Little-faith, though it washis lot to have but a little faith, was by his little faith keptfrom such extravagances, and made to see and prize his jewelsmore than to sell them, as Esau did his birthright. You read notanywhere that Esau had faith, no, not so much as a little; therefore,no marvel if, where the flesh only bears sway, (as it will in thatman where no faith is to resist), if he sells his birthright, andhis soul and all, and that to the devil of hell; for it is withsuch, as it is with the ass, who in her occasions cannot be turnedaway. [Jer. 2:24] When their minds are set upon their lusts,they will have them whatever they cost. But Little-faith was ofanother temper, his mind was on things divine; his livelihood wasupon things that were spiritual, and from above; therefore, to whatend should he that is of such a temper sell his jewels (had therebeen any that would have bought them) to fill his mind with emptythings? Will a man give a penny to fill his belly with hay; or canyou persuade the turtle-dove to live upon carrion like the crow?Though faithless ones can, for carnal lusts, pawn, or mortgage,or sell what they have, and themselves outright to boot; yet theythat have faith, saving faith, though but a little of it, cannotdo so. Here, therefore, my brother, is thy mistake.

{ 318} HOPE. I acknowledge it; but yet your severe reflection hadalmost made me angry.

CHR. Why, I did but compare thee to some of the birds that are ofthe brisker sort, who will run to and fro in untrodden paths, withthe shell upon their heads; but pass by that, and consider thematter under debate, and all shall be well betwixt thee and me.

HOPE. But, Christian, these three fellows, I am persuaded inmy heart, are but a company of cowards; would they have run else,think you, as they did, at the noise of one that was coming onthe road? Why did not Little-faith pluck up a greater heart? Hemight, methinks, have stood one brush with them, and have yieldedwhen there had been no remedy.

CHR. That they are cowards, many have said, but few have found itso in the time of trial. As for a great heart, Little-faith hadnone; and I perceive by thee, my brother, hadst thou been the manconcerned, thou art but for a brush, and then to yield.

And, verily, since this is the height of thy stomach, now they areat a distance from us, should they appear to thee as they did tohim they might put thee to second thoughts.

{ 319} But, consider again, they are but journeymen thieves, theyserve under the king of the bottomless pit, who, if need be, willcome into their aid himself, and his voice is as the roaring of alion. [1 Pet. 5:8] I myself have been engaged as this Little-faithwas, and I found it a terrible thing. These three villains setupon me, and I beginning, like a Christian, to resist, they gavebut a call, and in came their master. I would, as the saying is,have given my life for a penny, but that, as God would have it,I was clothed with armour of proof. Ay, and yet, though I was soharnessed, I found it hard work to quit myself like a man. No mancan tell what in that combat attends us, but he that hath been inthe battle himself.

{ 320} HOPE. Well, but they ran, you see, when they did but supposethat one Great-grace was in the way.

CHR. True, they have often fled, both they and their master, whenGreat-grace hath but appeared; and no marvel; for he is the King'schampion. But, I trow, you will put some difference betwixtLittle-faith and the King's champion. All the King's subjectsare not his champions, nor can they, when tried, do such feats ofwar as he. Is it meet to think that a little child should handleGoliath as David did? Or that there should be the strength ofan ox in a wren? Some are strong, some are weak; some have greatfaith, some have little. This man was one of the weak, and thereforehe went to the wall.

{ 321} HOPE. I would it had been Great-grace for their sakes.

CHR. If it had been, he might have had his hands full; for I musttell you, that though Great-grace is excellent good at his weapons,and has, and can, so long as he keeps them at sword's point, do wellenough with them; yet, if they get within him, even Faint-heart,Mistrust, or the other, it shall go hard but they will throw uphis heels. And when a man is down, you know, what can he do?

{ 322} Whoso looks well upon Great-grace's face, shall see thosescars and cuts there, that shall easily give demonstration of whatI say. Yea, once I heard that he should say, (and that when he wasin the combat), "We despaired even of life." How did these sturdyrogues and their fellows make David groan, mourn, and roar? Yea,Heman, and Hezekiah, too, though champions in their day, were forcedto bestir them, when by these assaulted; and yet, notwithstanding,they had their coats soundly brushed by them. Peter, upon a time,would go try what he could do; but though some do say of him thathe is the prince of the apostles, they handled him so, that theymade him at last afraid of a sorry girl.

{ 323} Leviathan's sturdiness

Besides, their king is at their whistle. He is never out of hearing;and if at any time they be put to the worst, he, if possible, comes into help them; and of him it is said, The sword of him that layethat him cannot hold the spear, the dart, nor the habergeon; heesteemeth iron as straw, and brass as rotten wood. The arrow cannotmake him flee; sling stones are turned with him into stubble. Dartsare counted as stubble: he laugheth at the shaking of a spear.[Job 41:26-29] What can a man do in this case? It is true, if a mancould, at every turn, have Job's horse, and had skill and courageto ride him, he might do notable things; for his neck is clothedwith thunder, he will not be afraid of the grasshopper; the gloryof his nostrils is terrible: he paweth in the valley, and rejoicethin his strength, he goeth on to meet the armed men. He mockethat fear, and is not affrighted, neither turneth he back from thesword. The quiver rattleth against him, the glittering spear, andthe shield. He swalloweth the ground with fierceness and rage,neither believeth he that it is the sound of the trumpet. He saithamong the trumpets, Ha, ha! and he smelleth the battle afar off,the thunder of the captains, and the shouting. [Job 39:19-25]

{ 324} But for such footmen as thee and I are, let us never desireto meet with an enemy, nor vaunt as if we could do better, when wehear of others that they have been foiled, Nor be tickled at thethoughts of our own manhood; for such commonly come by the worstwhen tried. Witness Peter, of whom I made mention before. He wouldswagger, ay, he would; he would, as his vain mind prompted him tosay, do better, and stand more for his Master than all men; butwho so foiled, and run down by these villains, as he?

When, therefore, we hear that such robberies are done on the King'shighway, two things become us to do:

{ 325} 1. To go out harnessed, and to be sure to take a shield withus; for it was for want of that, that he that laid so lustily atLeviathan could not make him yield; for, indeed, if that be wanting,he fears us not at all. Therefore, he that had skill hath said,"Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be ableto quench all the fiery darts of the wicked." [Eph. 6:16]

{ 326} 2. It is good, also, that we desire of the King a convoy,yea, that he will go with us himself. This made David rejoicewhen in the Valley of the Shadow of Death; and Moses was rather fordying where he stood, than to go one step without his God. [Exo.33:15] Oh, my brother, if he will but go along with us, what needwe be afraid of ten thousands that shall set themselves againstus? [Ps. 3:5-8, 27:1-3] But, without him, the proud helpers "fallunder the slain". [Isa. 10:4]

{ 327} I, for my part, have been in the fray before now; and though,through the goodness of him that is best, I am, as you see, alive,yet I cannot boast of my manhood. Glad shall I be, if I meetwith no more such brunts; though I fear we are not got beyond alldanger. However, since the lion and the bear have not as yet devouredme, I hope God will also deliver us from the next uncircumcisedPhilistine. Then sang Christian--

Poor Little-faith! Hast been among the thieves?
Wast robb'd? Remember this, whoso believes,
And gets more faith, shall then a victor be
Over ten thousand, else scarce over three.

