The Pilgrim's Progress - Part One
The Author's Apology for His Book | Introduction
| 3 | 4 | 5 | 6
| 7 | 8 | 9 | 10
| 11 | 12 | 13
| 14 | 15 | 16
| 17 | 18 | 19
| 20 | 21 | 22
| 23 | 24 | 25
| 26 | 27 | 28
| 29 | 30 | 31 | 32
| 33 | 34 | 35
| Conclusion
Back to Pilgrim's Homepage
Ignorance From Conceit
And I slept, and dreamed again; and saw the same two pilgrims going down the mountains,
along the high way towards the City. Now, a little below these mountains, on the
left hand, lies the country of "Conceit"; from which country there comes
into the way in which the pilgrims walked a little crooked lane. Here, therefore,
they met with a very brisk lad, that came out of that country; and his name was IGNORANCE.
So CHRISTIAN asked him, "From what part he came? and whither he was going?"
Ignorance. Sir, I was born in the country that lies off there, a little on
the left hand; and I am going to the Celestial City.
Chr. But how do you think to get in at the gate; for you may find some difficulty
there?
Ign. "As other good people do," said he.
Chr. But what have you to show at that gate that may cause that the gate should
be opened to you?
Ign. I know my Lord's will, and I have led a good life: I pay every man his
own; I pray, fast, pay tithes, and give alms, and have left my country for whither
I am going.
Chr. But thou camest not in at the wicket gate that is at the head of this
way; thou camest in hither through that same crooked lane: and therefore I fear,
however thou mayest think of thyself, when the reckoning day shall come, thou wilt
have laid to thy charge, that thou art a thief and a robber, instead of getting admittance
into the City.
Ign. Gentlemen, ye be utter strangers to me, I know you not; be content to
follow the religion of your country, and I will follow the religion of mine. I hope
all will be well. And as for the gate that you talk of, all the world knows that
that is a great way off of our country. I cannot think that any man in all our parts
doth so much as know the way to it; nor need they matter whether they do or not,
since we have, as you see, a fine pleasant green lane, that comes down from our country
the next way into it.
When CHRISTIAN saw that the man was wise in his own conceit, he said to HOPEFUL whisperingly,
"There is more hope of a fool than of him".
"Seest thou a man wise in his own conceit?
there is more hope of a fool than of him."
~ Proverbs 26:12 ~
And said, moreover, "When he that is a fool walks by the way, his wisdom fails
him; and he saith to everyone that he is a fool.
"Yea also, when he that is a fool walketh
by the way, his wisdom faileth him, and he saith to every one that
he is a fool."
~ Ecclesiastes 10:3 ~
What! shall we talk further with him? or outgo him at present, and so leave him to
think of what he hath heard already; and then stop again for him afterwards, and
see if by degrees we can do any good by him?" Then said HOPEFUL:
"Let IGNORANCE a little while now muse
On what is said; and let him not refuse
Good counsel to embrace, lest he remain
Still ignorant of what's the chiefest gain.
God saith 'Those that no understanding have
(Although he made them) them he will not save.'"
Hope. He further added, "It is not good, I think, to say all to him at
once; let us pass him by if you will, and talk to him anon, even as he is able to
bear it."
So they both went on; and IGNORANCE he came after. Now when they had passed him a
little way, they entered into a very dark lane; where they met a man whom seven devils
had bound with seven strong cords, and were carrying of him back to the door that
they saw in the side of the hill.
"Then goeth he, and taketh with himself
seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter in and dwell there:
and the last state of that man is worse than the first. Even so shall it be
also unto this wicked generation."
~ Matthew 12:45 ~
"His own iniquities shall take the wicked himself, and he shall be holden with
the cords of his sins."
~ Proverbs 5:22 ~
Now good CHRISTIAN began to tremble, and so did HOPEFUL his companion; yet as the
devils led away the man, CHRISTIAN looked to see if he knew him, and he thought it
might be one TURN-A-WAY, that dwelt in the town of Apostasy. But he did not perfectly
see his face, for he did hang his head like a thief that is found; but being gone
past, HOPEFUL looked after him, and espied on his back a paper with this inscription,
"Wanton professor, and damnable apostate."
