THE
PILGRIM'S PROGRESS
JOHN
BUNYAN
Section
3
Loses
his burden at the Cross - Simple,
Sloth, Presumption, Formalist, Hypocrisy - hill Difficulty - the Arbour
- misses his roll - the
palace Beautiful - the lions - talk with Discretion, Piety, Prudence, and
Charity - wonders shown to
Christian
THE
HILL DIFFICULTY
I
beheld, then, that they all went on till they came to the foot of the hill
"Difficulty," at the bottom of which was a spring. There were also
in the same place two other ways besides that which came straight from the
gate; one turned to the left hand, and the other to the right, at the bottom
of the hill: but the narrow way lay right up the hill (and the name of the
going up the side of the hill is called Difficulty). CHRISTIAN now went to
the spring, and drank thereof to refresh himself;
"They
shall not hunger nor thirst; neither shall the heat nor sun smite them: for
he that hath mercy on them shall lead them, even by the springs of water
shall he guide them." Isaiah 49:10
and
then began to go up the hill, saying:
"This
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."
The
other two also came to the foot of the hill. But when they saw that the hill
was steep and high, and that there were two other ways to go; and supposing
also that these two ways might meet again with that up which CHRISTIAN went,
on the other side of the hill, therefore they were resolved to go in those
ways (now the name of one of those ways was "Danger," and the name
of the other "Destruction"). So the one took the way which is
called Danger, which led him into a great wood; and the other took directly
up the way to Destruction, which led him into a wide field full of dark
mountains, where he stumbled and fell, and rose no more.
TIMOROUS
AND MISTRUST
I
looked then after CHRISTIAN, to see him go up the hill, when I
perceived he fell from running to going, and from going to clambering upon
his hands and his knees, because of the steepness of the place. Now about
the midway to the top of the hill was a pleasant arbour, made by the Lord of
the hill, for the refreshment of weary travellers. Thither, therefore,
CHRISTIAN got, where also he sat down to rest. Then he pulled his roll out
of his bosom, and read therein to his comfort; he also now began afresh to
take a review of the coat or garment that was given him as he stood by the
cross. Thus pleasing himself awhile, he at last fell into a slumber, and
thence into a fast sleep which detained him in that place until it was
almost night, and in his sleep his roll fell out of his hand. Now as he was
sleeping, there came one to him, and awaked him, saying, "Go to the
ant, thou sluggard: consider her ways, and be wise".
"Go
to the ant, thou sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise:" Proverbs
6:6
And
with that, CHRISTIAN suddenly started up, and sped him on his way, and went
apace till he came to the top of the hill.
Now
when he was got up to the top of the hill, there came two men running
against him furiously.
The name of the one was TIMOROUS, and the name of the other MISTRUST; to
whom CHRISTIAN said, "Sirs, what's the matter? You run the wrong
way!"
Timorous
answered that they were going to the City of
Zion
, and had got up
that difficult place; "but," said he, "the farther we go, the
more danger we meet with: wherefore we turned, and are going back
again."
Mistrust.
"Yes," said MISTRUST; "for just before us lie a couple of
lions in the way – whether sleeping or waking we know not,--and we could
not think, if we came within reach, but they would presently pull us in
pieces."
Chr.
Then said CHRISTIAN, "You make me afraid; but whither shall I fly to be
safe? If I go back to mine own country, that is prepared for fire and
brimstone – and I shall certainly perish there! If I can get to the
celestial city, I am sure to be in safety there. I must venture: to go back
is nothing but death; to go forward is fear of death, and life everlasting
beyond it! I will yet go forward!
SLEEP
IN THE DAYTIME
So
MISTRUST and TIMOROUS
ran down the hill; and CHRISTIAN went on his way. But thinking again of what
he heard from the men, he felt in his bosom for his roll, that he might read
therein, and be comforted; but he felt, and found it not. Then was CHRISTIAN
in great distress, and knew not what to do; for he wanted that which used to
relieve him, and that which should have been his pass into the
Celestial
City
. Here, therefore,
he began to be much perplexed, and knew not what to do; at last he bethought
himself that he had slept in the arbour that is on the side of the hill: and
falling down upon his knees, he asked God forgiveness for that his foolish
act, and then went back to look for his roll. But all the way he went back,
who can sufficiently set forth the sorrow of CHRISTIAN'S heart? sometimes he
sighed; sometimes he wept; and often times he chided himself for being so
foolish as to fall asleep in that place, which was erected only for a little
refreshment from his weariness.
Thus
therefore, he went back; carefully looking on this side and on that, all the
way as he went, if happily he might find his roll, that had been his comfort
so many times in his journey. He went thus till he came again within sight
of the arbour where he sat and slept; but that sight renewed his sorrow the
more, by bringing again even afresh his evil of sleeping into his mind. Thus
therefore, he now went on bewailing his sinful sleep, saying, "Oh,
wretched man that I am, that I should sleep in the daytime! that I should
sleep in the midst of difficulty!;
"For
they that sleep sleep in the night; and they that be drunken are drunken in
the night. But let us, who are of the day, be sober, putting on the
breastplate of faith and love; and for an helmet, the hope of
salvation." 1 Thessalonians 5:7, 8
"Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast
left thy first love. Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and
repent, and do the first works; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and
will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent."
Revelation 2:4, 5
that
I should so indulge the flesh, as to use that rest for ease to my flesh,
which the Lord of the hill hath erected only for the relief of the spirits
of pilgrims! How many steps have I taken in vain! (thus it happened to
Israel; for their sin they were sent back again by the way of the Red Sea);
and I am made to tread those steps with sorrow, which I might have trod with
delight, had it not been for this sinful sleep. How far might I have been on
my way by this time! I am made to tread those steps thrice over which I
needed not to have trod but once: yea, now also I am like to be benighted,
for the day is almost spent. Oh that I had not slept!"
Now by this time he was come to the arbour again, where for a while he sat
down and wept; but at last (as CHRISTIAN would have it) looking sorrowfully
down under the settle, there he espied his roll, the which he with trembling
and haste caught up, and put into his bosom; but who can tell how joyful
this man was when he had gotten his roll again! For this roll was the
assurance of his life and acceptance at the desired haven. Therefore he laid
it up in his bosom; gave thanks to God for directing his eye to the place
where it lay; and with joy and tears betook himself again to his journey.
But oh, how nimbly now did he go up the rest of the hill! Yet before he got
up, the sun went down upon CHRISTIAN; and this made him again recall the
vanity of his sleeping, and thus he again began to condole with himself:
"Oh, thou sinful sleep! how for thy sake am I like to be benighted in
my journey! I must walk without the sun; darkness must cover the path of my
feet; and I must hear the noise of the doleful creatures-- because of my
sinful sleep!" Now also he remembered the story that MISTRUST and
TIMOROUS told him of--how they were frightened with the sight of the lions.
Then said CHRISTIAN to himself again, "These beasts range in the night
for their prey; and if 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 on his way; but while he was thus bewailing his unhappy miscarriage, he
lift up his eyes, and behold, there was a very stately palace before him,
the name of which was "Beautiful," and it stood just by the
highway side.
The
Pilgrim's Progress - The Palace Beautiful
The
Pilgrim's Progress - Contents
