Christian entertains Pliable with the glories of the eternal kingdom.

gelist, to speed me to a little gate that is before us, where we shall receive instructions about the way. Pli. Come then, good neighbour, let us be going then they went both together.

And I will go back to my place, said Obstinate : I will be no companion of such misled fantastical fellows.(n)

Now I saw in my dream, that when Obstinate was going back, Christian and Pliable went talking over the plain; and thus they began their discourse:

Chr. Come, neighbour Pliable, how do you? I am glad you are persuaded to go along with me: had even Obstinate himself but felt what I have felt of the powers and terrors of what is yet unseen, he would not thus lightly have given us the back.

Pli. Come, neighbour Christian, since there are none but us two here, tell me now farther, what the things are, and how to be enjoyed, whither we are going?

Chr. I can better conceive of them with my mind, than speak of them with my tongue; but since you are desirous to know, I will read of them in my book. Pli. And do you think that the words of your book are certainly true?

Chr. Yes verily, for it was made by him that cannot lie.*

Pli. Well said; What things are they?

Chr. There is an endless kingdom to be inhabited and everlasting life to be given us, that we may inhabit that kingdom for ever.§

Pli. Well said; and what else?

Chr. There are crowns of glory to be given us;

*Tit. i. 2. § Isa. xlv.17. Job. v. 27, 29.

(n) Here see the different effects which gospel truths have upon natural men. Obstinate totally rejects them. Pliable hears of them with joy, believes somewhat of them for a season, accompanies Christian a little way.

C

and

Christian entertains Pliable with the glories of the eternal kingdom.

and garments that will make us shine like the sun in the firmament of heaven.†

Pli. This is very pleasant: and what else?

Chr. There shall be no more crying, nor sorrow; for he that is owner of the place will wipe all tears from our eyes.T

Pli. And what company shall we have there?

Chr. There we shall be with seraphims and Chcrubims, creatures that will dazzle your eyes to look on them. There also we shall meet with thousands and ten thousands that have gone before us to that lovely place; none of them are hurtful, but loving and holy, every one walking in the sight of God, and standing in his presence with acceptance for ever; in a word, there we shall see the elders with their golden crowns; there we shall see the holy virgins with their golden harps;|| there we shall see men, that by the world were cut in peices, burnt in flames, eaten of beasts, drowned in the seas, for the love they bare to the Lord of the place; all well, and clothed with immortality, as with a garment.*

Pli. The hearing of this is enough to ravish one's heart: but are these things to be enjoyed? How shall we get to be sharers thereof?

Chr. The Lord the governor of the country, hath recorded, †† that in this book, the substance of which is, if we be truly willing to have it, he will bestow it upon us freely.

Pli. Well my good companion, glad I am to hear of these things; come on, let us mend our pace. (o) Chr. I cannot go so fast as I would, by reason of this burden that is upon my back.

† 2 Tim. iv. 8. Rev. xxii. 5. vii. 16, 17. xxi. 4. † Isa. iv. 2. § Rev. iv. 4. || Rev. xiv. 1. 5. Isa. Iv. 12. John vi, 37. vii. 37. (0) Here see the fleshly joys and fleshly comforts of temporary professors: he is too hot to hold; too light (having never felt the

Matt. xiii. 43. ¶ Isa. xv. 8. Rev. 1 Thess. iv. 16, 17. Rev. v. 11. * John xii. 25. 2 Cor. v. 2, 4. Rev. xxi. 6 †† Rev. xxii. 17.

Christian and Pliable in the Slough of Despond.

Now I saw in my Dream, that just as they had ended this talk, they drew nigh to a very Miry Slough that was in the midst of the plain, and they being heedless did both fall suddenly into the bog. The name of the Slough was Despond. Here therefore they wallowed for a time, being grievously bedaubed with dirt; and Christian, because of the burden that was on his back, began to sink into the mire.

Pli. Then said Pliable, Ah! neighbour Christian, where are you now?

Chr. Truly, said Christian, I do not know.

