John Bunyan (1628–1688). The Pilgrim’s Progress.
The Harvard Classics. 1909–14.

Paras. 700–799

The Pilgrim’s Progress, in the Similitude of a Dream; The First Part

Chr.What is the meaning of your Laughter?

Atheist.I laugh to see what ignorant persons you are, to take upon you so tedious a Journey, and you are like to have nothing but your travel for your pains.

They reason together

Chr.Why man? Do you think we shall not be received?

Atheist.Received! There is no such place as you dream of in all this World.

Chr.But there is in the World to come.

Atheist.When I was at home in mine own Country, I heard as you now affirm, and from that hearing went out to see, and have been seeking this City this twenty years; but find no more of it than I did the first day I set out.

Chr.We have both heard and believe that there is such a place to be found.

The Atheist takes up his content in this world

Atheist.Had not I when at home believed, I had not come thus far to seek; but finding none, (and yet I should, had there been such a place to be found, for I have gone to seek it further than you) I am going back again, and will seek to refresh myself with the things that I then cast away, for hopes of that which I now see is not.

Christian proveth his brother

Chr.Then said Christian to Hopeful his fellow, Is it true which this man hath said?

Hopeful’s gracious answer

A remembrance of former chastisements is a help against present temptations

Hope.Take heed, he is one of the Flatterers; remember what it hath cost us once already for our hearkening to such kind of fellows. What! no Mount Sion? Did we not see from the Delectable Mountains the Gate of the City? Also, are we not now to walk by Faith. Let us go on, said Hopeful, lest the man with the Whip overtake us again. You should have taught me that lesson, which I will round you in the ears withal: Cease, my Son, to hear the instruction that causeth to err from the words of knowledge. I say my Brother, cease to hear him, and let us believe to the saving of the Soul.

A fruit of an honest heart

Chr.My Brother, I did not put the question to thee for that I doubted of the Truth of our belief but to prove thee, and to fetch from thee a fruit of the honesty of thy heart. As for this man, I know that he is blinded by the god of this World. Let thee and I go on, knowing that we have belief of the Truth, and no lie is of the Truth.

Hope.Now do I rejoice in hope of the glory of God. So they turned away from the man; and he laughing at them went his way.

They are come to the Enchanted Ground

Hopeful begins to be drowsy

I saw then in my Dream, that they went till they come into a certain Country, whose air naturally tended to make one drowsy, if he came a stranger into it. And here Hopeful began to be very dull and heavy of sleep; wherefore he said unto Christian, I do now begin to grow so drowsy that I can scarcely hold up mine eyes, let us lie down here and take one nap.

Christian keeps him awake

Chr.By no means, said the other, lest sleeping we never awake more.

Hope.Why my Brother? Sleep is sweet to the labouring man; we may be refreshed if we take a nap.

Chr.Do you not remember that one of the Shepherds bid us beware of the Inchanted Ground? He meant by that, that we should beware of sleeping; wherefore let us not sleep as do others, but let us watch and be sober.

He is thankful

Hope.I acknowledge myself in a fault, and had I been here alone I had by sleeping run the danger of death. I see it is true that the Wise man saith, Two are better than one. Hitherto hath thy company been my mercy, and thou shalt have a good reward for thy labour.

To prevent drowsiness they fall to good discourse

Now then, said Christian, to prevent drowsiness in this place, let us fall into good discourse.

Hope.With all my heart, said the other.

Chr.Where shall we begin?

Good discourse prevents drowsiness

Hope.Where God began with us. But do you begin, if you please.

The dreamer’s note

Chr.I will sing you first this song:
When Saints do sleepy grow, let them come hither,

And hear how these two Pilgrims talk together:

Yea, let them learn of them in any wise,

Thus to keep ope their drowsy, slumbring eyes.

Saints’ fellowship, if it be managed well,

Keeps them awake, and that in spite of Hell.

They begin at the beginning of their conversation

Chr.Then Christian began and said, I will ask you a question: How came you to think at first of doing as you do now?

Hope.Do you mean, how came I at first to look after the good of my soul?

Chr.Yes, that is my meaning.

