by Chris Wright
After the King's servant left, we continued on the right path, when suddenly Hopeful held me by the arm. "See that man? I think he wants to talk to us."
The man was walking towards us, away from the Celestial City.
Hopeful looked puzzled. "He's wearing pilgrim's clothes, so why is he walking the wrong way?"
The man stopped and asked where we were going. He said his name was Atheist, but added that everyone called him Unbelief. I thought he had a pleasant face, and his voice sounded gentle, but I felt we'd be wise not to trust him. We'd just had a bad experience with the Flatterer, who also said nice things.
"We're going to the Celestial City, the City of the King," was all I said.
Unbelief started to laugh loudly.
"Why are you laughing?" I asked.
"I'm laughing because you're both so stupid," Unbelief said. "Have you really travelled all this way without discovering the truth?"
"Do you think we won't be received when we arrive?" Hopeful asked.
"Received?" Unbelief said. "There's no such place as you dream of in all this world."
"But there is in the world to come," I said.
"Oh, you poor pilgrims," Unbelief said, still laughing. "I've been looking for the Celestial City for twenty years, and I'm no nearer finding it than I was on the first day I set out."
"You're wrong," I said. "Not only have we heard about it, but we're going there."
"You're going nowhere." Unbelief had an unpleasant smile now. "Oh yes, I once thought as you do, but now I'm going home and intend to forget all about my foolishness."
I turned to Hopeful. "Do you trust him?" I asked quietly.
"No," Hopeful said, "I don't."
"And neither do I," I said firmly, remembering the view we had from the Delectable Mountains. "Come on, Hopeful, let's keep going or we'll miss the path again."
Unbelief stood watching. "Come with me," he offered, "and I'll take you safely back to your homes. Your friends will be glad to see you."
I shook my head firmly. "You're trying to deceive us, but we don't believe anything you say. The King's word is true. There is a Celestial City. We saw its light when we were with the shepherds."
Unbelief shook his head. "You're mistaken, but go and look for it if you want to. I'm going back to my own country."
"And we are going to the King," I replied.
So we went on again, and we heard Unbelief laughing as he turned away.
CHAPTER 40
The Enchanted Ground
At last we came to a wide plain, between the Delectable Mountains and a country with low hills and long valleys. We looked at our map and saw that this was called the Enchanted Ground.
Hopeful yawned. "I'm too tired to go on. Let's lie down and rest."
I thought he sounded ready for sleep. "Not here," I said quickly.
"Why not?" Hopeful asked drowsily. "There's no one to hurt us. You go on. I'll only be a few minutes."
He lay down on the grass, but I quickly pulled him up and shook him hard. "What are you thinking about, Hopeful? Don't you remember the shepherds warned us about the Enchanted Ground? They told us not to sleep here."
Hopeful seemed suddenly wide awake. "Sorry," he said, "but I don't think I've ever felt so sleepy before. Imagine what would have happened if I'd been here alone. I might never have woken up. We've come a long way, and I don't want to be carried off like Turn-Away."
"I'm feeling sleepy, too," I admitted. "Let's talk about something interesting. That will keep us awake. You've never told me how you began to be a pilgrim."
"I started out a long time before you did," Hopeful told me. "I knew Evangelist well, and he used to tell me about the King. I was living a dishonest sort of life, but I shut my eyes and ears to anything to do with the King and his Son. Then, one day, I decided to do something about it."
"What?" I asked.
"I decided to make my own changes," Hopeful said, as we walked quickly. "I stopped doing and saying bad things, called to the King sometimes, and that sort of thing."
"You were a bit like Ignorance," I said.
Hopeful nodded. "Perhaps I was. But the changes didn't make any difference. I knew that inside I was as bad as ever."
"Tell me more," I urged.
Hopeful smiled in embarrassment. "Every time I heard anyone mention the King and his Son, or I heard about someone going to the Celestial City, I thought it was time to start working my way there. But Evangelist told me it was no good trying to get there by pleasing the King. I had to start at the Wicket Gate and go to the Cross -- just as I was. So I ran there and began my journey the proper way. But when I came to Vanity Fair I felt tired, and the people persuaded me not to go any farther. I liked it there, so I stayed."