{ 328} So they went on and Ignorance followed. They went then tillthey came at a place where they saw a way put itself into their way,and seemed withal to lie as straight as the way which they shouldgo: and here they knew not which of the two to take, for bothseemed straight before them; therefore, here they stood still toconsider. And as they were thinking about the way, behold a man,black of flesh, but covered with a very light robe, came to them,and asked them why they stood there. They answered they were goingto the Celestial City, but knew not which of these ways to take.Follow me, said the man, it is thither that I am going. So theyfollowed him in the way that but now came into the road, which bydegrees turned, and turned them so from the city that they desiredto go to, that, in little time, their faces were turned away fromit; yet they followed him. But by and by, before they were aware,he led them both within the compass of a net, in which they wereboth so entangled that they knew not what to do; and with that thewhite robe fell off the black man's back. Then they saw where theywere. Wherefore, there they lay crying some time, for they couldnot get themselves out.

{ 329} CHR. Then said Christian to his fellow, Now do I see myselfin error. Did not the Shepherds bid us beware of the flatterers?As is the saying of the wise man, so we have found it this day. Aman that flattereth his neighbour, spreadeth a net for his feet.[Prov. 29:5]

HOPE. They also gave us a note of directions about the way, forour more sure finding thereof; but therein we have also forgottento read, and have not kept ourselves from the paths of the destroyer.Here David was wiser than we; for, saith he, "Concerning the worksof men, by the word of thy lips, I have kept me from the paths ofthe destroyer." [Ps. 17:4] Thus they lay bewailing themselvesin the net. At last they espied a Shining One coming towards themwith a whip of small cord in his hand. When he was come to theplace where they were, he asked them whence they came, and whatthey did there. They told him that they were poor pilgrims goingto Zion, but were led out of their way by a black man, clothed inwhite, who bid us, said they, follow him, for he was going thithertoo. Then said he with the whip, It is Flatterer, a false apostle,that hath transformed himself into an angel of light. [Prov. 29:5,Dan. 11:32, 2 Cor. 11:13,14] So he rent the net, and let the menout. Then said he to them, Follow me, that I may set you in yourway again. So he led them back to the way which they had left tofollow the Flatterer. Then he asked them, saying, Where did you liethe last night? They said, With the Shepherds upon the DelectableMountains. He asked them then if they had not of those Shepherdsa note of direction for the way. They answered, Yes. But did you,said he, when you were at a stand, pluck out and read your note?They answered, No. He asked them, Why? They said, they forgot.He asked, moreover, if the Shepherds did not bid them beware ofthe Flatterer? They answered, Yes, but we did not imagine, saidthey, that this fine-spoken man had been he. [Rom. 16:18]

{ 330} Then I saw in my dream that he commanded them to lie down;which, when they did, he chastised them sore, to teach them thegood way wherein they should walk [Deut. 25:2]; and as he chastisedthem he said, "As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten; be zealous,therefore, and repent." [2 Chron. 6:26,27, Rev. 3:19] Thisdone, he bid them go on their way, and take good heed to the otherdirections of the shepherds. So they thanked him for all hiskindness, and went softly along the right way, singing--

Come hither, you that walk along the way;
See how the pilgrims fare that go astray.
They catched are in an entangling net,
'Cause they good counsel lightly did forget:
'Tis true they rescued were, but yet you see,
They're scourged to boot. Let this your caution be.

{ 331} Now, after a while, they perceived, afar off, one comingsoftly and alone, all along the highway to meet them. Then saidChristian to his fellow, Yonder is a man with his back towardsZion, and he is coming to meet us.

HOPE. I see him; let us take heed to ourselves now, lest he shouldprove a flatterer also. So he drew nearer and nearer, and at lastcame up unto them. His name was Atheist, and he asked them whitherthey were going.

CHR. We are going to Mount Zion.

Then Atheist fell into a very great laughter.

CHR. What is the meaning of your laughter?

{ 332} ATHEIST. I laugh to see what ignorant persons you are, totake upon you so tedious a journey, and you are like to have nothingbut your travel for your pains.

CHR. Why, man, do you think we shall not be received?

ATHEIST. Received! There is no such place as you dream of in allthis world.

CHR. But there is in the world to come.

{ 333} ATHEIST. When I was at home in mine own country, I heard asyou now affirm, and from that hearing went out to see, and havebeen seeking this city this twenty years; but find no more of itthan I did the first day I set out. [Jer. 22:12, Eccl. 10:15]

CHR. We have both heard and believe that there is such a place tobe found.

ATHEIST. Had not I, when at home, believed, I had not come thus farto seek; but finding none, (and yet I should, had there been sucha place to be found, for I have gone to seek it further than you),I am going back again, and will seek to refresh myself with thethings that I then cast away, for hopes of that which, I now see,is not.

{ 334} CHR. Then said Christian to Hopeful his fellow, Is it truewhich this man hath said?

Hopeful's gracious answer

Hope. Take heed, he is one of the flatterers; remember what it hathcost us once already for our hearkening to such kind of fellows.What! no Mount Zion? Did we not see, from the Delectable Mountainsthe gate of the city? Also, are we not now to walk by faith? Letus go on, said Hopeful, lest the man with the whip overtake usagain. [2 Cor. 5:7] You should have taught me that lesson, whichI will round you in the ears withal: "Cease, my son, to hearthe instruction that causeth to err from the words of knowledge."[Prov. 19:27] I say, my brother, cease to hear him, and let us"believe to the saving of the soul". [Heb. 10:39]

{ 335} CHR. My brother, I did not put the question to thee for thatI doubted of the truth of our belief myself, but to prove thee,and to fetch from thee a fruit of the honesty of thy heart. Asfor this man, I know that he is blinded by the god of this world.Let thee and I go on, knowing that we have belief of the truth,"and no lie is of the truth". [1 John 2:21]

HOPE. Now do I rejoice in hope of the glory of God. So they turnedaway from the man; and he, laughing at them, went his way.

{ 336} I saw then in my dream, that they went till they came intoa certain country, whose air naturally tended to make one drowsy,if he came a stranger into it. And here Hopeful began to be verydull and heavy of sleep; wherefore he said unto Christian, I donow begin to grow so drowsy that I can scarcely hold up mine eyes,let us lie down here and take one nap.

CHR. By no means, said the other, lest sleeping, we never awakemore.

HOPE. Why, my brother? Sleep is sweet to the labouring man; wemay be refreshed if we take a nap.

CHR. Do you not remember that one of the Shepherds bid us bewareof the Enchanted Ground? He meant by that that we should bewareof sleeping; "Therefore let us not sleep, as do others, but let uswatch and be sober." [1 Thess. 5:6]

{ 337} HOPE. I acknowledge myself in a fault, and had I been herealone I had by sleeping run the danger of death. I see it is truethat the wise man saith, Two are better than one. Hitherto haththy company been my mercy, and thou shalt have a good reward forthy labour. [Eccl. 9:9]

CHR. Now then, said Christian, to prevent drowsiness in this place,let us fall into good discourse.

HOPE. With all my heart, said the other.

CHR. Where shall we begin?

HOPE. Where God began with us. But do you begin, if you please.

CHR. I will sing you first this song:--

When saints do sleepy grow, let them come hither,
And hear how these two pilgrims talk together:
Yea, let them learn of them, in any wise,
Thus to keep ope their drowsy slumb'ring eyes.
Saints' fellowship, if it be managed well,
Keeps them awake, and that in spite of hell.

