Season 5 Podcast 151 John Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s Progress, Episode 46 Chapter 9 C “Little Faith and Great Grace.”

In last week’s episode from the country of Conceit, Christian and Hopeful meet Little-Faith who is robbed by the Three Sturdy Rogues: Faint-heart, Mistrust, and Guilt. They rob him of most of his silver. However, they overlook other things of greater importance.

“Hope. But it must needs be a comfort to him that they got not his jewels from him.”

The story of Little-Faith told by Christian is hearsay by anonymous sources.

“CHRIS. It might have been great comfort to him, had he used it as he should; but they that told me the story said, that he made but little use of it all the rest of the way, and that because of the alarm that he had in their taking away his money. Indeed, he forgot it a great part of the rest of his journey; and besides, when at any time it came into his mind, and he began to be comforted therewith, then would fresh thoughts of his loss come again upon him, and those thoughts would swallow up all.”

As established in last week’s episode, Little-Faith is a condition that all Christians share somewhere along their journey to the Celestial City. In the above we first have Little-Faith weakened by human frailties and immobilized by self-pity. The point of Pilgrim’s Progress is that although there are many external obstacles, primarily Satan, there are as many internal obstacles simply caused by the human condition. The natural man is often simplified by referring to the lusts of the flesh, but the natural man also encompasses the very human weaknesses such as doubt, fear, and unsteady faith. Hopeful and Christian pity Little-Faith and acknowledged that Little-Faith responded to his injury naturally.

“HOPE. Alas, poor man! this could not but be a great grief unto him.

CHRIS. Grief! ay, a grief indeed. Would it not have been so to any of us, had we been used as he, to be robbed and wounded too, and that in a strange place, as he was? It is a wonder he did not die with grief, poor heart! I was told that he scattered almost all the rest of the way with nothing but doleful and bitter complaints; telling also to all that overtook him, or that he overtook in the way as he went, where he was robbed, and how; who they were that did it, and what he had lost; how he was wounded, and that he hardly escaped with life.”

We are perhaps all familiar with those who dwell on their griefs and share them with anyone who will listen. The question, however, arises—can advertising one’s grief be carried too far, say to the point of making matters worse. Bunyan, however, raises an even greater issue. For example, Hopeful comes up with a transparent solution.

“HOPE. But it is a wonder that his necessities did not put him upon selling or pawning some of his jewels, that he might have wherewith to relieve himself in his journey.”

Hopeful is severely rebuked by Christian because he doesn’t understand the importance of the jewels.

“CHRIS. Thou talkest like one whose head is thick to this very day. For what should he pawn them, or to whom should he sell them? In all that country where he was robbed, his jewels were not accounted of; nor did he want that relief which could from thence be administered to him. Besides, had his jewels been missing at the gate of the Celestial City, he had (and that he knew well enough) been shut out from an inheritance there; and that would have been worse to him than the cunning and villainy of ten thousand thieves."

To understand Christian’s reasoning, it is helpful to speculate on what the jewels are. Let’s begin with one that is familiar to all Christians.