This surprised me, for I'd found the town unpleasant. "You really liked Vanity Fair?"
"Well, I liked it sometimes, but I often felt frightened and unhappy. When pilgrims passed through the town, I was afraid they'd recognise me. Then you came with Faithful, and the minute I saw you I felt so ashamed of my life."
"Did you see us being beaten?" I asked.
"Yes, and I watched you when you were in the cage. Once I crept up close to the bars. I think you must have been asleep, but Faithful saw me and spoke to me."
"What did he say?"
"He begged me to leave the city at once, and told me the King's Son loves me and would forgive me if I told him I was sorry. I can remember some words he told me, words that were spoken by the King's Son. 'The one who comes to Me I will certainly not cast out.' Then I saw Faithful killed because he loved the King, and I made up my mind that if you were set free, I'd ask you to let me go with you."
"I'm glad you did," I said.
Hopeful nodded. "I'm glad too, Christian. Glad the King's Son hasn't turned me away, and glad to know he never will."
CHAPTER 41
Ignorance Again
Ignorance had been following us off and on for some time, and when Hopeful looked back he told me he could see him again. "He's only a little way behind us," Hopeful said. "How has he been so quick? Didn't the Flatter and Unbelief try to stop him?"
"He didn't start in the right place, and they know that when he reaches the Celestial City he won't be allowed inside, so I suppose they've not wasted their time with him."
"Shall we wait for him?" Hopeful asked.
"Perhaps it would be better," I said. "If he feels sleepy we can at least keep him awake."
We waited, but although Ignorance must have seen us waiting, he took a long time to catch up.
"It's is a pity for you to stay behind," I said to Ignorance, as he sauntered slowly towards us. "Come and walk with us. We can help you start your journey the right way."
Ignorance shrugged. "I'd just as soon walk by myself. I always have so much to think about."
"What do you think about?" Hopeful asked.
"About the King and the Celestial City."
"But thinking about them isn't enough," I told him. "The evil prince thinks about them, too -- but he's not allowed in."
I noticed Ignorance turning red with anger. "I suppose you think you're so perfect," he snapped.
"No, I don't," I said. "The King's Son is the one who's perfect, and he's promised us a place."
"Perhaps he's promised one to me," Ignorance said.
"Ask him if he has," I suggested.
Ignorance shook his head. "That sort of thing is all too much trouble, if you want to know."
"We can only get into the City if we've been forgiven," I told him. "No one gets in just by being good."
"We'll see about that." Ignorance sat down angrily on a large rock. "I've left my home, and now I'm living like a pilgrim. What else can I do? Anyone would think I wasn't already good enough to be a pilgrim."
"We can never make ourselves good enough for the King," I said. "That's why his Son agreed to die on the Cross, to save us from punishment. There's a rhyme I know:
"The King was angry with us all,
/>
'I'll punish you,' he said;
But then he took his only Son
And punished him instead."
Ignorance just shrugged, as though it didn't matter to him one way or the other.
I turn to Hopeful. "I don't know what else to say," I whispered. "No one is good enough to get into the Celestial City by themselves, but Ignorance won't believe us."
Ignorance seemed to be tired of talking. "You two have such silly ideas," he sighed. "I don't want to walk with you any more."
"Come on, Hopeful," I said, "it looks as though we'll be travelling by ourselves again."
As we went ahead, Hopeful shook his head in wonder. "If everyone gets to the Celestial City, why did we have to pass by the Cross and go through all those difficulties?" he asked.
"We'll watch and see what happens to Ignorance at the Dark River," I said. "I think you'll get your answer then."
CHAPTER 42
The Land of Beulah
"I hope we're almost past the Enchanted Ground," Hopeful said, yawning loudly.
"Are you still tired?" I asked.
Hopeful yawned again. "A bit. Perhaps we've been talking too much."
I took out the shepherds' map. "We're close to the Land of Beulah."
