THE PILGRIM’S PROGRESS
FROM THIS WORLD, TO THAT WHICH IS TO COME
CHAPTER 8
WEEK 3 – SUNDAY
Read and pray: “How precious is Your lovingkindness, O God! Therefore the children of men put their trust under the shadow of Your wings. They are abundantly satisfied with the fullness of Your house, and You give them drink from the river of Your pleasures.” (Psalm 36:7-8)
Christian in the Beautiful Palace (2)
I further observed, in my dream, that they continued their conversation until supper was ready, after which they sat at the table, which was set with substantial dishes and excellent wines.
The conversation during supper was about the Lord of the Valley, about what He had done and the reasons that had led Him to build that house. From what I heard, I understood that He had been a great warrior, who had fought and conquered the one who had the power of death (Hebrews 2:14-15), though not without facing great danger, which made Him all the more worthy of love.
For, as they said—and I believe I heard Christian say so too—the Lord achieved this victory at the cost of much blood; but what made this grace even more glorious was that He did it purely out of love for this land. And some of the family even said they had seen Him and spoken with Him after He had died on the cross, and they also claimed that He had said it was impossible to find another like Him, from east to west; and so much so that He had stripped Himself of His glory to accomplish what He did, and that His desire was to have many who would dwell with Him on Mount Zion. To this end, He had made princes of those who were by nature beggars born in the mud (1 Samuel 2:8; Psalm 113:8).
In this pleasant conversation, they engaged until late into the night, and then retired to their rooms after entrusting themselves to the Lord's protection. The room assigned to Christian was on the upper floor of the palace; it was called the Room of Peace and had a window facing the sunrise. There our Pilgrim slept peacefully until dawn, and upon waking, he sang a song that, in melodious verses, said: “Oh! How lovely are these dwellings! Surely this is the house of the Lord, this is the gate of heaven! Blessed are You, Jesus, who thus provide for the needs of poor pilgrims, forgiving their sins and allowing them to rest on high!”
After everyone had risen and exchanged morning greetings, Christian was preparing to depart, which they only allowed after showing him some of the extraordinary things in the palace.
First, they took him to the Record Room, where they presented the Lord’s genealogical tree, which showed that He descended from none other than the Ancient of Days, having been conceived amid eternal splendor, before the morning star existed.
There he also saw, written in characters of light, all His deeds and all His life, as well as the names of many hundreds of servants who had conquered kingdoms, practiced righteousness, obtained promises, subdued lions, quenched terrible fires, escaped the edge of the sword, survived deadly diseases, fought bravely in wars, and routed the enemy camps (Hebrews 11:33-34).
They then showed him, in another section of the Record Room, the Lord’s gracious willingness to welcome into His favor any person who had formerly opposed Him or His purposes.
They also showed him various accounts of illustrious deeds, both ancient and modern, as well as predictions and prophecies which, in due time, had come to pass—all to the terror and confusion of the enemies and to the joy and satisfaction of the friends.
The next day they took him to the armory, where they displayed all kinds of armor that the Lord had prepared for pilgrims: swords, shields, helmets, breastplates, prayer-wheel¹ armor, and borzeguins² that last eternally. There was such an abundance of war equipment that it would suffice to arm as many men in service of the Lord as there are stars in the sky.
They also showed him the objects with which some of the servants had performed marvelous wonders: the rod of Moses, the nail and hammer with which Jael killed Sisera; the pitchers, trumpets, and lamps with which Gideon defeated the armies of Midian; the ox goad with which Shamgar slew six hundred men; the jawbone with which Samson accomplished great feats; the sling and stone with which David killed Goliath of Gath, and the sword with which the Lord will slay the man of sin on the day he rises against the prey; showing him, in short, many other excellent things, at the sight of which Christian felt indescribable joy. And as the day had declined, they again went to rest.
On the following day, Christian wished to depart, but they asked him to stay one more day, so they could show him, if the atmosphere was clear, the Delectable Mountains, the sight of which would bring him great comfort, as those mountains were nearer to the port he was heading to than to his current location. Christian agreed to the request.
So in the morning, they ascended to the palace terrace, on the side facing south, and at a great distance, Christian was able to see a delightful mountainous land, bordered by woods, vineyards, orchards, and gardens of all kinds, interspersed with brooks and lakes of singular beauty (Isaiah 33:16-17). That land, they told him, is the Land of Emmanuel, and it is as free as this place for all pilgrims. From there, you will see the gate of the Celestial City. The shepherds of those mountains will show you the way.
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¹ Prayer-wheel breastplates: poetic or compound expression to describe a circle of prayer.
² Borzeguins: leather boots or booties, often worn by soldiers or travelers in the Middle Ages or in ancient times.
Enjoy more:
Hymn “Experience of Christ”
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