Pilgrim's Progress...Revisited (Part 2)

Part the Second

Christian Meets Evangelist

The next day, as the man walked in the fields, reading his Book and praying, he was approached by a man named Evangelist, who inquired as to the reason of the man's obvious distress.

Man: I am undone by the burden that weighs upon me!

Evangelist: Whence this burden?

Man: It was placed upon me after reading this excellent Book, sir.

Evangelist: And wherefore thy tears?

Man: Because I have read that I am doomed to die, and afterward be brought to judgment for my transgressions while upon this world; and I know not whither to go.

Evangelist: Then tarry not a moment longer, and fly from here toward yonder light; there you will find a narrow gate. Knock thee thereon, and thou shalt be told what to do. Keep the light foremost in thine eye, and thy feet stray not from the course. Hie!

The man set forth at run, joyous that he might be relieved of the burden so heavy upon him. As he ran, the townfolk came out to see him; some jeered him, some smiled in amusement, some shook their heads and mumbled; very few beheld him thoughtfully.

Yet there were some who brake from the crowd, and elected to accompany Christian (for this was the man's name) on his travels. They were Ostrich, Polly The Izzim, and Academician. They hailed him, and inquired of him if they might escort him whither he went, to which Christian replied This road is open to all, whosoever may choose to follow it to its terminus; but this road will be all the easier to tread if thou but follow the directions mapped out in this Book. And with this, he allowed all to view the Book.

Christian's Conversation with Ostrich

Ostrich: Ah, Christian. I see that we are fellows well met. I, too, enjoy a good story! This Book I have perused before, although I must admit at a somewhat cursory pace. But it is indeed a marvellous piece of fiction, representative of all good moral tales and fables such as was read to me as a boy; yea, I would place this book in a place of honor next to my volume of Aesop.

Christian: What sayest thou, Ostrich? Hast thou not had the words therein penetrate thee? Dost thou not recognize Truth, naked and unalloyed, permeating every word set upon the page? Here is the key to thy Salvation, laid out in plain fashion, awaiting but thy confession of faith.

Ostrich: And what have I to be saved from?

Christian: All will come to ruin, and the world and all who live upon it will be destroyed with a fire to last for eternity, lest ye heed the prescription found within the Book.

Ostrich: Surely thou say these things in jest, good Christian. I have eyes that see, ears that hear, and senses that touch all given up to me by this world; yet, I do not perceive the impending calamity of which thou speakest. The sun ariseth in its customary place every morning, and I wake upon its dawning. I eat of the bounty of my fields, I work the day long to provide for me and mine. The world offers me sustenance, and beauty, and I take what is given unto me gladly and with a thankful heart. Verily, there are misfortunes and circumstances of a tragic nature that hath beset me; but after every storm the sun shall scatter the clouds, and so hath it been thus with me. I am full of life, yet my days shall eventually reach an end, and I shall be planted deep so that my decomposition shall yield the greatest benefit to the earth which shall surround me, and my life shall be part of other life which feedeth off my bones, and they shall yield their lives to others stronger and with greater hunger; yea, I shall live on parceled out within all life that will succeed me; and this is the way of the world eternal.

Christian: Thou hast been misled, good Ostrich. I beseech thee, read this good Book with open heart and mind, and blind thyself not to its Message. The world hath deceived thee, with its carnal pleasures that satisfy the flesh, but not the spirit. For it is this spirit, thy soul, whereby Life is defined, and not the numbered days of thy worldly existence. Thou sayest that thy life is assimilated by other forms that feed upon thy rotting flesh; how bitter the thought that we, who was given dominion over every living thing that moveth upon the earth,¹ should be nothing but fodder for the worms when we have shed the fetters of this earthly life. Die in the flesh we must but we are promised Eternal Life beyond this world, and this Book reveals how we are to gain it; but thou must understand that this Eternal Life cannot be obtained through any worldly means. Verily, this good Book proclaims if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die². Change thy ways, good Ostrich, I beseech thee; for it is also written that to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace³.

Ostrich: I fear 'tis thee who hath been beguiled, dearest Christian; and that by mere words in a book. I have read many books, from the physick to the philosophy; and have had the good sense to separate the fiction from the reality. My heart weeps for you Christian, who hath mistaken the plot devices of a morality tale for truth, rather than the principle the tale imparts. For thy book doth have merit, once one condenses and digests the superfluity of words to reveal the germ of moral virtue, such as Love Thy Neighbor⁴. But nevertheless, a book is all it is, written by men such that lived ages ago, who saw the need to remind us all that we are capable of lofty ideals and good works; and thus this parable was born.

Christian: Weep not for me, Ostrich, but let thy tears wash away the stain of sin that lays like soot upon your soul. Lifteth thy head out of the belly of the earth and to the heavens, and upraise thy hands and heart and beg forgiveness for thy sins, which hath covered thine eyes with scales, and plated thy heart with brimstone.

To Be Continued

Pilgrim's Progress Revisited: An Allegory in the Manner of Bunyan, Updated for 21st Century Readers by
Mitchell Emeric is licensed under a
Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.