The Pilgrim's Progress Compassion and Forgiveness Quotes

This inserted song from Christian's entrance through the Wicket Gate alludes specifically to a verse from Matthew 7:7: "Knock, and it shall be opened unto you." In contrast to many of the images throughout this story of the difficulty of Christian living, this one represents the readiness of God to forgive. Thinking of this metaphor in relation to forgiveness, what do you see the "knocking" to stand for?

Apollyon's eruption in this exchange demonstrates the deceitfulness of his previous attempts to win Christian back. But it's interesting to look at what specifically makes him angry in Christian's speech: the account of God's forgiveness of Christian's sins. What does it mean that Bunyan makes this point so hateful to the demon?

Following the battle with Apollyon (and his pretty fantastic win), Christian receives a healing that almost sounds like something out of a fantasy story. The Tree of Life is a reference to Genesis—the Tree of Life standing beside and in contrast to The Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. Thinking of this battle allegorically (think for instance, of what challenges or events in real life could be thought of as battles with the devil), what do you see these "wounds" standing for? In this light, how does the balm of the leaves heal Christian, and why "immediately"?

Aw… forgiveness in action. Having taken Christian's suggestion to walk in the softer grass of By-Path Meadow (instead of the parallel rocky road) the pilgrims have quickly realized their error. The interesting thing about this exchange, however, is the mutual forgiveness between them. Both seem to realize that this is no time for a tiff, but they realize this because of their shared acceptance of the blame—Hopeful for not speaking up louder, Christian for being headstrong. As Hopeful says "this shall be for our good."

Ah, the "far away voice." It speaks to the pilgrims frequently in the story, sometimes seeming to come from within, sometimes from above. It's worthwhile to consider what you think it is or it represents. Here, though, the voice presents Christian and Hopeful with a direct way to think of getting out of By-Pass Meadow: what it will take for them to be recovered and returned to the right way. Essentially, they are being instructed in what they'll need to do to be forgiven—turn their hearts toward what they know is right.

Christian and Hopeful are, in a way, hearing their own story from the Delectable Mountain shepherds here, but with a difference. See, these shepherds have a piece of information that Christian doesn't: the fate that would have met them, had they not escaped Doubting Castle. Bunyan's allegory for what it's like to be trapped in doubt is pretty chilling too. It means blindness, aimless wandering among deadness. Gruesome as the details are (worthy of tears from our pilgrims), the really awful part of this is the thought of being lost for eternity. Wandering "out of the way" is a pretty big deal. It may only be a moment's carelessness, but such lapses seem to be capable of leading one to actual damnation. A pretty good reason to color within the lines...

The story of Little-Faith could be one of the most difficult parts of this book to stomach if you're not Puritan yourself. There's definitely an undercurrent of the idea of predestination here. This is the Calvinist notion that whether or not a soul will go to heaven or hell is already decided by God from birth. While we might think that the weak should be particularly good candidates for forgiveness (after all, they literally can't help themselves, right?), it's just the reverse for Bunyan. Christian likens the weak to children here—simply not capable of doing the deeds of adults. How does this argument strike you as a reader? Are there places in the book, or even in this example of Little-Faith, where there seems to be a chance for faith to grow and strengthen?

In this excerpt, Hopeful is explaining to Christian how his conversion actually came about. We remember that he was inspired by Faithful's words and death at Vanity Fair, enough to join Christian on the road, but in this later conversation he explains the process more specifically. The main issue was the depth of his conviction of his sinfulness and not knowing how to seek forgiveness. Sound familiar? Here, Hopeful remembers the very specific instructions that Faithful gave him for seeking this mercy. The "mercy seat" is a figure from both the Hebrew and Christian Bibles, traditionally a part of the Arc of the Covenant on which sacrifices would be placed for atonement. In Paul's letter to the Hebrews, he speaks of the mercy seat as a foretelling of Christ's sacrifice. This is significant theologically, as the sacrifice of Christ for the sins of the world is understood as having wiped out the need for ritual sacrifice.

Here, Christian and Hopeful, nearing the Celestial City, enumerate the reasons why certain men fall back from their faith and good intentions. As Hopeful explains in this passage, losing the fear of Hell and judgment is intertwined with pridefulness. Being proud, you lose the sense of being under a higher law; while, conversely, losing sight of ultimate judgment, your head is destined to grow too big for your shoulders.

A powerful, climactic moment from Christian's passage through death, this reminder from Hopeful, "Jesus Christ maketh thee whole" is the essence of Bunyan's notion of Christian mercy. While Christian fears his unworthiness to face God, thinking of all his failings on the journey, Hopeful's words completely turn this mind-set around. Not only are those failings forgivable; they are necessary to being made whole by Christ. It's also really worth taking a moment to think about why Bunyan stages this realization at the moment of death. Is it simply for dramatic effect?