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02 - The Pilgrim's Progress - John Bunyan · Sacred Texts Archive

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  Part two, the first stage. By this time Christiana was got on her
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  way, and Mercy went along with her. So as they went, her
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  children being there also, Christiana began to discourse, and Mercy said Christiana,
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  I take this as an unexpected favor, that thou shouldst set forth out of
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  doors with me, to accompany me a little in the way. Mercy then
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  said young Mercy, for she was but young. If I thought it would
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  be to purpose to go with you, I would never go near the town
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  any more. Christiana. Well, Mercy, said Christiana, cast in thy
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  lot with me. I well know what will be the end of our pilgrimage.
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  My husband is where he would not but be. For all the gold
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  in the Spanish minds, Nor shalt thou be rejected, though thou goest but
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  upon my invitation. The King who hath sent for me and my children is
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  one that delighteth in Mercy. Besides, if thou wilt, I will hire
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  THEE, and thou shalt go along with me as my servant. Yet we
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  will have all things in common betwixt THEE and me. Only go along with
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  me, Mercy. But how shall I be ascertained that I also should be
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  entertained. Had I this hope but from one that can tell, I would
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  make no stick at all, but would go, being helped by him that
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  can help, though the way was never so tedious. Christiana, Well,
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  loving Mercy, I will tell THEE what thou shalt do. Go with me
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  to the wicket gate, and there I will further inquire for THEE. And
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  if there thou shalt not meet with encouragement, I will be content that thou
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  return to thy place. I will also pay THEE for thy kindness which thou
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  ShoWest to me, and my chill in the accompanying of us in the way
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  that thou dost. Mercy. Then will I go thither and will take what
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  shall follow, And the Lord grant that my lot may therefore, even as
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  the King of Heaven shall have his heart upon me. Christiana then was glad
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  at heart, not only that she had a companion, but also that she
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  had prevailed upon this poor maid to fall in love with her own salvation.
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  So they went on together, and Mercy began to weep, then said Christiana.
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  Wherefore weepeth my sister, so Mercy, alas said she who can but
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  lament, that shall but rightly consider what a state and condition my poor relations
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  are in that yet remain in our sinful town. And that which makes my
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  grief the more heavy is because they have no instructor nor any to tell them
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  what is to come. Christiana, pity becomes pilgrims. And thou dost weep
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  for thy friends, as my good Christian did for me when he left me,
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  he mourned, for that I would not heed nor regard him. But
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  his lord and ours did gather up his tears and put them into his bottle.
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  And now both I and thou, and these my sweet bathes, are
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  reaping the fruit and benefit of them. I hope, Mercy, that these
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  tears of thine will not be lost. For the Truth has said that they
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  that so in tears shall reap in joy. And he that goeth forth and
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  weepeth bearing precious seed, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves
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  with him some one hundred and twenty six five and six. Then said Mercy,
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  let the most blessed be my guide, if it be his blessed will
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  unto his gait into his fold up to his hill. And let him never
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  suffer me to swerve or turn aside from his free grace and holy ways.
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  Whate'er shall me betide, And let him gather them of mine that I have
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  left behind. Lord, make them pray they may be Thine with all their
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  heart and mind. Now, my old friend proceeded and said, But when
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  Christiana came to the slow of Despond, she began to be at a stand.
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  For said she, this is the place in which my dear husband had
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  liked to have been smothered with mud. She perceived also that, notwithstanding the
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  command of the king to make this place for pilgrim's good, yet it was
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  rather worse than formerly. So I ask if that was true, Yes,
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  said the old gentleman. Too true, for many there be that pretend to
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  be the King's laborers, and that say they are for mending the King's highways,
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  who bring dirt and dung instead of stones, and so mar instead of
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  mending here. Christiana, therefore, with her boys, did make us stand,
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  but said, mercy, come, let us venture, only let us
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  be wary. Then they looked well to their steps and made a shift to
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  get staggering over. Yet Christiana had liked to have been in, and that
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  not once or twice. Now they had no sooner got over. But they
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  thought they heard words that said, unto them, blessed is she that believeth,
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  for there shall be a performance of those things which were told her from
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  the Lord Luke one forty five. Then they went on again and said,
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  Mercy to Christiana, had I as good ground to hope for a loving reception
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  at the wicket gate as you, I think no slow of despond would discourage
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  me, well said the other. You know your soul and I know mine,
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  And good friend, we shall all have enough evil before we come to
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  our journey's end. For can it be imagined that the people who designed to
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  attain such excellent glories as we do, and who are so envied that happiness
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  as we are, but that we shall meet with what fears and snares,
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  with what troubles and afflictions they can possibly assault us with that hate us.
