LOOKING AT THE CROSS. 309 trudge so nimbly on; I am persuaded he wished me with him; but, vile wretch that I was! I let him come all alone. O Mercy, that thy father and mother were here; yea, and Mrs. Timorous also: nay, I wish now with all my heart, that here was madam Wanton too. Surely, surely, their hearts would be affected; nor could the fear of the one, nor the powerful lusts of the other, prevail with them to go home again, and refuse to become good pilgrims.* GR.-H. You speak now in the warmth of your affections will it, think you, be always thus with you? Besides, that is not communicated to every one, nor to every one that did see your Jesus bleed. There were that stood by, and that saw the blood run from his heart to the ground, and yet were so far off this, that, instead of lamenting, they laughed at him; and, instead of becoming his disciples, did harden their hearts against him. So that all that you have, my daughters, you have by peculiar impression, made by a divine contemplating upon what I have spoken to you. Remember that it was told you, that the hen, by her common call, gives no meat to her chickens. This you have therefore by a special grace.† Now I saw still in my dream, that they went on until they were come to the place that Simple, and O brave Christians! See what it is to have one's heart inflamed with a sense of the love of Christ. Here observe two things, 1st, That when the affections are thus powerfully carried out, it is no uncommon thing to believe, that all may thus come to a saving knowledge of the truth! 2ndly, Beware of thinking slightly of having the affections thus divinely inflamed. Many poor, dry, formal professors are content with the cold light of the moon, without the genial warmth of the sun; with clear notions of truth in their heads, without their hearts being warmed, and their affections carried out by the powerful influences of the love of Jesus, who says, and you shall receive, that your joy may be full," John xvi. 24. "Ask, Mind how tenderly Great-heart deals with Christiana. He does not attempt to damp her joy, and throw cold water upon the fire of her affections, but gently insinuates, 1st, The peculiar frame of mind she speaks from. 2ndly, By a gentle hint, suggests, that her indulgences were of a peculiar nature, bestowed upon the faithful in Christ only. And that therefore, amidst all her joyful feelings, she should know to whom she was indebted for them, and give all the glory to the God of all grace. 310 SIMPLE, SLOTH, AND PRESUMPTION: Sloth, and Presumption, lay and slept in, when Christian went by on pilgrimage: and, behold they were hanged up in irons a little way off on the other side. Then said Mercy to him that was their guide and conductor, "What are these three men? and for what are they hanged there?" GR.-H. These three men were men of bad qualities; they had no mind to be pilgrims themselves, and whomsoever they could they hindered: they were for sloth and folly themselves, and whomsoever they could persuade, they made so too; and withal taught them to presume that they should do well at last. They were asleep when Christian went by; and now you go by they are hanged.* MER. But could they persuade any one to be of their •pinion? GR.-H. Yes, they turned several out of the way. There was Slow-pace, they persuaded to do as they. They also prevailed with one Short-wind, with one No-heart, with one Linger-after-lust, and with one Sleepy-head, and with a young woman, her name was Dull, to turn out of the way and become as they. Besides, they brought up an ill report of your Lord, persuading others that he was a hard task-master. They also brought up an evil report of the good land, saying it was not half so good as some pretended it was. They also began to vilify his servants, and to count the best of them meddlesome, troublesome busybodies further, they would call the bread of God, husks the comforts of his children, fancies; the travail and labour of pilgrims, things to no purpose.† * God, as it were, gibbets some professors; and causes their names and characters to be publicly exhibited, as a terror to others. Let us consider the characters of these three professors: 1st, Here is Simple, who, as Solomon says, believeth every word, Prov. xiv. 15. a foolish credulous professor, who is easily led away and beguiled by smooth words and fair pretences of others; ever learning, but never coming to the knowledge of the truth, so as to believe it, love it, and be established on it: hence liable to be carried away by every wind of doctrine. 2d, Sloth, a THEIR CRIMES ENGRAVEN ON A PILLAR. 311 Nay, said Christiana, if they were such, they should never be bewailed by me: they have but what they deserve; and I think it well that they stand so near the highway, that others may see and take warning. But had it not been well if their crimes had been engraven on some pillar of iron or brass, and left here where they did their mischiefs, for a caution to other bad men? GR.