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Good-will. -- The door is thrown back wide for you to come in, and no man can shut it. |
Christian. -- Now I seem to reap the good of all the risks I have met with on the way. |
Good-will. -- But how is it that no one comes with you? |
Christian. -- None of my friends saw that there was cause of fear, as I did. |
Good-will. -- Did they know of your flight? |
Christian. -- Yes, my wife and young ones saw me go, and I heard their cries as they ran out to try and stop me. Some of my friends, too, would have had me come home, but I put my hands to my ears, and so came on my way. |
Good-will. -- But did none of them come out to beg of you to go back? |
Christian. -- Yes, both Obstinate and Pliable came, but when they found that I would not yield, Obstinate went home, but Pliable came with me as far as the Slough of Despond. |
Good-will. -- Why did he not come through it? |
When Christian told him the rest, he said: Ah, poor man! Is a world of bliss such a small thing to him, that he did not think it worth while to run a few risks to gain it? |
Sir, said Christian, there is not much to choose twixt him and me. Then he told Good-will how he had been led from the straight path by Mr. Worldly Wiseman. |
Good-will. -- Oh, did he light on you? What! He would have had you seek for ease at the hands of Mr. Legality. They are, in truth, both of them cheats. And did you take heed of what he said? |
Christian then told him all. But now that I am come, said he, I am more fit for death, than to stand and talk to my Lord. But oh, the joy it is to me to be here! |
Good-will. -- We keep none out that knock at this gate, let them have done what they may ere they came here; for they are 'in no wise cast out.' So, good Christian, come with me, and I will teach you the way you must go. Look in front. That is the way which was laid down by Christ and the wise men of old, and it is as ... |
Christian. -- But is there no turn or bend by which one who knows not the road might lose his way? |
Good-will. -- My friend, there are not a few that lead down to it, and these paths are wide: yet by this you may judge the right from the wrong -- the right are straight and are by no means wide. |
Then I saw in my dream that Christian said: Could you not help me off with this load on my back? -- for as yet he had not got rid of it. He was told: As to your load, you must bear it till you come to the place of Deliverance, for there it will fall from your back. |
Then Christian would have set off on the road; but Good-will said: Stop a while and let me tell you that when you have gone through the gate you will see the house of Mr. Interpreter, at whose door you must knock, and he will show you good things. Then Christian took leave of his friend, who bade him God speed. |
He now went on till he came to the house at the door of which he was to knock; this he did two or three times. At last one came to the door and said: Who is there? |
Christian. -- I have come to see the good man of the house. |
So in a short time Mr. Interpreter came to him and said: What would you have? |
Christian. -- Sir, I am come from The City of Destruction, and am on my way to Mount Zion. I was told by the man that stands at the gate, that if I came here you would show me good things that would help me. |
Then Interpreter took Christian to a room, and bade his man bring a light, and there he saw on the wall the print of one who had a grave face, whose eyes were cast up to the sky, and the best of books was in His hand, the law of truth was on His lips, and the world was at His back. He stood as if He would plead for men... |
Christian. -- What does this mean? |
Interpreter. -- I have shown you this print first, for this is He who is to be your sole guide when you can not find your way to the land to which you go; so take good heed to what I have shown you, lest you meet with some who would feign to lead you right; but their way goes down to death. |
Then he took him to a large room that was full of dust, for it had not been swept; and Interpreter told his man to sweep it. Now when he did so, such clouds of dust flew up, that it made Christian choke. |
Then said Interpreter to a maid that stood by; Make the floor moist that the dust may not rise; and when she had done this, it was swept with ease. |
Christian. -- What means this? |
Interpreter. -- This room is the heart of that man who knows not the grace of God. The dust is his first sin and the vice that is in him. He that swept first is the Law, but she who made the floor moist is The Book which tells Good News to Man. Now as soon as you saw the first of these sweep, the dust did so fly that t... |
Then you next saw the maid come in to lay the dust; so is sin made clean and laid low by faith in The Book. |
Now, said Christian, let me go hence. |
Well, said Interpreter, keep all things so in thy mind that they may be a goad in thy sides; and may faith guide thee! |
Then I saw in my dream that the high way which Christian was to tread, had a wall on each side, and the name of that wall was Salvation. Up this high way did Christian run, but with great toil for the load on his back. He ran thus till he drew near to a place on which stood a cross, and at the foot of it a tomb. Just a... |
Then was Christian glad, and said with a gay heart: He gives me rest by his grief, and life by his death. |
Yet he stood still for a while, for he was struck with awe to think that the sight of the cross should thus ease him of his load. Three or four times did he look on the cross and the tomb, and the tears rose to his eyes. As he stood thus and wept, lo, three Bright Ones came to him, and one of them said: Peace be to the... |
Christian gave three leaps for joy, and sang as he went: Ah, what a place is this! Blest cross! Blest tomb! Nay, blest is the Lord that was put to shame for me! |
He went on thus till he came to a vale where he saw three men who were in a sound sleep, with chains on their feet. The name of one was Simple, one Sloth, and the third Presumption. As Christian saw them lie in this case, he went to wake them, and said: You are like those that sleep on the top of a mast, for the Dead S... |
Then I saw in my dream that two men leapt from the top of the wall and made great haste to come up to him. Their names were Formalist and Hypocrisy. |
Christian. -- Sirs, whence come you, and where do you go? |
Formalist and Hypocrisy. -- We were born in the land of Vain-glory, and are on our way to Mount Zion for praise. |
Christian. -- Why came you not in at the Gate? Know you not that he that comes not in at the door, but climbs up to get in, the same is a thief? |
They told him that to go through the gate was too far round; that the best way was to make a short cut of it, and climb the wall, as they had done. |
Christian. -- But what will the Lord of the town to which we are bound think of it, if we go not in the way of his will? |
They told Christian that he had no need for care on that score, for long use had made it law, and they could prove that it had been so for years. Christian. -- But are you quite sure that your mode will stand a suit at law? |
Yes, said they, no doubt of it. And if we get in the road at all, pray what are the odds? If we are in, we are in; you are but in the way, who come in at the gate, and we too are in the way that choose to climb the wall. Is not our case as good as yours? |
Christian. -- I walk by the rule of my Lord, but you walk by the rule of your own lusts. The Lord of the way will count you as thieves, and you will not be found true men in the end. |
I saw then that they all went on till they came to the foot of the Hill of Difficulty, where there was a spring. There were in the same place two more ways, one on the left hand and one on the right; but the path that Christian was told to take went straight up the hill, and its name is Difficulty, and he saw that the ... |
Now when Christian got as far as the Spring of Life he drank of it, and then went up the hill. But when the two men saw that it was steep and high, and that there were three ways to choose from, one of them took the path the name of which is Danger, and lost his way in a great wood, and one of them went by the road of ... |
At this Christian gave a start, and sped on his way, and went at a quick pace. |
When he had got near to the top of the hill, two men ran up to meet him, whose names were Timorous and Mistrust, to whom Christian said, Sirs, what ails you? You run the wrong way. |
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