Captured By Giant Despair Part 1 of 2

I was reading a fairly popular Christian book the other day called Pilgrim's Progress.  You have probably heard of it or even read it.  But, if you haven't read it, let me give you some background information.  The book is an allegory of the Christian walk.  It tells the story of a man named Christian and his many adventures and trials as he travels to the "Celestial City."  Below is an excerpt from the story that I thought might ring true with some of you.  Enjoy!

Not far from where they [Christian and his companion Hopeful]lay there was an old castle called Doubting Castle, owned by one Giant Despair; and it was on his grounds they were sleeping.  And, as his habit was, the giant rose early and was inspecting his grounds and fences after the rain when he came upon Christian and Hopeful sleeping on his premises.  With a gruff voice he told them to wake up, and commanded them to tell where they were from and what they were doing on his grounds.  They told him that they were pilgrims and had lost their way.

Then said the giant, "You have trespassed on my property this night; therefore, you must come along with me."  They were compelled to go, because he was much stronger than they.  They had but little to say in their defense, for they knew they were at fault.  The giant drove them before him into his castle and put them in a very dark dungeon--a nasty, stinking place.  There they lay from Wednesday until Saturday night without food or water and without a ray of light or anyone to console them.  They were in a pitiful plight, far from friends and acquaintances.  Now Christian had double sorrow, because it was his ill-advised hasty decision that had brought them into all this trouble.

Giant Despair had a wife whose name was Gloom.  So when he had gone to bed, he told his wife he had taken two prisoners and locked them in the dungeon for trespassing on his property, and asked her what he ought to do with them.  After he had told her what they were, where they were from and where they were going, she advised that when he arose next morning he should beat them unmercifully.  When he got up next day he took his knotted, crabtree club and went down to the dungeon.  First, he berated them shamefully as if they had been sheep-killing dogs (they never returned an unkind word), then he fell upon them and beat them severely  They were helpless to resist or to ward off his blows.  Then he left them in the dark to pity themselves and mourn in agony.  They spent the whole day sighing and groaning.

The next night Gloom advised her husband to induce the men to do away with themselves.  So when morning came, he went down in a very ugly mood and said to the pilgrims:  "Since you will never get out of here alive (I will never give you anything to eat or drink, and the only possible way of escape from your miseries is to end your own life--either with knife, or rope, or poison), then would it not be smart to take the quick way out of your suffering?  For why should you choose to live, seeing life holds nothing for you now but extreme bitterness?"  Yet they pleaded with him to let them go.

At that he rushed upon them and would have beaten them to death, but he had one of his fits and lost the use of his arm for the moment.  So he withdrew and left them to consider what he had told them.  Then the prisoners consulted each other as to whether it was best to take his advice or not.

Christian:  Brother Hopeful, what shall we do?  The life we now have is extremely wretched.  For my part I know not whether it is best to live like this far a time, then starve to death, or be beaten to death by this brutal man, or to die now and get out of it.  Surely the grave is desired rather than this dungeon.

Hopeful:  Well, of course, our present condition is intolerable, and death would be far better to me than to spend the rest of my days in this place--whether they be many or few.  But let us consider that the Lord of the country to which we are going has said, "Thou shalt do no murder."  Not only are we forbidden to kill another person; much more are we forbidden to kill ourselves.  For he that kills another kills only bis body, but he who kills himself kills body and soul.  And you talk of ease in the grave, but have you forgotten the Hell to which all murderers go?  For you know that "no murderer hat eternal life."  And let us consider again that all the law is not in the hands of Giant Despair.  Others, I understand have escaped out of his hands.  Who knows but that God, who made the world, may cause the Giant to die, or that at some time or other the Giant may forget to lock us in, or in a short time he may have another of his fits and lose the use of his limbs?  And if that should ever happen again, I am determined to act the part of a man and do my utmost to break loose from him.  I was a coward when I did not do it before.  However, my brother, let us be patient, and endure hardness as good soldiers of Jesus Christ [2 Timothy 2:3], at least for a while.  The time may come when we will receive a happy release.  Anyway, let us not be our own murderers.

With those words, Hopeful succeeded in stabilizing the mind of his friend.  So they waited in the darkness another day in their pitiful state.

And so we leave Christian and Hopeful in the dungeon of Giant Despair.  Don't miss the end of their story coming this weekend!