"...~That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found into praise, and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ~ 1 Peter 1:7
AS I WALKED through the wilderness of this world, I lighted on a certain place where was a den, and 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 (Isaiah 64:6; Luke 14:33; Psalm 38:4). I looked, and saw him open the Book and read therein; and as he read he wept and trembled; and not being able longer to contain, he break out with a lamentable cry, saying:
PILGRIM: What shall i do? (Acts 2:37; 16:30; Habakkuk1:2-3).
In this plight, therefore, he went home, and restrained 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 break his mind to his wife and children; and thus he began to talk to them:
PILGRIM: O my dear wife, and you my children, I, your dear friend, am in myself undone by a reason of a burden that lieth hard upon me. Moreover, I am certainly 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 toward 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:
PILGRIM: 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 carriage 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.
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.
PILGRIM: What must I do to be saved? (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..."
Keywords legend:-
Book - Bible
Burden upon his back - Sins, awareness of sins he had.
Jesus said, "Blessed are the poor and realize their need for him, for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs." (Matthew 5:3)
At this point in time, PILGRIM realises the burden he has on his back, and is very upset about the judgement that will fall if he does not find a way to escape the oncoming fire of judgement.
Saturday, January 1, 2011
Introduction
Quotes (ITALICS) are taken from The Pilgrim's Progress By John Bunyan, published by Moody Publishers, "slightly abridged for the modern reader" --T.p.verso. 2007 edition.
We learn better, and our faith becomes more personal and solid when we are delighted or drawn into truth rather than talked at. That John Bunyan understood this seems clear from these words written as an introduction to his unforgettable work Pilgrim's Progress. In a poetic "apologie" he expresses the twofold purpose of his brilliant allegory. He wanted to both affect the minds of the listless, those who had grown bored and lazy in their faith (in this work those who sleep when it is not appropriate), and to present the gospel with such urgency and warning that the lost would fall on their knees at the cross.
He chose a novel approach, an extended metaphor of the Christian life as a journey with a geography and weather, an approach so original he felt he had to cover himself with an opening poem of defense. Furthermore, he did not want to write to just entertain; he wanted to move readers' hearts to recognition and repentance by dramatizing the principles outlined in Scripture what will keep a man and woman true until they pass through the river of death to their eternal home....
...It is a story that contains a program for action, not just for meditation. As was once said of another writer, Bunyan warns his readers that God has a terrible plan for their lives if they don't wake up and smell the coffee. Besides, those readers contented with the merely devotional or artistic would be incapable of enduring a trail like Vanity Fair. What Bunyan tried to show is that the Christian life is not for the lazy or the cowardly; knowledge of Scripture and doctrine and the practice of obedience and attentiveness are central in the life of the growing child of God. A pilgrimage is an arduous walk, not a cross-continental flight. What is also true is that while Bunyan's protagonist, Christian, has the most difficulties to face, he also has the most adventure, the most exhilaration....
....The path from the City of Destruction to the Celestial City is essentially the same for everyone, with similar landmarks along the way.
The struggle to live out one's life in a world unwelcoming to the Christian faith is becoming more and more of a reality. We need the help of a Christian who has been there before us, a Christian who never avoided theology, who loved and knew the Word of God, who presented suffering in all its rawness and joy in all its exuberance, who in the midst of failure knew who he was and who he belonged to. "This book," Bunyan said, "will make a traveler of thee." And... there is wonder in this journey.
Rosalie De Rosset..."
I had already seen the movie version of it, and now reading it is another exciting moment for me, thus this is the reason why I had decided to set up another page just for this. To enjoy each section of Christian's journey.
I pray it will be the same for you.
"...Introduction
The Pilgrim's Progress
by John Bunyan
~The book is writ in such a dialect as may the minds of listless men affect, it seems a novelty, and yet contains nothing but sound and honest Gospel strains.
( "The Author's apologie for his book")
We learn better, and our faith becomes more personal and solid when we are delighted or drawn into truth rather than talked at. That John Bunyan understood this seems clear from these words written as an introduction to his unforgettable work Pilgrim's Progress. In a poetic "apologie" he expresses the twofold purpose of his brilliant allegory. He wanted to both affect the minds of the listless, those who had grown bored and lazy in their faith (in this work those who sleep when it is not appropriate), and to present the gospel with such urgency and warning that the lost would fall on their knees at the cross.
He chose a novel approach, an extended metaphor of the Christian life as a journey with a geography and weather, an approach so original he felt he had to cover himself with an opening poem of defense. Furthermore, he did not want to write to just entertain; he wanted to move readers' hearts to recognition and repentance by dramatizing the principles outlined in Scripture what will keep a man and woman true until they pass through the river of death to their eternal home....
...It is a story that contains a program for action, not just for meditation. As was once said of another writer, Bunyan warns his readers that God has a terrible plan for their lives if they don't wake up and smell the coffee. Besides, those readers contented with the merely devotional or artistic would be incapable of enduring a trail like Vanity Fair. What Bunyan tried to show is that the Christian life is not for the lazy or the cowardly; knowledge of Scripture and doctrine and the practice of obedience and attentiveness are central in the life of the growing child of God. A pilgrimage is an arduous walk, not a cross-continental flight. What is also true is that while Bunyan's protagonist, Christian, has the most difficulties to face, he also has the most adventure, the most exhilaration....
....The path from the City of Destruction to the Celestial City is essentially the same for everyone, with similar landmarks along the way.
The struggle to live out one's life in a world unwelcoming to the Christian faith is becoming more and more of a reality. We need the help of a Christian who has been there before us, a Christian who never avoided theology, who loved and knew the Word of God, who presented suffering in all its rawness and joy in all its exuberance, who in the midst of failure knew who he was and who he belonged to. "This book," Bunyan said, "will make a traveler of thee." And... there is wonder in this journey.
Rosalie De Rosset..."
I had already seen the movie version of it, and now reading it is another exciting moment for me, thus this is the reason why I had decided to set up another page just for this. To enjoy each section of Christian's journey.
I pray it will be the same for you.
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