{ 338} CHR. Then Christian began and said, I will ask you a question.How came you to think at first of so doing as you do now?

HOPE. Do you mean, how came I at first to look after the good ofmy soul?

CHR. Yes, that is my meaning.

HOPE. I continued a great while in the delight of those thingswhich were seen and sold at our fair; things which, I believe now,would have, had I continued in them, still drowned me in perditionand destruction.

CHR. What things are they?

Hopeful's life before conversion

HOPE. All the treasures and riches of the world. Also, I delightedmuch in rioting, revelling, drinking, swearing, lying, uncleanness,Sabbath-breaking, and what not, that tended to destroy the soul.But I found at last, by hearing and considering of things that aredivine, which indeed I heard of you, as also of beloved Faithfulthat was put to death for his faith and good living in Vanity Fair,that "the end of these things is death". [Rom. 6:21-23] And thatfor these things' sake "cometh the wrath of God upon the childrenof disobedience". [Eph. 5:6]

CHR. And did you presently fall under the power of this conviction?

{ 339} HOPE. No, I was not willing presently to know the evilof sin, nor the damnation that follows upon the commission of it;but endeavoured, when my mind at first began to be shaken with theWord, to shut mine eyes against the light thereof.

CHR. But what was the cause of your carrying of it thus to thefirst workings of God's blessed Spirit upon you?

{ 340} HOPE. The causes were, 1. I was ignorant that this was thework of God upon me. I never thought that, by awakenings for sin,God at first begins the conversion of a sinner. 2. Sin was yetvery sweet to my flesh, and I was loath to leave it. 3. I couldnot tell how to part with mine old companions, their presence andactions were so desirable unto me. 4. The hours in which convictionswere upon me were such troublesome and such heart-affrighting hoursthat I could not bear, no not so much as the remembrance of them,upon my heart.

CHR. Then, as it seems, sometimes you got rid of your trouble.

HOPE. Yes, verily, but it would come into my mind again, and thenI should be as bad, nay, worse, than I was before.

CHR. Why, what was it that brought your sins to mind again?

{ 341} HOPE. Many things; as,

1. If I did but meet a good man in the streets; or,

2. If I have heard any read in the Bible; or,

3. If mine head did begin to ache; or,

4. If I were told that some of my neighbours were sick; or,

5. If I heard the bell toll for some that were dead; or,

6. If I thought of dying myself; or,

7. If I heard that sudden death happened to others;

8. But especially, when I thought of myself, that I must quicklycome to judgment.

{ 342} CHR. And could you at any time, with ease, get off the guiltof sin, when by any of these ways it came upon you?

HOPE. No, not I, for then they got faster hold of my conscience;and then, if I did but think of going back to sin, (though my mindwas turned against it), it would be double torment to me.

CHR. And how did you do then?

HOPE. I thought I must endeavour to mend my life; for else, thoughtI, I am sure to be damned.

{ 343} CHR. And did you endeavour to mend?

HOPE. Yes; and fled from not only my sins, but sinful company too;and betook me to religious duties, as prayer, reading, weeping forsin, speaking truth to my neighbours, &c. These things did I, withmany others, too much here to relate.

CHR. And did you think yourself well then?

HOPE. Yes, for a while; but at the last, my trouble came tumblingupon me again, and that over the neck of all my reformations.

{ 344} CHR. How came that about, since you were now reformed?

HOPE. There were several things brought it upon me, especially suchsayings as these: "All our righteousnesses are as filthy rags."[Isa. 64:6] "By the works of the law shall no flesh be justified."[Gal. 2:16] "When ye shall have done all those things, say, We areunprofitable", [Luke 17:10] with many more such like. From whenceI began to reason with myself thus: If ALL my righteousnesses arefilthy rags; if, by the deeds of the law, NO man can be justified;and if, when we have done ALL, we are yet unprofitable, then itis but a folly to think of heaven by the law. I further thoughtthus: If a man runs a hundred pounds into the shopkeeper's debt,and after that shall pay for all that he shall fetch; yet, if thisold debt stands still in the book uncrossed, for that the shopkeepermay sue him, and cast him into prison till he shall pay the debt.

CHR. Well, and how did you apply this to yourself?

HOPE. Why; I thought thus with myself. I have, by my sins, run agreat way into God's book, and that my now reforming will not payoff that score; therefore I should think still, under all my presentamendments, But how shall I be freed from that damnation that Ihave brought myself in danger of by my former transgressions?

{ 345} CHR. A very good application: but, pray, go on.

HOPE. Another thing that hath troubled me, even since my lateamendments, is, that if I look narrowly into the best of what I donow, I still see sin, new sin, mixing itself with the best of thatI do; so that now I am forced to conclude, that notwithstandingmy former fond conceits of myself and duties, I have committed sinenough in one duty to send me to hell, though my former life hadbeen faultless.

CHR. And what did you do then?

{ 346} HOPE. Do! I could not tell what to do, until I brake mymind to Faithful, for he and I were well acquainted. And he toldme, that unless I could obtain the righteousness of a man thatnever had sinned, neither mine own, nor all the righteousness ofthe world could save me.

CHR. And did you think he spake true?

HOPE. Had he told me so when I was pleased and satisfied with mineown amendment, I had called him fool for his pains; but now, sinceI see mine own infirmity, and the sin that cleaves to my bestperformance, I have been forced to be of his opinion.

{ 347} CHR. But did you think, when at first he suggested it to you,that there was such a man to be found, of whom it might justly besaid that he never committed sin?

HOPE. I must confess the words at first sounded strangely, butafter a little more talk and company with him, I had full convictionabout it.

CHR. And did you ask him what man this was, and how you must bejustified by him?

HOPE. Yes, and he told me it was the Lord Jesus, that dwelleth onthe right hand of the Most High. And thus, said he, you must bejustified by him, even by trusting to what he hath done by himself,in the days of his flesh, and suffered when he did hang on thetree. I asked him further, how that man's righteousness could beof that efficacy to justify another before God? And he told me hewas the mighty God, and did what he did, and died the death also,not for himself, but for me; to whom his doings, and the worthinessof them, should be imputed, if I believed on him. [Heb. 10,Rom. 6, Col. 1, 1 Pet. 1]

{ 348} CHR. And what did you do then?

HOPE. I made my objections against my believing, for that I thoughthe was not willing to save me.

CHR. And what said Faithful to you then?

HOPE. He bid me go to him and see. Then I said it was presumption;but he said, No, for I was invited to come. [Matt. 11:28] Thenhe gave me a book of Jesus, his inditing, to encourage me the morefreely to come; and he said, concerning that book, that every jotand tittle thereof stood firmer than heaven and earth. [Matt.24:35] Then I asked him, What I must do when I came; and he toldme, I must entreat upon my knees, with all my heart and soul, theFather to reveal him to me. [Ps. 95:6, Dan. 6:10, Jer. 29:12,13]Then I asked him further, how I must make my supplication to him?And he said, Go, and thou shalt find him upon a mercy-seat, wherehe sits all the year long, to give pardon and forgiveness to themthat come. I told him that I knew not what to say when I came.And he bid me say to this effect: God be merciful to me a sinner,and make me to know and believe in Jesus Christ; for I see, thatif his righteousness had not been, or I have not faith in thatrighteousness, I am utterly cast away. Lord, I have heard that thouart a merciful God, and hast ordained that thy Son Jesus Christshould be the Saviour of the world; and moreover, that thou artwilling to bestow him upon such a poor sinner as I am, (and I am asinner indeed); Lord, take therefore this opportunity and magnifythy grace in the salvation of my soul, through thy Son Jesus Christ.Amen. [Exo. 25:22, Lev. 16:2, Num. 7:89, Heb. 4:16]

{ 349} CHR. And did you do as you were bidden?

