Great Heart leads the Pilgrims from the Interpreter's house, and they soon reach the Cross, where Christian's burden fell off his back, and rolled into the tomb at the bottom of a hill, where it was seen no more. Christiana knows that the Cross is the means of pardon, in word by the promise of God, but she does not understand its fulfillment in deed. She asks Great Heart for an explanation. Great Heart talks of pardon by deed by the work of Christ, "And He has obtained it in this double way: He has performed righteousness to cover you and has spilled blood in which to wash you." He goes on to describe fully the nature of Christ and His righteousness, both as God incarnate, and as fully human Man. He talks of the necessity for a redemption from the curse of sin, "this is by The Blood of your Lord who came and stood in your place and stead, and who died your death for your transgressions....For the sake of this, God passes by you and will not hurt you when He comes to judge the world."
They go on to the point where Christian tried to wake Simple, Sloth, and Presumption. They are still here, but are not asleep on the ground. They are now hanged up in irons a short distance from the path. They talk for a while about how their sloth resulted in their confinement and how it now serves as a warning for others, though for a while, they turned many Pilgrims from the path, hence deserving their punishment.
Going on, the Pilgrims reach the Hill of Difficulty, and see the paths around the hill that Formal and Hypocrisy took, thereby becoming lost. They note that there are obstacles preventing access to the false paths, yet the foolish still insist on taking what seems to be an easier path. They go up the hill, and find it strenuous after a while. They soon desire rest, and Great Heart leads them to the Prince's Arbor, the place where Christian fell asleep and lost his Certificate. They rest, being wary of falling asleep. Great Heart asks James, one of Christiana's sons, what he thinks of the Pilgrimage now. James says that he almost lost heart, but thanking Great Heart for his guidance, he replies that his mother has told him that the way to Heaven is like a ladder, and the way to Hill is like down a hill. He'd rather go up the ladder to life, than down the hill to death. Mercy replies, "But the proverb is: 'To go down the hill is easy.' " James answers, "In my opinion, the day is coming when going down the hill will be the hardest of all." Great Heart commends the boy for his correct answer.
They resume their journey, and soon approach the place where Christian encountered Fearful and Mistrust, running away from the lions. There is now a platform there, and a plate engraved with a message warning those who would turn back from fear, and stating that Fearful and Mistrust were here punished for endeavoring to hinder Christian on his journey.
They are now in sight of the lions. The young boys are afraid, and fall back to the rear. Great Heart smiles and chides them gently, saying "How's this, my Boys? Do you love to take the lead when no danger approaches but love to take the rear as soon as the lions appear?" Great Heart draws his sword, even though the lions are chained. His sword is drawn wisely, for their is a new danger here. A giant appears, Grim, and claims that the Pilgrims are trespassing. Great Heart replies that the women and children are going on Pilgrimage, "and this is the way they must go. And go it they shall, in spite of you and the lions." Christiana affirms that she and her companions will walk through. A fight ensues between Great Heart and Grim, resulting in Grim's death. The party then walks on by the chained lions safely, though they are afraid of them.
Thoughts on this chapter
There is a long monologue in this chapter regarding the righteousness of Christ and how He accomplished our salvation. It is rather detailed and hard to repeat in this review, but it is certainly worth a second look for anyone wishing to look it up.
The lions are now reinforced by a giant who actively resists the progress of the Pilgrims. In Part One, the lions were harmless. They still are, as long as they are by themselves, but the giant presents quite an obstacle. He is no match for Great Heart however. We will see more giants slain later, some by the boys, for by the end of the Pilgrimage, they will be men.
Posted by joelfuhrmann at April 11, 2003 11:18 PM