me to a little gate that is before us, where we shall receive instructions about the way.

PLI. Come then, good neighbour, let us be going. Then they went

both together.

And I will go back to my place, said Obstinate: I will be no companion of such misled, fantastical fellows.

CHAPTER II.

THE SLOUGH OF DESPOND.

OBSTINATE in his self-will has returned to the City of Destruction. PLIABLE, won for a moment to the cause of the Pilgrim, pliably tries the fortune of the road, merely for speculation and experiment. So long as Religion walks in silver sandals and enjoys the sunshine, he is content to abide with CHRISTIAN; but if the sky should darken, or the way prove hazardous he that has turned his face forward will as easily turn backward, and forsake the pilgrimage. The topic of conversation is hopeful and joyous; for they talk about cherubim and seraphim, and the dazzling glories of heaven, and the tearless happiness of the place, and the glittering crowns, and golden harps, and pearly gates of the seat of bliss. All this is permitted, for the contemplation of the promises is the privilege and duty of young beginners, to animate them to a diligent attention to the conditions annexed to the promises. These men looked to future glory and overlooked present duty-their thoughts were fixed on the end of the journey, and they regarded not, as wise men ought to regard, the necessary steps that conduct thereto. Now, the consequence in their case was that they both fell into the Slough of Despond. They lost sight of the promises contained in God's Holy Word. These are the stepping-stones that, by the good providence of God, are abundantly scattered along the dangerous pass-the ground-work and foot-hold of the pilgrims. We shall see, by-and-by, how useful are these standing points to the feet of pilgrims, when, in the Second Part of the Progress, we view the safe passage of CHRISTIANA and her children over this same unsafe ground. Meanwhile, PLIABLE extricates himself at the side nearest to the City of Destruction. CHRISTIAN, utterly powerless, is delivered by one whose name is HELP.

OW I saw in my dream that, when Obstinate was gone back, Christian and Pliable went talking over the plain : and thus they began their discourse.

CHR. Come, neighbour Pliable, how do you do? I am glad you are persuaded to go along with me: had even Obstinate himself but felt what I have felt of the

powers and terrors of what is yet unseen, he would not thus lightly have given us the back.

PLI. Come, neighbour Christian, since there are none but us two

Christian answers Pliable's questions.

here, tell me now further what the things are, and how to be enjoyed, whither we are going.

CHR. I can better conceive of them with my mind than speak of them with my tongue: but yet, since you are desirous to know, I will read of them in my book.

PLI. And do you think that the words of your book are certainly true?

CHR. Yes, verily, for it was made by him that cannot lie.
PLI. Well said; what things are they?

Titus 1. 2, 9.

CHR. There is an endless kingdom to be inhabited, and everlasting life to be given us, that we may inhabit that kingdom for

ever.

Isa. 45. 17. John 10. 27-29.

2 Tim. 4. 8. Rev. 3. Matt. 13. 43.

PLI. Well said; and what else? CHR. There are crowns of glory to be given us; and garments that will make us shine like the sun in the firmament of heaven. PLI. This is excellent: and what else? CHR. There shall be no more crying nor sorrow; for he that is owner of the place will wipe all tears from our eyes.

4.

Isa. 25. 8. Rev. 7. 16, 17; 21. 4.

PLI. And what company shall we have there? CHR. There we shall be with Seraphims and Cherubims, creatures that will dazzle your eyes to look on them. There, also, you shall meet with thousands and ten thousands that have gone before us to that place; none of them are hurtful, but loving

Made by him that cannot lie.—In answer to PLIABLE'S curious questions, CHRISTIAN refers to his "Book ;" and in evidence of the veracity and authority of the Book, he states that "it was made by him that cannot lie." There is no basis of argument, no ground-work of promise, no foot-hold of faith, no certainty at all, unless the Bible be true. To disturb this authority is to destroy fundamental truth; and "if the foundations be destroyed, what shall the righteous do?"

What things are they?-PLIABLE is not very anxious, if anxious at all, about the authority of "the Book." His spirit of curiosity is greater than his spirit of earnest inquiry. He feels no burden, realises no natural unfitness, and only wants to know what are the hopes held out; and if they be good and profitable, he would desire to have them, if they can be obtained without any self-denial on his part.

Isa. 6. 2. 1 Thess. 4. 16, 17.

And what else?-Still with an insatiable avidity PLIABLE drinks in the descriptions of heaven, and demands yet more. CHRISTIAN is led on by the evident interest he has awakened in the mind of his new comrade. He descants most eloquently of the "endless kingdom," and "everlasting life," and the glorious "garments" of the redeemed. PLIABLE'S pulse beats high; his curiosity is more and more quickened. It is surely something to meet by-and-by with prophets, and apostles, and martyrs, and such company as these.

Are these things to be enjoyed?—“ Let us all learn," says a recent writer on the Pilgrim's Progress, "to distinguish an easy pliable disposition from the broken heart of a genuine penitent. You may be very opposite to an obstinate man, with whom you have been associated. You may have a great respect for real Christians; but if you confine your view

and holy; every one walking in the presence with acceptance for ever.

Rev. 4. 4.

