Evan. How come you turned away so quickly? for you are on the sidelines now. Each of us has failed in our attempts to enforce the law, but we remain hopeful that we could succeed if we tried again. This was the hope of John Bunyan himself. The quagmire cannot be cured, Help explains, because here gathers all the “scum and filth” of constantly flowing sin, all the doubts, fears and “discouraging fears” of penitents who seek the door of the wicket. Help adds that there are good essential steps leading to Slough that are placed there by the legislator. But men usually don`t see these steps or, when they do, “through the vertigo of their heads,” they stumble or slip from stepping stones and dive into the dirt. The quagmire of Despond is a test that pilgrims must always face as a test of faith, courage and will. Chr. A man who appeared to me to be a very great and honorable man; His name, I remember, is an evangelist.
“I come from the city of destruction, but I go to Mount Zion to be free from the wrath to come.” The progress of John Bunyan`s pilgrimage. The law is supposed to convince us of sin, but it is not meant to save us from it, nor is it able to do so. Many have not realized that the law cannot be respected, no matter how many times they try to respect it. Galatians III 21-22 tells us: “If there had been a law that could have given life, true righteousness would have been through the law. But Scripture has bound everyone to sin. As he stands there and doesn`t know what to do, he sees a figure coming towards him. He is an evangelist, and Christian begins to “blush with shame.” With a “stern and terrible face,” the evangelist praises Christians for listening to M. the Sage of the world and for having moved away from the Holy Way. The Morality Village is a good place, but it is not the heavenly city. If Christian is seriously interested in saving his soul, he had better use all the speed to get on the path to the door of the wicket previously shown to him by the evangelist.
After a long religious discourse on the “very great sin” committed by the Christian, the evangelist assures him: “All kinds of sins and blasphemies will be forgiven to men. Believe not, but believe” (Matthew 12:31; Mark 3:28). If Christian wanted to have his wife and children, the family could settle in the village and live happily “with honest neighbors, on credit and in good fashion”. Christian is tempted, at least to the point, that he decides to take a closer look at the village and perhaps have a conversation with Mr. Legalality. The path leading to the village leads to a high steep hill that juts out onto the side of the road. Christian stops because he fears that the overhang will fall on his head. Christian: Sir, what is my way to this honest man`s house? It so happens that Mr. Legality is nothing more than another distraction from our enemy; A lie designed to distract us from those who are capable of delivering justice. The devil has taken God`s law and distorted our understanding of it, making it appear as a goal we must achieve. Worldly sage: Why dwells in your village (the village is called morality) a gentleman whose name is legality, a very reasonable man (and a man of a very good name) who has the ability to help men with burdens like yours from their shoulders; Yes, as far as I know, he has done a lot of good in this way: yes, and in addition, he has the ability to heal those who are a little crazy in their minds with their burdens. For him, as I said, you can go and be helped now.
His house is not quite a mile from this place; and if he should not be himself at home, he has for his son a handsome young man, whose name is courtesy, who can do it (to speak of it) as the old gentleman himself: there, I say, you may be freed from the burden, and if you are not inclined to return to your old home, for I will not desire thee; You can send your wife and children to this village, where the houses are now empty, one of which you can get at reasonable prices: supplies are also cheap and good, and what makes your life all the happier is to be sure that you will live there as honest neighbors, in credit and good fashion. World. I thought so; And it hurts you like other weak people who, when they interfere in things too high for them, suddenly fall into your distractions; What distractions not only make people inhuman, as yours, as I perceive, have done to you, but they push them into desperate endeavors to make them not know what. In 1660, preaching outside the official church was illegal in England. When the authorities learned of the amateur preacher and the large crowd who came to hear him, they warned him that he would be arrested if he preached even one more sentence. As his wife, children, and congregation looked on, John Bunyan ascended to the pulpit, took a deep breath, and began his sermon. He chose to follow his conscience and suffer behind bars instead of cowering like a free man in fear. The Law stands before the pilgrim and reminds him that the burden of sin rests on his shoulders and is unbearably heavy. The pilgrim is then shown two ways to get rid of him. The first method is for him or her to begin to obey the law God has given.
What does “carnal” mean? Why should the lay sage live in the city of carnal politics? After Mr. Worldly Wiseman led Christian Pilgrim to Mr. Legality, Pilgrim asked Mr. Legality to help him eliminate the burden that Pilgrim carries. Mr. Legality told him to climb the mountain full of headstones with rules written on what Mr. Legality`s body is. Pilgrims find it difficult to climb as there are many tombstones. The evangelist came and told the pilgrim that this was the wrong way, and he led him on the right path. After despairing of redemption, he wallowed in the quagmire of Discouragement for a while, but eventually realized he had to move on.
So he began to strive to preserve the law through his own efforts. “Yes, dear Lord, I am man.” Christian replied. Christian heads for the Celestial City; On the way to Wicket Gate, he meets stubborn and flexible. Stubobsly finds the idea of this pilgrimage ridiculous, while Pliable agrees to go with Christian. As they leave, Pbiegsam and Christian talk and talk about things to come. Flexible, Christian eagerly asks: Keep telling me about the things that await you, how they are, how they are appreciated and where we are going. In response, Christian says he will describe them from his book, the Bible. When asked if he believes the words of the Bible, Christian answers definitively, because it was written by the One who cannot lie, that is, by God. Later, Christian Pbiegsam talks about things to come, saying that there was a kingdom in which they could live, and eternal life for them to live in the kingdom forever. He tells how they will receive crowns of glory and garments that will make them shine like the sun in the firmament of heaven, and that there will be no more weeping or suffering, for Christian declares that God will wipe all tears from their eyes. The society there, says Christian, would be composed of creatures that will blind your eyes; Thousands of like pilgrims, all loving and holy, stand in his presence with eternal acceptance; Elders with their golden crowns; the holy virgins with their golden harps; and martyrs of God dressed in garments of immortality. When asked how they would appreciate these things, Christian explains that God is sad, if someone really wants these things, he will receive them freely.
Joshua My World. How now, good guy, after the conversation with this overwhelmed manner?. “Therefore I have been the victim of an outward Reformation, both in my words and in my life, and I have presented myself with the commandments for my way to heaven; whatever commandments I tried to keep, and, as I thought, I sometimes kept them quite well, and then I should have comfort; but from time to time one should be broken, and thus afflict my conscience; but then I should repent and say that I am sorry, and promise God to do better next time, and to get help there again, because then I would have thought that I would have loved God as much as all men in England. [Thanks in abundance to the leader of sinners, para. 30] So I continued for about a year; All this time, our neighbors thought that I was a very pious man, a new and religious man, and were very surprised to see such a great and famous change in my life and morals; and so it was, indeed, though I did not yet know Christ, nor grace, nor faith, nor hope; for, as I have seen since, my condition would have been the most terrible if I had died then. ” – John Bunyan, Grace Abounding to the Chief of Sinners. Chr. Sir, what do you think? Is there hope? Can I go back and go up to the door of the counter? Shouldn`t I be left and sent back there shamefully? I am sorry to have listened to this man`s advice. But can my sin be forgiven? Christian was overwhelmed by the knowledge of his sin. It was a burden that had already caused him a lot of fatigue and grief. What disadvantages of the road did the secular sage point out when he dissuaded Christian from his path? Have you ever been turned away from Christian action by such considerations? There is a way for men to meet the standards of the law, but it is not through our own hard work, self-discipline, or perseverance.