The Road to Vanity & Vanity Fair

Sometimes preposition the New Testament uses is the preposition we believe in true products on this is the fundamental thing that happens to us when we born again when we are converted to Christ.

Our faith unites us to him, the spirit unites us to him, and in that way we are bound together, and underneath all that is the fact that in everything Jesus did, he was representing us and because he was representing us everything he has done is really ours. None of these things are what we want In ourselves. All of these things we draw darling from our faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. He is everything that he fills our nothingness union with Christ teaching series with Sinclair Ferguson visit Lincoln here.org/teaching series to learn more next on Renewing Your Mind. They come to the cave where Kristin met with a giant.

The giant accuses Segway talked of being a kidnapper of women and children and others a fight with the swords fight the Pilgrim's progress is a classic tells the story of the Christian life, complete with joys and sorrows trials battles and temptations just like you and I fixed is an allegory in its brilliance lies in how it points us to the trustworthiness and lovingkindness of our sovereign God teacher is Dr. Derek Thomas, welcome back. This is selection of the 16 and the fourth one in the second book part two Pilgrim's progress the story of Christiana and the four boys and we left Christiana and her friend Mercy and the four boys in the portentous Lodge where another woman. Prudence began to cut a kinase one of the boys I what we didn't get time to do lasts lecture was that Mercy is introduced to a man actually pursuant by a man called Mr. brisk. She is always walking. He thinks she would make a great wife for him but Mercy thinks Mr. brisk pretends to religion but doesn't know anything of its power, and then she says I will look no more on him, for I purpose never to have a clog in my soul.

It's a lesson about courtship and marriage 17th-century style and mercy is determined not to marry is all rather than to marry badly and then somewhat unexpectedly, we learned that her sister Bountiful had in fact married badly. Husband had turned her out of his doors and then cried her down at the cross. This was a 17th-century allusion to taking your wife to the town cross and the effectively divorcing her technically divorce wasn't legal in the 17th century, but obviously Mercy's sister. Bountiful had married badly but then there's a sting in the tail because this man would divorces Mercy's sister is said to have been a professing believer that Samuel, one of the boys becomes ill.

What is happened right at the very beginning of the tail just after that cross through the wicked skates that are going along the lane and the Samuel Spies branches of an apple tree coming across the path of the and depicts these apples snow.

The apples belong outside of the path and therefore in the allegory should be doing these apples and now having these apples. He started eating them, and these become very ill and that he's given some portion we read to him bananas having a little bit of fun here.

This is Beelzebub's foods and Samuel must purge involvement to the help of position called skill and in the 17th century positions were prone to write test scripts in Latin as so the potion that Samuel is given is carnet@grenade Christie Bunyan tell you that he knew a little bit of lateral it's from the flesh and blood of Christ.

And then there are tears of repentance from Samuel and she are just 12 boxes of these potions because she realizes with four boys, she is likely to have more trouble ahead and did indeed she does know Christiana and mercy and the boys spend about a month here in the porters large and then it's Matthew having been cured of this sickness suggests that they know I request that Mr. Gray talked come back and join them.

He had gone back because they hadn't asked for him to stay and was a lesson about prayer and before they leave at Christiana is shown some things again by this woman called Prudence.

She shown an apple that even a 10 gave to husband Jacob's ladder with angels ascending on it which they can't get enough of a golden anchor to lay hold on that which is beyond the veil and the mountain which Abraham offered up Isaac, including the altar of the ward and the knife and then they sing in the dining room, accompanied by the virginal system really kind of harpsichord and then Mr. Gray talked arrives and there's more food and there's wine and parched corn and pomegranates again in figs and raisins for the boys and thus are about to leave the porter pronounces a blessing on the women and the children know they set off Mr. Gray talked piety and prudence, join them. Mercy is there and Christiana and the four boys and then piety remembers that she's forgotten something, and what she's forgotten is a plan or a map of the journey which he had been given. She's left it behind because this is in the allegory of the Bible.

Once again Jesus she's left her Bible kind of map plan scheme and she goes back to the gadget and then in the Grove us and walking along base year birds are singing and what they hear lines taken from Tucson some 23 and some hundred.

Now these Psalms under their record and observe the stanzas.

Some of the stanzas are recorded in the narrative, but they are taken from well-known translations of the sounds from the 16th-century 1549, the stern hold and hop dunes translation of the Psalms are one of the features of course, of the Reformation was the reintroduction of Psalm singing Congregational Psalm singing into the church and the Thomas Stern Holbrook about 19 of these Psalms and they were included in the Geneva Bible.

The Puritan Bible in the 17th century was not the King James version of 1611 so much as it was the Geneva Bible with its Calvinistic notes and in the back of the Bible I was included the Psalms for singing in the home for family worship in 19 of the Psalms were written by Thomas Stern hold and then they were added to by further Psalms written by a man called Hopkins and they were included in the book of common prayer as of these of the Psalms that hurts in the Grove sing sung by birds, but it's a lesson about the importance of some singing. Then they come to the Valley of the humiliation and there's a pillar and on it is written that Christians slips before he came to Heather and the backhoes that he met with in this place. Your warning to those that come after this land is so very fruitful with good soil does a poor boy feeding his father's sheep in this more singing and the rep told us how the Lord had a country house here and lived here from time to time that it was here that the Christian match with Apollyon and did his battle with Apollyon Christians blonde is on the stones to this day Apollyon's broken arrows can be seen lying on the ground is a monument that is an inscription on the records of the battle between Christians and Apollyon and one of the boys especially is quite moved snow when he sees his father's blood on the ground in the battle that took place there then them to the valley of the shadow of death, and the words now of lamentation and the boys begin to pray tongues. The women grow pale and the ground begins to shake better watch their feet, because there are snares and pits all around the James begins to be sick and his mother gives him three pills. Joseph thinks he seemed a fiend on the road ahead which his mother calls an ugly thing Gray taught Vincent stayed close to resist the devil and he will flee from you. Quoting from first Peter 5829 then mercy looks back and thinks he sees a lion coming in gray taught then who's been in the front of the line goes to the back to stand God and then Bunyan cites a passage from Isaiah that he that walks in darkness and has no light should trust in the name of the Lord and stay upon is God's.

