Well, welcome back to our third installment of some devotional reflections upon John Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress. Last time we got through the Slough of Despond, and right up until Christian meets a man by the name of Mr. Worldly Wiseman. And so if you're reading along with us and you haven't read yet, we're reading from Mr. Worldly Wiseman straight through just until we get to the House of the Interpreter. So we're going to get to the Wicked Gate here. So if you'd like to pause and read along, you can do that. So Christian meets this new fellow, Mr. Worldly Wiseman is his name. He dwelt in the town of Carnal Policy, of Fleshly Policy. And they meet and he asks him, you know, who are you? How did you get yourself on this way? Do you have a wife and children? And Christian says, yes. And he says, well, look, you just need to get rid of that burden, Christian. And Christian says, look, that's exactly what I'm trying to do, but get it off by myself, I cannot. Nor is there a man in our country that can take it off my shoulders. Therefore, I'm going in this way that I may be rid of my burden. I can't get rid of sin. No man in the world can get rid of my sin for me. So I've got to walk the way of salvation, the narrow path. And Worldly Wiseman says, who told you you had to walk that path? And he says, a man named Evangelist. And Worldly Wiseman says, oh, you know, don't worry about that guy. Don't listen to his counsel. He says, there is not a more dangerous and troublesome way in the world than is that unto which he has directed you. And you're going to find that if you continue in it. There's not a more dangerous and troublesome way in the world. You already were in the slough of despond. If you keep going, you're going to meet wearisomeness, painfulness, hunger, perils, nakedness, sword, lions, dragons, darkness, and in a word, death and whatnot. And so he's saying, don't go in that way. You're going to meet with nothing but trouble. What does this tell us? It tells us what the New Testament tells us, that the Christian life is a life of suffering. You know, all who live godly, all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted, 2 Timothy 3.12. It has been granted to you not only to believe in Him, but it has been granted to you for Christ's sake, not only to believe in Him, but that you should suffer for His sake, Philippians 1.29. John 15, Jesus tells the disciples, the disciples not above his master, if they hated me, they'll hate you as well. So in this world, you will have tribulation, John 16, 33. But take heart, I have overcome the world. So the Christian life, we have to understand, Bunyan's trying to tell us at the outset that we need to know that the Christian life is a life of difficulty. It's a life of suffering. It's a life not of easy street and no troubles and what pliable was looking for, but difficulty. What does Christian respond to that? He says, why, sir, this burden upon my back is more terrible to me than are all these things which you have mentioned. There's a Christian's response and esteem of sin above the gravity of suffering, right? That the burden of your sin is a greater burden to bear than all of the suffering in the world with Christ. I've said it in some of my sermons that I've preached, but the presence of Christ is 10,000 times sweeter than the absence of suffering, because the burden of sin is so much worse than any sufferings, as long as they're attended with the company of Christ and the Holy Spirit. So much graver than any sufferings of the Christian life. Do we regard sin as that odious? Do we regard sin as that burdensome to our spirits? That nakedness, peril, hunger, sword, lions, dangers, darkness, and death. Say, yeah, I'll sign up for that if I can be rid of my sin. If you say, no, I won't, then you're the thorny soil and you'll be choked out eventually. But if you can say, yeah, I'm going forward, then you can have the assurance that that's a work of grace in your heart that has made you see the wickedness of sin and the loveliness of the path of Christ, the path of fellowship with Christ, even if it has sufferings upon it. And they keep going, how did you get the burden? He says, by reading this book. He says, there's your problem. Stop reading the Bible. But why? Because what does the Bible do? It debases man. It cuts us down. It humiliates us by showing us the truth of who we are in the light of who God is. And so, of course, those who would turn us out of our way, like Mr. Worldly Wiseman, would denigrate the scriptures. So Mr. Worldly Wiseman is going to tell Christian an alternative to the narrow way and the difficult way to salvation, to getting his burden off of his back. And he says, well, in yonder village, the village is named Morality, there dwells a gentleman whose name is Legality, a very judicious man, and he's going to help you off with your burden. He says, great, where can I go see this guy? And Worldly Wiseman says, do you see Yonder High Hill? And Yonder High Hill is a reference to Mount Sinai, because Mr. Legality, dwelling in the town of Morality, is a reference to the law. Mr. Worldly Wiseman is a legalist, and he's going to invite Christian to get rid of the burden of sin by obedience, by moral reform, by personal improvement, by self-effort. And that sounds good to Christian. Great, I can get my burden off and I don't have to deal with all these dangers. And I thought that it was interesting that, well, maybe I'll get there in a moment when he's referring to this conversation with evangelists. But what does it say? So Christian turned out of his way. So Christian turned out of his way, and that's just the first thought. Don't turn aside to the right or to the left. Keep your eyes straight before you. Don't turn out of the way that the Master has prepared for us. And it