Latest / Reformed Thinking / The Pilgrim's Progress by John Bunyan - The Slough of Despond

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The Pilgrim's Progress by John Bunyan - The Slough of Despond · Reformed Thinking

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  Sound of reformed thinking, podcast intro Music fading.
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  Welcome to the deep dive. Today we're opening up a a real
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  classic. We're going to get into the
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  initial scenes of a very significant allegorical story,
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  one that lays out a spiritual path and everything we talk
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  about. It's coming straight from our
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  source material. Notes and excerpts from this
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  well known work. That's right.
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  And our aim in this deep dive really is just to unpack what's
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  going on in these opening moments.
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  What are these first challenges these first scenes tell us all
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  Based the text itself, of course.
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  OK, let's jump in. So we first meet Christian, our
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  main character, just after this other fellow, obstinate has
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  already turned back, right? Christian's walking along, but
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  he's with someone else now, pliable.
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  And right away, the source tells us, Christian has this central
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  problem. He's carrying out well, a heavy
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  burden upon his back. Yeah, and the source really
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  makes you picture it, doesn't It talks about it being literally
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  on his back, upon his back. It even effects how he moves,
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  his burden manner. The text calls it a heavy
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  burden. It's very physical in the
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  description. So what kind of effects does the
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  source say this burden actually has on him?
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  It sounds like it's more than just, you know, uncomfortable.
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  Oh definitely. The text makes it clear.
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  It really slows him down. He says himself I cannot go so
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  fast as I would. And it affects his family life
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  too, his relationships. He says he loses pleasure in his
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  wife and children. Feels as if I had none.
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  That's a quite serious. It is.
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  It causes him great distress. He even says it's more terrible
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  than a whole list of dangers the source gives, like weariness,
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  pain, hunger, lions, death, all sorts of things.
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  So this burden, it's causing intense internal suffering and
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  he feels stuck with it, He says I cannot get the burden off
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  myself, and apparently no one in his country can help him either.
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  Right. And later on, doesn't Mr.
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  worldly wise man notice this? He does.
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  He sees Christian's laborious going and his size and groans,
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  sees it as clear evidence of this heavy load he's carrying.
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  And where did this burden come from?
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  How did he get it according to the source?
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  The text links it directly to reading.
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  It says it came upon him by reading this book in my hand.
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  Interesting. So it's tied to this book he's
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  reading. But OK, even with this awful
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  burden, Christian is actually heading somewhere, isn't he?
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  He's got this great hope and he tells Pliable about it.
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  What's the destination like? Based on the source?
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  Ah. Yes, the source paints this
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  picture of an endless Kingdom. It talks about everlasting life.
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  There are crowns of glory, shining garments so bright
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  people shine like the sun. It's described as a place with
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  no more sorrow, no more crying because God will wipe all tears
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  from our eyes. Quite a contrast to his current
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  state A. Huge contrast and the company
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  there is amazing to Seraphims and cherubims.
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  Thousands upon thousands of loving and holy people.
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  It even mentions those who suffer terribly in the world but
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  are now all well and clothed with immortality.
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  That really does sound like an incredible promise.
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  How does the source say someone gets these things?
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  It's quite. Specific The governor of the
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  country, it says, has recorded it in that same book.
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  If a person is truly willing to receive it, he will bestow it
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  upon us freely. Freely given just requires being
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  truly willing. That seems like a key detail
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  from the source and pliable. How does he react when he first
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  hears all this? Well, initially he's really
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  taken with it, the source says. Hearing it was very pleasant to
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  him. It even says it was enough to
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  ravish one's heart. He gets all eager and wants to
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  mend our pace. Hurry up.
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  So he's excited at first. Very, which is different from
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  Obstinate, who turned back earlier.
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  Christian thinks Obstinate just didn't feel the powers and
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  terrors of what is yet unseen, the things that were driving
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  Christian forward despite his burden.
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  Right. OK, so they're feeling hopeful.
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  Pliable's keen to hurry, and then they hit the first real
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  snag. What happens next?
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  Well, the text says, just after this conversation, they come up
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  to a very miry slow right in the middle of the plane they're
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  crossing. A slew like a bog.
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  Exactly. And it says they were heedless,
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  not paying attention, and they both fall suddenly into the bog.
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  It's actually got a name. Despond.
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  Despond. OK, and they're stuck.
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  They wallowed for a time, being grievously bedaubbed with the
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  dirt just covered in muck. And Christian situation in this
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  Slough, it connects back to his burden again, doesn't it?
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  Yes, the source points that out. It says because of the burden
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  that was upon his back, Christian started to sink in the
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  mire. The weight is pulling him down.
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  So how does pliable handle this getting suddenly stuck in the
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  mud? Pliable.
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  Oh, he reacts immediately and he's not happy.
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  He began to be offended and angrily said to his fellow.
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  What did he say? He basically demands is this the
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  happiness you have told me all this while of He's shocked,
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  worried about what else might happen if things are this bad
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  right at the start. And what does he decide to do?
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  He makes up his mind pretty fast.
