Lesson 5

Two Pilgrims Meet (10)

Pilgrim catches up to Faithful.  Faithful begins telling the story of his journey up to that point.  He describes how Pliable is worse off than ever, how Faithful missed the swamp but was challenged by Wanton.  He described his run-in with Adam the first from the town of Deceit who offered to marry him to his daughters “Lust of the Flesh, Lust of the Eyes and Pride of Life”.  He spoke of being overtaken on the Hill of Difficulty by Moses who struck him with deadly blows until Jesus made him stop.  He passed the House Beautiful and met with Discontent and then Shame in the Valley of Humiliation.

1.       When Faithful met Adam the first who tried to persuade Faithful to go home with him.  What would have happened if Faithful had accepted the invitation?

2.       What was the warning written on the old man’s forehead, and what are the implications of this warning for us?

3.       On the hill of Difficulty Faithful meets Moses.  What does he represent and why does he strike Faithful down?

4.       In the Valley of Humiliation Faithful meets Discontent who tries to persuade him to go back and avoid the valley.  His argument is that it is without honor and that he would make a fool of himself to wade into the valley.  Have you ever had a conversation with Discontent?  What was your reply to him?

5.       Next Faithful is attacked by Shame.  What are some of the objections Shame brings against religion?  There is no stronger proof of our fallen, sinful condition than the fact that we are prone to be ashamed of the things of God.  Has this ever been true in your life?

6.       Is Christian violating Titus 3:2 when he tells Faithful about Talkatives’ true nature? 

Titus 3:2 to speak evil of no one, to be peaceable, gentle, showing all humility to all men.”

7.       How does Faithful turn the conversation with Talkative and make him uncomfortable?  How does Faithful say a work of grace in the soul is discovered?

The Pilgrims Meet Talkative (11)

The two Pilgrims meet a man named Talkative.  Faithful is quite taken with him, but when he drops back to talk to Christian he is warned that this man will deceive him.  He is warned about his character and Faithful starts up a conversation with Talkative with the intention of asking if there is evidence of the Power of God in his life.  Talkative feels trapped and soon loses interest in talking to them.  Finally the meet up with Evangelist who gives them a prophecy that one or both of them will seal with blood the testimony they profess in Vanity Fair.

8.       What is the first indication Talkative gives that shows that his heart is unchanged?

9.       What indications does Christian give of Talkative’s true condition?

Lesson 5 Summary

Spurgeon had this to say about Faithful’s run in with Wanton:

The probability is, that the temptations of the flesh, even when resisted, do us an injury.  If the coals do not burn us, they blacken us.  The very thought of evil, and especially of such evil, is sin. 

This just serves as further proof that we need to separate ourselves to such a distance that we do not come near her door.  Buster has a saying “At first we abhor, then we tolerate, then we embrace” when talking about how we become numb to cultural sins.  As Christians we need to be different, we need to protect ourselves and we need to pray that God will continue to plow up the hardened places in our hearts and let him perform his justifying works in us.  For that to happen we need to be honest with our introspections, ask Him to continue to draw us closer to himself and then be willing to make changes when we sense his leadership in our lives. 

Well Wanton and Lust of the Flesh are almost the same personification.  The second daughter is also a blight to men.  Spurgeon had this to say about her:

The eye can scarcely look upon a thing of beauty without desiring it.  We soon become covetous unless the Spirit of God keeps our mind under proper restraint.  “Thou shalt not covet,’ is a commandment which is often broken by us almost unconsciously.  Consequently, we do not repent as we should of our sin against that commandment which touches our thoughts and our desires.  As to the Pride of Life, I am afraid that many Christians trickle to this third daughter of the First Adam by self-indulgence in dress, in expenses, in all sorts of showiness.  Mark you, this Pride of Life, though the most respectable of the three, as people think, is as genuine a daughter of the Old Adam as is the Lust of the Flesh.  I cannot imagine our Lord Jesus Christ dressing Himself so as to attract attention.

Each of us should have a conscience alert enough to realize that self-indulgence is not right for followers of Christ, who gave us the opposite example while here on earth.