The Pilgrim's Progress Section 16 Summary

  • Further ahead, Christian and Hopeful come upon "a man whom seven devils had bound with seven strong cords" (P651) and who was being carried toward the by-way to Hell they had seen. Christian thinks he recognizes him as Turn-away from the town of Apostasy.
  • This leads Christian to tell the tale of Little-Faith. He compares the sinfulness of this man's failings to live a fully upright life with those of a figure like Esau, who sold his birthright… but never had much faith in the first place.
  • Because Little-Faith had even a little faith, Christian explains to Hopeful, the forfeit of that faith to worldly desires makes him the worse of the two. In other words, he had further to fall.
  • Christian invokes the Book of Revelations to explain the evilness of temptations on earth and the need to surround oneself with strong armor against them.
  • Coincidentally, the pilgrims are just then approached by a black man in a white robe: the very man, Flatterer, whom the shepherds warned them to ignore. They do speak and listen to him, however, and only afterwards realize their mistake.
  • The pilgrims are approached by a Shining One who questions them and discovers that they have disobeyed and spoken with Flatterer. For this, the Shining One whips them, assuring them, however, that he only does this out of love for them.
  • He probably also says, "This hurts me more than it hurts you."