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07 - The Pilgrim's Progress - John Bunyan · Wisdom of the Ages Library

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Part one, the fourth stage. Then he began to go forward, but
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discretion, piety, charity, and prudence would accompany him down to the foot
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of the hill. So they went on together, reiterating their former discourses,
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till they came to go down the hill. Then said Christian, as it
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was difficult coming up, so so far as I can see, it is
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dangerous going down. Yes, said Prudence, so it is, for it
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is a hard matter for a man to go down into the valley of humiliation,
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as thou art now, and to catch no slip by the way.
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Therefore, said they, we are come out to accompany thee down the hill.
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So he began to go down, but very wearily. Yet he caught
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a slip or two. Then I saw in my dream that these good companions,
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when Christian was got down to the bottom of the hill, gave him
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a loaf of bread, bottle of wine, and a cluster of raisins.
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And then he went on his way. Whilst Christian is among his godly friends,
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their golden mouths make him sufficient mens for all his griefs. And when
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they let him go, he's clad with northern steel from top to toe.
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But now in this valley of humiliation. Poor Christian was hard put to it,
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for he had gone but a little way before he aspired a foul fiend
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coming over the field to meet him. His name is Apollyon. Then did
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Christian begin to be afraid, and to cast in his mind whether to go
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back or to stand his ground. But he considered again that he had no
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armor for his back, and therefore thought that to turn the back to him
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might give him greater advantage with ease to pierce him with his darts. Therefore
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he resolved to venture and stand his ground. For thought he had I no
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more in mine eye than the saving of my life, It would be the
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best way to stand. So he went on, and Apollyon met him.
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Now the monster was hideous to behold. He was clothed with scales like a
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fish, and they are his pride. He had wings like a dragon,
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and feet like a bear, and out of his belly came fire and smoke,
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and his mouth was as the mouth of the lion. When he was
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come up to Christian, he beheld him with a disdainful countenance, and thus
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began to question him, Apollyon, whence came you? And whither are you
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bound? Christian? I am come from the city of Destruction, which is
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the place of all evil, and I am going to the city of Zion
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Apollion. By this I perceive thou art one of my subjects. For all
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that country is mine, and I am the prince and God of it.
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How is it then that thou hast run away from thy king? Were it
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not that I hope thou mayst do me more service, I would strike thee
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now at one blow to the ground. Christian. I was indeed born in
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your dominions, but your service was hard, and your wages such as a
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man could not live on, for the wages of sin is death Romans six
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twenty three. Therefore, when I was come to years, I did as
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other considerate persons do look out if perhaps I might mend myself Apollyon. There
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is no prince that will thus lightly lose his subjects. Neither will I as
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yet lose thee. But since thou complainest of thy service and wages, be
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content to go back, and what our country will afford I do here promise
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to give thee Christian. But I have let myself to another, even to
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the king of princes. And how can I with fairness go back with THEE.
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Apoleon, Thou hast done in this, according to the proverb, changed
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a bad for worse. But it is ordinary for those that have professed themselves
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his servants after a while to give him the slip and return again to me.
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Do thou so too, and all shall be well. Christian, I
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have given him my faith and sworn my allegiance to him. How then can
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I go back from this and not be hanged as a traitor Apoleon? Thou
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didst the same by me, And yet I am willing to pass by all,
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if now thou wilt yet turn again and go back Christian, what I
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promised THEE was in my non age. And besides, I count that the
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Prince under whose banner I now stand is able to absolve me yea, and
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to pardon also what I did as my compliance with THEE. And besides o
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thou destroying Apollon, to speak truth, I like his service, his wages,
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his servants, his government, his company and country better than thine.
