Christian and Hopeful walk on and their next stop is at the Delightful Mountains, which Christian saw earlier from a distance when he stayed at the home of the Family (Chapter 8). Here they find rest and encouragement from Shepherds who tend their flocks there. The Pilgrims approach the Shepherds and ask "whose Mountains are these?" to which the Shepherds reply, "These mountains are Immanuel's Land, and they're within sight of His city. The sheep are also His, and He laid down His life for them." Christian asks, "Is this the way to Celestial City?" "You're in the Way", reply the Shepherds. "How far is it to there?" "Too far for anyone except those who indeed get there." The conversation is a little mysterious, but the Shepherds are actually sizing up the Pilgrims, gauging their understanding. When the Shepherds realize that the Pilgrims are indeed wayfaring men, they open up and start speaking freely, including asking Christian and Hopeful all about their journey
The Shepherds' names are Knowledge, Experience, Watchfulness, and Sincerity. They offer refreshment to the Pilgrims and ask them to stay there for a while and obtain rest. The next day, the Shepherds show Christian and Hopeful a few things. First they are led to the top of a hill called Error, which is very steep on the far side. They look to the bottom and see the bodies of several men dashed to pieces. They are told these are the bodies of those who were "caused to err by listening to Hymenaeus and Philetus concerning the faith of the resurrection of the body" (2 Timothy 2:17-18)
They are then led to the top of another mountain called Caution and asked to look far off in the distance. They see blind men walking up and down among the tombs that were over there. Christian asks what this means. The Shepherds answered, "Didn't you see a short distance below these mountains a set of steps that led into a meadow on the left hand side of this way?" "Yes", they replied. The Shepherds then tell about how a false path leads over those steps to Doubting Castle, where Giant Despair captures Pilgrims who stray onto the false path, imprisons them, and after a time, puts out their eyes and sets them among the tombs, where they are doomed to wander forevermore, so that the words of the Wise Man might be fulfilled, "A man who strays from the path of understanding comes to rest in the company of the dead." Christian and Hopeful look at each other with tears streaming from their eyes, but they do not tell the Shepherds of their prior ordeal.
The Shepherds then lead the Pilgrims to another place in the valley where a door is in the side of a hill. The door is opened and sounds of torment and the smell of burning sulphur come forth. The Shepherds say, "This is an entrance to Hell,through which hypocrites go, such as those who sell their birthright with Esau, such as those who sell their Master with Judas, such as those who blaspheme the gospel with Alexander (1 Timothy 1:18), and who lie and pretend with Ananias and his wife Sapphira. (Acts 4:32-5:10)"
Hopeful asks, "I suppose each and every one of these presented a show of going on the Pilgrimage just as we are now on, didn't they?"
"Yes," said a Shepherd, "and stayed on the Pilgrimage a long time, too."
"How far could they have gone on the Pilgrimage in their day if they had not been so miserably cast away?" asked Hopeful.
"Some farther, " said the Shepherd, "and some not as far as these mountains."
The Pilgrims express the need to cry out to The Strong for strength, and the Shepherds reply, "Yes, and you'll have need to use it when you receive it, too."
Now the Pilgrims feel the need to move on, but the Shepherds have one more sight to show. They all go to the top of another hill called Clear, and are given the opportunity to look through a lens to see Celestial City in the distance. The Pilgrims cannot hold the lens still as they are shaken up by seeing the entrance to Hell, nevertheless, they think they see something like the gate and some of the glory of that place.
Now it is time to go, and one of the Shepherds gives them a Map of the Way, another tells them to beware of The Flatterer, the third tells them not to sleep upon the Enchanted Ground, and a fourth bids them God Speed. The Pilgrims depart singing a song of thanksgiving for the mysteries revealed by the Shepherds.
Thoughts on this chapter
Good news, Bad news. We're getting close to the destination, but we are also told that disaster can befall a Pilgrim at any time along the Path. Christian and Hopeful catch a glimpse of what may have befallen them had not Christian discovered the Promise Key in the breast pocket of his coat back in Doubting Castle. They also see that Pilgrims advanced on the Path can also find themselves in Hell. This opens up huge theological questions, and I think, based on this chapter, that Bunyan did not believe that salvation is a permanent state of grace. I said in a previous chapter that I believe that God forgives all of our sins, past, present, and future when we receive His grace, but I'm also not sure (I don't want to test this either) if that would still hold true if someone were to turn away from the Path via unbelief. Of course, as we saw earlier, and will see again, Pilgrims who enter the Path without going through the gate (except for Hopeful - the allegory isn't exact here) are in for a big surprise when they find out the Lord never knew them.