-H. So it is, as you may well perceive, if you will go a little to the wall. MER. No, no; let them hang, and their names rot, and their crimes live for ever against them: I think it is a high favour that they are hanged before we came hither; who knows else what they might have done to such poor women as we are ?Then she turned it into a song, saying "Now then you three hang there, and be a sign And thou, my soul, of all such men beware, quiet, easy professor, who never disturbs any one by his diligence in the word of God,, nor his zeal for the truths and glory of God. Hence all men speak well of him; but Christ denounces a woe against all such, Luke vi. 6. 3dly, Presumption, one who presumes to find favour with God, in a way which his word does not promise, or expects salvation at the end, without the means prescribed by God for attaining it. O beware of these three sorts of professors, for they turn many aside. Real Christians are in danger of being seduced by them, if not of total destruction through their means. -312 THE SPRING AT THE HILL DIFFICULTY CHAPTER V. THE PILGRIMS ASCEND THE HILL DIFFICULTY, PASS THE LIONS, AND ARRIVE AT THE HOUSE BEAUTIFUL. THUS they went on, till they came to the foot of the hill Difficulty, where again their good friend Mr. Greatheart took an occasion to tell them what happened there when Christian himself went by.(a) So he had them first to the spring: Lo, saith he, this is the spring that Christian drank of before he went up this hill; and then it was clear and good, but now it is dirty with the feet of some that are not desirous that pilgrims here should quench their thirst.(6) Thereat Mercy said, And why so envious, trow? But said the guide, It will do, if taken up, and put into a vessel that is sweet and good; for then the dirt will sink to the bottom, and the water come out by itself more clear. Thus therefore Christiana and her companions were compelled to do. They took it up, and put it into an earthen pot, and so let it stand till the dirt had gone to the bottom, and then they drank thereof.* Next he showed them the two by-ways that were at the foot of the hill, where Formality and Hypocrisy lost themselves. And, said he, these are dangerous paths: two were here cast away when Christian came by. And although you sce these two ways are since stopped up with chains, posts, and a ditch, yet they * This represents to us, that some preachers, as the prophet says, foul the water with their feet, Ezek. xxxiv. 18. that is, though they preach somewhat about Christ, and salvation by him; yet they so clog, mire, and pollute the stream of free grace, with pre-requisites, that a poor, thirsty soul cannot drink the water, nor allay his thirst with it; but is forced to let it stand, till these gross dregs sink to the bottom. (a) Part 1. p. 93–99. (b) Ezek. xxxiv. 18. THE REASONS WHY MEN CHOOSE BY-WAYS. 313 are they which will choose to adventure here, rather than take the pains to go up this hill. CHR. "The way of transgressors is hard :"(a) it is a wonder that they can get into those ways without danger of breaking their necks. "As GR.-H. They will venture; yea, if at any time any of the king's servants do happen to see them, and doth call upon them, and tell them, that they are in the wrong ways, and do bid them beware of the danger, then they railingly return them answer, and say, for the word that thou hast spoken unto us in the name of the King, we will not hearken unto thee; but we will certainly do whatsoever thing goeth out of our mouths."(b) Nay, if you look a little further, you shall see that these ways are made cautionary enough, not only by these posts, and ditch, and chain, but also by being hedged up; yet they will choose to go there.* CHR. They are idle; they love not to take pains; up-hill way is unpleasant to them. So it is fulfilled unto them as it is written,--" The way of the slothful man is as an hedge of thorns."(c) Yea, they will rather choose to walk upon a snare, than to go up this hill and the rest of this way to the city. Then they set forward, and began to go up the hill, and up the hill they went; but before they got up to the top, Christiana began to pant, and said, I dare say this is a breathing hill; no marvel if they that love their ease more than their souls, choose to themselves a smoother way. Then said Mercy, I must sit down; also the least of the children began to cry: Come, come, said Great-heart, sit not down here, for a little Examine, which do you like best, self-soothing or soul-searching doctrine? Formalists and hypocrites love the former, and hate the latter. But the sincere and upright are discovered by desiring to have their hearts searched to the quick, and their ways tried to the uttermost. (a) Prov. xiii. 15. (6) Jer. xliv. 16, 17. (c) Prov. xv. 19. |