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Therefore, leave off to persuade me. Father. I am his servant,
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and I will follow him. Apollyon. Consider again, when thou art in
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cool blood, what thou art like to meet with in the way that thou
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goest. Thou knowest that for the most part his servants come to an ill
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end, because they are transgressors against me and my ways. How many of
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them have been put to shameful deaths. And besides, thou countest his service
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better than mine, whereas he never yet came from the place where he is
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to deliver any that served him out of the enemy's hands. But as for
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me, how many times, as all the world very well knows, have
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I delivered, either by power or fraud, those that have faithfully served me
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from Him and his though taken by them? And so will I deliver thee
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Christian. His forbearing at present to deliver them is on purpose to try their
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love whether they will cleave to him to the end. And as for the
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ill end thou sayest they come to that is most glorious in their account,
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for by present deliverance they do not much expect it, for they stay for
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their glory, and then they shall have it when their prince comes in his
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and the glory of the angels. Apoleon, that hast already been unfaithful in
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thy service to him, And how dost thou think to receive wages of him
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Christian, wherein no Opoleon have I been unfaithful to him. Apoleon, Thou
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didst faint at first setting out, when thou wast almost choked in the gulf
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of despond. Thou didst attempt wrong ways to be rid of thy burden,
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whereas thou shouldst have stayed till thy Prince had taken it off. Thou didst
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sinfully sleep and lose thy choice things. Thou wast almost persuaded also to go
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back at the sight of the lions. And when thou talkest of thy journey
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and of what thou hast seen and heard, Thou art inwardly desirous of vainglory
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in all that thou sayest or doest Christian. All this is true, and
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much more which thou hast left out. But the Prince, whom I serve
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and honor, is merciful and ready to forgive. But besides, these infirmities
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possessed me in thy country, for there I suck them in, and I
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have grown under them, been sorry for them, and have obtained pardon of
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my Prince Apoleon. Then Napoleon broke out into a grievous rage, saying I
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am an enemy to this prince. I hate his person, his laws and
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people. I am come out on purpose to withstand thee Christian. Apoleon,
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beware what you do, for I am in the King's highway, the way
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of holiness. Therefore take heed to yourself Apoleon. Then Napoleon, he straggled
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quite over the whole breadth of the way, and said, I am void
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of fear in this matter. Prepare thyself to die, for I swear by
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my infernal den that thou shalt go no farther here will I spill thy soul.
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And with that he threw a flaming dart at his breast, But Christian
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had a shield in his hand, with which he caught it and so prevented
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the danger of that. Then did Christian draw, for he saw it was
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time to bestir him, and Apollyon as fast made at him, throwing darts
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as thick as hail by the witch. Notwithstanding all that Christian could do to
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avoid it, Apollyon wounded him in his head, his hand, and foot.
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This made Christian give a little back. Apollyon therefore followed his work a
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main and Christian again took courage and resisted as manfully as he could. This
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sore combat lasted for above half a day, even till Christian was almost quite
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spent. For ye must know that Christian, by reason of his wounds,
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must needs grow weaker and weaker. Then Napoleon, espying his opportunity, began
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to gather up close to Christian, and wrestling with him, gave him a
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dreadful fall, and with that Christian's sword flew out of his hand. Then
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said Napoleon, I am sure of thee now, And with that he had
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almost pressed him to death, so that Christian began to despair of life.
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But as God would have it, while Napoleon was fetching his last blow thereby
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to make a full end of this good man, Christian nimbly reached out his
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hand for his sword and caught it, saying, we joice not against me,
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O, mine enemy. When I fall, I shall arise Micah seven
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eight. And with that gave him a deadly thrust, which made him give
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back as one that had received his mortal wound. Christian, perceiving that,
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made at him again, saying, nay, in all these things we are
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more than Ancherus through him that loved us Romans eight thirty seven and with that,
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Apoleon spread forth his dragon wings and sped him away. That Christian saw
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him no more James four seven. In this combat, no man can imagine
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unless he had seen and heard as I did, what yelling and hideous roaring
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Apoleon made all the time of the fight. He spake like a dragon,
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And on the other side, what sighs and groans bursts from Christian's heart.
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I never saw him, all the while give so much as one pleasant look
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till he perceived he had wounded Apollon with his two edged sword. Then indeed
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he did smile and look upward. But it was the dreadfulest sight that ever
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I saw. So when the battle was over, Christian said, I will
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here give thanks to him that had delivered me out of the mouth of the
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Lion, to him that did help me against Apollon. And so he did,
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saying, Great Beelzebub, the captain of this fiend, designed my ruin.
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Therefore to this end he sent him harnessed out, and he, with
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rage that hellish was, did fiercely me engage. But blessed Michael helped me,
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and I, by Dinto's sword, did quickly make him fly. Therefore
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to him let me give lasting praise and thank and bless his holy name always.
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Then there came to him a hand with some of the leaves of the
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Tree of life. The rich Christian took and applied to the wounds that he
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had received in the battle, and was healed immediately. He also sat down
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in that place to eat bread and to drink of the bottle that was given
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him a little before. So, being refreshed, he addressed himself to his
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journey, with his sword drawn in his hand, for he said, I
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know not, but some other enemy may be at hand. But he met
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with no other affront from Apollion quite through this valley. Now at the end
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of this valley was an called the valley of the Shadow of Death, and
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Christian must needs go through it, because the way to the celestial city lay
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through the midst of it. Now this valley is a very solitary place.