Hopeful looked brighter when he heard that. "Come on," he said, speeding up, "I can't wait to get there."
It seemed only a few minutes before we left the Enchanted Ground and entered the country of Beulah. The air was sweet and pleasant, and I was pleased to see from my map that the Way of the King led right through it.
I couldn't remember ever seeing so many flowers, and hearing so many different birds sing. The sun shone all day long, for we were now past the Dark Valley, out of the reach of Giant Despair, and we certainly couldn't see places like Doubting Castle and Vanity Fair from here.
What we could see was the Celestial City across the Dark River. As I looked at it, and knew the City was where the King and his Son lived, I began to feel unsteady with joy. As I sat down to recover, Hopeful sat with me.
"The thought of what's ahead after our journey is almost too much to take in," he said, as his eyes sparkled.
As soon as we were feeling better, we continued on our way, going past orchards, vineyards and gardens. Although they were fenced in, there were open gates to go through.
I saw a man standing, watching us. We told him who we were and he explained he was the gardener.
"Who do all these gardens and orchards belong to?" I asked.
"They are the King's," he said. "He planted them here for his own enjoyment, and also as a place where pilgrims like you can rest."
The gardener then invited us to pick fruit and refresh ourselves. "There is a shelter here, where you can sleep," he said, showing us an arbour built from timber and green leaves.
"Oh, Hopeful," I said one evening, as we sat watching the sun slowly disappear behind the hills, "aren't you glad we came? I seem to be forgetting all the troubles we've had, now that we're happy."
"I'm ever so pleased I ran away from Vanity Fair," Hopeful told me, clapping his hands in joy. "And I'm glad I didn't lose my Roll of Faith there. I don't know how I managed to keep it safely. The King's Son must surely have been helping me."
The gardener came up and stood with us. "Do you know you both talk in your sleep?" he said, with a smile.
I had no idea. "What do we say?" I asked, afraid I might have said things that would displease the King.
"You say only good things," the gardener explained, perhaps reading my thoughts. "Your heads are so full of the King and his Son that even when you are asleep you have to talk about them."
I rather liked the thought of that. "What happens to pilgrims now?" I asked.
The man sat down with us and put a hand on his chin, deep in thought. "Some pilgrims live quietly in this land for many years," he said, "but often the King gives them work to do in the country of the evil prince, before they go across the Dark River to the Celestial City to live with him for ever."
"I can remember when Help pulled me out of the Slough of Despond," I told the gardener. "He said he'd been to the Gates of the City, but the King had given him some work to do before he could enter it. I'll go away and work for the King if he wants me to, but I think I'd like best to go straight to the City."
"So would I," Hopeful agreed.
The King's gardener was quick to tell us of the good things that lay ahead. So we stayed happily in Beulah, talking and thinking about the King. A few angels walked with us from time to time, for we were on the border of the Celestial City.
CHAPTER 43
Ignorance at the River
Sometimes we watched Ignorance walk past the gates of the King's gardens, but he wasn't wearing the King's clothes, and the gardener never invited him in. I noticed that the angels, although they saw Ignorance as he walked along, didn't speak to him or give him any encouraging messages from the King.
One day we followed Ignorance to the bank of the Dark River. He kept looking across at the walls of the Celestial City, then he stepped into the water. The water was rough today, and he jumped back out with a puzzled look on his face.
"I don't want to cross just yet," I heard him say.
I hurried over to him. "It's still not too late to go through the Wicket Gate and find the Cross," I said. "I can take you back and show you the Way."
Ignorance shook his head. "I can't be bothered about that sort of thing now. Anyway, it's probably too late."
"No, it's never too late," I insisted. "Not until you cross the Dark River. I know the Way, and I can take you there if you like."
Ignorance sighed. "That's where I'm going." He pointed to the walls of the Celestial City. "I've not been a bad person, so I don't think there'll be any problems. Anyway, someone else will be crossing soon, and I can see how they get on. I can't see a bridge, so maybe there's a boat to carry the pilgrims over."
"There is a boat," a voice said behind us.
We turned quickly to see who was speaking. It was the King's gardener.
