The Pilgrim's Progress by John Bunyan Every Child Can Read
wherefore he served me so. He said, because of my secret inclining to
Adam the First. And, with that, he struck me another deadly blow on the
breast, and beat me down backwards; so I lay at his feet as dead as
before. So, when I came to myself again, I cried him mercy; but he said,
"I know not how to show mercy;" and, with that, he knocked me down
again. He had doubtless made an end of me, but that One came by, and bid
him forbear.
CHRIS. Who was that that bid him forbear?
FAITH. I did not know him at first; but, as He went by, I perceived the
holes in His hands and His side; then I concluded that He was our Lord.
So I went up the hill.
CHRIS. That man that overtook you was Moses. He spareth none, neither
knoweth he how to show mercy to those that disobey his law.
FAITH. I know it very well: it was not the first time that he has met
with me. It was he that came to me when I dwelt securely at home, and
that told me he would burn my house over my head if I stayed there.
CHRIS. But Did not you see the house that stood there, on the top of
that hill on the side of which Moses met you?
FAITH. Yes, and the lions too, before I came at it. But, for the lions,
I think they were asleep, for it was about noon; and because I had so
much of the day before me I passed by the Porter, and came down the
hill.
CHRIS. He told me, indeed, that he saw you go by; but I wished you had
called at the house, for they would have showed you so many rarities,
that you would scarce have forgot them to the day of your death. But
pray tell me, did you meet nobody in the Valley of Humility?
FAITH. Yes, I met with one Discontent, who would willingly have
persuaded me to go back again with him: his reason was, for that the
valley was altogether without honor. He told me, moreover, that there to
go was the way to disoblige all my friends, as Pride, Arrogancy,
Self-Conceit, Worldly-Glory, with others, who he knew, as he said, would
be very much offended if I made such a fool of myself as to wade through
this valley.
CHRIS. Well, and how did you answer him?
FAITH. I told him that, although all these that he named might claim
kindred of me, and that rightly (for, indeed, they were my relations
according to the flesh), yet, since I became a pilgrim, they have
disowned me, as I also have rejected them; and therefore they were to me
now no more than if they had never been of my lineage. I told him,
moreover, that as to this valley, he had quite misrepresented the thing;
for before honor is humility, and a haughty spirit before a fall.
"Therefore," said I, "I had rather go through this valley to the honor
that was so accounted by the wisest, than choose that which he esteemed
most worthy of our affections."
CHRIS. Met you with nothing else in that valley?
[Sidenote: SHAME A BOLD VILLAIN]
FAITH. Yes, I met with Shame; but, of all the men that I met with in my
pilgrimage, he I think, bears the wrong name. The others would take
"No" for an answer, at least after some words of denial; but this
bold-faced Shame would never have done.
CHRIS. Why, what did he say to you?
FAITH. What? why, he objected against religion itself. He said it was a
pitiful, low, sneaking business for a man to mind religion. He said that
a tender conscience was an unmanly thing; and that for a man to watch
over his words and ways, so as to tie up himself from that liberty that
the brave spirits of the times accustom themselves unto, would make him
the ridicule of all the people in our time. He objected also, that but a
few of the mighty, rich, or wise were ever of my opinion; nor any of
them neither, before they were persuaded to be fools, to venture the
loss of all for nobody else knows what. He, moreover, objected the base
and low estate and condition of those that were chiefly the pilgrims of
the times in which they lived; also their ignorance, and want of
understanding in all worldly knowledge. Yea, he did hold me to it at
that rate also, about a great many more things than here I relate; as,
that it was a shame to sit whining and mourning under a sermon, and a
shame to come sighing and groaning home; that it was a shame to ask my
neighbor forgiveness for petty faults, or to give back what I had taken
from any. He said also that religion made a man grow strange to the
great, because of a few vices (which he called by finer names), and
because religion made him own and respect the base, who were of the same
religious company; "and is not this," said he, "a shame?"
CHRIS. And what did you say to him?
FAITH. Say? I could not tell what to say at first. Yea, he put me so to
it that my blood came up in my face; even this Shame fetched it up, and
had almost beat me quite off. But at last I began to consider that that
which is highly esteemed among men is had in abomination with God. And I
thought again, This Shame tells me what men are, but it tells me nothing
what God, or the Word of God is. And I thought, moreover, that at the
day of doom we shall not be doomed to death or life according to the
spirits of the world, but according to the wisdom and law of the
Highest. Therefore, thought I, what God says is best--is best, though
all the men in the world are against it. Seeing, then, that God prefers
His religion; seeing God prefers a tender conscience; seeing they that
make themselves fools for the kingdom of heaven are wisest, and that the
poor man that loveth Christ is richer than the greatest man in the world
that hates Him; Shame, depart! thou art an enemy to my salvation. Shall
I listen to thee against my sovereign Lord? how, then, shall I look Him
in the face at His coming? Should I now be ashamed of His way and
servants how can I expect the blessing? But, indeed, this Shame was a
bold villain: I could scarce shake him out of my company; yea, he would
be haunting of me, and continually whispering me in the ear with some
one or other of the weak things that attend religion. But at last I told
him it was in vain to attempt further in this business; for those things
that he despised, in those did I see most glory; and so, at last, I got
past this persistent one. And when I had shaken him off, then I began to
sing,
"The trials that those men do meet withal,
That are obedient to the heavenly call,
Are manifold, and suited to the flesh,
And come, and come, and come again afresh;
That now, or some time else, we by them may
Be taken, overcome, and cast away.
