THE
PILGRIM'S PROGRESS
Part
II
Section
5
Valley
of Humiliation - Valley
of the Shadow of Death - Giant Maul slain
THE
VALLEY OF HUMILIATION
Now I saw in my dream that they went forward until they were come to
the brow of the hill; where PIETY, bethinking herself, cried out,
"Alas! I have forgot what I intended to bestow upon CHRISTIANA and her
companions. I will go back and fetch it." So she ran and fetched it.
While she was gone, CHRISTIANA thought she heard in a grove, a little way
off on the right hand, a most curious melodious note, with words much like
these:
"Through all my life Thy favour is
So frankly showed to me,
That in Thy house for evermore
My dwelling place shall be."
And listening still, she thought she heard another answer it, saying:
"For why? the Lord our God is good;
His mercy is for ever sure:
His truth at all times firmly stood,
And shall from age to age endure."
So CHRISTIANA asked PRUDENCE what 'twas that made those curious notes?
"They are," said she, "our country birds: they sing these
notes but seldom, except it be at the Spring, when the flowers appear and
the sun shines warm; and then you may hear them all day long. I often,"
said she, "go out to hear them; we also oft times keep them tame in our
house. They are very fine company for us when we are melancholy; also they
make the woods, and groves, and solitary places, places desirous to be in.
"For,
lo, the winter is past, the rain is over and gone; The flowers appear
on the earth; the time of the singing of birds is come, and the voice
of the turtle is heard in our land;" Song of Solomon 2:11, 12
By
this time PIETY was come again; so she said to CHRISTIANA, "Look here;
I have brought thee a scheme of all those things that thou hast seen at our
house, upon which thou mayest look when thou findest thyself forgetful, and
call those things again to remembrance for thy edification and
comfort."
Now they began to go down the hill into the Valley of Humiliation. It was a
steep hill, and the way was slippery; but they were very careful, so they
got down pretty well. When they were down in the valley, PIETY said to
CHRISTIANA, "This is the place where CHRISTIAN, your husband, met with
the foul fiend APOLLYON; and where they had that dreadful fight that they
had. I know you cannot but have heard hereof. But be of good courage; as
long as you have here Mr. GREAT-HEART to be your guide and conductor, we
hope you will fare the better." So when these two had committed the
pilgrims unto the conduct of their guide, he went forward, and they went
after.
The Beautiful Valley of Humiliation
Then
said Mr. GREAT-HEART,
Great-heart.
"We need not to be so afraid of this valley; for here is nothing to
hurt us unless we procure it to ourselves. 'Tis true, CHRISTIAN did here
meet with APOLLYON, with whom he also had a sore combat; but that fray was
the fruit of those slips that he got in his going down the hill. For they
that get slips there must look for combats here; and hence it is that this
valley has got so hard a name. For the common people, when they hear that
some frightful thing has befallen such an one in such a place, are of an
opinion that that place is haunted with some foul fiend or evil spirit;
when, alas, it is for the fruit of their doing that such things do befall
them there.
"This
Valley of Humiliation is of itself as fruitful a place as any the crow flies
over; and I am persuaded, if we could hit upon it, we might find somewhere
hereabouts, something that might give us an account why CHRISTIAN was so
hardly beset in this place."
Then
JAMES said to his mother, "Lo, yonder stands a pillar, and it looks as
if something was written thereon; let us go and see what it is." So
they went, and found there written, "Let CHRISTIAN'S slips before he
came hither, and the battles that he met with in this place, be a warning to
those that come after."
"Lo,"
said their guide, "did not I tell you, that there was something
hereabouts that would give intimation of the reason why CHRISTIAN was so
hard beset in this place?" Then turning himself to CHRISTIANA, he said,
"No disparagement to CHRISTIAN more than to many others, whose hap and
lot his was. For 't is easier going up than down this hill; and that can be
said but of few hills in all these parts of the world. But we will leave the
good man--he is at rest, he also had a brave victory over his enemy; let him
grant that dwells above, that we fare no worse, when we come to be tried,
than he.
"But
we will come again to this Valley of Humiliation. It is the best and most
fruitful piece of ground in all those parts. It is fat ground; and, as you
see, consists much in meadows; and if a man were to come here in the
summertime, as we do now, if he knew not anything before thereof, and if he
also delighted himself in the sight of his eyes, he might see that that
would be delightful to him. Behold, how green this valley is! also how
beautiful with lilies!
"I
am the rose of Sharon, and the lily of the valleys." Song
of Solomon 2:1
"But
he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but
giveth grace unto the humble." James 4:6
"Likewise,
ye younger, submit yourselves unto the elder. Yea, all of you be
subject one to another, and be clothed with humility: for God resisteth the
proud, and giveth grace to the humble." 1 Peter 5:5
I
have also known many labouring men that have got good estates in this Valley
of Humiliation (for God resists the proud, but gives more grace to the
humble); for indeed it is a very fruitful soil, and doth bring forth by
handfuls. Some also have wished that the next way to their Father's house
were here, that they might be troubled no more with either hills or
mountains to go over; but the way is the way, and there's an end."
Now
as they were going along and talking, they espied a boy feeding his father's
sheep. The boy was in very mean clothes, but of a very fresh and well
favoured countenance; and as he sat by himself, he sang. "Hark,"
said Mr. GREAT-HEART, "to what the shepherd's boy saith."
So
they hearkened, and he said:
"He that is down needs fear no fall,
He that is low no pride;
He that is humble ever shall
Have God to be his guide.
I am content with what I have,
Little be it or much;
And, Lord, contentment still I crave,
Because thou savest such.