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The prophet Jeremiah thus describes it a wilderness, a land of deserts and pits,
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a land of drought and of the shadow of death, a land that
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no man but a Christian passeth through, and where no man dwelt Jeremiah two
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six. Now Here Christian was worse put to it than in his fight with
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Apollion, as by the sequel you shall see. I saw then in my
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dream that when Christian was got to the borders of the Shadow of Death,
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there met him two men, children of them that brought up an evil report
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of the good land numbers thirteen thirty two, making haste to go back,
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to whom Christians spake, as follows, Christian, whither are you going?
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The two men? They said, back back, and we would have you
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do so too, if either life or peace is prized by you. Christian,
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Why, what's the matter, said Christian? The two men matter,
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said they. We were going that way as you are going, and went
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as far as we just, and indeed we were almost past coming back,
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for had we gone a little further, we had not been here to bring
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the news to thee Christian. But what have you met with, said Christian?
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The two men, Why, we were almost in the valley of the
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shadow of Death. But that, by good hap, we looked before us
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and saw the danger before we came to it Psalm forty four, nineteen one
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hundred and seven nineteen. Christian, But what have you seen, said Christian
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the two men scene. Why the valley it s, which is as dark
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as pitch. We also saw there the hobgoblins, the satters, and dragons
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of the pit. We heard also in that valley a continual howling and yelling,
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as of a people under unutterable misery, who there sat bound in affliction
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and irons. And over that valley hung the discouraging clouds of confusion. Death
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also doth always spread his wings over it. In a word, it is
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every whit dreadful, being utterly without order Job three five ten twenty two.
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Christian then said, Christian, I perceive not yet by what you have said,
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but that this is my way to the desired haven Psalm forty four eighteen
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and nineteen Jeremiah two six. The two men be it thy way, we
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will not choose it for hours. So they parted, and Christian went on
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his way, but still with his sword drawn in his hand, for fear
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les he should be assaulted. I saw then in my dream, so far
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as this valley reached, there was on the right hand a very deep ditch.
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That ditch is it into which the blind have led the blind in all
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ages, and have both there miserably perished. Again, behold, on the
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left hand there was a very dangerous quag, into which if even a good
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man falls, he finds no bottom for his foot to stand on. Into
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that quag, King David once did fall, and had no doubt therein been
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smothered, had not he that is able, plucked him out Psalm sixty nine
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fourteen. The pathway was here also exceeding narrow, and therefore good Christian was
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the more put to it, for when he sow it in the dark to
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shun the ditch, on the one hand, he was ready to tip over
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into the mire. On the other, also, when he sought to escape
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the mire without great carefulness, he would be ready to fall into the ditch.
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Thus he went on, and I heard him here sigh bitterly. For
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besides the danger engined above, the pathway was here so dark that ofttimes,
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when he lifted up his foot to go forward, he knew not where or
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upon what he should set it. Next, about the midst of this valley
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I perceived the mouth of Hell to be, and it stood also hard by
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the wayside. Now thought Christian, what shall I do? And ever and
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anon the flame and smoke would come out in such abundance with sparks and hideous
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noises, things that cared not for Christian's sword, as did Apollon before that
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he was forced to put up his sword and betake himself to another weapon,
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caught cold or prayer Ephesians six eighteen. So he cried in my hearing,
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O Lord, I beseech THEE deliver my soul, Psalm one hundred and sixteen
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four. Thus he went on a great while, Yet still the flames would
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be reaching towards him. Also he heard doleful voices and rushings to and fro,
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so that sometimes he thought he should be torn in pieces, or trodden
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down like Maya in the streets. This frightful sight was seen, and these
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dreadful noises were heard by him for several miles together, and coming to a
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place where he thought he heard a company of fiends coming forward to meet him,
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he stopped and began to muse what he had best to do. Sometimes
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he had half a thought to go back. Then again he thought he might
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be halfway through the valley. He remembered also how he had already vanquished many
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a danger, and that the danger of going back might be much more than
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for to go forward. So he resolved to go on. Yet the fiends
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seemed to come nearer and nearer. But when they were come even almost at
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him, he cried out with a most vehement voice, I will walk in
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the strength of the Lord God. So they gave back and came no farther.