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  And now mister Sagacaity left me to dream out my dream by myself. Wherefore
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  methought I saw Christiana and Mercy and the boys go, all of them up
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  to the gate, to which when they were come, they betook themselves to
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  a short debate about how they must manage their calling at the gate and whatch
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  to be said? Unto him that did open to them. So it was
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  concluded, since Christiana was the eldest, that she should not for entrance,
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  and that she should speak to him that did open for the rest. So
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  Christiana began to knock, as her poor husband did. She knocked and knocked
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  again, but instead of any that answered, they all thought they heard as
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  if a dog came barking upon them, a dog, and a great one
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  too, And this made the women and children afraid nor durst they fall while
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  to knock any more, for fear the mastiff should fly upon them. Now
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  therefore they were greatly tumbled up and down in their minds, and knew not
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  what to do. Knock, they durst, not for fear of the dog.
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  Go back, they durst not for fear the keeper of that gate should
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  aspy them as they so went, and should be offended with them. At
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  last, they thought of knocking again, and knocked more vehemently than they did
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  at first. Then said the keeper of the gate, who is there?
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  So the dog left off to Baq, and he opened unto them. Then
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  Christiana made low obeisance and said, let not our lord be offended with his
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  handmaidens, for that we have knocked at his princely gate. Then said the
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  keeper, whence come ye? And what is it that ye would have?
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  Christiana answered, we are come from whence Christian did come, and upon the
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  same errand as he to wit to be, if it shall please you,
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  graciously admitted by this gate into the way that leads unto the celestial city.
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  And I answer, my lord in the next place, that I am Christiana,
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  once the wife of Christian, that now is gotten above. With that,
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  the keeper of the gate did marvel, saying, what is she now
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  become a pilgrim that but a while ago aboard that life. Then she bowed
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  her head and said, said, yea, and so are these my sweet
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  babes. Also then he took her by the hand and led her in,
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  and said, also, suffer little children to come unto me. And with
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  that he shut up the gate. This done, he called to a trumpeter
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  that was above over the gate to entertain Christiana with shouting and the sound of
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  trumpet for joy. So he obeyed and sounded and filled the air with his
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  melodious notes. Now all this while poor Mercy did stand without trembling and crying,
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  for fear that she was rejected. But when Christiana had got admittance for
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  herself and her boys, then she began to make intercession for Mercy. Christiana,
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  and she said, my Lord, I have a companion that stands yet
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  without, that has come hither upon the same account as myself, one that
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  is much dejected in her mind, for that she comes as she thinks,
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  without sending, for whereas I was sent for by my husband's king to come.
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  Now Mercy began to be very impatient, and each minute was as long
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  to her as an hour. Wherefore she prevented Christiana from a fuller interceding for
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  her by knocking at the gate herself. And she knocked then so loud that
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  she made Christiana to start. Then said the keeper of the gate, who
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  is there? And Christiana said it is my friend. So he opened the
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  gate and looked out. But Mercy was fallen down without in a swoon,
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  for she fainted and was afraid that no gate should be opened to her.
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  Then he took her by the hand and said, damsel, I bid thee
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  arise, Oh, sir, said she, I am faint. There is
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  scarce life left in me. But he answered that one once said when my
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  soul fainted within me, I remembered the Lord, and my prayer came unto
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  THEE into thy holy temple Jonah two seven. Fear not, but stand upon
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  thy feet and tell me wherefore thou art come? Mercy, I am come
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  for that unto which I was never invited, as my friend Christiana was.
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  Hers was from the King, and mine was but from her. Wherefore I
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  fear I presume keep. Did she desire THEE to come with her to this
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  place? Mercy? Yes, And as my Lord sees, I am come.
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  And if there is any grace and forgiveness of sins to spare, I
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  beseech that thy poor handmaid be a partaker thereof. Then he took her again
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  by the hand and led her gently in, and said, I pray for
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  all them that believe on me, by what means soever they come unto me.
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  Then said he to those that stood by, fetch something and give it
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  to Mercy to smell on thereby to stay her faintings. So they fetched her
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  a bundle of mrh, and a while after she was revived. And now
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  were Christiana and her boys and Mercy received of the Lord at the head of
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  the way, and spoken kindly unto by him. Then said they yet further
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  unto him, we are sorry for our sins, and beg of our Lord
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  his pardon and further information what we must do. I grant pardon, said
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  he by word, and deed by word, in the promise of forgiveness,
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  by deed, in the way I obtained it. Take from the first from
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  my lips with a kiss, and the other as it shall be revealed.