says, but behold, when he was going towards Mr. Legality's house, but behold, when he was got hard now by the hill. In other words, he had a hard time getting up this hill. It was so high, the side of it was next to the wayside, so it was like a cliff, and he was afraid to go any further, lest the hill should fall on his head, Vunyan says. What are these? These are the terrors of the law. Wherefore, there he stood still, and he didn't know what to do. Also, his burden now seemed heavier to him than while he was in his way." Interesting, right? The burden of sin, if you try to work it off by the law, gets heavier and heavier and heavier, because what does the law do? It only discovers to us our inability. It has no promise of easing the burden of sin. It can only show us what the standard is that we don't meet. And it shuts us up to get rid of our burden of sin by another means, but Christian's in the process of figuring that out. There came also flashes of fire out of that hill. That's a scene from Exodus 19 at the giving of the law on Mount Sinai that made Christian afraid that he should be burned and he sweat and quaked for fear. And now he began to be sorry that he had taken Mr. Worldly Wiseman's counsel. And just at that moment, Evangelist has come to see him, and he was ashamed to see him because he knew that he didn't take Evangelist's counsel. He says, what are you doing here? Didn't I tell you to go to the Wicked Gate? And he says, yes, you did. And he says, how is it that you are so quickly turned aside for you're out of the way? Which reminds me of Galatians 1, 6, where Paul says, I'm just so surprised that you've so quickly abandoned grace for works, which is fitting for what Christian has done, turned aside from the way of faith to the hill of works of morality. And he told him, this guy, Mr. Worldly Wiseman, told me, He would show me a better way than all the dangerous way that you directed me, a short way, and not so attended with difficulties as you set me in. Isn't it interesting that legalism promises the crown without the cross? I find that to be just an interesting idea, that the way of the law, even though the law itself is a harder way to salvation than faith, promises a way out without difficulty. Then so evangelist begins to instruct Christian. He says the just shall live by faith Hebrews 1038 which is a quote of Habakkuk 2 4 which is also quoted in Romans 1 17 the just the righteous shall live by faith and if a man draws back that's Hebrews 1038 if a man draws back my soul shall have no pleasure in him and And so Christian, he recognizes that he's done wrong, and he falls down crying, woe is me, for I am undone. And he's burdened even more by his sin, but the conviction of sin is attended swiftly. The next moment, it says, at the sight of which evangelists caught him by the right hand, and I like that, just grabs him up and says, all manner of sin and blasphemies shall be forgiven unto men. which is a quote from Matthew 12 and Mark 3, actually where Christ is talking about the unforgivable sin. And it's interesting, most people think of the unforgivable sin as a terrible passage, it's a promise of destruction, but there's actually a promise of great pardon, because it says right before that, except the blasphemy of the Holy Spirit, it's all manner of sin will be forgiven men. And he says, be not faithless, but believing. And then Christian revived a little. So he confesses his sin immediately and he receives an assurance of pardon. And so Evangelist goes on explaining about Mr. Worldly Wiseman, and he says, yeah, he loves that doctrine of works best, for it saves him from the cross. You know, if you're going to try to work your way to heaven, you don't have to go and die upon the cross. You don't have to take up your cross and follow Christ and renounce yourself and die. You can work your way up and hang on to your life, but the one who hangs on to his life is going to lose it, Jesus tells us. And then Evangelist says, there are three things in this man's counsel that you must utterly abhor, hate, despise. That's interesting, isn't it? As a Christian, you must hate certain teaching. You must hate falsehood. What does Christian have to hate about Mr. Worldly Wiseman's teaching or counsel? He says, first, he turned you out of the way. You can't leave the way. Stay in the path. Second, You need to abhor his laboring to render the cross odious unto thee. For you are to prefer it before the treasures in Egypt." A reference to Hebrews 11, that Moses endured and chose to endure ill treatment with the people of God than to enjoy the passing pleasures of Egypt because he would have been the son of Pharaoh's daughter. You need to prefer the cross to everything. Besides, the King of glory has told you, he that will save his life shall lose it, and he that comes after him and hates not his father, mother, wife, and children can't be his disciple. So if somebody persuades you that you can have death without which the truth is said you can't have eternal life, then you should hate that counsel. And thirdly, you must hate his setting of thy feet in the way that leads to the administration of death. So you need to consider that he was unable to rid you of your burden. And so they discourse a little bit more, you can't be justified by the works of the law, because by the deeds of the law, no man living can be justified, be rid of his burden. That's Romans 3.20. He says, this legality, that city, therefore, or the person in the city, legality, the city of morality is not able to set thee free from thy burden. Conviction of sin is not eased or solved by obedience, by works, by self-effort, by personal reform, but only By faith and Christian is again. He's just I can't believe that I did this he says is there any hope for me? Should I still go in this way of salvation and