The Pilgrim's Progress - Part Two
The Author's Way of Sending Forth His Second Part
of the Pilgrim | 1 | 2 | 3
| 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 |
8 | 9 | 10 | 11
| 12 | 13 | 14
| 15 | 16 | 17
| 18 | 19 | 20
| 21 | 22 | 23
| 24 | 25 | 26
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Righteousness
Now I saw in my dream, that they went on, and GREAT-HEART went before them; so they
went and came to the place where CHRISTIAN'S burden fell off his back and tumbled
into a sepulchre. Here, then, they made a pause; and here also they blessed God.
"Now," said CHRISTIANA, "it comes to my mind what was said to us at
the gate; to wit, that we should have pardon by word and deed: by word, that is,
by the promise; by deed, to wit, in the way it was obtained. What the promise is,
of that I know something; but what is it to have pardon by deed, or in the way that
it was obtained? Mr. GREAT-HEART, I suppose you know? wherefore, if you please, let
us hear your discourse thereof."
Great-heart. Pardon by the deed done is pardon obtained by some one for another
that hath need thereof; not by the person pardoned, but in the way, saith another,
in which I have obtained it. So, then, to speak to the question more largely, the
pardon that you and MERCY and these boys have attained was obtained by another: to
wit, by him that let you in at the gate. And he hath obtained it in this double way:
he has performed righteousness to cover you; and spilt blood to wash you in.
Chris. But if he parts with his righteousness to us, what will he have for
himself?
Great-heart. He has more righteousness than you have need of, or than he needs
himself.
Chris. Pray make that appear.
Great-heart. With all my heart; but first I must premise that he of whom we
are now about to speak is one that has not his fellow. He has two natures in one
person--plain to be distinguished, impossible to be divided. Unto each of these natures
a righteousness belongs; and each righteousness is essential to that nature. So that
one may as easily cause the nature to be extinct, as to separate its justice or righteousness
from it. Of these righteousnesses, therefore, we are not made partakers so as that
they, or any of them, should be put upon us that we might be made just, and live
thereby. Besides these, there is a righteousness which this Person has, as these
two natures are joined in one. And this is not the righteousness of the Godhead as
distinguished from the Manhood, nor the righteousness of the Manhood as distinguished
from the Godhead; but a righteousness which stands in the union of both natures,
and may properly be called the righteousness that is essential to his being prepared
of God to the capacity of the mediatory office which he was to be intrusted with.
If he parts with his first righteousness, he parts with his Godhead; if he parts
with his second righteousness, he parts with the purity of his Manhood; if he parts
with this third, he parts with that perfection that capacitates him to the office
of mediation. He has, therefore, another righteousness which stands in performance,
or obedience to a revealed will: and that is it that he puts upon sinners, and that
by which their sins are covered. Wherefore he saith, "As by one man's disobedience
many were made sinners, so by the obedience of One shall many be made righteous".
"For as by one man's disobedience many were
made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous."
~ Romans 5:19 ~
Chris. But are the other righteousnesses of no use to us?
Great-heart. Yes; for though they are essential to his natures and office,
and so cannot be communicated unto another, yet it is by virtue of them that the
righteousness that justifies is, for that purpose, efficacious. The righteousness
of his Godhead gives virtue to his obedience; the righteousness of his Manhood gives
capability to his obedience to justify; and the righteousness that stands in the
union of these two natures to his office, gives authority to that righteousness to
do the work of which it is ordained.
So then, here is a righteousness that Christ, as God, had no need of, for he is God
without it; here is a righteousness that Christ, as man, has no need of to make him
so, for he is perfect man without it; again, here is a righteousness that Christ,
as God-man, has no need of, for he is perfectly so without it. Here, then, is a righteousness
that Christ, as God, as man, as God-man, has no need of with reference to himself;
and therefore he can spare it,--a justifying righteousness, that he, for himself,
wants not, and therefore he gives it away. Hence 'tis called "The gift of righteousness".
"For if by one man's offence death reigned
by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness
shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ."
~ Romans 5:17 ~
This righteousness, since Christ Jesus the Lord was made himself under the law, must
be given away; for the law doth not only bind him that is under it to do justly,
but to use charity: wherefore he must--he ought by the law--if he hath two coats,
to give one to him that hath none. Now our Lord indeed hath two coats, one for himself
and one to spare; wherefore he freely bestows one upon those that have none. And
thus, CHRISTIANA, and MERCY, and the rest of you that are here, doth your pardon
come by deed, or by the work of another man. Your Lord Christ is he that has worked,
and has given away what he wrought for to the next poor beggar he meets.
But again, in order to pardon by deed, there must something be paid to God as a price,
as well as something prepared to cover us withal. Sin has delivered us up to the
just curse of a righteous law. Now from this curse we must be justified by way of
redemption, a price being paid for the harms we have done; and this is by the blood
of your Lord, who came and stood in your place and stead, and died your death for
your transgressions.
"But for us also, to whom it shall be imputed,
if we believe on him that raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead;"
~ Romans 4:24 ~
Thus has he ransomed you from your transgressions by blood, and covered your polluted
and deformed souls with righteousness. For the sake of which God passes by you, and
will not hurt you, when he comes to judge the world.