The Story of Little-Faith
Then said CHRISTIAN to his fellow, "Now I call to remembrance that which was
told me of a thing that happened to a good man hereabout. The name of the man was
LITTLE-FAITH; but a good man, and he dwelt in the town of Sincere. The thing was
this: at the entering in of this passage, there comes down from Broadway gate a lane
called Deadman's Lane; so called because of the murders that are commonly done there.
And this LITTLE-FAITH going on pilgrimage, as we do now, chanced to sit down there,
and slept. Now there happened, at that time, to come down the lane from Broadway
gate three sturdy rogues, and their names were FAINT-HEART, MISTRUST, and GUILT (three
brothers); and they, espying LITTLE-FAITH where he was, came galloping up with speed.
Now the good man was just awaked from his sleep, and was getting up to go on his
journey; so they came all up to him, and, with threatening language, bade him stand.
At this, LITTLE-FAITH looked as white as a clout; and had neither power to fight
nor fly. Then said FAINT-HEART, 'Deliver thy purse;' but he making no haste to do
it (for he was loth to lose his money), MISTRUST ran up to him, and thrusting his
hand into his pocket, pulled out thence a bag of silver. Then he cried out, 'Thieves!
thieves!' With that, GUILT, with a great club that was in his hand, struck LITTLE-FAITH
on the head, and with that blow felled him flat to the ground; where he lay bleeding,
as one that would bleed to death. All this while the thieves stood by; but at last,
they hearing that some were upon the road, and fearing lest it should be one GREAT-GRACE,
that dwells in the city of Good-confidence, they betook themselves to their heels,
and left this good man to shift for himself. Now, after awhile, LITTLE-FAITH came
to himself; and getting up, made shift to scrabble on his way. This was the story."
Hope. But did they take from him all that ever he had?
Chr. No; the place where his jewels were they never ransacked, so those he
kept still; but, as I was told, the good man was much afflicted for his loss, for
the thieves got most of his spending money. That which they got not (as I said) were
jewels; also he had a little odd money left, but scarce enough to bring him to his
journey's end;
"And if the righteous scarcely be saved,
where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear?"
~ 1 Peter 4:18 ~
nay (if I was not misinformed), he was forced to beg as he went, to keep himself
alive (for his jewels he might not sell). But beg, and do what he could, he went
(as we say) "with many a hungry belly" the most part of the rest of the
way.
Hope. But is it not a wonder they got not from him his certificate by which
he was to receive his admittance at the Celestial Gate?
Chr. 'T is a wonder but they got not that, though they missed it not through
any good cunning of his; for he being dismayed with their coming upon him, had neither
power nor skill to hide anything: so 't was more by good providence than by his endeavour
that they missed of that good thing.
"That good thing which was committed unto
thee keep by the Holy Ghost which dwelleth in us."
~ 2 Timothy 1:14 ~
"The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptations, and to reserve
the unjust unto the day of judgment to be punished:"
~ 2 Peter 2:9 ~
Hope. But it must be a comfort to him that they got not his jewels from him.
Chr. It might have been great comfort to him, had he used it as he should;
but they that told me the story, said, That he made but little use of it all the
rest of the way; and that because of the dismay that he had in their taking away
of his money: indeed, he forgot it a great part of the rest of the journey. And besides,
when at any time it came into his mind, and he began to be comforted therewith, then
would fresh thoughts of his loss come again upon him; and those thoughts would swallow
up all.
Hope. Alas, poor man, this could not but be a great grief unto him.
Chr. Grief! Aye, a grief indeed; would it not have been so to any of us, had
we been used as he, to be robbed and wounded too, and that in a strange place, as
he was? 'Tis a wonder he did not die with grief, poor heart! I was told, that he
scattered almost all the rest of the way with nothing but doleful and bitter complaints.
