A Puritan's follow-up course

In John Bunyan’s The Pilgrim’s Progress, he likens the Christian life to a journey. Christian had fled from the City of Destruction and started on the road that leads to the Celestial City, having been pulled in at the Narrow Gate.

But the first place he is directed to visit as he begins his dangerous path is Interpreter’s House. ‘I was told,’ says Christian when he arrives there, ‘that if I called here you would show me excellent things, such as would be a help to me on my journey.’

So, what we have here is John Bunyan, as a faithful Puritan pastor, setting before us things he feels are essential for a new convert to know at the start of the Christian life. In other words, Interpreter’s House is what we might call a Puritan ‘follow-up course’ for new Christians.

It is interesting to remind ourselves of what Bunyan teaches here and to realise how different it is from many follow-up courses today. Bunyan sets before his readers seven vivid pictures from which a young Christian is to learn.

The true teacher

In the Christian life we will meet many people who will want to preach to us and instruct us. We will come across them in churches, at conferences, on the internet and more. One of the things it is vital a young Christian knows from the outset is how to tell a true teacher from a false teacher. So it is that Interpreter first shows Christian a portrait.

‘Christian saw the picture of a very grave person hanging on the wall; and this was the fashion of it. It had eyes lifted up to heaven, the best of books in his hand, the law of truth was written upon his lips, the world was behind its back; it stood as if it pleaded with men; and a crown of gold did hang over its head.’ Here is a portrait of the true church leader, preacher or pastor.

Notice three things. He preaches the truth from the Bible (2 Timothy 3.15,16; 4.2), not from his theories, experiences or ‘revelations’. Second, he has a holy life. The world is behind his back and his eyes are on Jesus. He practises what he preaches. It’s not show biz or even intellect you need first in a preacher, but faithfulness. Third, he pleads with people. He is not in the preaching trade to make money or a reputation but because he loves people and would see them saved. Bunyan writes: ‘I have showed you this picture first, because the man whose picture this is, is the only man whom the Lord has authorised to be your guide… take heed lest in your journey you meet some who pretend to lead you right, but their way goes down to death’.

The cleansing gospel

We know we are to live holy lives. But how? The second picture Bunyan uses speaks to this.

Interpreter shows Christian a room with dust all over bare floorboards. A man enters with a broom and begins to sweep. The dust goes everywhere and he cannot clean the room because the more he sweeps the more the dust flies. But then a woman comes and sprinkles water on the floor. The water holds the dust down. Now it can be swept and is soon clean.

The room is the human heart and the dust is the dirt of sin. The man with the broom represents the law; mere morality. He sweeps and gets nowhere. But the water which enables the room to be cleansed is the gospel of Christ. It is God’s grace which breaks the power of sin and makes the soul clean (Romans 6.14). How easily we fall back into moralistic religion. Confronted with our sins we must preach grace to ourselves. New Christians need to know this lest they become discouraged.

The patient child

The next room in Interpreter’s House contains two little children, Passion and Patience. Passion was discontented and morose because he wanted everything now. Patience by contrast was content to wait. Then someone came into the room with a treasure which was given to Passion. Passion laughed at Patience. ‘But’, says Bunyan, ‘after a while he had lavished it all away and was left in rags.’ Passion is the man of this world; the live now materialist. But Patience is the man of the world to come, the Christian content to wait for things which are everlasting. Christian concludes, ‘I perceive ‘tis not best to covet things that are now, but to wait for things to come’. Here is Bunyan’s inoculation against worldliness, not to mention ‘health and wealth’ preachers.

The undying flame

Then Interpreter showed Christian a fire in a grate. A man was throwing buckets of water onto the fire, yet it never went out but grew hotter and higher.

‘What means this?’ asks Christian. The fire is the work of grace wrought in our hearts by the Lord. The one who throws the water is the devil who does everything he can to quench the flames of our faith. But, we ask, how is it that the water doesn’t put out the fire?

To answer this question, Interpreter takes Christian round to the back of the fire. Here there is another person constantly throwing oil onto the fire to keep it ablaze. ‘Who is this?’ It is Christ, who by the oil of his grace will always maintain the work he has begun in our hearts (Philippians 1.6). Here is the note of assurance for the struggling Christian. Christ works secretly, behind the wall. Sometimes we are surprised to find ourselves still trusting the Saviour after all the devil has thrown at us! But Christ keeps us. New converts need this encouragement.

The courageous soldier

But though Christ keeps us, we are not to conclude that the Christian life is easy. It is actually a fight. Interpreter next shows Christian a wonderful castle; the Palace of the King. Outside there are many who want to enter, but are too scared because of a group of armed men who stand before the door.

But at last one man signed up to make the attempt to enter. Taking sword and helmet he rushes at the door, hacking and swinging his sword and though he did receive many wounds he forced his way through and heard a voice which said, ‘Come in, come in, eternal glory you shall win’.

Do we teach new converts that the Christian life is that of a soldier in battle? There are sins and temptations and discouragements and Satan himself to be overcome. To be a Christian takes guts.

Having shown these five pictures Christian feels he is ready to get on his way. But Interpreter has two more pictures to show him.

The caged man

Though Christ will keep the humble soul, we are not to become so sure of our salvation that we feel able to carry on in ungodliness and pursue our lusts. Interpreter shows Christian the dreadful situation of a man in a cage from which he cannot escape. It is Bunyan’s picture of the apostate who has turned his back on Christ, given himself up to sin and is lost.

How often is such a solemn warning part of today’s follow-up course (Hebrews 10.26, 27)?

The unready sleeper

Mr. Interpreter’s final lesson uses the picture of a man who wakes trembling from a most frightening dream. He has dreamt that the Day of Judgment has come and he was not ready.

Here the new Christian is taught that, no matter what it may cost us, the salvation we have in Christ is worth it.

All this contrasts with today’s usual follow-up course, which simply encourages regular prayer, Bible reading and the need to get to church. Those, of course, are all good things, but perhaps Bunyan’s follow-up with its warnings as well as encouragements better fits believers for the road ahead.

As Christian begins to get ready to be off, Interpreter reminds him of the Holy Spirit’s presence with him: ‘The Comforter be always with you, good Christian, to guide you in the way that leads to the city’. Christian goes on his way singing:

Here have I seen things rare and profitable
Things pleasant, dreadful, things to make me stable…