THE PILGRIM’S PROGRESS
FROM THIS WORLD,
TO THAT WHICH IS TO COME
CHAPTER 20
WEEK 6 - SATURDAY
Read and pray: "You shall no more be termed Forsaken; neither shall your land any more be termed Desolate; but you shall be called Hephzibah¹, and your land Beulah²; for the Lord delights in you, and your land shall be married." (Is 62:4)
Christian and Hopeful pass through the
inhabited land and cross the river of Death
inhabited land and cross the river of Death
After the pleasant practices I have just mentioned, I saw in my dream that the pilgrims had already passed the enchanted land and had reached the entrance of the country of Beulah (Isaiah 62:4-12; Song of Songs 2:10-12).
Very sweet and pleasant was the air of that country they were passing through, where they rejoiced for some time. They delighted in hearing the birds singing and the voice of the turtledoves, and in seeing the flowers that covered the meadows. In that country the day is permanent, the sun shines in all its splendor, so that it is entirely out of the limits of the Valley of the Shadow of Death and the domain of the giant Despair; nor can any part of Doubting Castle be seen from there.
The pilgrims were very close to the City they were going to, and more than once they met its inhabitants, for the Shining Ones often walked in those places, which were, so to speak, within the borders of heaven.
It was in that country that the covenant between the Bridegroom and the Bride was renewed, and just as they rejoice in one another, so their God delights in them. Neither wheat nor wine was lacking there, for there was an abundance of everything they had sought throughout their pilgrimage.
Great voices were heard coming from the city, crying: "Say to the daughter of Zion: Behold, your Savior comes; behold, His reward is with Him" (Is 62:11).
Finally, the inhabitants of the country were called a holy people, redeemed of the Lord, etc. Happy are they! The further they went into that country, the greater was their joy; and the closer they approached the city, the more perfect and magnificent was the view that opened before their eyes.
The city was built of pearls and precious stones, the streets paved with gold, so that the natural brightness and the reflection of the sun's rays caused Christian to fall sick with longing. Hopeful also felt afflicted by this sickness, so they stopped for a while to rest, exclaiming in the midst of their anxiety: If you find my beloved, tell him that I am sick with love (Song of Songs 5:8). Soon they were strengthened and, finding themselves more willing to endure the sickness, they continued on their way, drawing ever nearer to the city.
By the roadside were excellent vineyards and delightful gardens. They met the gardener and asked him to whom such beautiful vineyards and gardens belonged. He told them that they were the property of the King, and that they had been planted for His delight and for the comfort of the pilgrims. He invited them to enter the vineyards and offered them the choicest clusters; he showed them the walks where the King delighted; and ended by inviting them to sleep there.
And I saw that while they slept, they spoke more than during all their journey; and noticing this, the gardener said to me: You need not be surprised. It is the nature of the fruit of these vineyards to go in smoothly and speak to the lips of those who sleep (Song of Songs 7:9).
When they awoke, they prepared to enter the city, but, as I said before, since it was of pure gold (Revelation 21:18), such was the reflection of the sun and so highly glorious, that they could not gaze upon it with an unveiled face (II Corinthians 3:18).
And I saw that two men with garments shining like gold, whose faces were bright as the light, came to meet them and asked them where they came from, where they had stayed, what difficulties and dangers, what consolations and pleasures they had encountered on the way. After these questions were answered, they said: You only have two difficulties left to overcome: then you will enter the city.
Christian and his companion immediately asked them to accompany them. The men replied that they were most willing, but warned them that they would have to overcome by their own faith, and so they walked together until they saw the gate.
When they arrived there, I saw that between them and the gate there was a river; but there was no bridge by which they could cross, and the river was very deep. When they saw it, the pilgrims were greatly frightened, but the men who accompanied them said: Either you cross it or you will not reach the gate.
Is there no other way? asked the pilgrims.
There is, replied the men, but only for two, who are Enoch and Elijah³, to whom it was permitted to pass over the river since the foundation of the world, which has been permitted to no one else until now.
Then the pilgrims, especially Christian, began to be greatly disheartened, looking from one side to the other; but they could find no way to avoid the river. They asked the two companions if the water was equally deep throughout the river. They answered that it was not, but that this should not matter to them, because whether they found it more or less deep depended on the faith they had in the King of the country.
They resolved, therefore, to enter the water; but as soon as they did, Christian began to sink and cried out to Hopeful: I am sinking in these waters, all the waves go over me.
Hopeful replied: Take courage, brother! I have reached the bottom, and I find it safe.
Ah! My friend, cried Christian, the sorrows of death have compassed me, and I shall not see the land flowing with milk and honey. Then a great horror and darkness fell upon Christian, so that he could see nothing. He lost part of his senses, so that he could neither remember nor speak rightly of any of the sweet comforts he had met with along the way.
All the words he uttered suggested that he was horrified and terrified of dying in that river and not entering through the gate of the city. Those around also observed that he had painful thoughts of the sins he had committed, both before and after becoming a pilgrim. It was also noted that he was afflicted by apparitions, phantoms, and evil spirits, as could be gathered from his words.
Very great was Hopeful's effort to keep his brother’s head above water. Sometimes he sank completely, which left him almost half dead. He tried to comfort him by speaking to him of the gate and of those who were waiting there, but Christian replied: It is you, it is you they are waiting for; you have always been Hopeful since I have known you; ah! Surely if I were accepted by Him, He would rise to help me, but for my sins, He has brought me into the snare and left me in it.
Never, replied Hopeful: surely you have forgotten the text that says of the wicked: They are not in trouble as other men; neither are they plagued like other men (Psalms 73:4-5). These afflictions and troubles you are going through in this river are no sign that God has abandoned you; they only serve to test you, to see if you remember what you have received of His goodness, and if you live upon Him in your afflictions.
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¹ Hephzibah: "My delight"
² Beulah: "Married"
³ Enoch (Gen 5:24; Heb 11:5) and Elijah (2 Kings 2:10-11) were taken up alive and did not pass through physical death.
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