Then said the Interpreter again, 'The spider taketh hold
with their hands (as you see), and is in kings' palaces' (Prov. 30:28). And
wherefore is this recorded, but to show you, that how full of the venom of sin
soever you be, yet you may, by the hand of faith, lay hold of, and dwell in the
best room that belongs to the King's house above!
CHRIST. I thought, said Christiana,
of something of this, but I could not imagine it all. I thought that we were
like spiders, and that we looked like ugly creatures, in what fine room soever
we were; but that by this spider, this venomous and ill-favored creature, we
were to learn how to act faith, that came not into my mind. And yet she has
taken hold with her hands, as I see, and dwells in the best room in the house.
God has made nothing in vain.
Then they seemed all to be glad; but
the water stood in their eyes; yet they looked one upon another, and also bowed
before the Interpreter.
He had them then into another room,
where was a hen and chickens, and bid them observe a while. So one of the
chickens went to the trough to drink, and every time she drank, she lifted up her
head, and her eyes towards Heaven. See, said He, what this little chick doth,
and learn of her to acknowledge whence your mercies come, by receiving them
with looking up. Yet again, said He, observe and look; so they gave heed, and
perceived that the hen did walk in a fourfold method towards her chickens. 1.
She had a common call, and that she hath all day long. 2. She had a special
call, and that she had but sometimes. 3. She had a brooding note. And 4. She
had an outcry (Matt. 23:37).
Now, said He, compare this hen to
your King, and these chickens to His obedient ones. For, answerable to her,
Himself has His methods, which He walketh in towards His people; by His common
call, He gives nothing; by His special call, He always has something to give;
He has also a brooding voice, for them that are under His wing; and He has an
outcry, to give the alarm when He seeth the enemy come. I chose, My
darlings, to lead you into the room where such things are, because you are
women, and they are easy for you.
CHRIST. And Sir, said Christiana,
pray let us see some more. So he had them into the slaughter-house, where a butcher was killing a sheep; and behold, the sheep was quiet, and took her death
patiently. Then said the Interpreter, You must learn of this sheep to suffer,
and to put up wrongs without murmurings and complaints. Behold how quietly she
taketh her death, and without objecting, she suffereth her skin to be pulled
over her ears. Your King doth call you His sheep.
After this, He led them into His garden, where there was a great variety of flowers, and He said, "Do you see all these?" So Christiana Said, Yes. Then said He again, Behold the flowers are diverse in stature, in quality, and color, and smell, and virtue; and some are better than some; also where the gardener hath set them, there they stand, and quarrel not with one another.
Again, He had them into His field,
which He had sown with wheat and corn; but when they beheld, the tops of all were cut off, only the straw remained; He said again, This ground was dunged, and plowed, and sown; but what shall we do with the crop? Then said Christiana,
Burn some, and make muck of the rest. Then said the Interpreter again, Fruit,
you see, is that thing you look for,[80] and for want of that you condemn it to
the fire, and to be trodden under foot of men: beware that in this you condemn
not yourselves.
Then, as they were coming in from
abroad, they espied a little robin with a great spider in his mouth; so the
Interpreter said, Look here. So they looked, and Mercy wondered; but Christiana
said, What a disparagement is it to such a little pretty bird as the
robin-redbreast is, he being also a bird above many, that loveth to maintain a
kind of socialbleness with man; I had thought they had lived upon crumbs of
bread, or upon other such harmless matter; I like him worse than I did.
The Interpreter then replied, This
robin is an emblem, very apt to set forth some professors by; for to sight,
they are, as this robin, pretty of note, color, and carriage. They also seem to have a very great love for professors who are sincere, and above all others,
to desire to sociate with them, and to be in their company, as if they could
live upon the good man's crumbs. They also pretend that, therefore, they frequent the house of the godly and the appointments of the Lord; but,
when they are by themselves, as the robin, they can catch and gobble up
spiders, they can change their diet, drink iniquity, and swallow down sin like
water. So, when they came again into the house, because supper as yet
was not ready, Christiana again desired that the Interpreter would either show
or tell of some other things that are profitable. Then the Interpreter began,
and said, The fatter the sow is, the more she desires the mire; the fatter the
ox is, the more gamesomely he goes to the slaughter; and the more healthy the
lusty man is, the more prone he is unto evil.
There is a desire in women to go
neat and fine, and it is a comely thing to be adorned with that which in God's
sight is of great price. It is easier to watch a night or two than to sit up a
whole year together. So it is easier for one to begin to profess well than to
hold out as he should to the end.
Every shipmaster, when in a storm,
will willingly cast that overboard that is of the smallest value in the vessel;
but who will throw the best out first? None but he that feareth not God. One
leak will sink a ship, and one sin will destroy a sinner. He that forgets his
friend, is ungrateful unto him; but he that forgets his Savior, is unmerciful
to himself.
He that lives in sin, and looks for
happiness hereafter, is like him that soweth cockle, and thinks to fill his
barn with wheat or barley. If a man would live well, let him fetch his last day
to him, and make it always his company keeper.
Whispering and a change of thoughts prove that sin is in the world. If the world, which God sets light by, is
counted a thing of that worth with men, what is Heaven, which God commendeth?
If the life that is attended with so
many troubles is so loath to be let go by us, what is the life above?
Everybody will cry up the goodness
of men, but who is there that is, as he should, affected with the goodness of
God?
We seldom sit down to eat, but we
eat and leave; so there is in Jesus Christ more merit and righteousness than
the whole world has need of.
