Difference between revisions of "Christian's deplorable condition"

Latest revision as of 00:37, 14 August 2011

Introduction

As I walked through the wilderness of this world, I lighted on a certain place where was a den (the gaol), and I laid me down in that place to sleep: and as I slept, I dreamed a dream. I dreamed; and behold, I saw a man clothed with rags standing in a certain place, with his face from his own house, a book in his hand, and a great burden upon his back. I looked, and saw him open the book, and read therein; and as he read, he wept and trembled; "For mine iniquities are gone over mine head: as an heavy burden they are too heavy for me." Psalm 38:4

"But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousness's are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away." Isaiah 64:6

"So likewise, whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath, he cannot be my disciple." Luke 14:33

"For if the word spoken by angels was steadfast, and every transgression and disobedience received a just recompense of reward; How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation; which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed unto us by them that heard him;" Hebrews 2:2, 3

and, not being able longer to contain, he brake out with a lamentable cry, saying, "What shall I do?" "Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do?" Acts 2:37

In this plight, therefore, he went home, and refrained himself as long as he could, that his wife and children should not perceive his distress; but he could not be silent long, because that his trouble increased: wherefore at length he brake his mind to his wife and children; and thus he began to talk to them: "O my dear wife," said he, "and you the children of my bowels, I, your dear friend, am in myself undone, by reason of a burden that lies hard upon me; moreover, I am for certain informed, that this our city will be burned with fire from heaven; in which fearful overthrow, both myself, with thee, my wife, and you my sweet babes, shall miserably come to ruin; except (the which yet I see not) some way of escape can be found, whereby we may be delivered."

At this his relations were sore amazed; not for that they believed that what he had said to them was true, but because they thought that some frenzy distemper had got into his head; therefore, it drawing towards night, and they hoping that sleep might settle his brains, with all haste they got him to bed: but the night was as troublesome to him as the day; wherefore, instead of sleeping, he spent it in sighs and tears. So, when the morning was come, they would know how he did: he told them, "Worse and worse."

He also set to talking to them again; but they began to be hardened. They also thought to drive away his distemper by harsh and surly conduct to him: sometimes they would deride; sometimes they would chide; and sometimes they would quite neglect him. Wherefore he began to retire himself to his chamber, to pray for and pity them, and also to condole his own misery. He would also walk solitarily in the fields, sometimes reading and sometimes praying; and thus for some days he spent his time.

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 He also set to talking to them again; but they began to be hardened. They also thought to drive away his distemper by harsh and surly conduct to him: sometimes they would deride; sometimes they would chide; and sometimes they would quite neglect him. Wherefore he began to retire himself to his chamber, to pray for and pity them, and also to condole his own misery. He would also walk solitarily in the fields, sometimes reading and sometimes praying; and thus for some days he spent his time.
-===Evangelist Provides Direction===
-Now '''I saw, upon a time''' when he was walking in the fields, that he was (as he was wont) reading in his book, and greatly distressed in his mind; and, as he read, he burst out, as he had done before, crying, "What must I do to be saved?"
-<span style="color:darkred">"And brought them out, and said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved?
-And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house." </span style="color:darkred"> Acts 16:30, 31
-I saw also that he looked this way and that way, as if he would run; yet he stood still, because (as I perceived) he could not tell which way to go. I looked then, and saw a man named EVANGELIST coming to him, and asked, "Wherefore dost thou cry?" He answered, "Sir, I perceive by the book in my hand that I am condemned to die, and after that to come to Judgment;
-<span style="color:darkred">"And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:" </span style="color:darkred"> Hebrews 9:27
-and I find that I am not willing to do the first,
+Back to [[The Pilgrim's Progress]]
-<span style="color:darkred">"His sons come to honour, and he knoweth ''it'' not; and they are brought low, but he perceiveth ''it'' not of them. </span style="color:darkred">
-<span style="color:darkred">But his flesh upon him shall have pain, and his soul within him shall mourn." </span style="color:darkred"> Job 14:21, 22
-nor able to do the second."
-<span style="color:darkred">"Can thine heart endure, or can thine hands be strong, in the days that I shall deal with thee? I the LORD have spoken ''it'', and will do ''it''." </span style="color:darkred"> Ezekial 22:14
-Evangelist. Then said EVANGELIST, "Why not willing to die, since this life is attended with so many evils?" The man answered, "Because I fear that this burden that is upon my back will sink me lower than the grave, and I shall fall into Tophet.
-<span style="color:darkred">"For Tophet is ordained of old; yea, for the king it is prepared; he hath made ''it'' deep ''and'' large: the pile thereof ''is'' fire and much wood; the breath of the LORD, like a stream of brimstone, doth kindle it." </span style="color:darkred"> Isaiah 30:33
-And, sir, if I be not fit to go to prison, I am not fit, I am sure, to go to Judgment, and from thence to execution; and the thoughts of these things make me cry."
-Then said EVANGELIST, "If this be thy condition, why standest thou still?" He answered, "Because I know not where to go." Then he gave him a parchment roll; and there was written within, "Flee from the wrath to come!"
-<span style="color:darkred">"But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees come to his baptism, he said unto them, O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come?" </span style="color:darkred"> Matthew 3:7
-The man, therefore, read it; and looking upon EVANGELIST very carefully, said, "Whither must I fly?" Then said EVANGELIST, pointing with his finger over a very wide field, "Do you see yonder wicket gate?"
-<span style="color:darkred">"Because strait ''is'' the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it." </span style="color:darkred"> Matthew 7:14
-The man said, "No." Then said the other, "Do you see yonder shining light?"
-<span style="color:darkred">"Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path." </span style="color:darkred"> Psalm 119:105
-<span style="color:darkred">"We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts:" </span style="color:darkred"> 2 Peter 1:19
-He said, "I think I do." Then said EVANGELIST, "Keep that light in your eye, and go up directly thereto; so shalt thou see the gate; at which, when thou knockest, it shall be told thee what thou shall do."
-So I saw in my dream that the man began to run. Now he had not run far from his own door, but his wife and children perceiving it, began to cry after him to return;
-<span style="color:darkred">"If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple." </span style="color:darkred"> Luke 14:26
-but the man put his fingers in his ears, and ran on, crying, "Life! life! Eternal life!" So he looked not behind him, but fled towards the middle of the plain.
-<span style="color:darkred">"And it came to pass, when they had brought them forth abroad, that he said, Escape for thy life; look not behind thee, neither stay thou in all the plain; escape to the mountain, lest thou be consumed." </span style="color:darkred"> Genesis 19:17