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One thing I would not let slip. I took notice that now poor
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Christian was so confounded that he did not know his own voice, and thus
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I perceived it. Just when he was come over against the mouth of the
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burning pit, one of the wicked ones got behind him and stepped up softly
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to him and whisperingly suggested many grievous blasphemies to him, which he verily thought
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had proceeded from his own mind. This put Christian more to it than anything
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that he had met with before. Even to think that he should now blaspheme
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him that he loved so much before. Yet if he could have helped it,
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he would not have done it. But he had not the discretion either
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to stop his ears or to know from whence these blasphemies came. When Christian
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had traveled in this disconsolate condition some considerable time, he thought he heard the
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voice of a man as going before him, saying, though I walk through
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the valley of the shadow of Death. I will fear no evil, for
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thou art with me Psalm twenty three four. Then he was glad, and
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that for these reasons. First because he gathered from thence that some who feared
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God were in this valley as well as himself. Secondly, for that he
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perceived God was with them, though in that dark and dismal state. And
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why not thought he with me, though by reason of the impediment that attends
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this place, I cannot perceive it Job nine eleven. Thirdly, for that
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he hoped, could he overtake them to have company by and by? So
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he went on and called to him that was before, But he knew not
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what to answer. For that, he also thought himself to be alone,
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and by and by the day broke, Then said Christian. He had turned
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the shadow of death into the morning Amos five eight. Now morning being calme,
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he looked back, not out of desire to return, but to see
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by the light of the day what hazard he had gone through in the da
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dark. So he saw more perfectly the ditch that was on the one hand,
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and the quag that was on the other. Also, how narrow the
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way was, which led betwixt them both. Also now he saw the hobgoblins
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and satters and dragons of the pit, but all afar off, for after
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break of day they came not nigh. Yet they were discovered to him.
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According to that which is written, He discovereth deep things out of darkness,
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and bringeth out to light the shadow of Death Job twelve twenty two. Now
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was Christian much affected with this deliverance from all the dangers of his solitary way,
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which dangers, though he feared them much before, yet he saw them
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more clearly now, because the light of the day made them conspicuous to him.
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And about this time the sun was rising. And this was another mercy
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to Christian. For you must note that though the first part of the valley
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of the Shadow of Death was dangerous, yet the second part, which he
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was yet to go, was, if possible, far more dangerous. For
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from the place where he now stood, even to the end of the valley,
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the way was all along set, so full of snares, traps,
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jins and nets here, and so full of pits, pitfalls, deep holes
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and shelvings down there, that had it now been dark as it was when
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he came the first part of the way. Had he had a thousand souls,
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they hadn't reason been cast away. But as I said, just now
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the sun was rising. Then said he his candle shineth on my head,
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and by his light I go through darkness Joe twenty nine three. In this
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light, therefore he came to the end of the valley. Now I saw
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in my dream that at the end of the valley lay blood, bones,
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ashes, and mangled bodies of men, even of pilgrims that had gone this
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way formerly. And while I was musing what should be the reason, I
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spied a little before me a cave where two giants, Pope and Pagan dwelt
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in old times, by whose power and tyranny. The men whose bones,
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blood, ashes, etc. Lay there were cruelly put to death. But
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by this place Christian went without much danger. Whereat I somewhat wondered. But
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I have learnt since that Pagan had been dead many a day. And as
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for the other, though he be yet alive, he is by reason of
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age, and also of the many shrewd brushes that he met with in his
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younger days, grown so crazy and stiff in his joints, that he can
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now do little more than sit in his cave's mouth, grinning at pilgrim's as
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they go by, and biting his nails because he cannot come at them.
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So I saw that Christian went on his way. Yet at the sight of
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the old man that sat at the mouth of the cave, he could not
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tell what to think, especially because he spoke to him, though he could
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not go after him, saying, you will never mend to more of you
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be burned. But he held his peace and set a good face on it,
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and so went by and catched no hurt. Then, sang Christian,
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O world of wonders, I can say no less that I should be preserved
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in that distress that I have met with here. Oh, blessed be that
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hand that from it hath delivered me. Dangers and darkness, devils, hell
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and sin did compass me while I this veil was in yea. Snares and
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pits and traps and nets did lie my path about that worthless silly eye might
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have been catched and tangled and cast down. But since I live, let
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Jesus wear the crown. End Part one, the fourth stage