evangelist says your sin is great But yet will the man at the gate receive thee, for he has goodwill for men. And the man at the gate, we'll meet him in a moment, his name is Goodwill. And here's another one of those instances where we don't know, is this Christ or is this one of Christ's servants? If Luke chapter two, verse 14 says that there's peace on earth and goodwill to men in the King James Version, which would have been the version of the scriptures that Bunyan was reading. peace on earth, goodwill to men, sounds at the announcement of the birth of Christ. So it sounds like the keeper of the narrow gate named goodwill could be Jesus. And the answer to your sin is very great is yet will the man at the gate receive thee for he has goodwill. Christ is merciful. Christ is merciful. And so when you faint under the burden of your sin, that's good because a broken and contrite heart, God will not despise. But you don't stay there. You look up in faith and you remember the mercy of Christ. He finally goes on and eventually he gets up to the wicked gate where it was written, knock and it shall be opened unto you. And he knocked therefore more than once or twice saying, may I now enter here? Will he within open to sorry me though I have been an undeserving rebel, then shall I not fail to sing his lasting praise on high. A bit of poetry. And at last there came a grave person to the gate named Goodwill who asked who was there and whence he came and what he would have, And Christian says, here is a poor burdened sinner. I come from the city of destruction, but I'm going to Mount Zion that I may be delivered from the wrath to come. I would therefore, sir, since I am informed that by this gate is the way there, know if you're willing to let me in. And Goodwill says, I am willing with all my heart. And he opened the gate. And that reminds me of Luke chapter 5, where the leper comes up to Christ and says, Lord, if you're willing, you can make me clean. And Christ's response in Luke 5.13 is, I am willing, be cleansed. It's one of the more tender, instances of the Gospels, at least in my judgment, I've always treasured that story because I recognize myself as that leper who needs cleansing and who's desperate for it and who says, I trust you, Lord, if you're willing, you can do it. And Jesus immediately assures him of his goodwill. And so that's why I think that goodwill is probably typical of Christ, if not, you know, it's designed to be a picture of Jesus, even though there are many characters who that might be true of in Pilgrim's Progress. So he opened the gate, and he didn't just open it, but he kind of yanked Christian through. It says, when Christian was stepping in, the other gave him a pull. And Christian says, what's that about? And Goodwill tells him, a little distance from this gate, there is erected a strong castle of which Beelzebub is the captain. And from thence, both he and them that are with him shoot arrows at those that come up to this gate, if happily they may die before they enter in. Satan encamps. right outside the narrow gate. He is using all of his might to turn believers, or would-be believers, right out of the way at the very last moment. And so it's important that if you're toying with the idea of coming to Christ, you need to enter in quickly. because Satan is making a pursuit of your soul. He's not interested in losing the subjects of his kingdom. And the difficulty at the very last moment of death as you turn into life is the time that you need to push that much further on in faith because the enemy is especially roused at that point. Well, Christian and Goodwill have a discussion. He asks him about his journey so far, and Christian narrates to him what he's been up to. Then Bunyan says, Then I saw in my dream that Christian asked him further if he could not help him off with his burden. Goodwill, can you get this burden off my back? I've come through the gate. And he says, as to thy burden, be content to bear it until you come as to the place of deliverance, for there it will fall from thy back of itself. So Christian hasn't gotten rid of his burden yet. He's come through the narrow gate, he's come through the wicked gate, but he hasn't gotten rid of his burden, the conviction of sin. And some people argue about, you know, Bunyan scholars and critics of Pilgrim's Progress and commentators on it argue whether Christian is saved as he comes through the narrow gate or if he's not yet saved until he comes to the cross and the sepulchre, which we'll see in a little while, because there's when the burden falls off. Some say, no, he was saved as he comes through the wicked gate, but, you know, the burden of sin doesn't just immediately leave you. Sin, the penalty of it, is gone, but the weight of it and the assurance of salvation is something that you get a little bit after. Some say, you know, no, just coming into the way of salvation, coming through the door, you know, is just a, It's just a beginning, sort of becoming acquainted with spiritual things, coming into fellowship with the saints, but it doesn't make you a Christian until you come to the cross. I wonder if there's a bit of ambiguity there. You know, I think that maybe Bunyan designed a bit of ambiguity in order to illustrate salvation from a number of different angles. So I don't know that we have to choose one way or the other. I think that this is illustrative of salvation in one way, and we'll see him lose the burden of sin at the cross, being illustrative of salvation in another. But that's where we've gotten so far. Christian has gotten to the wicked gate. He's been told to go a little bit further in the way, and on his way he comes to the house of the interpreter, which is where we'll pick it up next time. So much for reflection. I invite you to reflect on these things in the time to come.