THE
PILGRIM'S PROGRESS
JOHN
BUNYAN
Section
1
Author's
Apology for his Book - Christian's
deplorable condition - Evangelist
directs him - Obstinate
and Pliable - Slough
of Despond - Worldly
Wiseman -
Mount
Sinai
- Conversation with Evangelist
CONVERSATION
WITH EVANGELIST
Evan.
What dost thou here, CHRISTIAN?" said he. At which words
CHRISTIAN knew not what to answer; wherefore at present he stood speechless
before him. Then said EVANGELIST further, "Art not thou the man that I
found crying outside the walls of the city of
Destruction
?"
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? for thou art now out
of the way.
Chr. I met with a gentleman, so soon as I had got over the Slough of
Despond, who persuaded me that I might, in the village before me, find a man
that could take off my burden.
Evan. What was he?
Chr.
He looked like a gentleman, and talked much to me, and got me at last to
yield; so I came hither: but when I beheld this hill, and how it hangs over
the way, I suddenly made a stand, lest it should fall 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 loaded
with the burden that is on my back, that I cannot take pleasure in them as
formerly.
Evan.
And what said he then?
Chr.
He bade me with speed get rid of my burden; and I told him it was ease that
I sought. And, said I, I am therefore going to yonder gate to receive
further direction how I may get to the place of deliverance. So he said that
he would show me a better way, and short, not so attended with difficulties
as the way, sir, that you set me in; this short way, said he, will direct
you to a gentleman's house that has skill to take off these burdens. So I
believed him, and turned out of that way into this, if haply I might 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, of danger. But I now know not what to
do.
Evan.
Then said EVANGELIST, "Stand still a little, that I may show thee the
words of God." So he stood trembling. Then said EVANGELIST, "See
that ye refuse not him that speaketh. For if they escaped not who refused
him that spake on earth, much more shall we not escape, if we turn away from
him that speaks from heaven".
"See
that ye refuse not him that speaketh. For if they escaped not who refused
him that spake on earth, much more shall not we escape, if we
turn away from him that speaketh from heaven:" Hebrews 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".
"Now
the just shall live by faith: but if any man draw back, my soul shall
have no pleasure in him." Hebrews 10:38
He
also did thus apply them: "Thou art the man that art running into this
misery; thou hast begun to reject the counsel of the Most High, and to draw
back thy foot from the way of peace, even almost to the hazarding of thy
perdition."
Then
CHRISTIAN fell down at his foot as dead, crying, "Woe is me, for I am
undone!" At the sight of which, EVANGELIST caught him by the right
hand, saying, "All manner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto
men: be not faithless, but believing".
"Wherefore
I say unto you, All manner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men:
but the blasphemy against the Holy Ghost shall not be forgiven
unto men." Matthew 12:31
"Then saith he to Thomas, Reach hither thy finger, and behold my hands;
and reach hither thy hand, and thrust it into my side: and be not
faithless, but believing." John 20:27
Then
did CHRISTIAN again a little revive, and stood up trembling, as at first,
before EVANGELIST.
Then EVANGELIST proceeded, saying, "Give more earnest heed to the
things that I shall tell thee of. I will now show thee who it was 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 he so called; partly because he
savours only the doctrine of this world
"They
are of the world: therefore speak they of the world, and the world heareth
them." 1 John 4:5
(therefore
he always goes to the town of
Morality
to Church) and
partly because he loves that doctrine best, for it saves him from the cross;
"As
many as desire to make a fair shew in the flesh, they constrain you to be
circumcised; only lest they should suffer persecution for the cross of
Christ." Galatians 6:12
and
because he is of this carnal temper, therefore he seeks 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 render the cross odious to thee.
"3.
And his setting thy feet in that way that leads unto the administration of
death.
"First,
thou, must abhor turning thee out of the Way – yea, and thine own
consenting thereto; because this is to reject the counsel of God for the
sake of the counsel of a Worldly Wiseman. The Lord says, 'Strive to enter in
at the strait gate',
"Strive
to enter in at the strait gate: for many, I say unto you, will seek to enter
in, and shall not be able." Luke 13:24
–
the gate to which I sent thee; 'for strait is the gate that leads unto life,
and few there be that find it'.
"Enter
ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is
the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat:
Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which
leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it." Matthew 7:13, 14
From
this little Wicket gate, and from the way thereto, hath this wicked man
turned thee, to the bringing of thee almost to destruction. Hate, therefore,
his turning thee out of the way; and abhor thyself for hearkening to him.