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  Song of Solomon's one two John twenty twenty. Now I saw in my dream
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  that he spake many good words unto them, whereby they were greatly gladdened.
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  He also had them up to the top of the gate and showed them by
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  what deed they were saved, and told them withal that that sight they would
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  have again as they went along in the way to their comfort. So he
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  left them awhile in a summer parlor below, where they entered into talk by
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  themselves. And thus Christiana began, Oh, how glad am I that we
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  are got in hither mercy, So you well may, but I of all
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  have cause to leap for joy. Christiana, I thought one time, as
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  I stood at the gate, because I had knocked, and Nune did answer
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  that all our labor had been lost, especially when that ugly cur made such
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  a heavy barking against us. Mercy. But my worst fear was after I
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  saw that you were taking into his favor and that I was left behind.
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  Now thought I it is fulfilled which is written two women shall be grinding at
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  the mill. The one shall be taken and the other left Matthew, twenty
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  four forty one. I had much ado to forbear, crying out undone,
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  and afraid I was to knock any more. But when I looked up to
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  what was written over the gate, I took courage. I also thought that
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  I must either knock again or die. So I knocked, But I cannot
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  tell how, for my spirit now struggled between life and death. Christiana,
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  can you not tell how you knocked? I am sure your knocks were so
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  earnest that the very sound of them made me start. I thought I never
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  heard such knocking in all my life. I thought you would come in by
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  a violent hand, or take the kingdom by storm. Matthew eleven twelve.
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  Mercy, alas to be in my case? Who that so as could but
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  have done so? You saw that the door was shut upon me, and
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  there was a most cruel dog thereabout, who I say that was so fainthearted
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  as I would not have knocked with all their might. But pray, what
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  said my lord to my rudeness? Was he not angry with me? Christiana?
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  When he heard your lumbering noise? He gave a wonderful, innocent smile.
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  I believe what you did pleased him well, for he showed no sign
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  to the contrary. But I marvel in my heart why he keeps such a
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  dog. Had I known that before, I should not have had heart enough
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  to have ventured myself in this manner. But now we are in. We
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  are in, and I am glad with all my heart, Mercy. I
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  will ask, if you please, next time he comes down, why he
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  keeps such a filthy cur in his yard. I hope he will not take
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  it amiss. Do so, said the children, and persuade him to hang
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  him, for we are afraid he will bite us when we go. Hence,
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  so at last he came down to them again, and Mercy fell to
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  the ground on her face before him and worshiped, and said, let my
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  lord accept the sacrifice of praise which I now offer unto him with the calves
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  of my lips, said he unto her peace, be to thee stand up.
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  But she continued upon her face and said, righteous art thou, o
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  Lord, when I plead with thee, Yet let me talk with THEE of
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  thy judgments Jeremiah twelve one. Wherefore dost thou keep so cruel a dog in
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  thy yard, at the sight of which such women and children as we are
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  ready to fly from thy gait for fear? He answered, and said,
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  that dog has another owner. He also is kept close in another man's ground.
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  Only my pilgrims hear his barking. He belongs to the castle which you
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  see there at a distance, but can come up to the walls of this
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  place. He has frightened many an honest pilgrim from worse to better by the
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  great voice of his roaring. Indeed, he that owneth him doth not keep
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  him out of any good will to me or mine, but with intent to
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  keep the pilgrims from coming to me, and that they may be afraid to
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  come and knock at this gate for entrance. Sometimes also he has broken out
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  and has worried some that I loved. But I take all at present patiently.
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  I also give my pilgrims timely help, so that they are not delivered
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  to his power to do with them what his doggish nature would prompt him to
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  do. But what my purchased one I trow. Hadst thou known never so
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  much beforehand, thou wouldst not have been afraid of a dog. The beggars
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  that go from door to door will, rather than lose a supposed arms,
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  run the hazard of the bawling, barking, and biting two of a dog.
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  And shall a dog a dog in another man's yard, a dog whose
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  barking I turned to the profit of pilgrims keep any from coming to me.
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  I delivered them from the lions at my darling, from the power of the
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  dog Psalm twenty two, twenty one and twenty two. Mercy then said,
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  Mercy, I confess my ignorance. I spake what I understood, not I
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  acknowledge that thou doest all things well Christiana. Then Christiana began to talk of
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  their journey and to inquire after the way. So he fed them and washed
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  their feet, and set them in the way of his steps, according as
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  he had dealt with her husband before. End Part two. The first stage