Pli. At this Pliable began to be offended, and angrily said to his fellow, Is this the happiness you have told me all this while of? If we have such ill speed at our first setting out, what may we expect betwixt this and our journey's end? May I get out again with my life, you shall possess the brave country alone for me. And with that he gave a desperate struggle or two, and got out of the mire on that side of the Slough which was next his own house; so he went, and Christian saw him no more. (p)

Wherefore Christian was left to tumble in the Slough of Despond alone; but still he endeavoured to struggle to that side of the Slough that was farthest from his own house, and next to the Wicketgate (q) the which he did, but could not get out, burden of his sins) to travel far. Our Lord describes such, as the stony-ground hearers. They received the word with joy the word hath no root in their hearts; they believe awhile; but in times of temptation fall away, Luke viii. 13. So did Pliable at the Slough of Despond. This signifies those desponding fears and despairing doubts which beset us, arising from unbelief of God's word, the suggestions of Satan, and the carnal reasonings of our corrupt nature, against the revealed truths and precious promises of God. These try the reality of our convictions, and the sincerity of our faith.

(p) It is not enough to be Pliable; for the first trial he met with cooled his courage, damped his joy, killed his faith, and sent him back to the city of Destruction.

(q) Christian, in trouble, seeks still to get farther from his own

Christian rescued from the Slough of Despond.

because of the burden that was upon his back; but I beheld in my dream, that a man came to him, whose name was Help, (r) and asked him, What he did there?

Chr. Sir, said Christian, I was bid to go this way. by a man called Evangelist, who directed me also to yonder gate, that I might escape the wrath to come: and as I was going thither, I fell in here.

Help. But why did you not look for the (s) steps? Chr. Fear followed me so hard, that I fled the next way, and fell in.

Help. Then said he, Give me thy hand; so he gave him his hand, and drew him out, and set him upon sound ground, and bid him go on his way.

Then I stepped to him that plucked him out, and said, Sir, wherefore, since over this place is the way from the city of Destruction to yonder Gate, is it that this plat is not mended, that poor travellers might go thither with more security. And he said unto me, This miry Slough is such a place as cannot be mended: it is the descent whither the scum and filth that attends conviction for sin doth continally run, and therefore it is called the Slough of Despond: for still as the sinner is awakened about his lost condition, there arise in his soul many fears and doubts, and discouraging apprehensions, which all of them get together, and settle in this place. And this is the reason of the badness of this ground.

It is not the pleasure of the King that this place

Psa. xl. 2. Isa. xxxv. 3, 4.

house. See the difference between a truly convinced sinner, and a pliable unconverted professor; one keeps his face towards Christ for hope and help: the other flies back for comfort to the City of Destruction.

(r) The arm of Christ's omnipotent grace reached forth to snatch poor sinners from destruction; for he says of them, "Thou hast destroyed thyself, but in me is thine help," Hos. xiii. 9.

(s) The great and precious promises of God, which are in Christ Jesus, to poor needy, and distressed, sinners.

The Slough of Despond described.

should remain so bad: his labourers also have, hy the direction of his Majesty's surveyors, been for above this sixteen hundred years employed about this patch of ground, if perhaps, it might have been mended: yea, and to my knowledge, said he, here have been swallowed up at least twenty thousand cart loads; yea, millions of wholesome instruction, that have at all seasons been brought from all places of the King's dominions (and they that can tell, say they are the best materials to make good the ground of the place,) if so be it might have been mended; but it is the Slough of Despond still; and so will be when they have done what they can. (t)

True, there are, by the direction of the Lawgiver, certain good and substantial steps, placed even through the very midst of this Slough; but at such time as this, the place does much spue out its filth, as it doth against change of weather, these steps are hardly seen, or if they be, men, through the dizziness of their heads, step beside; and then they are bemired to purpose, notwithstanding the steps be there; but the ground is good, when they are once got in at the gate. (u)

Now I saw in my dream, that by this time Pliable was got home to his house. So his neighbours came to visit him; and some of them called him wise man for coming back; and some called him fool for hazarding himself with Christian; others again did mock at his cowardliness, saying: "Surely, since you began to venture, I would not have been so base as to have given out for a few difficulties;" so Pliable sat

* 1 Sam. xii. 22.

(t) Signifying that there is nothing but despondency and despair in the fallen nature of sinful man; the best that we can do, leaves us in the Slough of Despond, as to any hopes in ourselves.

(u) That is, the Lord Jesus Christ. We never find good ground, nor safe sounding, nor comfortable walking, till we enter into possession of Christ by faith, and till our feet are sit upon Christ, who is the Rock of ages.