"Secondly,
thou must abhor his labouring to render the cross odious unto thee; for thou
art to prefer it before the treasures in
Egypt
.
"Esteeming
the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in
Egypt
: for he had respect
unto the recompence of the reward." Hebrews 11:26
Besides,
the King of Glory hath told thee, that he that will save his life shall lose
it; and, he that comes after him, and hates not his father, and mother, and
wife and children, his brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he
cannot be his disciple.
"He
that findeth his life shall lose it: and he that loseth his life for my sake
shall find it." Matthew 10:39
"For
whosoever will save his life shall lose it; but whosoever shall lose his
life for my sake and the gospel's, the same shall save it." Mark
8:35
"If
any man come to me, and hate not 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
"He
that loveth his life shall lose it; and he that hateth his life in this
world shall keep it unto life eternal." John 12:25
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.
"Thirdly, thou must hate his setting of thy feet in the way that
leadeth to the ministration of death. And for this thou must consider to
whom he sent thee; and also how unable that person was to deliver thee from
thy burden.
"He
to whom thou wast sent for ease, being by name LEGALITY is the son of the
bondwoman who now is, and is in bondage with her children;
"For
it is written, that Abraham had two sons, the one by a bondmaid, the other
by a freewoman. But he who was of the bondwoman was born after the
flesh; but he of the freewoman was by promise. Which things are an
allegory: for these are the two covenants; the one from the mount Sinai,
which gendereth to bondage, which is Agar. For this Agar is mount Sinai in
Arabia
, and answereth to
Jerusalem
which now is, and
is in bondage with her children. But
Jerusalem
which is above is
free, which is the mother of us all. For it is written, Rejoice, thou
barren that bearest not; break forth and cry, thou that travailest not: for
the desolate hath many more children than she which hath an husband."
Galatians 4:22-27
and
is, in a mystery, this
Mount Sinai
which thou hast
feared will fall on thy head. Now if she with her children are in bondage,
how canst thou expect by them to be made free? This LEGALITY, therefore, is
not able to set thee free from 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
works of the law; for by the deeds of the law no man living can be rid of
his burden. Therefore Mr. WORLDLY WISEMAN is an alien, and Mr. LEGALITY is a
cheat; and for his son CIVILITY, notwithstanding his simpering looks, he is
but a hypocrite, and cannot help thee. Believe me, there is nothing in all
his noise that thou hast heard of these sottish men, but at design to
beguile thee of thy salvation, by turning thee from the way in which I had
set thee."
After
this, EVANGELIST called aloud to the heavens for confirmation of what he had
said; and with that there came words and fire out of the mountain under
which poor CHRISTIAN stood, that made the hair of his flesh stand up. The
words were thus pronounced: "As many as are of the works of the law are
under the curse: for it is written, Cursed is everyone that continues not in
all things which are written in the book of the law to do them".
"For
as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse: for it is
written, Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which
are written in the book of the law to do them." Galatians 3:10
Now
CHRISTIAN looked for nothing but death, and began to cry out lamentably;
even cursing the time in which he met with Mr. WORLDLY WISEMAN, still
calling himself a thousand fools for hearkening to his counsel. He also was
greatly ashamed to think that this gentleman's arguments, flowing only from
the flesh, should have that prevalency with him as to cause him to forsake
the right way. This done, he applied himself again to EVANGELIST in words
and sense as follows:
Chr.
Sir, what think you? – Is there any hope? May I now go back, and 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 to this man's counsel; but may
my sin be forgiven.
Evan.
Then said EVANGELIST to him, "Thy sin is very great; for by it thou
hast committed two evils: thou hast forsaken the way that is good, to tread
in forbidden paths; yet will the man at the gate receive thee, for he has
good will for men; only," said he, "take heed that thou turn not
aside again, lest thou perish from the way when his wrath is kindled but a
little".
"Kiss
the Son, lest he be angry, and ye perish from the way, when his wrath
is kindled but a little. Blessed are all they that put their trust in
him." Psalm
2:12
Then
did CHRISTIAN address himself to go back; and EVANGELIST, after he had
kissed him, gave him one smile, and bade him Godspeed.
The
Pilgrim's Progress - Section 2 - The Gate
The
Pilgrim's Progress - Contents
