A Very Brisk Lad. 159 Christian asked him from what parts he came, and whither he was going? Christian have some talk. Ignor. Sir, I was born in the country and Ignorance that lieth off there a little on the left hand, and I am going to the Celestial City. Chr. But how do you think to get in at the gate? for you may find some difficulty there. Ignor. As other good people do, said he. Chr. But what have you to show at that gate, that may cause that the gate should be opened to you? Ignor. I know my Lord's will, and I have been a good liver; I pay every man his own; pray, fast, pay tithes, and give alms, and have left my country for whither I am going. The ground of Ignorance's hope. Chr. But thou camest not in at the Wicket-gate that is at the head of this way; thou camest in hither through that same crooked lane; and therefore, I fear, however thou mayest think of thyself, when the reckoning day shall come, thou wilt have laid to thy charge that thou art a thief and a robber, instead of getting admittance into the city. He saith to every one that he is a fool. Ignor. Gentlemen, ye be utter strangers to me,-I know you not; be content to follow the religion of your country, and I will follow the religion of mine. I hope all will be well. And as for the gate that you talk of, all the world knows that that is a great way off of our country. I cannot think that any man in all our parts doth so much as know the way to it; nor need they matter whether they do or no, since we have, as you see, a fine, pleasant, green lane, that comes down from our country, the next way into the way. When Christian saw that the man was wise in his own conceit, he said to Hopeful whisperingly, "There is more hope of a fool than of him" (Prov. xxvi. 12); and said, moreover, "When he that is a fool walketh by the way, his wisdom faileth him, and he saith to 160 The Fate of an Apostate. What, shall every one that he is a fool" (Eccl. x. 3). we talk further with him, or outgo him How to carry it to a jool. at present, and so leave him to think of what he hath heard already, and then stop again for him afterwards, and see if by degrees we can do any good to him? Then said Hopeful Let Ignorance a little while now muse Although he made them, them he will not save. Hope. He further added, It is not good, I think, to say all to him at once; let us pass him by, if you will, and talk to him anon, even as he is able to bear it. So they both went on, and Ignorance he came after. Now when they had passed him a little way, they entered into a very dark lane, where they met a man whom seven devils had bound with seven strong cords, and were carrying of him back to the door that they saw on the side of the hill (Matt. xii. 45; Prov. v. 22). Now good Christian began to tremble, and so did Hopeful his companion; yet as the devils led away the man, Christian looked to see if he knew him; and he thought it might be one Turn-away, that dwelt in the town of Apostasy; but he did not perfectly see his face, for he did hang his head like a thief that is found. But being once past, Hopeful looked after him, and espied on his back a paper with this inscription, Wanton professor and The destruction of one Turn-away. damnable apostate." Christian telleth his companion a story of Little-faith. 46 Then said Christian to his fellow, Now I call to remembrance that which was told me of a thing that happened to a good man hereabout. The name of the man was Littlefaith; but a good man, and he dwelt in the town of Sincere. The thing was this: At the Little-faith Robbed. 161 Broadway gate. Deadman's lane. entering in at this passage, there comes down from Broadway-gate a lane called Deadman'slane; so called because of the murders that are commonly done there; and this Little-faith going on pilgrimage, as we do now, chanced to sit down there, and slept. Now there happened at that time to come down the lane, from Broadway-gate, three sturdy rogues, and their names were Faint-heart, Mistrust, and Guilt (three brothers); and they espying Little-faith where he was, came galloping up with speed. Now the good man was just awake from his sleep, and was getting up to go on his journey. So they Little-faith by robbed Guilt. They got away his silver, and knocked him down. came up all to him, and with threatening Mistrust, and language bid him stand. At this Littlefaith looked as white as a clout, and had neither power to fight nor fly. Then said Faint-heart, Deliver thy purse. But he making no haste to do it (for he was loath to lose his money), Mistrust ran up to him, and thrusting his hand into his pocket, pulled out thence a bag of silver. Then he cried out, Thieves! thieves ! With that Guilt, with a great club that was in his hand, struck Little-faith on the head, and with that blow felled him flat to the ground, where he lay bleeding as one that would bleed to death. All this while the thieves stood by. But, at last, they hearing that some were upon the road, and fearing lest it should be one Great-grace, that dwells in the town of Good-confidence, they betook themselves to their heels, and left this good man to shift for himself. Now, after a while, Little-faith came to himself, and, getting up, made shift to scrabble on his way. This was the story. Hope. But did they take from him all that ever he had? Chr. No: the place where his jewels were they never ransacked; so those he kept still. But, as I was told, 162 Little-faith lost not his best things. Little-faith's Great Grief. the good man was much afflicted for his loss; for the thieves had got most of his spendingmoney. That which they got not (as I said) were jewels; also he had a little odd money left, but scarce enough to bring him to his journey's end (1 Pet. iv. 18). Nay (if I was not misinformed), he was forced to beg as he went, to keep himself alive; for his jewels he might not sell. But beg, and do what he could, he went, as we say, with many a hungry belly the most part of the rest of the way. Little-faith forced to beg to his journey's end. Hope. But is it not a wonder they got not from him his certificate, by which he was to receive his admittance at the Celestial-gate? He kept not his best things by his own cunning. Chr. It is a wonder; but they got not that, though they missed it not through any good cunning of his; for he, being dismayed with their coming upon him, had neither power nor skill to hide anything: so it was more by good providence than by his endeavour that they missed of that good thing (2 Tim. i. 14; 1 Pet. i. 5, 9). Hope. But it must needs be a comfort to him that they got not this jewel from him. Chr. It might have been great comfort to him, had he used it as he should; but they that told me the story said that he made but little use of it all the rest of the way, and that because of the dismay that he had in the taking away his money. Indeed, he forgot it a great part of the rest of his journey; and besides, when at any time it came into his mind, and he began to be comforted therewith, then would fresh thoughts of his loss come again upon him, and those thoughts would swallow up all. He is pitied by both. Hope. Alas, poor man! this could not but be a great grief to him. Chr. Grief! ay, a grief indeed. Would it not have been so to any of us, had we been used as he, to be robbed, and wounded too, and that in a strange place, as he was! It is a wonder he did not die with grief, poor heart! I was told that he scattered almost all the rest of the way with nothing but doleful and bitter complaints; telling also to all that overtook him, or that he overtook in the way as he went, where he was robbed, and how; who they were that did it, and what he lost; how he was wounded, and that he hardly escaped with life. Hope. But it is a wonder that his necessity did not put him upon selling or pawning some of his jewels, that he might have wherewith to relieve himself in his journey. Christian snibbeth his fellow for unadvised speaking. Chr. Thou talkest like one upon whose head is the shell to this very day. For what should he pawn them, or to whom should he sell them? In all that country where he was robbed, his jewels were not accounted of; nor did he want that relief which could from thence be administered to him. sides, had his jewels been missing at the gate of the Celestial City, he had (and that he knew well enough) been excluded from an inheritance there; and that would have been worse to him than the appearance and villany of ten thousand thieves. Be Hope. Why art thou so tart, my brother? Esau sold his birthright, and that for a mess of pottage (Heb. xii. 16); and that birthright was his greatest jewel: and if he, why might not Little-faith do so too? Chr. Esau did sell his birthright, indeed, and so do many besides, and by so doing exclude A discourse about Esau and Little-faith. themselves from the chief blessing, as also that caitiff did; but you must put a difference betwixt Esau and Little-faith, and also betwixt their estates. Esau's birthright was typical, but Little-faith's jewels were not so. Esau's belly |