Hope.I continued a great while in the delight of those things which were seen and sold at our Fair; things which I believe now would have (had I continued in them still) drowned me in perdition and destruction.

Chr.What things were they?

Hopeful’s life before conversation

Hope.All the Treasures and Riches of the World. Also I delighted much in Rioting, Revelling, Drinking, Swearing, Lying, Uncleanness, Sabbath-breaking, and what not, that tended to destroy the Soul. But I found at last, by hearing and considering of things that are Divine, which indeed I heard of you, as also of beloved Faithful, that was put to death for his faith and good living in Vanity Fair, That the end of these things is death. And that for these things’ sake the wrath of God cometh upon the children of disobedience.

Chr.And did you presently fall under the power this conviction?

Hopeful at first shuts his eyes against the light

Hope.No, I was not presently to know the evil of sin, nor the damnation that follows upon the commission of it; but endeavoured, when my mind at first began to be shaken with the Word, to shut mine eyes against the light thereof.

Chr.But what was the cause of your carrying of it thus to the first workings of God’s blessed Spirit upon you?

Reasons of his resisting of the light

Hope.The causes were, 1. I was ignorant that this was the work of God upon me. I never thought that by awakenings for sin God at first begins the conversion of a sinner. 2. Sin was yet very sweet to my flesh, and I was loth to leave it. 3. I could not tell how to part with mine old Companions, their presence and actions were so desirable unto me. 4. The hours in which convictions were upon me, were such troublesome and such heart-affrighting hours, that I could not bear, no not so much as the remembrance of them upon my heart.

Chr.Then as it seems, sometimes you got rid of your trouble.

Hope.Yes verily, but it would come into my mind again, and then I should be as bad, nay worse, than I was before.

When he had lost his sense of sin, what brought this again

Chr.Why, what was it that brought your sins to mind again?

When he had lost his sense of sin, what brought this again

Hope.Many things; as
1. If I did but meet a good man in the Streets; or,

2. If I have heard any read in the Bible; or,

3. If mine Head did begin to ake; or,

4. If I were told that some of my Neighbors were sick; or,

5. If I heard the Bell toll for some that were dead; or,

6. If I thought of Dying myself; or,

7. If I heard that sudden Death happened to others;

8. But especially, when I thought of myself, that I must quickly come to Judgment.

Chr.And could you at any time with ease get off the guilt of sin, when by any of these ways it came upon you?

Hope.No, not latterly, for then they got faster hold of my conscience; and then, if I did hut think of going back to sin, (though my mind was turned against it) it would be double torment to me.

Chr.And how did you do then?

When he could no longer shake off his guilt by sinful courses, then he endeavours to mend

Hope.I thought I must endeavour to mend my life; for else, thought I, I am sure to be damned.

Chr.And did you endeavour to mend?

Hope.Yes, and fled from not only my sins, but sinful Company too; and betook me to religious duties, as Prayer, Reading, Weeping for Sin, speaking Truth to my Neighbors, &c. These things did I, with many others, too much here to relate.

Chr.And did you think yourself well then?

Then he thought himself well

Hope.Yes, for a while; but at the last my trouble came tumbling upon me again, and that over the neck of all my reformations.

Chr.How came that about, since you were now reformed?

Reformation at last could not help, and why

His being a debtor by the law troubled him

Hope.There were several things brought it upon me, especially such sayings as these: All our righteousnesses are as filthy rags. By the works of the Law no man shall be justified. When you have done all things, say, We a unprofitable: with many more such like. From whence I began to reason with myself thus: If all my righteousnesses are filthy rags, if by the deeds of the Law, no man can be justified; and if, when we have done all, we are yet unprofitable, then ’tis but a folly to think of Heaven by the Law. I further thought thus: If a man runs 100l. into the Shop-keeper’s debt, and after that shall pay for all that he shall fetch; yet his old debt stands still in the Book uncrossed, for the which the Shop-keeper may sue him, and cast him into Prison till he shall pay the debt.

Chr.Well, and how did you apply this to yourself?

Hope.Why, I thought thus with myself: I have by my sins run a great way into God’s Book, and that my now reforming will not pay off that score; therefore I should think still under all my present amendments, But how shall I be freed from that damnation that I have brought myself in danger of by my former transgressions?