Rev. 14. 1-5.

sight of God, and standing in his In a word, there we shall see the

elders with their golden crowns; there we shall see holy virgins with their golden harps; there we shall see men that by the world were cut in pieces, burnt in flames, eaten of beasts, drowned in the seas, for the love that they bare to the Lord of the John 12. 25. 2 Cor. place; all well, and clothed with immortality as with a

PLI. The hearing of this is enough to ravish one's heart. But are these things to be enjoyed? How shall we get to be sharers hereof ? Isa. 55. 1-3. John CHR. The Lord, the Governor of the country, hath 21. 6; 22. 17. recorded that in this book; the substance of which is, if we be truly willing to have it, he will bestow it upon us freely.

6. 37: 7. 37. Rev.

PLI. Well, my good companion, glad am I to hear of these things. Come on, let us mend our pace.

CHR. I cannot go so fast as I would, by reason of this burden that is on my back.

Now I saw in my dream, that just as they had ended this talk they drew nigh to a very miry slough that was in the midst of the plain,

only to the bright side of religion; if you are Destruction, yet now slackens his pace; he can carried away by its lively representations of run no longer. PLIABLE feels no weight. He peace and rest, and joy and glory, without any thorough awakening to the power and terror of the unseen world, and without any feeling of the burden upon your back—I mean a sense of your depraved and sinful state-if this, I say, be your experience, your goodness will only be as the morning cloud and the early dew.

You are only a stony-ground hearer. Notwithstanding your lively emotions, your ready profession, your joyful feelings, and your hasty movements, you have no root in yourself. You will endure but for a season. When tribulation or persecution ariseth because of the Word, you will be offended. Oh, the unspeakable blessing of a thoroughly awakened, a deeply humble heart! Let us remember that this is the special work of the Holy Spirit; and however painful or distressing, let us constantly seek, that by his gracious operation it may be actually wrought within us."

Let us mend our pace. PLIABLE, intent upon the prospective glories of the place, of which he has just received so glowing an account, desires to hasten on. But the Pilgrim, albeit he did hastily run from the City of

has undertaken, and now thus far continues, his pilgrimage, not by reason of conviction of sin or consciousness of any burden, but because of the glorious prospect of heaven, and the blessedness that CHRISTIAN tells him of. He cannot, therefore, see any reason why he should not run all the way to the possession of these great promises. But the Pilgrim is "weary and heavy laden." Although full of confidence in the words of his Book, which assure him that the kingdom will be freely bestowed on those who sincerely seek it, he is nevertheless weighed down by a sense of sin and so deeply conscious of his own weakness and infirmity, that he cannot step forward thus quickly. For such a race it needs that we "

renew our strength;" and they alone can do this who "wait upon the Lord." It is of these that the prophet speaks, "They shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint" (Isa. xl. 31). CHRISTIAN knows this, taught by experience to know the weight of his "burden." He therefore checks the presumption of PLIABLE, saying, "I cannot go

and they, being heedless, did both fall suddenly into the bog. The name of the slough was Despond. Here, therefore, they wallowed for a time, being grievously bedaubed with the dirt and Christian, because of the burden that was on his back, began to sink in the mire.

Then said Pliable, Ah! neighbour Christian, where are you now? Truly, said Christian, I do not know.

At that Pliable began to be offended, and angrily said to his fellow, Is this the happiness you have told me all this while of? If we have such ill speed at our first setting out, what may we expect betwixt this and our journey's end? May I get out again with my life, you shall possess the brave country alone for me. And with that he gave a desperate struggle or two, and got out of the mire on that side of the slough which was next to his own house. So away he went, and Christian saw him no more.

Wherefore Christian was left to tumble in the slough of Despond alone; but still he endeavoured to struggle to that side of the slough that was still further from his own house, and next to the Wicket-gate; the which he did, but could not get out, because of the burden that was upon his back. But I beheld in my dream that a man came to him whose name was Help, and asked him what he did there?

so fast as I would, by reason of this burden | now left alone, struggles toward the side that is on my back."

A very miry slough.-Since CHRISTIAN'S flight from the City of Destruction, this is his first difficulty and downfall—"they being heedless did both fall suddenly into the bog." This was the Slough of Despond. In this miry place CHRISTIAN seems to fare worse than his fellow; for by reason of his burden (that is, conscious sin), he sinks deeper and deeper. PLIABLE, feeling no such burden, is simply bedaubed, but is also most grievously offended. He naturally feels that this is a sudden and unlooked-for descent from the crowns, and harps, and dazzling glories of which they had been speaking. Accordingly, having no correct views of the state of man and of the plan of deliverance, in time of temptation or trial he falleth away. PLIABLE'S first experiences offend him; and at once, with a desperate struggle or two, he releases himself from the mire, at that side of the swamp that was nearest his native home.

Not so the Pilgrim of Sion. CHRISTIAN,

How

nearest the Wicket-gate. All-burdened with
sin, and sinking in the miry clay, he feels his
danger and his desolate condition.
dreary and how dreadful is this place !—
"Where hardly a human foot could pass,
Or a human heart would dare,

On the quaking turf of the green morass,
His all he had trusted there.”

But CHRISTIAN now looks elsewhere for help, and makes every effort to be free. Some one has well said, "There is one test by which to distinguish the godly from the ungodly, when both have fallen even into the selfsame sin. It is the test by which you may know a sheep from swine, when both have fallen into the same slough, and are, in fact, so bemired that neither by coat nor colour can the one be distinguished from the other. How, then, distinguish them? Nothing more easy. The unclean animal, in circumstances agreeable to its nature, wallows in the mire; but the sheep fills the air with its bleatings, nor ceases its struggles to get out." Thus PLIABLE, disappointed of his hopes,

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