We come now to our last few Pictures from Pilgrim's Progress. As we said in the first few illustrations that we drew from John Bunyan's great classic, we would only be able to pinpoint a very few of the many hundreds of spiritual truths that the book sets before us, and we have endeavoured to do this, simply as a guideline to interpreting the "similitudes" that Bunyan uses to speak of our own "pilgrim's progress". We take one more illustration in particular in this edition – and a few, in general, as we finish off our series.
Bunyan informs us that the way to the Celestial City lay through a town in which a great fair was kept. Every Pilgrim, he tells us, must pass through this place, or else "must needs go out of the world". If you happen to spend a Saturday afternoon in the city centre of Inverness, or any other sizable city, you should have a reasonable illustration of just what this place was like. It was called "Vanity Fair"; and in the side shows of Vanity Fair Bunyan opens our gaze. In the Pilgrim's Progress, we have a vivid picture of this world and the believer's place in this world. If you have an illustrated edition of the Pilgrim's Progress you will see how vividly some of the artists have committed Bunyan's words to pictures.
Vanity Fair is a place where sin reigns supreme, and nothing is hidden away that will find a ready market in the promotion of that sin. "At this fair," we are told, "there are all such merchandise sold as houses, lands, trades, places, honours, preferments, titles, countries, kingdoms, lusts, pleasures; and delights of all sorts, as whores, bawds, wives, husbands, children, masters, servants, lives, blood, bodies, souls, silver, gold, pearls, precious stones, and what not. And moreover, at this fair, there are at all times to be seen jugglings, cheats, games, plays, fools, apes, knaves and rogues, and that of every kind. Here are to be seen too, and that for nothing, thefts, murders, adulteries, false swearers, and that of a blood-red colour".
As you can see, John Bunyan, in keeping with his other Puritan brethren, had a very low estimate of this world and this world's goods. "Rome and her merchandise are greatly promoted in this Fair," he tells us; and the "chief lord of the Fair", one "Beelzebub", even endeavoured to get the Prince of Princes to buy some of this Fair's goods as He passed through this Fair on the way to His Cross. But, that we might have "an example" he refused to buy of the "kingdoms of this world" when presented to Him.
When Pilgrim and Faithful arrived in Vanity Fair they caused quite a stir, Bunyan informs us; this was on account of three things.
Needless to say, Vanity Fair had no time for such men – as the world has no time for such believers today! They were placed in an iron cage to the gaze of all the inhabitants of that place, and then Faithful was sentenced for trial before Judge Hategood. He is condemned for his faithfulness; and no wonder; listen to some of the names of the jury that condemned him; Mr. No-good; Mr. Malice; Mr. Love-Lust; Mr. Live-Loose; Mr. Enmity; Mr. Liar; Mr. Hate-light. Faithful is burnt at the stake in Vanity Fair, but Pilgrim himself, through the power of "He who over-rules all things", is enabled to continue his travels.
What does it all mean? It means that the world hates Christ and the faith that is by Him. God will have His Church in this world and not even the world will destroy that Church of which He is builder and maker. But, where it can, the world will attack true faith and stifle its voice.
How much there is between Vanity Fair and the Celestial City. Bunyan's Pilgrim has many more people to meet and many more situations to face. We commend a study of his pilgrimage to you.
What lessons "The Immortal Tinker" has left for us even just outside the gate of Vanity Fair. There our Pilgrim meets Mr. and Mrs. By-ends. What a couple for our own day. They were always happy to "walk with religion" we are told, "when the sun shone, and it went in silver slippers", but not when it was "in rags" or "bound in irons". What a wealth of spiritual truth in the encounter with "Demas" or "The Monument to Lot's Wife". Read of Little Faith being robbed and Hopeful "swaggering".
Read on until he "treads the verge of Jordan" and ascends the steps of the New Jerusalem – his Celestial City.
This Page Title – Pictures fromPilgrim's Progress – Vanity Fair The Wicket Gate Magazine "A Continuing Witness". Internet Edition number 56 – placed on line September 2005 Magazine web address – www.wicketgate.co.uk |