Monday, January 13, 2020

Understanding Pilgrim's Progress - Second Lesson - Warnings and Losing the Burden

 His burden increases as he climbs the hill or mountain on the way to Morality and Mr. Legality's home.



Worldly Wiseman Directs Christian to the Village of Morality and Mr. Legality’s House


Worldly Wiseman has plenty of bad advice for Christian, which will lead him astray. He had this to say about Evangelist.
I beshrew him for his counsel! there is not a more dangerous and troublesome way in the world than is that unto which he hath directed thee; and that thou shalt find, if thou wilt be ruled by his counsel. Thou hast met with something, as I perceive, already; for I see the dirt of the Slough of Despond is upon thee; but that slough is the beginning of the sorrows that do attend those that go on in that way. Hear me, I am older than thou; thou art like to meet with, in the way which thou goest, wearisomeness, painfulness, hunger, perils, nakedness, sword, lions, dragons, darkness, and, in a word, death, and what not!  P. 16.
The burden on Christian’s back came from reading the Book, so Worldly Wiseman directs him to the city of Morality, to meet a gentleman called Civility. This passage echoes the warnings of Martin Luther in the Galatians Lectures – and St. Paul himself – about the dangers of righteousness through the Law. Christian is confused but wants to take the burden off his back, so he heads up the hill where Civility lives. But the more he climbed, the heavier the burden became. The Law by itself only increases the experience of sin.

Evangelist had sent Christian to the Wicket Gate, but the poor man was persuaded to comfort himself with the Law.
EVANGELIST. Then, said Evangelist, stand still a little, that I may show thee the words of God. So he stood trembling. Then said Evangelist, “See that ye refuse not him that speaketh. For if they escaped not who refused him that spake on earth, much more shall not we escape, if we turn away from him that speaketh from heaven.” [Heb. 12:25] He said, moreover, “Now the just shall live by faith: but if any man draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him.” [Heb. 10:38] He also did thus apply them: Thou art the man that art running into this misery; thou hast begun to reject the counsel of the Most High, and to draw back thy foot from the way of peace, even almost to the hazarding of thy perdition. P 20



Christian is allowed to backtrack to the Wicket Gate, but warned by Evangelist how it was to trust in the wrong solution for his burden.
CHRISTIAN. Here is a poor burdened sinner. I come from the City of Destruction, but am going to Mount Zion, that I may be delivered from the wrath to come. I would therefore, Sir, since I am informed that by this gate is the way thither, know if you are willing to let me in?
GOOD-WILL. I am willing with all my heart, said he; and with that he opened the gate.
So when Christian was stepping in, the other gave him a pull. Then said Christian, What means that? The other told him. A little distance from this gate, there is erected a strong castle, of which Beelzebub is the captain; from thence, both he and them that are with him shoot arrows at those that come up to this gate, if haply they may die before they can enter in.

Once Inside the Wicket Gate


The Interpreter shows Christian a parable
Then he took him by the hand, and led him into a very large parlor that was full of dust, because never swept; the which after he had reviewed a little while, the Interpreter called for a man to sweep. Now, when he began to sweep, the dust began so abundantly to fly about, that Christian had almost therewith been choked. Then said the Interpreter to a damsel that stood by, Bring hither the water, and sprinkle the room; the which, when she had done, it was swept and cleansed with pleasure. P. 27.
What does this mean?
INTERPRETER. The Interpreter answered, This parlor is the heart of a man that was never sanctified by the sweet grace of the gospel; the dust is his original sin and inward corruptions, that have defiled the whole man. He that began to sweep at first, is the Law; but she that brought water, and did sprinkle it, is the Gospel. Now, whereas thou sawest, that so soon as the first began to sweep, the dust did so fly about that the room by him could not be cleansed, but that thou wast almost choked therewith; this is to shew thee, that the law, instead of cleansing the heart (by its working) from sin, doth revive, put strength into, and increase it in the soul, even as it doth discover and forbid it, for it doth not give power to subdue. [Rom. 7:6; 1 Cor. 15:56; Rom. 5:20] Again, as thou sawest the damsel sprinkle the room with water, upon which it was cleansed with pleasure; this is to show thee, that when the gospel comes in the sweet and precious influences thereof to the heart, then, I say, even as thou sawest the damsel lay the dust by sprinkling the floor with water, so is sin vanquished and subdued, and the soul made clean through the faith of it, and consequently fit for the King of glory to inhabit. [John 15:3; Eph. 5:26; Acts 15:9; Rom. 16:25,26; John 15:13] P. 28.
Here is goose-bump inducing example, very much the efficacy of the Gospel Word, which brings Christ to us –
So he had him about to the backside of the wall, where he saw a man with a vessel of oil in his hand, of the which he did also continually cast, but secretly, into the fire. Then said Christian, What means this?
The Interpreter answered, This is Christ, who continually, with the oil of his grace, maintains the work already begun in the heart: by the means of which, notwithstanding what the devil can do, the souls of his people prove gracious still. [2 Cor. 12:9] And in that thou sawest that the man stood behind the wall to maintain the fire, that is to teach thee that it is hard for the tempted to see how this work of grace is maintained in the soul. P. 30.

There are many detailed lessons. I enjoyed the Professor in utter despair because the illustration perfectly fits theologians who do not believe in God, but make their living talking about Christian topics. Tillich and Pope Pius II fit very well, because they feared death. Mother Theresa is another example. In those cases, we know how miserable they were. We can assume the same with others, like Karl Barth and his mistress Charlotte Kirschbaum, with her doing the heavy work and him strutting around like a squawking peacock.


The Burden Falls Away at the Cross

Then said the Interpreter to Christian, Hast thou considered all these things?
CHRISTIAN. Yes, and they put me in hope and fear. INTERPRETER. Well, keep all things so in thy mind that they may be as a goad in thy sides, to prick thee forward in the way thou must go. Then Christian began to gird up his loins, and to address himself to his journey. Then said the Interpreter, The Comforter be always with thee, good Christian, to guide thee in the way that leads to the City. So Christian went on his way, saying—
 “Here I have seen things rare and profitable;  Things pleasant, dreadful, things to make me stable  In what I have begun to take in hand;  Then let me think on them, and understand  Wherefore they showed me were, and let me be  Thankful, O good Interpreter, to thee.” Now I saw in my dream, that the highway up which Christian was to go, was fenced on either side with a wall, and that wall was called Salvation. [Isa. 26:1] Up this way, therefore, did burdened Christian run, but not without great difficulty, because of the load on his back. He ran thus till he came at a place somewhat ascending, and upon that place stood a cross, and a little below, in the bottom, a sepulchre. So I saw in my dream, that just as Christian came up with the cross, his burden loosed from off his shoulders, and fell from off his back, and began to tumble, and so continued to do, till it came to the mouth of the sepulchre, where it fell in, and I saw it no more.