THE PILGRIM’S PROGRESS
FROM THIS WORLD,
TO THAT WHICH IS TO COME
CHAPTER 19
WEEK 6 - FRIDAY
Read and pray: "When you turn to the right or when you turn to the left, your ears will hear a word behind you, saying: This is the way, walk in it." (Is 30:21)
The pilgrims talk about Temporary
Hopeful - I agree. I believe you have spoken the truth. But tell me: haven’t we yet left the enchanted ground?
Christian - Are you bored with our conversation?
Hopeful - No, but I wished to know where we are.
Christian - We still have nearly a league to go before leaving this ground. But, returning to the subject: the ignorant do not realize that such convictions, which terrify them, are for their good, and therefore they seek to drown them.
Hopeful - And how do they try to do it?
Christian:
1º) They believe that these fears are the work of the devil (when in reality they are from God), and so they resist them with what tends directly to their ruin.
2º) They also think that such fears tend to harm their faith, when (wretched as they are!) they have none, and so they harden their hearts against them.
3º) They suppose that they should not fear, and therefore, despite their fears, they become vainly confident \[Jer 17:5].
4º) They think that these fears tend to degrade their own holiness, old and miserable, and so they resist them with all their strength.
Hopeful - I myself experienced some of these things, for before I was convinced I went through what you have just said.
Christian - Well. Let us now leave our neighbor Ignorance for the moment, and move on to something useful.
Hopeful - Most willingly. You propose this new subject.
Christian - Did you know in your land, it will be \[it was] ten years ago, a certain Temporary, who was at that time a rather zealous man in religion?
Hopeful - Perfectly. I have not yet forgotten: he lived in No-Grace, a village about half a league from Honesty, in a house next to that of a certain Backsliding.
Christian - That’s right. He lived with him under the same roof. Well, that Temporary was once very well inclined. I believe that at that time he had some conviction of his sins and of the stipend \[punishment] that is due to them.
Hopeful - I remember that perfectly. His house was no more than a league from mine, and many times he came to me bathed in tears. It saddened me, and I had not wholly lost the hopes I placed in him. But it is clear that not all who cry "Lord!" are Christians.
Christian - Temporary told me once that he was resolved to become a pilgrim, as we are now, but he made the acquaintance of a certain Self-Salvation and broke off my friendship from then on.
Hopeful - Since we are speaking of him, let us investigate the reason for his sudden apostasy, and that of others like him.
Christian - That investigation may be very useful. But now, it is your turn to begin.
Hopeful - In my opinion the reasons are four:
1ª) Although the consciences of these men are awakened¹, their hearts are no different. Thus, when the power of sin² ends, so does the reason that led them to become religious, and they naturally return to their old habits, just as we see the dog return to its vomit, and the washed sow wallow in the mire (2 Peter 2:22).
They eagerly seek heaven, only because they understand and fear the torments of hell: but as soon as this apprehension and fear cool and weaken, so do the desires they had for heaven and salvation, and thus, once the offense and fear are gone, those desires end, and they return to their old habits.
2ª) Another reason is that these fears are not from God, but from other men, and the fear of man is a snare. So that, appearing eager for heaven while the flames of hell roar around them, as soon as that terror passes, other thoughts come to them, such as that it is good to be cautious and that it is not very wise to put oneself into unnecessary afflictions, thus returning to make peace with the world.
3ª) It also happens that the misunderstood shame that often accompanies religion serves them as a stumbling block: they are proud and haughty, and religion is vile and despicable in their eyes: and therefore, once they lose the sense of misfortune and of the wrath to come, they return to their old way of living.
4ª) The idea of sin afflicts them greatly, and they think of it with terror: they do not like to contemplate their miseries, for although the first consideration led them to take refuge where the righteous take refuge, and where they would be safe, as they attribute these thoughts to sin and terror, once they become insensitive to their convictions and to the fear of the wrath of God, they willingly harden their hearts and choose precisely the paths that most contribute to this hardening.
Christian - I believe you speak quite accurately, for the main cause is the lack of a change in their heart and will, which makes them like the accused who, when in the presence of the judge, trembles and seems to repent from the depths of his heart, when the only cause that moves him is the fear of the gallows and not the horror of the crime committed. Grant freedom to this criminal, and you will see him continue to kill and steal as before: but if his heart had changed, his conduct would also have changed.
Hopeful - Since I have explained to you the reasons for these men’s return to the old ways, explain to me now how this failure takes place.
Christian - I will tell you:
1º) They divert their thoughts, when possible, from the meditation and remembrance of God, of death, and of future judgment.
2º) They gradually and little by little abandon their private duties³, such as: prayer, restraining lusts, self-watchfulness, sorrow for sins, etc.
3º) They grow cold in fulfilling public duties³, such as: reading and preaching the word, fellowship with other Christians, etc.
4º) They begin to censure godly people, and in a hellish manner, in order to have a seeming excuse to cast off religion, under the pretext of some weaknesses they have discovered in those who profess it.
5º) They begin to cling to and associate with carnal, lustful \[sensual, carnal] and frivolous men.
6º) Then they secretly give themselves to carnal and frivolous conversations, esteeming it good to see others who are considered honorable do the same, to justify their conduct and continue more boldly.
7º) Finally, they begin to openly mock certain sins, saying they are of little importance, and:
8º) By hardening themselves in this way, they manifest themselves as they really are. And so, cast into the abyss of misery, unless a miracle of grace prevents it, they perish forever in their own delusions.
________________________
¹ For God, the conscience of an unbeliever is dead, for it does not allow him to know his sinful condition. If someone who has not believed in the Lord is sensitive, he will seek to help people and not do wrong things according to his natural concept, but his conscience is incapable of leading him to repentance.
² Christ destroyed the power of sin on the cross, but that is an objective fact; it does not mean that after believing in the Lord we are free from sin. In our human experience, whenever our consecration ceases, the power of sin is present. It will remain so until the Lord’s return (Rom 6:12-14).
³ Only a sense of fulfilling duty is not able to keep us on the Way. As the hymn below says, we need to be attracted by the beauty and worth of the Lord:
"Why did I leave in the world
My idols, without pain?
It was not by duty – I had
The vision of His worth."
Enjoy more:
Hymn - Consecration - "Drawn by the Beauty of the Lord"
No comments:
Post a Comment