On Trial For The Gospel - Chapter 7
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As Christian, and Faithful are continuing on their journey, they are met by a very special friend, Evangelist.
This man, of course, is special to both Faithful and Christian, for he was the one to point them both to Christ.
Evangelist comes to them, and asks them how their journey is going, and how they have been conducting themselves.
Evangelist praises Christian and Faithful for their faithfulness to the Celestial King, and encourages them to keep pressing on, for they were not yet out of the “gunshot of the Devil.”
But this was not the only reason for evangelists’ visit with his sons in the faith.
Evangelist had a very bleak, and sobering message for these pilgrims.
He told them that ones they gotten out of the wilderness, they would soon see a town that they would have to enter next on their journey.
In this town, Evangelist said, enemies would will come upon them, and will be determined to put them to death, and that they would succeed.z
Evangelist said this, “ You can be sure that one or both of you must seal his testimony with blood.”
He exhorted them to be faithful unto death, and the King will give you a crown of life.
He also reminded them that the pilgrim who would be put to death would be better off than the remaining pilgrim, for he would go to the Celestial City sooner, and escape the many miseries ahead in the pilgrimage.
Evangelist finally encouraged them that they were to conduct themselves like men, and commit the keeping of their sous to their Faithful Creator.
Than they parted from Evangelist, and when they had exited the wilderness, they came to the border of a town.
This town was named Vanity, and in it, their was a year-round market named Vanity Fair.
In this town all they are concerned about is the vain, and the unimportant.
And all that is bought or sold their is likewise vain, and worthless.
The merchandise of this town consisted of all the vain, lustful, pleasurable, and wordly goods you could ever ask for.
As the two men entered the fair they caused a great commotion, and all the people of the fair turned their attention to them.
There is several reasons for this that Bunyan gives.
1. The Pilgrims were dressed differently than the people of the fair.
2. The Pilgrims language was different than all the people of the fair.
This of course is exactly how it is supposed to be.
Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers.
Let your speech be alway with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer every man.
Not that which goeth into the mouth defileth a man; but that which cometh out of the mouth, this defileth a man.
Set a watch, O LORD, before my mouth; keep the door of my lips.
They spoke with Heavenly, lofty language, rather than the language of the world, which was the common language of the fair.
3. The thing that most ignored the people of the fair was that the Pilgrims put no value on the merchandise of the fair.
They would not even look upon them, and when the merchants wold call out to them to buy the goods, the Pilgrims would put their fingers in their ears and say, “Turn away mine eyes from beholding vanity” as they looked Heavenward, signifying what they truly put value upon.
Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth.
The Pilgrims unusual behavior caused so much of a stir that it a that it disrupted the natural order of the fair, and the Great One of the fair sent his friends to detain the Pilgrims.
They were examined, and found to be strange troublemakers, and they were beaten, smeared with dirt, and than put in cages for the whole fair to see.
They became the objects of harsh mockings, slander, and ridicule.
But the faithful pilgrims returned such slander with love and patience.
As they endured their sufferings, they remembered what their friend faithful had told them about suffering, and what would happen to them.
This strengthened their resolve, and they actually both secretly wished that they would get to be the one chosen to go to the Celestial City sooner.
The time for their trial came, and faithful was to be tried first.
Faithful had three witnesses against him, Envy, Superstition, and Flattery.
These witnesses assaulted Faithful with all kinds of accusations, attacking his very person, and the faith that had.
After hearing all the accusations the jury went to private quarters and deliberated.
After each gave a slandering word, they unanimously found Faithful guilty, and sentenced him to death.
Faithful was put to the most cruel, and painful death.
First they scourged him, then beat him, then they lanced his flesh with knives.
After that, they stoned him, and pierced him with swords.
Lastly they burned him to ashes at the stake, and this is how Faithful came to his end.
After this, a chariot couple with horses came took him away heading directly for the Celestial Gate.
As for Christian, there was a temporary delay, and he was brought back to his cell.
It was there by Gods providence that he escaped.
Read Christians poem on page 138.
But Christian did not escape by himself, a man by the name of Hopeful joined him.
He was given the name Hopeful as he saw the brave pilgrims conduct themselves as they suffered.
So one died to bear testimony to the Truth, and one rose from his ashes to be a companion to Christian in his pilgrimage.
Hopeful also told Christian that there were many more men in the fair that would in due time follow after them as well.
The Vanity Fair represents the world with all of its lust and pleasures.
We, just like Faithful, and Christian, as Christians are called to go through this world on our way home to our Celestial home.
Christian and Faithful both use to dwell amongst the people of the fair, but they were changed, they were no longer enticed by the things of the fair.
Just like faithful and christian were changed, and now looked different from the fair, we as believers have been changed and are to look, and live different from the world.
And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.
For thou art an holy people unto the LORD thy God, and the LORD hath chosen thee to be a peculiar people unto himself, above all the nations that are upon the earth.
Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you,
And living in a sinful, God-hating world as we do, when the world sees these differences in us, we can be sure that persecution is not far away.
Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.
If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you.
Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you:
But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ’s sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy.
If ye be reproached for the name of Christ, happy are ye; for the spirit of glory and of God resteth upon you: on their part he is evil spoken of, but on your part he is glorified.
These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.
Our persecution that we face may not be our actual death, but it may.
Persecution takes many forms, but whatever form it takes, you can be sure of that.
We as believers must than, like faithful and christian, stand firm in our faith, and bravely bear whatever persecution comes our way.
Watch ye, stand fast in the faith, quit you like men, be strong.
Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.
Therefore, my brethren dearly beloved and longed for, my joy and crown, so stand fast in the Lord, my dearly beloved.
Knowing that as we stand firm, there may be others watching us, as was the case with Hopeful.
The Lord might sovereignly us our faithfulness to Him, as a means by which to ultimately draw another to Himself.
That most certainly would make any suffering more than worth it.
May we, like these pilgrims, stand firm in our faith even against the fierce, and trying persecution.