HOPE. Yes; over, and over, and over.

CHR. And did the Father reveal his Son to you?

HOPE. Not at the first, nor second, nor third, nor fourth, norfifth; no, nor at the sixth time neither.

CHR. What did you do then?

HOPE. What! why I could not tell what to do.

CHR. Had you not thoughts of leaving off praying?

HOPE. Yes; an hundred times twice told.

CHR. And what was the reason you did not?

HOPE. I believed that that was true which had been told me, towit, that without the righteousness of this Christ, all the worldcould not save me; and therefore, thought I with myself, if I leaveoff I die, and I can but die at the throne of grace. And withal,this came into my mind, "Though it tarry, wait for it; because itwill surely come, it will not tarry." [Heb. 2:3] So I continuedpraying until the Father showed me his Son.

{ 350} CHR. And how was he revealed unto you?

HOPE. I did not see him with my bodily eyes, but with the eyes ofmy understanding; [Eph. 1:18,19] and thus it was: One day I wasvery sad, I think sadder than at any one time in my life, and thissadness was through a fresh sight of the greatness and vileness ofmy sins. And as I was then looking for nothing but hell, and theeverlasting damnation of my soul, suddenly, as I thought, I sawthe Lord Jesus Christ look down from heaven upon me, and saying,"Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved." [Acts16:30,31]

{ 351} But I replied, Lord, I am a great, a very great sinner. Andhe answered, "My grace is sufficient for thee." [2 Cor.12:9] ThenI said, But, Lord, what is believing? And then I saw from thatsaying, "He that cometh to me shall never hunger, and he thatbelieveth on me shall never thirst", that believing and coming wasall one; and that he that came, that is, ran out in his heart andaffections after salvation by Christ, he indeed believed in Christ.[John 6:35] Then the water stood in mine eyes, and I asked further.But, Lord, may such a great sinner as I am be indeed accepted ofthee, and be saved by thee? And I heard him say, "And him thatcometh to me, I will in no wise cast out." [John 6:37] Then I said,But how, Lord, must I consider of thee in my coming to thee, thatmy faith may be placed aright upon thee? Then he said, "ChristJesus came into the world to save sinners." [1 Tim. 1:15] "He isthe end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth."[Rom. 10:4] "He died for our sins, and rose again for ourjustification." [Rom. 4:25] "He loved us, and washed us from oursins in his own blood." [Rev. 1:5] "He is mediator betwixt Godand us." [1 Tim. 2:5] "He ever liveth to make intercession forus." [Heb. 7:24,25] From all which I gathered, that I must lookfor righteousness in his person, and for satisfaction for my sinsby his blood; that what he did in obedience to his Father's law,and in submitting to the penalty thereof, was not for himself, butfor him that will accept it for his salvation, and be thankful.And now was my heart full of joy, mine eyes full of tears, and mineaffections running over with love to the name, people, and ways ofJesus Christ.

{ 352} CHR. This was a revelation of Christ to your soul indeed;but tell me particularly what effect this had upon your spirit.

HOPE. It made me see that all the world, notwithstanding all therighteousness thereof, is in a state of condemnation. It made mesee that God the Father, though he be just, can justly justify thecoming sinner. It made me greatly ashamed of the vileness of myformer life, and confounded me with the sense of mine own ignorance;for there never came thought into my heart before now that showedme so the beauty of Jesus Christ. It made me love a holy life,and long to do something for the honour and glory of the name ofthe Lord Jesus; yea, I thought that had I now a thousand gallonsof blood in my body, I could spill it all for the sake of the LordJesus.

{ 353} I saw then in my dream that Hopeful looked back and sawIgnorance, whom they had left behind, coming after. Look, said heto Christian, how far yonder youngster loitereth behind.

CHR. Ay, ay, I see him; he careth not for our company.

HOPE. But I trow it would not have hurt him had he kept pace withus hitherto.

CHR. That is true; but I warrant you he thinketh otherwise.

HOPE. That, I think, he doth; but, however, let us tarry for him.So they did.

{ 354} Then Christian said to him, Come away, man, why do you stayso behind?

IGNOR. I take my pleasure in walking alone, even more a great dealthan in company, unless I like it the better.

Then said Christian to Hopeful, (but softly), Did I not tell youhe cared not for our company? But, however, said he, come up, andlet us talk away the time in this solitary place. Then directinghis speech to Ignorance, he said, Come, how do you? How stands itbetween God and your soul now?

{ 355} Ignorance's hope, and the ground of it

IGNOR. I hope well; for I am always full of good motions, that comeinto my mind, to comfort me as I walk.

CHR. What good motions? pray, tell us.

IGNOR. Why, I think of God and heaven.

CHR. So do the devils and damned souls.

IGNOR. But I think of them and desire them.

CHR. So do many that are never like to come there. "The soul ofthe sluggard desireth, and hath nothing." [Prov. 13:4]

IGNOR. But I think of them, and leave all for them.

CHR. That I doubt; for leaving all is a hard matter: yea, a hardermatter than many are aware of. But why, or by what, art thoupersuaded that thou hast left all for God and heaven.

{ 356} IGNOR. My heart tells me so.

CHR. The wise man says, "He that trusts his own heart is a fool."[Prov. 28:26]

IGNOR. This is spoken of an evil heart, but mine is a good one.

CHR. But how dost thou prove that?

IGNOR. It comforts me in hopes of heaven.

CHR. That may be through its deceitfulness; for a man's heart mayminister comfort to him in the hopes of that thing for which heyet has no ground to hope.

IGNOR. But my heart and life agree together, and therefore my hopeis well grounded.

CHR. Who told thee that thy heart and life agree together?

IGNOR. My heart tells me so.

CHR. Ask my fellow if I be a thief! Thy heart tells thee so! Exceptthe Word of God beareth witness in this matter, other testimony isof no value.

{ 357} IGNOR. But is it not a good heart that hath good thoughts?and is not that a good life that is according to God's commandments?

CHR. Yes, that is a good heart that hath good thoughts, and thatis a good life that is according to God's commandments; but it isone thing, indeed, to have these, and another thing only to thinkso.

IGNOR. Pray, what count you good thoughts, and a life according toGod's commandments?

CHR. There are good thoughts of divers kinds; some respectingourselves, some God, some Christ, and some other things.

IGNOR. What be good thoughts respecting ourselves?

CHR. Such as agree with the Word of God.

{ 358} IGNOR. When do our thoughts of ourselves agree with the Wordof God?

CHR. When we pass the same judgment upon ourselves which the Wordpasses. To explain myself--the Word of God saith of persons ina natural condition, "There is none righteous, there is none thatdoeth good." [Rom. 3] It saith also, that "every imagination ofthe heart of man is only evil, and that continually." [Gen. 6:5]And again, "The imagination of man's heart is evil from his youth."[Rom. 8:21] Now then, when we think thus of ourselves, havingsense thereof, then are our thoughts good ones, because accordingto the Word of God.

