Envy

"This witness still continues to accuse the men of God. Envy is that spirit of the evil mind which calls religion a mere plausible fiction, and, through loyalty to Mammon, scoffs at 'the principles of faith and holiness,' and moreover, would blend into one element the realities of religion and the vanities of Vanity Fair. The true Christian cannot accede to this unholy combination."[1]

Formalist and Hypocrisy Come Over the Wall

Vanity Fair

"This episode of the narrative is intended to represent the world, in its earthly and fleshly character, with its business, and cares, and occupations, and pleasures, and sins, and sorrows, and its vanities in general; thus presenting a picture of the Christian man set in the midst of many and great dangers—in the world, but not of the world; his Christian consistency daily tried and tempted; his heart in danger of being wooed by carnal pleasure, and won to the side of vanity, and thus lost to the Kingdom; yet called to suffer for his attachment to the cause of Jesus. 'Because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you.'—John 15:19."[1]

Christian in View of the Cross

Talkative

"This is the sum and substance of TALKATIVE’S idea of religion—'to talk.' And the subject matter of his conversation further discloses the lack of heartfelt, experimental religion; for his topics are such as 'history, mystery, miracles, wonders, and signs.' These subjects, no doubt, are calculated to interest and instruct true Christian students, if, as FAITHFUL says, they are studied to the 'profit' of the soul. But it is not with this view that TALKATIVE indulges in his wordy speculations. His object is simply to get, or, more likely, to display, 'knowledge'—'striving about words to no profit, but to the subverting of the hearers.'

To what length men may 'talk' about religion, and how near they may, all the time, keep to the strict propriety of Christian conversation, appears from the circumstance that, till better informed by his more experienced brother, FAITHFUL was altogether deceived by the specious language of this talkative professor. FAITHFUL seems to have regarded him, not with suspicion, but with 'wonder,' and perhaps with admiration, when he thus lightly tripped along the whole permanent way of successive topics, upon which he was ready to discourse: anything on any subject, in heaven or on earth; on morals or religion; on secular or sacred things; on the history of the past, or the mystery of the future; on topics far off, or near home; on everything imaginable; on anything that anybody pleased! Truly, a very encyclopedia of spiritual knowledge was this man, TALKATIVE!"[1]

Fire Burning Against the Wall

Discontent

"DISCONTENT has succeeded in turning away many from the better land, by suggesting worldly motives, and proposing the objections of worldly minds. DISCONTENT meets many of us day by day. And as this kind of temptation is frequent, so the answer of FAITHFUL is important: he pleads a full and final break-off of kindred and acquaintance; and this severing of the ties of friendship is mutual—'they have disowned me, and I also have rejected them.' He therefore has no more duties of friendship to perform towards them; nor can they now demand that he shall so shape his conduct as to please them. Their pleasures are not his pleasures now; nor are their ways his ways. He likes what they dislike; they hate what he loves."[1]

The Parable of Passion and Patience

Faithful

"This new personage opens out a new view of spiritual progress and experience, and sets before us a worthy and exemplary illustration of a consistent walk, and steadfast testimony, even unto death. It would be a profitable study, even to the most experienced Christian, to sit and listen to these men, CHRISTIAN and FAITHFUL, comparing notes of the way, contrasting or combining their respective experiences of the Pilgrimage, and proving in their own persons how 'there are diversities of operations, but it is the same God which worketh all in all,' 1 Corinthians 12:6."[1]

Christian in the Room Full of Dust

Pope (Giant)

"Romanism has been to the Church what Paganism has been to the world—a spoiler of men’s faith, and a persecutor of men’s lives. It has taken human nature as its guide, and, accordingly, has wrought out a religious system of curious and cunning work, incorporating much of the religion of the heathen with the religion of Christ, and striving by piecemeal and by development to make religion what man would like it to be, easy to flesh and blood; in a word, a human religion founded on that which is divine; human tradition superadded to revelation; carnal superstition joined to spiritual worship; mortals made mediators, in conjunction with, and ofttimes to the exclusion of, Jesus, the only Mediator between God and men. 'Being ignorant of God’s righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, they have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God.'" Romans 10:3. [1]

Christian And Worldly-Wiseman

Pagan (Giant)

"PAGANISM has reduced the Creator to the level of the creature; has degraded worship to idolatry, religion to superstition, revelation to mythology, and truth to fiction. In this, man has been the chief sufferer, spoiled of his true glory, robbed of his inheritance. His better nature has deteriorated into savagery and barbarism, into cruelty and hatred, into vice and sensuality. The finer feelings of the soul have been dwarfed and stunted in their growth. Charity, sympathy, gentleness, meekness, and all moral duties, are exchanged for physical force, treachery, torture, deceit, and guile. “And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind,” Romans 1:28."[1]

Christian Setting Out from the City of Destruction

Valley of the Shadow of Death

"This Valley is a continuation of the preceding scene. Scarcely has the good fight been fought, when a horror of great darkness overcasts the vale, and gloomy terrors throng upon the Pilgrim’s soul, and he walks that live-long night through a darkness that might be felt, and through spiritual antagonisms that intensified both the darkness and the danger. The whole scene—from the first assault of APOLLYON to the sun-rising in the valley—is a continued series of perils encountered, dangers avoided, and difficulties overcome, that seemed insuperable. It is the reproduction in allegory of Bunyan’s own spiritual experiences, as more fully described in his 'Grace Abounding.' There he details the anxious travail of his soul, the dark days and wearisome nights that were appointed for him to pass through, during which his soul refused to be comforted, and all joy, and hope, and promise seemed as though they had departed; rendering his experience like to that of a spiritual death, casting its dark shadow over all his faith, and hope, and spiritual joy. He writes—'I fell, therefore, at the sight of my own vileness, deeply into despair; for I concluded that this condition that I was in could not stand with a state of grace. Sure, thought I, I am forsaken of God; sure I am given up to the devil, and to a reprobate mind. And thus I continued a long while, even for some years together.'"[1]

Help Draws Christian Out of the Slough of Despond

Apollyon

"'And they had a king over them, which is the angel of the bottomless pit, whose name in the Hebrew tongue is Abaddon, but in the Greek tongue hath his name Apollyon.'—Revelation 9:11. Here, then, the Allegory means to depict a conflict with the powers of hell, with Satan himself. It is one of those fierce assaults of the devil with which he seeks to recover his lost prey, and if not this, to destroy them. The name APOLLYON means 'The destroyer.'

The description of this monster is conveyed in a sentence that gathers into itself the accumulation of all those characteristics of Satan that are most hideous and horrible, deadly and dangerous. The scaly leprosy of the old serpent covers APOLLYON as with a coat of mail. He had 'wings like a dragon,' to indicate the rapidity of his flight, and the ravages of his march; 'feet like a bear, for softness of tread, and strength and power to injure; 'fire and smoke' came forth from his nostrils, representing the inner fire that burns within the breast of the fallen angel, and his very breath tells of the fiery realm he rules, and the fiery wrath he wields; “his mouth as the mouth of a lion,” the rampant, raging, roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour."[1]