Fulness to such a burden is
That go on pilgrimage:
Here little, and hereafter bliss,
Is best from age to age."
"I
know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound: every where and in all
things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and
to suffer need. I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth
me." Philippians 4:12, 13
"Let
your conversation be without covetousness; and be content
with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor
forsake thee." Hebrews 13:5
Then
said their guide, "Do you hear him? I will dare to say that this boy
lives a merrier life, and wears more of that herb called 'hearts-ease' in
his bosom, than he that is clad in silk and velvet: but we will proceed in
our discourse.
"In
this valley our Lord formerly had his country house; he loved much to be
here. He loved also to walk these meadows; for he found the air was
pleasant. Besides, here a man shall be free from the noise and from the
hurryings of this life: all states are full of noise and confusion; only the
Valley of Humiliation is that empty and solitary place. Here a man shall not
be so let and hindered in his contemplation as in other places he is apt to
be. This is a valley that nobody walks in but those that love a pilgrim's
life. And though CHRISTIAN had the hard hap to meet here with APOLLYON, and
to enter with him a brisk encounter--yet I must tell you, that in former
times men have met with angels here; have found pearls here; and have in
this place found the words of life.
"The
LORD hath also a controversy with Judah, and will punish Jacob according to
his ways; according to his doings will he recompense him. He took his
brother by the heel in the womb, and by his strength he had power with God:
Yea, he had power over the angel, and prevailed: he wept, and made
supplication unto him: he found him in Bethel, and there he spake
with us; Even the LORD God of hosts; the LORD is his memorial."
Hosea 12:2-5
"Did
I say, our Lord had here in former days his country house, and that he loved
here to walk? I will add, in this place, and to the people that live and
trace these grounds, he has left a yearly revenue to be faithfully paid them
at certain seasons for their maintenance by the way, and for their further
encouragement to go on their pilgrimage".
"Take
my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye
shall find rest unto your souls." Matthew 11:29
Sam.
Now, as they went on, SAMUEL said to Mr. GREAT-HEART, "Sir, I perceive
that in this valley my father and APOLLYON had their battle; but whereabout
was the fight, for I perceive this valley is large?"
Great-heart.
Your father had that battle with APOLLYON at a place yonder, before us, in a
narrow passage just beyond Forgetful Green. And indeed that place is the
most dangerous place in all these parts. For if at any time the pilgrims
meet with any brunt, it is when they forget what favours they have received,
and how unworthy they are of them. This is the place also where others have
been hard put to it. But more of the place when we are come to it; for I
persuade myself that, to this day, there remains either some sign of the
battle, or some monument to testify that such a battle there was fought.
Mercy.
Then said MERCY, "I think I am as well in this valley as I have been
anywhere else in all our journey. The place, methinks, suits with my spirit.
I love to be in such places where there is no rattling with coaches, nor
rumbling with wheels. Methinks here one may, without much molestation, be
thinking what he is; whence he came; what he has done; and to what the King
has called him. Here one may think, and break at heart and melt in one's
spirit, until one's eyes become like the fish pools of Heshbon. They that go
rightly through this valley of Baca make it a well; the rain that God sends
down from heaven upon them that are here also fills the pools. This valley
is that from whence also the King will give to them vineyards, and they that
go through it shall sing
"Thy
neck is as a tower of ivory; thine eyes like the fishpools in
Heshbon, by the gate of Bathrabbim: thy nose is as the tower of
Lebanon which looketh toward Damascus." Song of Solomon 7:4
"Blessed
is the man whose strength is in thee; in whose heart are
the ways of them. Who passing through the valley of Baca make
it a well; the rain also filleth the pools. They go from strength to
strength, every one of them in Zion appeareth before God."
Psalms 84:5-7
"And
I will give her her vineyards from thence, and the valley of Achor for a
door of hope: and she shall sing there, as in the days of her youth, and as
in the day when she came up out of the land of Egypt." Hosea 2:15
(as
CHRISTIAN did, for all he met with APOLLYON)."
Great-heart.
"'T is true," said their guide, "I have gone through this
valley many a time, and never was better than when here. I have also been a
conductor to several pilgrims; and they have confessed the same. 'To this
man will I look,' saith the King, 'even to him that is poor and of a
contrite spirit, and that trembles at my word.'"
Now
they were come to the place where the afore mentioned battle was fought.
Then said the guide to CHRISTIANA, her children, and MERCY, "This is
the place: and on this ground CHRISTIAN stood; and up there came APOLLYON
against him. And look, did not I tell you, here is some of your husband's
blood upon these stones to this day. Behold also, how here and there are yet
to be seen upon the place some of the shivers of APOLLYON'S broken darts.
See also how they did beat the ground with their feet, as they fought to
make good their places against each other; how also with their by-blows they
did split the very stones in pieces. Verily CHRISTIAN did here play the man,
and showed himself as stout as could, had he been there, even HERCULES
himself. When APOLLYON was beaten, he made his retreat to the next valley,
that is called the Valley of the Shadow of Death--unto which we shall come
anon. Lo, yonder also stands a monument on which is engraven this battle,
and CHRISTIAN'S victory, to his fame throughout all ages."
So
because it stood just on the wayside before them, they stepped to it, and
read the writing, which, word for word, was this:
"Hard by here was a battle fought,
Most strange, and yet most true;
Christian and Apollyon sought
Each other to subdue.
The man so bravely played the man,
He made the Fiend to fly;
Of which a monument I stand,
The same to testify."
The
Pilgrim's Progress - Valley of the Shadow of Death
The
Pilgrim's Progress - Contents