IGNOR. I will never believe that my heart is thus bad.

CHR. Therefore thou never hadst one good thought concerning thyselfin thy life. But let me go on. As the Word passeth a judgmentupon our heart, so it passeth a judgment upon our ways; and whenOUR thoughts of our hearts and ways agree with the judgment whichthe Word giveth of both, then are both good, because agreeingthereto.

{ 359} IGNOR. Make out your meaning.

CHR. Why, the Word of God saith that man's ways are crooked ways;not good, but perverse. [Ps. 125:5, Prov. 2:15] It saith theyare naturally out of the good way, that they have not known it.[Rom. 3] Now, when a man thus thinketh of his ways,--I say, whenhe doth sensibly, and with heart-humiliation, thus think, then hathhe good thoughts of his own ways, because his thoughts now agreewith the judgment of the Word of God.

{ 360} IGNOR. What are good thoughts concerning God?

CHR. Even as I have said concerning ourselves, when our thoughtsof God do agree with what the Word saith of him; and that is, whenwe think of his being and attributes as the Word hath taught, ofwhich I cannot now discourse at large; but to speak of him withreference to us: Then we have right thoughts of God, when wethink that he knows us better than we know ourselves, and can seesin in us when and where we can see none in ourselves; when wethink he knows our inmost thoughts, and that our heart, with allits depths, is always open unto his eyes; also, when we think thatall our righteousness stinks in his nostrils, and that, therefore,he cannot abide to see us stand before him in any confidence, evenin all our best performances.

{ 361} IGNOR. Do you think that I am such a fool as to think God cansee no further than I? or, that I would come to God in the best ofmy performances?

CHR. Why, how dost thou think in this matter?

IGNOR. Why, to be short, I think I must believe in Christ forjustification.

CHR. How! think thou must believe in Christ, when thou seestnot thy need of him! Thou neither seest thy original nor actualinfirmities; but hast such an opinion of thyself, and of whatthou dost, as plainly renders thee to be one that did never see anecessity of Christ's personal righteousness to justify thee beforeGod. How, then, dost thou say, I believe in Christ?

{ 362} IGNOR. I believe well enough for all that.

CHR. How dost thou believe?

IGNOR. I believe that Christ died for sinners, and that I shall bejustified before God from the curse, through his gracious acceptanceof my obedience to his law. Or thus, Christ makes my duties, thatare religious, acceptable to his Father, by virtue of his merits;and so shall I be justified.

{ 363} CHR. Let me give an answer to this confession of thy faith:--

1. Thou believest with a fantastical faith; for this faith isnowhere described in the Word.

2. Thou believest with a false faith; because it taketh justificationfrom the personal righteousness of Christ, and applies it to thyown.

3. This faith maketh not Christ a justifier of thy person, butof thy actions; and of thy person for thy actions' sake, which isfalse.

4. Therefore, this faith is deceitful, even such as will leavethee under wrath, in the day of God Almighty; for true justifyingfaith puts the soul, as sensible of its condition by the law, uponflying for refuge unto Christ's righteousness, which righteousnessof his is not an act of grace, by which he maketh for justification,thy obedience accepted with God; but his personal obedience to thelaw, in doing and suffering for us what that required at our hands;this righteousness, I say, true faith accepteth; under the skirtof which, the soul being shrouded, and by it presented as spotlessbefore God, it is accepted, and acquit from condemnation.

{ 364} IGNOR. What! would you have us trust to what Christ, in hisown person, has done without us? This conceit would loosen thereins of our lust, and tolerate us to live as we list; for whatmatter how we live, if we may be justified by Christ's personalrighteousness from all, when we believe it?

CHR. Ignorance is thy name, and as thy name is, so art thou; eventhis thy answer demonstrateth what I say. Ignorant thou art ofwhat justifying righteousness is, and as ignorant how to secure thysoul, through the faith of it, from the heavy wrath of God. Yea,thou also art ignorant of the true effects of saving faith in thisrighteousness of Christ, which is, to bow and win over the heartto God in Christ, to love his name, his word, ways, and people,and not as thou ignorantly imaginest.

HOPE. Ask him if ever he had Christ revealed to him from heaven.

{ 365} IGNOR. What! you are a man for revelations! I believe thatwhat both you, and all the rest of you, say about that matter, isbut the fruit of distracted brains.

HOPE. Why, man! Christ is so hid in God from the natural apprehensionsof the flesh, that he cannot by any man be savingly known, unlessGod the Father reveals him to them.

{ 366} IGNOR. That is your faith, but not mine; yet mine, I doubtnot, is as good as yours, though I have not in my head so manywhimsies as you.

CHR. Give me leave to put in a word. You ought not so slightlyto speak of this matter; for this I will boldly affirm, even as mygood companion hath done, that no man can know Jesus Christ but bythe revelation of the Father; [Matt. 11:27] yea, and faith too,by which the soul layeth hold upon Christ, if it be right, must bewrought by the exceeding greatness of his mighty power; the workingof which faith, I perceive, poor Ignorance, thou art ignorant of.[1 Cor. 12:3, Eph. 1:18,19] Be awakened, then, see thine ownwretchedness, and fly to the Lord Jesus; and by his righteousness,which is the righteousness of God, for he himself is God, thoushalt be delivered from condemnation.

{ 367} IGNOR. You go so fast, I cannot keep pace with you. Do yougo on before; I must stay a while behind.

Then they said--

Well, Ignorance, wilt thou yet foolish be,
To slight good counsel, ten times given thee?
And if thou yet refuse it, thou shalt know,
Ere long, the evil of thy doing so.
Remember, man, in time, stoop, do not fear;
Good counsel taken well, saves: therefore hear.
But if thou yet shalt slight it, thou wilt be
The loser, (Ignorance), I'll warrant thee.

Then Christian addressed thus himself to his fellow:--

CHR. Well, come, my good Hopeful, I perceive that thou and I mustwalk by ourselves again.

{ 368} So I saw in my dream that they went on apace before,and Ignorance he came hobbling after. Then said Christian to hiscompanion, It pities me much for this poor man, it will certainlygo ill with him at last.

HOPE. Alas! there are abundance in our town in his condition,whole families, yea, whole streets, and that of pilgrims too; andif there be so many in our parts, how many, think you, must therebe in the place where he was born?

CHR. Indeed the Word saith, "He hath blinded their eyes, lest theyshould see", &c. But now we are by ourselves, what do you thinkof such men? Have they at no time, think you, convictions of sin,and so consequently fears that their state is dangerous?

HOPE. Nay, do you answer that question yourself, for you are theelder man.

CHR. Then I say, sometimes (as I think) they may; but they beingnaturally ignorant, understand not that such convictions tend totheir good; and therefore they do desperately seek to stifle them,and presumptuously continue to flatter themselves in the way oftheir own hearts.

{ 369} HOPE. I do believe, as you say, that fear tends much to men'sgood, and to make them right, at their beginning to go on pilgrimage.

CHR. Without all doubt it doth, if it be right; for so says theWord, "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom." [Prov.1:7, 9:10, Job 28:28, Ps. 111:10]

{ 370} HOPE. How will you describe right fear?