"There is a boat," he repeated quietly, out of the hearing of Ignorance, "but it belongs to the evil prince, and the King's pilgrims never use it. The boatman's name is Vain-Hope. Here he comes now. Look, he's seen Ignorance sitting on the grass and he's rowing towards him."
"Come on, Ignorance, it's time for you to cross over," the boatman called, as he drew his craft into the riverbank. "I've brought my boat for you."
Ignorance looked pleased, and got up at once, saying, "I suppose the King sent you."
"Of course," Vain-Hope replied, but it sounded like a lie. "The water is much deeper than it looks, although many pilgrims try to walk through it. But there's no need for you to do that, because I'm ready to take you over."
He held out his hand and Ignorance took it, stepping into the boat. Then Vain-Hope picked up his oars and prepared to row across the rough water.
"What do I do when I get to the other side," we heard Ignorance ask.
Vain-Hope pointed to a path on the opposite bank. "That's the best way," he explained. "It's smooth and easy. If the King's angels had come to meet you, they'd have taken you by another road that's steep and difficult to climb. Go straight up to the Gates, and you'll soon find your way to the King's palace."
We watched the boat reach the far bank of the River where Ignorance got out. He turned round and began to climb the path towards the City.
"What will happen to him now?" I asked the gardener.
"Ignorance will come to a gateway," the gardener said. "On the archway he will see some words written in large letters:
BLESSED ARE THOSE WHO WASH THEIR ROBES,
SO THAT THEY MAY HAVE THE RIGHT
TO THE TREE OF LIFE,
AND MAY ENTER BY THE GATES INTO THE CITY
"Will Ignorance go in?" Hopeful asked.
The gardener shook his head. "Ignorance will think to himself that he's tried to do his best, so he'll call out, 'I am a pilgrim, and I have just cros
sed the River. I wish to live in the Celestial City."
I frowned. "And then?"
The gardener looked unhappy. "Then Ignorance will be asked for his Roll of Faith. I have seen it happen many times. He will put his hand into his pockets and pretend to feel for it."
"Will he be let in?" Hopeful asked.
The gardener shook his head again.
I said, "The City is so beautiful. I want to live there for ever."
"And so you will," the gardener assured us. "You came through the Wicket Gate and went past the Cross. The King's own Son built the Wicket Gate, but Ignorance chose not to go through it. So he has no place in the Celestial City."
CHAPTER 44
"Do Not Be Afraid."
After Ignorance had crossed the Dark River, I often sat with Hopeful to watch angels from the Celestial City come across to visit the people who lived with us in the land of Beulah. Sometimes they brought messages from the King to his servants, and we learnt that it would not be long before a message was given to us.
One morning, when we were walking slowly among the vines, we saw two angels coming down the path to meet us.
"Are you travelling to the Celestial City?" the angels said.
"Yes," we replied together.
The angels asked us many questions, and we told them everything that had happened since we began our pilgrimage. I told of my difficulties and dangers, and Hopeful explained how he'd wasted so much time in Vanity Fair.
"We've often behaved badly," I said, "but we've been sorry afterwards."
"We have," Hopeful added quietly.
"Forgiveness is a gift offered by the King, and you have accepted it," the angels told us.
"And we love the King with all our hearts," I said.
"He knows you do," the angels replied. "He's sent us to tell you he wants you to enter his City."
When Hopeful heard this, he said he felt excited. I wanted to feel like that, but when I thought of meeting the King I became anxious, and said to the angels, "Will you go with us?"
"We will go with you a little way," they said, "and meet you again at the Gates of the Celestial City."
They asked us to follow them, and we went out of the garden and down to the edge of the Dark River. The reflection of the sun shining on the other side was so glorious today that I wasn't able to see across clearly, but the water between us and the Celestial City looked especially deep.
"Oh," I cried, almost in panic, "if we don't use Vain-Hope's boat, how are we to get there?"
"You have to walk through the water," the angels replied, "but there is no need to be afraid. The King's City is on the other side, and you will soon be safely inside its Gates."