Chr.A very good application: but pray go on.

His espying bad things in his best duties troubled him

Hope.Another thing that hath troubled me, even since my late amendments, is, that if I look narrowly into the best of what I do now, I still see sin, new sin, mixing itself with the best of that I do; so that now I am forced to conclude, that notwithstanding my former fond conceits of myself and duties, I have committed sin enough in one duty to send me to Hell, though my former life had been faultless.

Chr.And what did you do then?

This made him break his mind to Faithful, who told him the way to be saved

Hope.Do! I could not tell what to do, till I brake my mind to Faithful, for he and I were well acquainted. And he told me, that unless I could obtain the righteousness of a man that never had sinned, neither mine own, nor all the righteousness of the world could save me.

Chr.And did you think he spake true?

Hope.Had he told me so when I was pleased and satisfied with mine own amendments, I had called him Fool for his pains: but now, since I see mine own infirmity, and the sin that cleaves to my best performance, I have been forced to be of his opinion.

Chr.But did you think, when at first he suggested it to you, that there was such a man to be found, of whom it might justly be said, That he never committed sin?

At which he started at present

Hope.I must confess the words at first sounded strangely; but after a little more talk and company with him, I had full conviction about it.

Chr.And did you ask him what man this was, and how you must be justified by him?

A more particular discovery of the way to be saved

Hope.Yes, and he told me it was the Lord Jesus, that dwelleth on the right hand of the Most High. And thus, said he, you must be justified by him, even by trusting to what he hath done by himself in the days of his flesh, and suffered when he did hang on the Tree. I asked him further, How that man’s righteousness could be of that efficacy to justify another before God? And he told me he was the mighty God, and did what he did, and died the death also, not for himself, but for me; to whom his doings, and the worthiness of them should be imputed, if I believed on him.

Chr.And what did you do then?

He doubts of acceptation

Hope.I made my objections against my believing, for that I thought he was not willing to save me.

Chr.And what said Faithful to you then?

He is better instructed

He is bid to pray

Hope.He bid me go to him and see: then I said it was presumption: but he said, No, for I was invited to come. Then he gave me a Book of Jesus his inditing, to encourage me the more freely to come; and he said concerning that Book, that every jot and tittle thereof stood firmer than Heaven and Earth. Then I asked him, What I must do when I came? and he told me, I must entreat upon my knees with all my heart and soul, the Father to reveal him to me. Then I asked him further, How I must make my supplication to him? And he said, Go, and thou shalt find him upon a mercy-seat, where he sits all the year long, to give pardon and forgiveness to them that come. I told him that I knew not what to say when I came. And he bid me say to this effect: God be merciful to me a sinner, and make me to know and believe in Jesus Christ; for I see that if his righteousness had not been, or I have not faith in that righteousness, I am utterly cast away: Lord, I have heard that thou art a merciful God, and hast ordained that thy Son Jesus Christ should be the Saviour of the world; and moreover, that thou art willing to bestow him upon such a poor sinner as I am, (and I am a sinner indeed) Lord, take therefore this opportunity, and magnify thy grace in the Salvation of my soul, through thy Son Jesus Christ. Amen.

He prays

Chr.And did you do as you were hidden?

Hope.Yes, over and over and over.

Chr.And did the Father reveal his Son to you?

Hope.Not at the first, nor second, nor third, nor fourth, nor fifth, no nor at the sixth time neither.

Chr.What did you do then?

Hope.What! why I could not tell what to do.

Chr.Had you not thought of leaving off praying?

He thought to leave off praying

Hope.Yes, an hundred times twice told.

Chr.And what was the reason you did not?

He durst not leave off praying, and why

Hope.I believed that that was true which had been told me, to wit, that without the righteousness of this Christ all the world could not save me; and therefore thought I with myself, If I leave off, I die, and can but die at the Throne of Grace. And withal, this came into my mind, If it tarry, wait for it, because it will surely come, it will not tarry. So I continued praying until the Father shewed me his Son.

Chr.And how was he revealed unto you?