CHR. True or right fear is discovered by three things:--

1. By its rise; it is caused by saving convictions for sin.

2. It driveth the soul to lay fast hold of Christ for salvation.

3. It begetteth and continueth in the soul a great reverence ofGod, his Word, and ways, keeping it tender, and making it afraidto turn from them, to the right hand or to the left, to anythingthat may dishonour God, break its peace, grieve the Spirit, orcause the enemy to speak reproachfully.

HOPE. Well said; I believe you have said the truth. Are we nowalmost got past the Enchanted Ground?

CHR. Why, art thou weary of this discourse?

HOPE. No, verily, but that I would know where we are.

{ 371} CHR. We have not now above two miles further to go thereon.But let us return to our matter. Now the ignorant know not thatsuch convictions as tend to put them in fear are for their good,and therefore they seek to stifle them.

HOPE. How do they seek to stifle them?

{ 372} CHR. 1. They think that those fears are wrought by thedevil, (though indeed they are wrought of God); and, thinking so,they resist them as things that directly tend to their overthrow.

2. They also think that these fears tend to the spoiling of theirfaith, when, alas, for them, poor men that they are, they have noneat all! and therefore they harden their hearts against them.

3. They presume they ought not to fear; and, therefore, in despiteof them, wax presumptuously confident.

4. They see that those fears tend to take away from them theirpitiful old self-holiness, and therefore they resist them with alltheir might.

{ 373} HOPE. I know something of this myself; for, before I knewmyself, it was so with me.

CHR. Well, we will leave, at this time, our neighbour Ignorance byhimself, and fall upon another profitable question.

HOPE. With all my heart, but you shall still begin.

CHR. Well then, did you not know, about ten years ago, one Temporaryin your parts, who was a forward man in religion then?

HOPE. Know him! yes, he dwelt in Graceless, a town about two milesoff of Honesty, and he dwelt next door to one Turnback.

{ 374} CHR. Right, he dwelt under the same roof with him. Well,that man was much awakened once; I believe that then he had somesight of his sins, and of the wages that were due thereto.

HOPE. I am of your mind, for, my house not being above three milesfrom him, he would ofttimes come to me, and that with many tears.Truly I pitied the man, and was not altogether without hope of him;but one may see, it is not every one that cries, Lord, Lord.

CHR. He told me once that he was resolved to go on pilgrimage, aswe do now; but all of a sudden he grew acquainted with one Save-self,and then he became a stranger to me.

{ 375} HOPE. Now, since we are talking about him, let us a littleinquire into the reason of the sudden backsliding of him and suchothers.

CHR. It may be very profitable, but do you begin.

HOPE. Well, then, there are in my judgment four reasons for it:--

{ 376} 1. Though the consciences of such men are awakened, yet theirminds are not changed; therefore, when the power of guilt wearethaway, that which provoked them to be religious ceaseth, whereforethey naturally turn to their own course again, even as we see thedog that is sick of what he has eaten, so long as his sicknessprevails he vomits and casts up all; not that he doth this of afree mind (if we may say a dog has a mind), but because it troublethhis stomach; but now, when his sickness is over, and so his stomacheased, his desire being not at all alienate from his vomit, he turnshim about and licks up all, and so it is true which is written,"The dog is turned to his own vomit again." [2 Pet. 2:22] ThusI say, being hot for heaven, by virtue only of the sense and fearof the torments of hell, as their sense of hell and the fears ofdamnation chills and cools, so their desires for heaven and salvationcool also. So then it comes to pass, that when their guilt andfear is gone, their desires for heaven and happiness die, and theyreturn to their course again.

{ 377} 2. Another reason is, they have slavish fears that doovermaster them; I speak now of the fears that they have of men,for "the fear of man bringeth a snare". [Prov. 29:25] So then,though they seem to be hot for heaven, so long as the flames ofhell are about their ears, yet when that terror is a little over,they betake themselves to second thoughts; namely, that it is goodto be wise, and not to run (for they know not what) the hazard oflosing all, or, at least, of bringing themselves into unavoidableand unnecessary troubles, and so they fall in with the world again.

{ 378} 3. The shame that attends religion lies also as a block intheir way; they are proud and haughty; and religion in their eyeis low and contemptible, therefore, when they have lost their senseof hell and wrath to come, they return again to their former course.

{ 379} 4. Guilt, and to meditate terror, are grievous to them.They like not to see their misery before they come into it; thoughperhaps the sight of it first, if they loved that sight, might makethem fly whither the righteous fly and are safe. But because theydo, as I hinted before, even shun the thoughts of guilt and terror,therefore, when once they are rid of their awakenings about theterrors and wrath of God, they harden their hearts gladly, andchoose such ways as will harden them more and more.

{ 380} CHR. You are pretty near the business, for the bottom of allis for want of a change in their mind and will. And therefore theyare but like the felon that standeth before the judge, he quakesand trembles, and seems to repent most heartily, but the bottomof all is the fear of the halter; not that he hath any detestationof the offence, as is evident, because, let but this man have hisliberty, and he will be a thief, and so a rogue still, whereas, ifhis mind was changed, he would be otherwise.

{ 381} HOPE. Now I have showed you the reasons of their going back,do you show me the manner thereof.

CHR. So I will willingly.

1. They draw off their thoughts, all that they may, from theremembrance of God, death, and judgment to come.

2. Then they cast off by degrees private duties, as closet prayer,curbing their lusts, watching, sorrow for sin, and the like.

3. Then they shun the company of lively and warm Christians.

4. After that they grow cold to public duty, as hearing, reading,godly conference, and the like.

5. Then they begin to pick holes, as we say, in the coats of someof the godly; and that devilishly, that they may have a seemingcolour to throw religion (for the sake of some infirmity they haveespied in them) behind their backs.

6. Then they begin to adhere to, and associate themselves with,carnal, loose, and wanton men.

7. Then they give way to carnal and wanton discourses in secret;and glad are they if they can see such things in any that arecounted honest, that they may the more boldly do it through theirexample.

8. After this they begin to play with little sins openly.

9. And then, being hardened, they show themselves as they are. Thus,being launched again into the gulf of misery, unless a miracle ofgrace prevent it, they everlastingly perish in their own deceivings.

{ 382} Now I saw in my dream, that by this time the Pilgrims weregot over the Enchanted Ground, and entering into the country ofBeulah, whose air was very sweet and pleasant, the way lying directlythrough it, they solaced themselves there for a season. Yea, herethey heard continually the singing of birds, and saw every day theflowers appear on the earth, and heard the voice of the turtle inthe land. [Isa. 62:4, Song of Solomon 2:10-12] In this countrythe sun shineth night and day; wherefore this was beyond the Valleyof the Shadow of Death, and also out of the reach of Giant Despair,neither could they from this place so much as see Doubting Castle.Here they were within sight of the city they were going to, alsohere met them some of the inhabitants thereof; for in this landthe Shining Ones commonly walked, because it was upon the bordersof heaven. In this land also, the contract between the bride andthe bridegroom was renewed; yea, here, "As the bridegroom rejoicethover the bride, so did their God rejoice over them." [Isa. 62:5]Here they had no want of corn and wine; for in this place they metwith abundance of what they had sought for in all their pilgrimage.[Isa. 62:8] Here they heard voices from out of the city, loud voices,saying, "'Say ye to the daughter of Zion, Behold, thy salvationcometh! Behold, his reward is with him!' Here all the inhabitantsof the country called them, 'The holy people, The redeemed of theLord, Sought out'", etc. [Isa. 62:11,12]

{ 383} Now as they walked in this land, they had more rejoicing thanin parts more remote from the kingdom to which they were bound; anddrawing near to the city, they had yet a more perfect view thereof.It was builded of pearls and precious stones, also the street thereofwas paved with gold; so that by reason of the natural glory of thecity, and the reflection of the sunbeams upon it, Christian withdesire fell sick; Hopeful also had a fit or two of the same disease.Wherefore, here they lay by it a while, crying out, because of theirpangs, If ye find my beloved, tell him that I am sick of love.