Oh, let the pilgrims, let the pilgrims then,
Be vigilant and quit themselves like men!"
CHRIS. I am glad, my brother, that thou didst withstand this villain so
bravely: for of all, as thou sayest, I think he has the wrong name; for
he is so bold as to follow us in the streets, and to attempt to put us
to shame before all men; that is, to make us ashamed of that which is
good. But, if he was not himself bold, he would never attempt to do as
he does. But let us still resist him; for, notwithstanding all his bold
words, he promoteth the fool, and none else. "The wise shall inherit
glory," said Solomon; "but shame shall be the promotion of fools."
FAITH. I think we must cry to Him for help against Shame who would have
us to be valiant for truth upon the earth.
CHRIS. You say true. But did you meet nobody else in that valley?
FAITH. No, not I; for I had sunshine all the rest of the way through
that, and also through the Valley of the Shadow of Death.
CHRIS. It was well for you! I am sure it fared far otherwise with me. I
had for a long season, as soon almost as I entered into that valley, a
dreadful combat with that foul fiend Apollyon; yea, I thought verily he
would have killed me, especially when he got me down, and crushed me
under him, as if he would have crushed me to pieces. For, as he threw
me, my sword flew out of my hand; nay, he told me he was sure of me; and
I cried to God, and He heard me, and delivered me out of all my
troubles. Then I entered into the Valley of the Shadow of Death, and had
no light for almost half the way through it. I thought I should have
been killed there over and over: but at last day broke, and the sun
rose, and I went through that which was behind with far more ease and
quiet.
[Sidenote: TALKATIVE OVERTAKEN]
Moreover, I saw in my dream that, as they went on, Faithful, as he
chanced to look on one side, saw a man whose name is Talkative walking
at a distance beside them; for in this place there was room enough for
them all to walk. He was a tall man, and something better looking at a
distance than near at hand. To this man Faithful spoke himself in this
manner:
FAITH. Friend, whither away? Are you going to the heavenly country?
TALK. I am going to that same place.
FAITH. That is well; then I hope we may have your good company.
TALK. With a very good will, will I be your companion.
FAITH. Come on, then, and let us go together, and let us spend our time
in talking of things that are profitable.
TALK. To talk of things that are good, to me is very acceptable, with
you or with any other; and I am glad that I have met with those that
incline to so good a work; for, to speak the truth, there are but few
who care thus to spend their time as they are in their travels, but
choose much rather to be speaking of things to no profit; and this has
been a trouble to me.
FAITH. That is, indeed, a thing to be lamented; for what things so
worthy of the use of the tongue and mouth of men on earth, as are the
things of the God of heaven?
TALK. I like you wonderfully well, for your saying is full of the truth;
and I will add, What thing is so pleasant, and what so profitable, as to
talk of the things of God? What things so pleasant? that is, if a man
hath any delight in things that are wonderful. For instance, if a man
doth delight to talk of the history or the mystery of things, or if a
man doth love to talk of miracles, wonders, or signs, where shall he
find things written so delightful, or so sweetly penned, as in the Holy
Scripture?
FAITH. That's true; but to be profited by such things in our talk should
be that which we design.
[Sidenote: TALKATIVE SELF-DECEIVED]
TALK. That is it that I said; for to talk of such things is most
profitable; for, by so doing, a man may get knowledge of many things; as
of the folly of earthly things, and the benefit of things above.
Besides, by this a man may learn what it is to turn from sin, to
believe, to pray, to suffer, or the like; by this, also, a man may learn
what are the great promises and comforts of the Gospel, to his own
enjoyment. Further, by this a man may learn to answer false opinions, to
prove the truth, and also to teach the ignorant.
FAITH. All this is true; and glad am I to hear these things from you.
TALK. Alas! the want of this is the cause that so few understand the
need of faith, and the necessity of a work of grace in their soul, in
order to eternal life.
FAITH. But, by your leave, heavenly knowledge of these is the gift of
God; no man attaineth to them by human working, or only by the talk of
them.
TALK. All that I know very well, for a man can receive nothing except it
be given him from heaven; I could give you a hundred scriptures for the
confirmation of this.
FAITH. "Well, then," said Faithful, "what is that one thing that we
shall at this time found our talk upon?"
TALK. What you will. I will talk of things heavenly or things earthly;
things in life or things in the gospel; things sacred or things worldly;
things past or things to come; things foreign or things at home; things
necessary or things accidental, provided that all be done to our profit.
FAITH. Now did Faithful begin to wonder; and, stepping to Christian (for
he walked all this while by himself), he said to him, but softly, "What