Christ is revealed to him, and how

Hope.I did not see him with my bodily eyes, but with the eyes of mine understanding; and thus it was: One day I was very sad, I think sadder than at any one time in my life, and this sadness was through a fresh sight of the greatness and vileness of my sins: and as I was then looking for nothing but Hell, and the everlasting damnation of my Soul, suddenly, as I thought, I saw the Lord Jesus look down from Heaven upon me, and saying, Believe on the’ Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved.

But I replied, Lord, I am a great, a very great sinner. And he answered My grace is sufficient for thee. Then I said, But Lord, what is believing? And then I saw from that saying, He that cometh to me shall never hunger, and he that believeth on me shall never thirst, that believing and coming was all one; and that he that came, that, is, ran out in his heart and affections after salvation by Christ, he indeed believed in Christ. Then the water stood in mine eyes, and I asked further, But Lord, may such a great sinner as I am be indeed accepted of thee, and be saved by thee? And I heard him say, And him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out. Then I said, But how, Lord, must I consider of thee in my coming to thee, that my faith may be placed aright upon thee? Then he said, Christ Jesus came into the World to save sinners. He is the end of the Law for righteousness to every one that believes. He died for our sins, and rose again for our justification. He loved us and washed us from our sins in his own blood. He is Mediator between God and us. He ever liveth to make intercession for us. From all which I gathered, that I must look for Righteousness in his Person, and for Satisfaction for my Sins by his Blood; that what he did in obedience to his Father’s Law, and in submitting to the penalty thereof, was not for himself, but for him that will accept it for his Salvation, and be thankful. And now was my heart full of joy, mine eyes full of tears, and mine affections running over with love to the Name, People, and Ways of Jesus Christ.

Chr.This was a revelation of Christ to your soul indeed; but tell me particularly what effect this had upon your spirit.

Hope.It made me see that all the World, notwithstanding all the righteousness thereof, is in a state of condemnation. It made me see that God the Father, though he be just, can justly justify the coming sinner. It made me greatly ashamed of the vileness of my former life, and confounded me with the sense of mine own ignorance; for there never came thought into my heart before now, that shewed me so the beauty of Jesus Christ. It made me love a holy life, and long to do something for the Honour and Glory of the Name of the Lord Jesus; yea, I thought that had I now a thousand gallons of blood in my body, I could spill it all for the sake of the Lord Jesus.

I saw then in my Dream that Hopeful looked back and saw Ignorance, whom they had left behind, coming after. Look, said he to Christian, how far yonder youngster loitereth behind.

Chr.Ay, ay, I see him; he careth not for our company.

Hope.But I tro it would not have hurt him, had he kept pace with us hitherto.

Chr.That’s true, but I warrant you be thinketh otherwise.

Young ignorance comes up again; their talk

Hope.That I think he doth, but however let us tarry for him. So they did.

Then Christian said to him, Come away man, why do you stay so behind?

Ignor.I take my pleasure in walking alone, even more a great deal than in Company, unless I like it the better.

Then said Christian to Hopeful (but softly) Did I not tell you he cared not for our company? But however, said he, come up, and let us talk away the time in this solitary place. Then directing his speech to Ignorance, he said, Come, how do you? How stands it between God and your Soul now?

Ignorance’s hope, and the ground of it

Ignor.I hope well; for I am always full of good motions, that come into my mind to comfort me as I walk.

Chr.What good motions? pray tell us.

Ignor.Why, I think of God and Heaven.

Chr.So do the Devils and damned Souls.

Ignor.But I think of them and desire them.

Chr.So do many that are never like to come there. The Soul of the Sluggard desires, and hath nothing.

Ignor.But I think of them and leave all for them.

Chr.That I doubt, for leaving all is an hard matter, years a harder matter than many are aware of. But why, or by what, art thou persuaded that thou hast left all for God and Heaven?

Ignor.My heart tells me so.

Chr.The wise man says, He that trusts his own heart is a fool.

Ignor.this is spoken of an evil heart, but mine is a good one.

Chr.But how dost thou prove that?

Ignor.It comforts me in hopes of Heaven.

Chr.That may be through its deceitfulness, for a man’s heart may minister comfort to him in the hopes of that thing for which ye has no ground to hope.

Ignor.But my heart and life agree together, and therefore my hope is well grounded.

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