THE PILGRIM’S PROGRESS
FROM THIS WORLD, TO THAT WHICH IS TO COME
CHAPTER 14
WEEK 5 – MONDAY
Read and pray: “You shall not make gods of silver to be with Me, nor shall you make for yourselves gods of gold.” (Exodus 20:23)
Christian finds in Hope an excellent companion
Both inflamed with the love of God, they resist the sophistries of various individuals encountered on the way
I then saw in my dream that, a short distance from the path and near the entrance to a mine, stood Demas, continually calling passersby and inviting them to admire that marvel. Upon seeing Christian and his companion, he began calling out to them, saying, “Hello! Come over if you want to see something astonishing!”
Christian – What could be so interesting that it would cause us to stop and turn aside from the way?
Demas – Here is a silver mine, where you can dig and gain a treasure. If you come, you may take great riches with little effort.
Hope – Shall we go see it?
Christian – No! I’ve already heard of this mine, and of many who have perished there. Moreover, that treasure is a snare to those who seek it, for it hinders them in their pilgrimage.
Christian then cried out to Demas, saying: “Isn’t it true that this place is dangerous? Hasn’t it hindered many in their pilgrimage?” (Hosea 4:16–19)
Demas – It is only dangerous to the careless. (And he blushed as he said these words.)
Christian – Hope, we must not take a single step in that direction. Let us continue on our way.
Hope – When Self-interest arrives here, he will surely go see the mine, if invited.
Christian – I have no doubt about that, for such are his principles, and it is almost certain he will meet his end there.
Demas – So you will not come?
Christian – (Resolutely.) Demas, you have been an enemy of the straight paths of the Lord, and were already condemned by one of His Majesty’s judges for having fallen into the same condemnation. If we turn aside, even in the slightest, our King and Lord will surely know, and will shame us where we would least want to be ashamed—namely, in His presence.
Demas – I think as you do, and if you wait a little, I will join you.
Christian – What is your name? Isn’t it the name I called you by?
Demas – Yes, it is. My name is Demas, and I am a son of Abraham.
Christian – I know you well. Your great-grandfather was Gehazi and your father Judas, whose footsteps you follow. What you offer us is an infernal trap; your father hanged himself as a traitor, and you deserve no less (2 Kings 5:20–27; Matt. 26:14–15; 27:3–5). I assure you that when we come before the King, we will report your conduct. And they went on their way.
At that moment, Self-interest and his companions arrived and were soon drawn to Demas as soon as he called to them. I cannot say whether they fell into the mine by coming too close to the edge, or if they went down to dig, or if they were suffocated by the fumes that usually arise there; what I do know is that they never returned to the road.
Then Christian exclaimed: Self-interest and Demas understand each other perfectly! One calls and the other responds. Greed has blinded them! Wretched souls! Such is the fate of those who think only of this world, believing there is nothing beyond it!
I then saw that when the pilgrims reached the other end of the plain, they found an ancient monument that greatly amazed them, for it looked like a woman who had been turned into a kind of pillar. They stopped, and for a long time could not understand what they were seeing.
Hope discovered an inscription on the head of the statue, but since he was not skilled in reading, he pointed it out to Christian, who, after examining it, managed to read: “Remember Lot’s wife.”
They both agreed that this was the pillar of salt into which Lot’s wife had been transformed, for she had looked back, full of covetousness, while fleeing Sodom (Genesis 19:26). This unexpected sight gave occasion for the following dialogue between them:
Christian – Ah, dear brother, how timely is this encounter, after the invitation Demas gave us to go to the hill of Gain. Had we gone there, as he wanted (and you seemed inclined to go, as I noticed), we would have been just as much a spectacle to those coming behind us.
Hope – I deeply regret having been so foolish, and I marvel that I’m not already like Lot’s wife, for in truth, there is no difference between her sin and mine. She only looked back, and I desired to go see the treasure. Blessed be preventive grace! I am ashamed to have harbored such a desire in my heart.
Christian – Let us reflect well on what we’ve seen here, for our future benefit. This woman was spared one judgment, for she did not die in the destruction of Sodom; yet she was struck by another, as we see: she was turned into a pillar of salt.
Hope – It’s true. May this serve as a warning to avoid her sin, and as an example to remind us of the judgment that awaits those who do not heed the warning. Likewise Korah, Dathan, and Abiram, and the 250 men who perished with them in their sin, were also an example for others to learn from (Numbers 16:31–32; 26:9–10).
Yet, there is something that especially troubles me. How can Demas and his companions be so confident there, seeking a treasure, when this woman, for merely looking back (for we read that if she turned aside from the path even a single step), was turned into a pillar of salt? And more than that: considering that her judgment made her a visible example, striking to the eye—why, even if they don’t wish to see it, can they not help but stare at it whenever they lift their eyes?
Christian – It is truly astonishing. This proves that their hearts are utterly perverted, and they can only be compared to those who steal in the presence of a judge or murder in plain sight of law enforcement. It is said that the men of Sodom were great sinners because they “were sinners before the Lord,” meaning, in His sight, despite the goodness He had shown them—for the land of Sodom was like the Garden of Eden (Genesis 13:10–13).
This provoked Him all the more and caused their plague to be as fiery as the fire from the Lord’s heaven. It is only right to conclude that men like these, who persist in sin in full view and despite the examples given for correction, deserve the severest judgments.
Hope – That is absolutely true; but how much mercy has been shown to us, that neither you nor I have been made an example like this! We must give great thanks to God for always living in fear before Him, and never forget Lot’s wife.
Enjoy more:
Consecration Hymn – “Fighting Alongside the Lord”
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