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  He declares, May I get out again with my life?
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  You shall possess the brave country alone for me.
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  He's giving up. Completely.
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  He makes a desperate struggle or two, manages to get out, but
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  crucially he gets out on the side which was next to his own
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  house. So he heads back the way he
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  came. That's it.
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  So away he went, and Christian saw him no more.
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  And the source tells us a bit about what happened to Pliable
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  when he got home. It does.
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  It says his neighbors had, well, mixed reactions.
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  Some thought he was wise to come back.
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  Others called him a fool. Some made fun of him for being
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  scared, but then it's as later as Pliable got more confidence.
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  They sort of changed their tune. They all turn their tails and
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  began to drive poor Christian behind his back.
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  So Christian gets left behind, not just physically but in
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  reputation too, it seems. And he's still stuck in the
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  slow. Still stuck, the source says.
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  He tries to get out, struggling towards the wicked gate, his
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  goal, but he just could not get out because of the burden that
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  was upon his back. That burden is always the issue.
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  But then someone to help? Yes, just when he's struggling,
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  a man named Help shows up. Help asks him, You know, why are
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  you here? Christian explains that
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  Evangelist sent him towards the gate to escape the coming wrath,
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  and he just fell in here on the way.
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  And help asks about some steps. Right Help asks why he didn't
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  look for the steps, and Christian's answer is quite
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  telling, I think. He says fear followed me so hard
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  that I fled the next way and fell in.
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  He was running from fear and wasn't looking carefully.
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  Then the narrator asks help this really fundamental question,
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  doesn't he? Since this bog is right on the
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  main pass, why isn't it fixed? Why isn't it mended that poor
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  travelers might go thither with more security?
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  And help gives a very detailed answer straight from the source.
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  He says this miry slow is such a place as cannot be mended.
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  Cannot be mended. Why not?
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  Because, Help explains, it's the place where the scum and filth
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  that attends conviction for sin does continually run.
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  It's like a drain for all the negative feelings that come with
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  recognizing one's sinfulness. So.
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  It's an allegory for what, exactly?
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  Help clarifies As the Sinner is awakened about his lost
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  condition, there arises in his soul many fears and doubts and
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  discouraging apprehensions, which all of them get together
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  and settle in this place. That's why the ground is so bad
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  there. It's the accumulation of despair
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  from conviction. That's a, well, a very vivid
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  picture, not just mud, but the internal state of someone under
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  conviction. Did the source say people trying
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  to fix it? Yes, it mentions that the king
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  doesn't actually want it to be this bad.
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  Laborers have apparently been working on it for above these
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  1600 years. Wow.
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  A long time. A very long time, and they've
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  brought millions of wholesome instructions, which the text
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  calls the best materials. But despite all that effort,
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  Help says it is the slow of despond still.
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  So human efforts, instructions, yeah, They don't ultimately
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  solve this problem of despondency arising from
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  conviction. That seems to be what the source
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  suggests. All those instructions, all that
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  work, haven't changed its fundamental nature.
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  It will be the slow of despond when they have done what they
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  can. But there is a way through it
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  mentioned in the text. Yes, there is help points out
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  that by the direction of the lawgiver, there are certain good
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  and substantial steps placed even through the very midst of
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  the slow. Steps OK.
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  These steps are the intended way across, but there's a catch.
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  When the slow is churning up all that filth, the steps are hardly
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  seen. Or sometimes people are just too
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  dizzy, too panicked maybe from that fear Christian mentioned.
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  And they miss the steps even if they are visible.
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  And they still get covered in mire.
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  Right, but help does add that the ground is good when they are
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  once got in at the gate. So the trouble is mainly getting
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  there and negating this slow. OK, so help assist.
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  Christian pulls him out, explains the nature of the slow
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  and the steps, and Christian carries on alone again, heading
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  for the gate. Who does he meet next?
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  His next encounter is with a gentleman whose name was Mr.
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  Worldly Wise Man. Worldly wise man, the name says
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  a lot. Where's he from?
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  He lives in a town called Carnal Policy.
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  Again, the names are quite suggestive in this source.
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  Definitely. So how does this Mr. worldly
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  wise man approach Christian? What does he notice?
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  Well, he sees Christians struggling along the laborious
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  going the size and groans, and he notices he's still covered in
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  the dirt of the slow of Despond. So he sees the evidence of
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  Christians struggles. Yes, and he immediately jumps to
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  a conclusion. Christian must be on a dangerous
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  and troublesome way. And what's his main advice for
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  Christian? His number one piece of counsel
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  is direct with all speed. Get thyself rid of thy burden.
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  Just get rid of it. Yes, he insists.
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  Christian will never be settled in your mind till then, nor
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  canst thou enjoy the benefits of the blessing which God hath
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  bestowed upon thee till then. His solution is all about
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  removing the burden to find peace and enjoy life's
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  blessings. And he's pretty critical of the
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  path Christian was actually on the 1 towards the wicked.
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  Gate. Oh, very critical.
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  He calls it the most dangerous and troublesome way in the
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  world. He says the slew of Despond was
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  just the beginning of the Sorrows, warning him about many
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  more dangers ahead on that route.
