SIXTH LESSON
The Gate Beyond the Dark River
After many discussions between the believers and fellow travelers like Atheist and Ignorance, Pilgrim and Hopeful discovered they could not reach the Celestial City until they crossed the Dark River, which had no bridge. P. 171
They entered the Dark River with fearfulness and difficulties, but they were helped in cross from life into eternal life.
Then I saw in my dream, that Christian was as in a muse a while. To whom also Hopeful added this word, Be of good cheer, Jesus Christ maketh thee whole; and with that Christian brake out with a loud voice, Oh, I see him again! and he tells me, “When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee, and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee.” [Isa. 43:2] Then they both took courage, and the enemy was after that as still as a stone, until they were gone over. Christian therefore presently found ground to stand upon, and so it followed that the rest of the river was but shallow. Thus they got over. Now, upon the bank of the river, on the other side, they saw the two shining men again, who there waited for them; wherefore, being come out of the river, they saluted them, saying, We are ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for those that shall be heirs of salvation. Thus they went along towards the gate. P. 173
The descriptions of Heaven which follow are full of glorious citations from the Scriptures. Here is one passage –
Now while they were thus drawing towards the gate, behold a company of the heavenly host came out to meet them; to whom it was said, by the other two Shining Ones, These are the men that have loved our Lord when they were in the world, and that have left all for his holy name; and he hath sent us to fetch them, and we have brought them thus far on their desired journey, that they may go in and look their Redeemer in the face with joy. Then the heavenly host gave a great shout, saying, “Blessed are they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb.” [Rev. 19:9] There came out also at this time to meet them, several of the King’s trumpeters, clothed in white and shining raiment, who, with melodious noises, and loud, made even the heavens to echo with their sound. These trumpeters saluted Christian and his fellow with ten thousand welcomes from the world; and this they did with shouting, and sound of trumpet. P. 177
Ignorant Removed – Wedding Feast Garment Lacking
Ignorance did not have his certificate, so he was not greeted and not allowed into Heaven. Instead he was carried out and placed into a shute that led to Perdition, illustrating the wedding feast parable where one guess came without a proper garment and was thrown out to Hell, where there was weeping and gnashing of teeth.
Now while I was gazing upon all these things, I turned my head to look back, and saw Ignorance come up to the river side; but he soon got over, and that without half that difficulty which the other two men met with. For it happened that there was then in that place, one Vain-hope, a ferryman, that with his boat helped him over; so he, as the other I saw, did ascend the hill, to come up to the gate, only he came alone; neither did any man meet him with the least encouragement. P. 179
So they told the King, but he would not come down to see him, but commanded the two Shining Ones that conducted Christian and Hopeful to the City, to go out and take Ignorance, and bind him hand and foot, and have him away. Then they took him up, and carried him through the air to the door that I saw in the side of the hill, and put him in there. Then I saw that there was a way to hell, even from the gates of heaven, as well as from the City of Destruction. Matthew 22:1-14
What of my dross thou findest there, be bold
To throw away, but yet preserve the gold;
What if my gold be wrapped up in ore?—
None throws away the apple for the core.
But if thou shalt cast all away as vain,
I know not but ’twill make me dream again.
Part Two Christiana’s Story
After the overwhelming success of The Pilgrim’s Progress, with a phenomenal number of books sold for that time – 100,000 – Bunyan wrote Part Two, Christiana’s Story, not as a second book, but as a continuation of the original. However, many editions only include the first part, which make those works more portable, but leave the readers to imagine the family enduring the sorrows of the City of Destruction. The Lutheran Librarian’s printed and online versions contain both parts. The third part did not come from Bunyan, but from someone who hitched a ride on his fame, like the publisher who wrote a Lutheran blog filled with verbatim (but uncited) biographies from The Catholic Encyclopedia – and even linked them shamelessly on LutherQuest.
Part Two has a lengthy opening in poetry, compared to the first part getting involved in the urgency of leaving the City of Destruction and trying to include Christian’s wife. The narrative in this part starts with Christiana realizing she should have gone with her husband, repenting of that error, and telling their four sons about the need to take the same pilgrimage.
The family passed through the Slough of Despond and entered through the Wicket Gate.
Interpreter’s House, P. 220
Christiana was shown new lessons at the Interpreter’s House. After the muck-rake is the spider.
INTERPRETER. That prayer, Said the Interpreter, has lain by till it is almost rusty. ‘Give me not riches,’ is scarce the prayer of one of ten thousand (Prov. 30:8). Straws, and sticks, and dust, with most, are the great things now looked after. With that Mercy and Christiana wept, and said, It is, alas! too true. When the Interpreter had shown them this, He has them into the very best room in the house; a very brave room it was. So He bid them look round about, and see if they could find anything profitable there. Then they looked round and round; for there was nothing there to be seen but a very great spider on the wall: and that they overlooked.
MERCY. Then said Mercy, Sir, I see nothing; but Christiana held her peace.
INTERPRETER. But, said the Interpreter, look again, and she therefore looked again, and said, Here is not anything but an ugly spider, who hangs by her hands upon the wall. Then said He, Is there but one spider in all this spacious room? Then the water stood in Christiana’s eyes, for she was a woman quick of apprehension; and she said, Yea, Lord, there is here more than one. Yea, and spiders whose venom is far more destructive than that which is in her. The Interpreter then looked pleasantly upon her, and said, Thou hast said the truth. This made Mercy blush, and the boys to cover their faces, for they all began now to understand the riddle. Then said the Interpreter again, ‘The spider taketh hold with their hands (as you see), and is in kings’ palaces’ (Prov. 30:28). And wherefore is this recorded, but to show you, that how full of the venom of sin soever you be, yet you may, by the hand of faith, lay hold of, and dwell in the best room that belongs to the King’s house above!
CHRISTIANA. I thought, said Christiana, of something of this; but I could not imagine it all. I thought that we were like spiders, and that we looked like ugly creatures, in what fine room soever we were; but that by this spider, this venomous and ill-favored creature, we were to learn how to act faith, that came not into my mind. And yet she has taken hold with her hands, as I see, and dwells in the best room in the house. God has made nothing in vain. Then they seemed all to be glad; but the water stood in their eyes; yet they looked one upon another, and also bowed before the Interpreter.