"Christ hath redeemed us from the curse
of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every
one that hangeth on a tree:"
~ Galations 3:13 ~
Chris. This is brave. Now I see that there was something to be learnt by our
being pardoned by word and deed. Good MERCY, let us labour to keep this in mind;
and, my children, do you remember it also. But, Sir, was not this it that made my
good CHRISTIAN'S burden fall from off his shoulder, and that made him give three
leaps for joy?
Great-heart. Yes, 'twas the belief of this that cut those strings that could
not be cut by other means; and 'twas to give him a proof of the virtue of this that
he was suffered to carry his burden to the cross.
Chris. I thought so; for though my heart was lightsome and joyous before,
yet it is ten times more lightsome and joyous now. And I am persuaded by what I have
felt, though I have felt but little as yet, that if the most burdened man in the
world were here, and did see and believe as I now do, 'twould make his heart the
more merry and blithe.
Great-heart. There is not only comfort and ease of a burden brought to us
by the sight and consideration of these, but an endeared affection begot in us by
it. For who can, if he doth but once think that pardon comes--not only by promise,
but thus--but be affected with the way and means of his redemption, and so with the
Man that hath wrought it for him?
Chris. True; methinks it makes my heart bleed to think that he should bleed
for me. O thou loving One! O thou blessed One! Thou deservest to have me; Thou hast
bought me. Thou deservest to have me all; Thou hast paid for me ten thousand times
more than I am worth. No marvel that this made the water stand in my husband's eyes;
and that it made him trudge so nimbly on. I am persuaded he wished me with him; but,
vile wretch that I was, I let him come all alone! O MERCY, that thy father and mother
were hear; yea, and Mrs. TIMOROUS also! Nay, I wish now with all my heart that here
was MADAM WANTON too. Surely, surely their hearts would be affected; nor could the
fear of the one, nor the powerful lusts of the other, prevail with them to go home
again, and to refuse to become good pilgrims.
Great-heart. You speak now in the warmth of your affections; will it, think
you, be always thus with you? Besides, this is not communicated to everyone; nor
to everyone that did see your Jesus bleed. There were that stood by, and that saw
the blood run from his heart to the ground: and yet were so far off this, that instead
of lamenting, they laughed at him; and instead of becoming his disciples, did harden
their hearts against him. So that all that you have, my daughters, you have by a
peculiar impression made by a divine contemplating upon what I have spoken to you.
Remember that 'twas told you, that the hen, by her common call, gives no meat to
her chickens: this you have, therefore, by a special grace.
The End of Simple, Sloth and Presumption
Now I saw, still in my dream, that they went on until they were come to the place
that SIMPLE and SLOTH and PRESUMPTION lay and slept in when CHRISTIAN went by on
pilgrimage; and behold, they were hanged up in irons a little way off on the other
side.
Mercy. Then said MERCY to him that was their guide and conductor, "What
are those three men? and for what are they hanged there?"
Great-heart. These three men were men of very bad qualities: they had no minds
to be pilgrims themselves; and whomsoever they could they hindered. They were for
sloth and folly themselves; and whoever they could persuade they made so too; and
withal taught them to presume that they should do well at last. They were asleep
when CHRISTIAN went by; and now you go by, they are hanged.
Mercy. But could they persuade any to be of their opinion?
Great-heart. Yes, they turned several out of the way. There was SLOW-PACE
that they persuaded to do as they. They also prevailed with one SHORT-WIND; with
one NO-HEART; with one LINGER-AFTER-LUST; and with one SLEEPY-HEAD; and with a young
woman--her name was DULL--to turn out of the way and become as they. Besides, they
brought up an ill report of your Lord, persuading others that he was a taskmaster.
They also brought up an evil report of the good land, saying 'twas not half so good
as some pretend it was. They also began to defame his servants, and to count the
very best of them meddlesome, troublesome busybodies: further, they would call the
bread of God, husks: the comforts of his children, fancies; the travel and labour
of pilgrims, things to no purpose.
Chris. "Nay," said CHRISTIANA, "if they were such, they shall
never be bewailed by me; they have but what they deserve, and I think it is well
that they hang so near the highway, that others may see and take warning. But had
it not been well if their crimes had been engraven in some plate of iron or brass,
and left here, even where they did their mischiefs, for a caution to other bad men?
Great-heart. So it is, as you well may perceive, if you will go a little to
the wall.
Mercy. No, no; let them hang, and their names rot, and their crimes live for
ever against them. I think it a high favour that they were hanged afore we came hither:
who knows else what they might have done to such poor women as we are?
Then she turned it into a song, saying:
"Now then, you three, hang there, and be a sign
To all that shall against the truth combine;
And let him that comes after fear this end,
If unto pilgrims he is not a friend.
And thou, my soul, of all such men beware,
That unto holiness opposers are."
The Pilgrim's Progress - Part Two
The Author's Way of Sending Forth His Second Part
of the Pilgrim | 1 | 2 | 3
| 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 |
8 | 9 | 10 | 11
| 12 | 13 | 14
| 15 | 16 | 17
| 18 | 19 | 20
| 21 | 22 | 23
| 24 | 25 | 26
Back to Pilgrim's Homepage