{ 384} But, being a little strengthened, and better able to beartheir sickness, they walked on their way, and came yet nearer andnearer, where were orchards, vineyards, and gardens, and their gatesopened into the highway. Now, as they came up to these places,behold the gardener stood in the way, to whom the Pilgrims said,Whose goodly vineyards and gardens are these? He answered, They arethe King's, and are planted here for his own delight, and also forthe solace of pilgrims. So the gardener had them into the vineyards,and bid them refresh themselves with the dainties. [Deut. 23:24]He also showed them there the King's walks, and the arbours wherehe delighted to be; and here they tarried and slept.

{ 385} Now I beheld in my dream that they talked more in their sleepat this time than ever they did in all their journey; and being ina muse thereabout, the gardener said even to me, Wherefore musestthou at the matter? It is the nature of the fruit of the grapesof these vineyards to go down so sweetly as to cause the lips ofthem that are asleep to speak.

{ 386} So I saw that when they awoke, they addressed themselves togo up to the city; but, as I said, the reflection of the sun uponthe city (for the city was pure gold) was so extremely gloriousthat they could not, as yet, with open face behold it, but throughan instrument made for that purpose. So I saw, that as I wenton, there met them two men, in raiment that shone like gold; alsotheir faces shone as the light. [Rev. 21:18, 2 Cor. 3:18]

{ 387} These men asked the Pilgrims whence they came; and they toldthem. They also asked them where they had lodged, what difficultiesand dangers, what comforts and pleasures they had met in the way;and they told them. Then said the men that met them, You have buttwo difficulties more to meet with, and then you are in the city.

{ 388} Christian then, and his companion, asked the men to go alongwith them; so they told them they would. But, said they, you mustobtain it by your own faith. So I saw in my dream that they wenton together, until they came in sight of the gate.

{ 389} Now, I further saw, that betwixt them and the gate was a river,but there was no bridge to go over: the river was very deep. Atthe sight, therefore, of this river, the Pilgrims were much stunned;but the men that went in with them said, You must go through, oryou cannot come at the gate.

{ 390} The Pilgrims then began to inquire if there was no otherway to the gate; to which they answered, Yes; but there hath notany, save two, to wit, Enoch and Elijah, been permitted to treadthat path since the foundation of the world, nor shall, until thelast trumpet shall sound. [1 Cor. 15:51,52] The Pilgrims then,especially Christian, began to despond in their minds, and lookedthis way and that, but no way could be found by them by which theymight escape the river. Then they asked the men if the waters wereall of a depth. They said: No; yet they could not help them inthat case; for, said they, you shall find it deeper or shalloweras you believe in the King of the place.

*In the Resurrection of the Righteous. [Rev. 20:4-6]

{ 391} They then addressed themselves to the water and, entering,Christian began to sink, and crying out to his good friend Hopeful,he said, I sink in deep waters; the billows go over my head, allhis waves go over me! Selah.

{ 392} Christian's conflict at the hour of death

Then said the other, Be of good cheer, my brother, I feel thebottom, and it is good. Then said Christian, Ah! my friend, thesorrows of death hath compassed me about; I shall not see the landthat flows with milk and honey; and with that a great darkness andhorror fell upon Christian, so that he could not see before him.Also here he in great measure lost his senses, so that he couldneither remember nor orderly talk of any of those sweet refreshmentsthat he had met with in the way of his pilgrimage. But all thewords that he spake still tended to discover that he had horror ofmind, and heart fears that he should die in that river, and neverobtain entrance in at the gate. Here also, as they that stood byperceived, he was much in the troublesome thoughts of the sins thathe had committed, both since and before he began to be a pilgrim.It was also observed that he was troubled with apparitions ofhobgoblins and evil spirits, for ever and anon he would intimateso much by words. Hopeful, therefore, here had much ado to keephis brother's head above water; yea, sometimes he would be quitegone down, and then, ere a while, he would rise up again half dead.Hopeful also would endeavour to comfort him, saying, Brother, I seethe gate, and men standing by to receive us: but Christian wouldanswer, It is you, it is you they wait for; you have been Hopefulever since I knew you. And so have you, said he to Christian.Ah! brother! said he, surely if I was right he would now ariseto help me; but for my sins he hath brought me into the snare, andhath left me. Then said Hopeful, My brother, you have quite forgotthe text, where it is said of the wicked, "There are no bands intheir death, but their strength is firm. They are not in troubleas other men, neither are they plagued like other men. [Ps. 73:4,5]These troubles and distresses that you go through in these watersare no sign that God hath forsaken you; but are sent to try you,whether you will call to mind that which heretofore you have receivedof his goodness, and live upon him in your distresses.

{ 393} Then I saw in my dream, that Christian was as in a musea while. To whom also Hopeful added this word, Be of good cheer,Jesus Christ maketh thee whole; and with that Christian brake outwith a loud voice, Oh, I see him again! and he tells me, "Whenthou passest through the waters, I will be with thee, and throughthe rivers, they shall not overflow thee." [Isa. 43:2] Thenthey both took courage, and the enemy was after that as still asa stone, until they were gone over. Christian therefore presentlyfound ground to stand upon, and so it followed that the rest of theriver was but shallow. Thus they got over. Now, upon the bank ofthe river, on the other side, they saw the two shining men again,who there waited for them; wherefore, being come out of the river,they saluted them, saying, We are ministering spirits, sent forthto minister for those that shall be heirs of salvation. Thus theywent along towards the gate.

{ 394} Now you must note that the city stood upon a mighty hill,but the Pilgrims went up that hill with ease, because they hadthese two men to lead them up by the arms; also, they had left theirmortal garments behind them in the river, for though they went inwith them, they came out without them. They, therefore, went uphere with much agility and speed, though the foundation upon whichthe city was framed was higher than the clouds. They thereforewent up through the regions of the air, sweetly talking as theywent, being comforted, because they safely got over the river, andhad such glorious companions to attend them.

Now, now, look how the holy pilgrims ride, Clouds are theirchariots, angels are their guide: Who would not here for him allhazards run, That thus provides for his when this world's done?