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  Does he say why Christian is in this state?
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  He sort of blames Christian, suggesting his problems come
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  from meddling with things too high for them, implying this
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  focus on his burden on conviction is maybe unnecessary
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  or getting him into trouble. So wordly, Wise Man offers an
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  alternative path, a different way to handle the burden.
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  That's exactly it. He offers a way to find relief,
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  to get ease from the burden, but without the dangers he claims
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  are on Christian's current path. He points him towards a village
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  called Morality. Morality.
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  OK, And who does he say lives there?
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  Who can help? He recommends A gentleman named
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  Legality. Worldly Wiseman praises him,
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  calls him a very judicious man and a man of a very good name,
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  someone who has the skill to help men off with such burdens.
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  Skillful at removing burdens. Yes, and if legality isn't
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  available, his son Civility can apparently help too.
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  Worldly Wiseman really sells this path, claiming it offers
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  much safety, friendship and content.
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  Any other benefits mentioned? Yes, practical ones too, he
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  says. Living in a reality is cheap,
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  and Christian would be among honest neighbors in credit and
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  good fashion. It sounds respectable, secure,
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  socially acceptable. Quite different from wallowing
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  in a slow. So the source presents this
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  contrast, the difficult path towards the gate, versus this
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  seemingly easier, safer, more socially acceptable path offered
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  by worldly wise men involving legality and civility in the
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  village of morality. Right, it's set up as a clear
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  choice. How does Christian react?
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  He's desperate to lose the burden.
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  He is, the source says. He was somewhat at a stand.
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  He hesitated for a moment, but then presently he concluded.
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  If this be true, my wisest course is to take his advice.
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  He buys it. He does.
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  He's persuaded that this alternative way sounds better,
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  wiser for getting rid of the burden.
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  So he actually turns off his original path, the one leading
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  to the wicket gate, and starts heading towards Mr. Legality's
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  house in Morality. And what happens almost
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  immediately as he takes this new path?
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  Well, worldly wise man had mentioned going by that hill as
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  Christian gets near it, the source says the hill looks so
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  high and the side next to the path did hang so much over that
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  Christian becomes terrified. He's afraid to venture further,
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  lest the hill should fall on his head.
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  Just the look of the hill is frightening, but there's more.
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  Isn't there something else about the hill?
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  Yes, a really alarming detail, the text says.
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  There came also flashes of fire out of the hill fire.
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  So now he's afraid he should be burned.
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  Wow. So this path to legality,
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  supposedly safer, immediately presents this terrifying, fiery
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  overhanging hill. How does this affect Christian?
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  He's absolutely terrified, the source says.
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  He sweat and did quake for fear. And here's the crucial part.
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  His burden, the very thing he turned aside to get rid of more
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  easily, now seemed heavier to him than while he was in his way
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  towards the gate. It got worse.
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  Taking the easier path made the burden feel heavier.
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  That's what the source says. The attempt to find an easier
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  way avoiding the Slough and the narrow gate led him to a place
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  of greater fear and a heavier feeling burden.
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  So where does that leave him at the end of this section?
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  It leaves him stopped dead in his tracks, shaking with fear,
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  completely unsure what to do next.
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  And the text says he began to be sorry that he had taken Mr.
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  Worldly Wise Men's counsel. Deep regret setting in already.
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  OK, let's just recap what we've seen in these initial scenes
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  based on the source. Christian starts with this heavy
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  burden linked to reading a book, causing him immense distress but
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  also giving him hope for a future destination.
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  He immediately hits the Slough of Despond, representing as help
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  explains the fears and doubts from conviction for sin.
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  It's a place human effort can't fix, though there are steps
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  provided. Right.
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  And his companion, Pliable, quickly gives up when things get
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  messy. Christian gets help, learns
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  about the Slough, but then meets worldly wise man.
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  Who offers what seems like a much easier, more respectable
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  way to get rid of the burden? Go see legality in the Village
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  of Morality. Avoid the hard path.
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  But the moment Christian takes that advice, he runs into this
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  terrifying hill that flashes fire.
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  His fear increases and his burden feels even heavier.
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  He ends up regretting his choice.
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  Yeah, the source really lays out these two distinct ways of
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  dealing with that initial burden and conviction, doesn't it?
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  One path involves facing the difficulty like the Slough,
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  relying on help, well, like help, and looking for the given
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  steps. The other involves seeking
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  relief through human systems, rules, worldly advice, legality,
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  morality, civility. And that second path, according
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  to this text, immediately leads to greater fear and a heavier
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  load right by that hill. It certainly makes you think
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  about where the source suggests real relief is found, doesn't
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  it? When you're facing that kind of
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  burden or conviction, which path actually leads towards ease,
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  even if it looks harder at first?
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  A very pointed question raised by these early encounters.
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  Definitely something to ponder. Well, that's all we have time
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  for in this deep dive. Thanks for walking through this
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  with me. Good discussion.
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  My pleasure. And thank you for listening to
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  the deep dive.