Telling also to all that overtook him, or that he overtook in the way as he went,
where he was robbed, and how; who they were that did it, and what he lost; how he
was wounded, and that he hardly escaped with life.
Hope. But 'tis a wonder that his necessities did not put him upon selling
or pawning some of his jewels, that he might have wherewith to relieve himself in
his journey.
Chr. Thou talkest like one upon whose head is the shell to this very day;
for what should he pawn them? or to whom should he sell them? In all that country
where he was robbed his jewels were not accounted of, nor did he want that relief
which could from thence be administered to him; besides, had his jewels been missing
at the gate of the Celestial City, he had (and that he knew well enough) been excluded
from an inheritance there; and that would have been worse to him than the appearance
and villainy of ten thousand thieves.
Hope. Why art thou so tart, my brother? Esau sold his birthright, and that
for a mess of pottage; and that birthright was his greatest jewel:
"Lest there be any fornicator, or
profane person, as Esau, who for one morsel of meat sold his birthright."
~ Hebrew 12:16 ~
and if he, why might not LITTLE-FAITH do so too?
Chr. Esau did sell his birthright indeed, and so do many besides; and by so
doing, exclude themselves from the chief blessing, as also that knave did. But you
must put a difference betwixt Esau and LITTLE-FAITH; and also betwixt their estates.
Esau's birthright was typical; but LITTLE-FAITH'S jewels were not so. Esau's belly
was his god; but LITTLE-FAITH'S belly was not so.
"And Esau said, Behold, I am at the
point to die: and what profit shall this birthright do to me?"
~ Genesis 25:32 ~
Esau's want lay in his fleshly appetite; LITTLE-FAITH'S did not so. Besides, Esau
could see not further than to the fulfilling of his lusts: "For I am at the
point to die," said he; "and what good will this birthright do me?"
But LITTLE-FAITH, though it was his lot to have but a little faith, was by his little
faith kept from such extravagances, and made to see and prize his jewels more than
to sell them, as Esau did his birthright. You read not anywhere that Esau had faith,
no, not so much as a little: therefore no marvel, if where the flesh only bears sway
(as it will in the man where no faith is to resist), if he sells his birthright,
and his soul and all, and that to the devil of hell; for it is with such as it is
with the ass, who in her occasion cannot be turned away.
"A wild ass used to the wilderness, that
snuffeth up the wind at her pleasure; in her occasion who can turn her away? all
they that seek her will not weary themselves; in her month they shall find her."
~ Jeremiah 2:24 ~
When their minds are set upon their lusts, they will have them, whatever they cost.
But LITTLE-FAITH was of another temper, his mind was on things divine; his livelihood
was upon things that were spiritual, and from above: therefore, to what end should
he that is of such a temper sell his jewels (had there been any that would have bought
them), to fill his mind with empty things? Will a man give a penny to fill his belly
with hay? or can you persuade the turtledove to live upon carrion, like the crow?
Though faithless ones can, for carnal lusts, pawn, or mortgage, or sell what they
have, and themselves outright to boot; yet they that have faith, saving faith, though
but a little of it, cannot do so. Here, therefore, my brother, is thy mistake.
Hope. I acknowledge it; but yet your severe reflection had almost made me
angry.
Chr. Why, I did but compare thee to some of the birds that are of the brisker
sort, who will run to and fro in trodden paths with the shell upon their heads; but
pass by that and consider the matter under debate, and all shall be well betwixt
thee and me.
The Pilgrim's Progress - Part One
The Author's Apology for His Book | Introduction
| 3 | 4 | 5 | 6
| 7 | 8 | 9 | 10
| 11 | 12 | 13
| 14 | 15 | 16
| 17 | 18 | 19
| 20 | 21 | 22
| 23 | 24 | 25
| 26 | 27 | 28
| 29 | 30 | 31 | 32
| 33 | 34 | 35
| Conclusion
Back to Pilgrim's Homepage