{ 395} The talk they had with the Shining Ones was about the gloryof the place; who told them that the beauty and glory of it wasinexpressible. There, said they, is the Mount Zion, the heavenlyJerusalem, the innumerable company of angels, and the spirits ofjust men made perfect. [Heb. 12:22-24] You are going now, saidthey, to the paradise of God, wherein you shall see the tree oflife, and eat of the never-fading fruits thereof; and when you comethere, you shall have white robes given you, and your walk and talkshall be every day with the King, even all the days of eternity.[Rev. 2:7, 3:4, 21:4,5] There you shall not see again such thingsas you saw when you were in the lower region upon the earth, towit, sorrow, sickness, affliction, and death, for the former thingsare passed away. You are now going to Abraham, to Isaac, and Jacob,and to the prophets--men that God hath taken away from the evilto come, and that are now resting upon their beds, each one walkingin his righteousness. [Isa. 57:1,2, 65:17] The men then asked,What must we do in the holy place? To whom it was answered, Youmust there receive the comforts of all your toil, and have joy forall your sorrow; you must reap what you have sown, even the fruitof all your prayers, and tears, and sufferings for the King by theway. [Gal. 6:7] In that place you must wear crowns of gold, andenjoy the perpetual sight and vision of the Holy One, for there youshall see him as he is. [1 John 3:2] There also you shall servehim continually with praise, with shouting, and thanksgiving, whomyou desired to serve in the world, though with much difficulty,because of the infirmity of your flesh. There your eyes shallbe delighted with seeing, and your ears with hearing the pleasantvoice of the Mighty One. There you shall enjoy your friends againthat are gone thither before you; and there you shall with joyreceive, even every one that follows into the holy place afteryou. There also shall you be clothed with glory and majesty, andput into an equipage fit to ride out with the King of Glory. Whenhe shall come with sound of trumpet in the clouds, as upon thewings of the wind, you shall come with him; and when he shall situpon the throne of judgment; you shall sit by him; yea, and whenhe shall pass sentence upon all the workers of iniquity, let thembe angels or men, you also shall have a voice in that judgment,because they were his and your enemies. [1 Thes. 4:13-16, Jude1:14, Dan. 7:9,10, 1 Cor. 6:2,3] Also, when he shall again returnto the city, you shall go too, with sound of trumpet, and be everwith him.

{ 396} Now while they were thus drawing towards the gate, behold acompany of the heavenly host came out to meet them; to whom it wassaid, by the other two Shining Ones, These are the men that haveloved our Lord when they were in the world, and that have left allfor his holy name; and he hath sent us to fetch them, and we havebrought them thus far on their desired journey, that they may goin and look their Redeemer in the face with joy. Then the heavenlyhost gave a great shout, saying, "Blessed are they which are calledunto the marriage supper of the Lamb." [Rev. 19:9] There came outalso at this time to meet them, several of the King's trumpeters,clothed in white and shining raiment, who, with melodious noises,and loud, made even the heavens to echo with their sound. Thesetrumpeters saluted Christian and his fellow with ten thousandwelcomes from the world; and this they did with shouting, and soundof trumpet.

{ 397} This done, they compassed them round on every side; some wentbefore, some behind, and some on the right hand, some on the left,(as it were to guard them through the upper regions), continuallysounding as they went, with melodious noise, in notes on high: sothat the very sight was, to them that could behold it, as if heavenitself was come down to meet them. Thus, therefore, they walkedon together; and as they walked, ever and anon these trumpeters,even with joyful sound, would, by mixing their music with looks andgestures, still signify to Christian and his brother, how welcomethey were into their company, and with what gladness they came tomeet them; and now were these two men, as it were, in heaven, beforethey came at it, being swallowed up with the sight of angels, andwith hearing of their melodious notes. Here also they had the cityitself in view, and they thought they heard all the bells thereinto ring, to welcome them thereto. But above all, the warm andjoyful thoughts that they had about their own dwelling there, withsuch company, and that for ever and ever. Oh, by what tongue orpen can their glorious joy be expressed! And thus they came up tothe gate.

{ 398} Now, when they were come up to the gate, there was written overit in letters of gold, "Blessed are they that do his commandments,that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter inthrough the gates into the city." [Rev. 22:14]

{ 399} Then I saw in my dream that the Shining Men bid them callat the gate; the which, when they did, some looked from above overthe gate, to wit, Enoch, Moses, and Elijah, &c., to whom it wassaid, These pilgrims are come from the City of Destruction, forthe love that they bear to the King of this place; and then thePilgrims gave in unto them each man his certificate, which theyhad received in the beginning; those, therefore, were carried into the King, who, when he had read them, said, Where are the men?To whom it was answered, They are standing without the gate. TheKing then commanded to open the gate, "That the righteous nation,"said he, "which keepeth the truth, may enter in." [Isa. 26:2]

{ 400} Now I saw in my dream that these two men went in at thegate: and lo, as they entered, they were transfigured, and theyhad raiment put on that shone like gold. There was also that metthem with harps and crowns, and gave them to them--the harps topraise withal, and the crowns in token of honour. Then I heardin my dream that all the bells in the city rang again for joy, andthat it was said unto them, "ENTER YE INTO THE JOY OF YOUR LORD."I also heard the men themselves, that they sang with a loud voice,saying, "BLESSING AND HONOUR, AND GLORY, AND POWER, BE UNTO HIMTHAT SITTETH UPON THE THRONE, AND UNTO THE LAMB, FOR EVER AND EVER."[Rev. 5:13]

{ 401} Now, just as the gates were opened to let in the men,I looked in after them, and, behold, the City shone like the sun;the streets also were paved with gold, and in them walked manymen, with crowns on their heads, palms in their hands, and goldenharps to sing praises withal.

{ 402} There were also of them that had wings, and they answeredone another without intermission, saying, "Holy, holy, holy is theLord." [Rev. 4:8] And after that they shut up the gates; which,when I had seen, I wished myself among them.

{ 403} Now while I was gazing upon all these things, I turned myhead to look back, and saw Ignorance come up to the river side;but he soon got over, and that without half that difficulty whichthe other two men met with. For it happened that there was thenin that place, one Vain-hope, a ferryman, that with his boat helpedhim over; so he, as the other I saw, did ascend the hill, to comeup to the gate, only he came alone; neither did any man meet himwith the least encouragement. When he was come up to the gate, helooked up to the writing that was above, and then began to knock,supposing that entrance should have been quickly administered tohim; but he was asked by the men that looked over the top of thegate, Whence came you, and what would you have? He answered, Ihave eat and drank in the presence of the King, and he has taughtin our streets. Then they asked him for his certificate, that theymight go in and show it to the King; so he fumbled in his bosomfor one, and found none. Then said they, Have you none? But theman answered never a word. So they told the King, but he wouldnot come down to see him, but commanded the two Shining Ones thatconducted Christian and Hopeful to the City, to go out and takeIgnorance, and bind him hand and foot, and have him away. Thenthey took him up, and carried him through the air to the door thatI saw in the side of the hill, and put him in there. Then I sawthat there was a way to hell, even from the gates of heaven, aswell as from the City of Destruction. So I awoke, and behold itwas a dream.

{ 404} The Conclusion.

Now, Reader, I have told my dream to thee;
See if thou canst interpret it to me,
Or to thyself, or neighbour; but take heed
Of misinterpreting; for that, instead
Of doing good, will but thyself abuse:
By misinterpreting, evil ensues.

Take heed, also, that thou be not extreme,
In playing with the outside of my dream:
Nor let my figure or similitude
Put thee into a laughter or a feud.
Leave this for boys and fools; but as for thee,
Do thou the substance of my matter see.

Put by the curtains, look within my veil,
Turn up my metaphors, and do not fail,
There, if thou seekest them, such things to find,
As will be helpful to an honest mind.

What of my dross thou findest there, be bold
To throw away, but yet preserve the gold;
What if my gold be wrapped up in ore?--
None throws away the apple for the core.
But if thou shalt cast all away as vain,
I know not but 'twill make me dream again.

Related articles