pigrim 12

CHR. But how camest thou in this condition?

MAN. I left off to watch and be sober.  I laid the reins, upon the
neck of my lusts; I sinned against the light of the Word and the
goodness of God; I have grieved the Spirit, and he is gone; I tempted
the devil, and he is come to me; I have provoked God to anger, and
he has left me:  I have so hardened my heart, that I cannot repent.

{86} Then said Christian to the Interpreter, But is there no hope
for such a man as this?  Ask him, said the Interpreter.  Nay, said
Christian, pray, Sir, do you.

INTER. Then said the Interpreter, Is there no hope, but you must
be kept in the iron cage of despair?

MAN. No, none at all.

INTER. Why, the Son of the Blessed is very pitiful.
Heb. 6:6
MAN. I have crucified him to myself afresh [; I have
despised his person [Luke 19:14]; I have despised his righteousness;
I have "counted his blood an unholy thing"; I have "done despite
to the Spirit of grace".  [Heb. 10:28-29] Therefore I have shut
myself out of all the promises, and there now remains to me nothing
but threatenings, dreadful threatenings, fearful threatenings, of
certain judgement and fiery indignation, which shall devour me as
an adversary.

{87} INTER. For what did you bring yourself into this condition?

MAN. For the lusts, pleasures, and profits of this world; in the
enjoyment of which I did then promise myself much delight; but now
every one of those things also bite me, and gnaw me like a burning
worm.

INTER. But canst thou not now repent and turn?

{88} MAN. God hath denied me repentance.  His Word gives me no
encouragement to believe; yea, himself hath shut me up in this iron
cage; nor can all the men in the world let me out.  O eternity,
eternity!  how shall I grapple with the misery that I must meet
with in eternity!

INTER. Then said the Interpreter to Christian, Let this man's misery
be remembered by thee, and be an everlasting caution to thee.

CHR. Well, said Christian, this is fearful!  God help me to watch
and be sober, and to pray that I may shun the cause of this man's
misery!  Sir, is it not time for me to go on my way now?

INTER. Tarry till I shall show thee one thing more, and then thou
shalt go on thy way.

{89} So he took Christian by the hand again, and led him into
a chamber, where there was one rising out of bed; and as he put
on his raiment, he shook and trembled.  Then said Christian, Why
doth this man thus tremble?  The Interpreter then bid him tell to
Christian the reason of his so doing.  So he began and said, This
night, as I was in my sleep, I dreamed, and behold the heavens grew
exceeding black; also it thundered and lightened in most fearful
wise, that it put me into an agony; so I looked up in my dream, and
saw the clouds rack at an unusual rate, upon which I heard a great
sound of a trumpet, and saw also a man sit upon a cloud, attended
with the thousands of heaven; they were all in flaming fire:  also
the heavens were in a burning flame.  I heard then a voice saying,
"Arise, ye dead, and come to judgement"; and with that the rocks
rent, the graves opened, and the dead that were therein came forth.
Some of them were exceeding glad, and looked upward; and some
sought to hide themselves under the mountains.  [1 Cor. 15:52; 1
Thes. 4:16; Jude 14; John 5:28,29; 2 Thes. 1:7,8; Rev. 20:11-14;
Isa. 26:21; Micah 7:16,17; Ps. 95:1-3; Dan. 7:10] Then I saw the
man that sat upon the cloud open the book, and bid the world draw
near.  Yet there was, by reason of a fierce flame which issued out
and came from before him, a convenient distance betwixt him and
them, as betwixt the judge and the prisoners at the bar.  [Mal.
3:2,3; Dan. 7:9,10] I heard it also proclaimed to them that attended
on the man that sat on the cloud, Gather together the tares, the
chaff, and stubble, and cast them into the burning lake.  [Matt.
3:12; 13:30; Mal.  4:1] And with that, the bottomless pit opened,
just whereabout I stood; out of the mouth of which there came, in
an abundant manner, smoke and coals of fire, with hideous noises.
It was also said to the same persons, "Gather my wheat into
the garner."  [Luke 3:17] And with that I saw many catched up and
carried away into the clouds, but I was left behind.  [1 Thes.
4:16,17] I also sought to hide myself, but I could not, for the man
that sat upon the cloud still kept his eye upon me; my sins also
came into my mind; and my conscience did accuse me on every side.
[Rom. 3:14,15] Upon this I awaked from my sleep.

{90} CHR. But what is it that made you so afraid of this sight?

MAN. Why, I thought that the day of judgement was come, and that I
was not ready for it:  but this frighted me most, that the angels
gathered up several, and left me behind; also the pit of hell opened
her mouth just where I stood.  My conscience, too, afflicted me;
and, as I thought, the Judge had always his eye upon me, shewing
indignation in his countenance.

{91} Then said the Interpreter to Christian, Hast thou considered
all these things?

CHR. Yes, and they put me in hope and fear.

INTER. Well, keep all things so in thy mind that they may be as a
goad in thy sides, to prick thee forward in the way thou must go.
Then Christian began to gird up his loins, and to address himself
to his journey.  Then said the Interpreter, The Comforter be always
with thee, good Christian, to guide thee in the way that leads to
the City.  So Christian went on his way, saying--

"Here I have seen things rare and profitable; Things pleasant,
dreadful, things to make me stable In what I have begun to take
in hand; Then let me think on them, and understand Wherefore they
showed me were, and let me be Thankful, O good Interpreter, to
thee."

William Blake - John Bunyan Plate 13
The Man Who Dreamed of the Day of Judgement