And they cried and prayed to the Lord. Now it's one of these passages again and by mailing the reason so many times a bottle and opposition trial and the needs to call upon the name of the Lord and to engage in prayer.

They go on and there they come to a place where there are great stinks and smells. The boys are troubled with snares. The man cast into the ditch on the left side they come to the cave for Christian match with a giant.

The giant accuses Sir Gray talked of being a kidnapper of women and children and others a fight with the swords, fights and fire comes out of the Giants nostrils and eventually Gray talked wins this battle against the giant and another pillar is erected under another poem. His son, then out the place where Christian in part one met with faithful faithful appeared, just for a short time and was monitored in the city of vanity and justice. In part one this very important character emerges in the story about man introduces another character here for the benefit of further Christiana and mercy and the rest of the troop and this man that his name is Mr. honest and deep joins them and they talk about whether or not the new of a Mr. Fielding who had passed that way is a lengthy discourse know about Mr. Fielding and Mr. Fielding is a character who is a little bit like mercy of little faith, somewhat too timid, somewhat shy, somewhat retiring easily spooked and this quite a lengthy discourse. And again, I think Bunyan is trying to minister pastorally to the needs of those whose faith is weak, who are tried and tested and found to be stumbling along the way that Mr. honest says about Mr. feeling he was a man that had the root of the matter in him, but he was one of the most troublesome pilgrims that ever I met with in all my days preps bananas reflecting on pastoral ministry to the team genuinely believes this man was a Christian that had the root of the matter in him is a phrase that we don't hear so much today.

I remember 30 or 40 years ago when I was first a Christian.

There was a phrase I would come across all the time about folks who you want sure whether they were Christians unattended. So the say what I think the root of the matter is in him.

I think he is regenerate. But he was one of the most troublesome pilgrims that ever I met with in all my days. Why should such a good man be all his days in such darkness. That's the question that's us, why, why should somebody who's essentially a believer who is regenerate trusts in the Lord, but seems to live out his days in darkness and fear and trembling in direct and gray taught on service. The why is God will have it so this is so this is a sovereign thing and Mr. Fielding and then he says, but Mr. feeling he played upon the base string is not an interesting expression. He played upon the base string.

He tended to see dark things that he tended to view life as the glass is half empty, as it were, and God himself plays upon this spring when he sets upon the soul at first.

In other words, when God first comes to us.

He convicts us of sin that he makes us see the misery he makes us see the darkness before the gospel comes as a remedy, must first show us the darkness of God himself plays upon this base string at first and then he says about Mr. feeling that he feared that he could play.

No other string, but the base string and they now arrive at an emu called guide us, as amended by the name of Gaia send. He's a lover of pilgrims. This is again a picture of the church I received so many of them along the way. This is a place to rest since a place for refreshment as a place to have a little sleep, principal place to eat and drink and learn certain things and I think this is a picture of the church, others a cook. His name is taste that which is good and he tells them of for Christians relatives.

Stephen, who was killed. James slain by the sword. Paul and Peter Ignatius cost of the liens. Romanovs was flesh was torn from them. Polycarp, who played the man in the fire of the Polycarp was martyred, though he was 86.

I think when he was monitored and again I think this is reflecting something of the importance of the Fox's book of martyrs in the 17th century, the so some of the great saints who had been killed for the gospel say can reserve these are our brother Cindy's sisters. We are to remember them and think about them and then he suggests this is Gaia's Indian. He suggests that the oldest son, Matthew, Maddie, mercy and the mercy were turned to someone down. Remember earlier on undead more or less said that she would rather live her life unmarried than married the wrong person you want expecting… You are reading this story you never thought all yes I can see something developing between mercy and the oldest son, Matthew Abbott, a marriage is to take place in knowing the 17th century you married in order to fall in love and in the 21st-century you fall in love in order to get married but that's the difference I think between the 17th century and the 21st century.

You didn't necessarily have to love someone to marry them.

In the 17th century. You married them in order to love them and I think that's a indicative of the way. Bunyan here is approaching the whole business of marriage. There wasn't any particular feeling between mercy and Matthew but said they are now to be mounted then gray taught and guide us our walk into the woods to see if they can see a giant by the name of slave good, who's been troubling pilgrims in the way they hear this tale in the in that there's a giant out in the woods and his name is slave good and the gray taught in Gaia's walk into the woods to see if they can aspire him across the boys go with them into the words and they find him and that he has captured a man by the name of Mr. feeble mind and is actually preparing to kill him. Gray taught slays the giant rescues feeble mind and brings them to the in a he's from a town called uncertain is been determined to be pilgrims despite his weakness once again you've got another character who's got the root of the matter in him becomes our town called uncertain. His name is Mr. feeble mind again and again in the second part about noon seems to be concentrating on those who are weak in faith and troubled in the spirit. And this is the contrast I think to part one of the story where most of the figures in part one very much. The hero's engine part two not so much. I think Bunyan's marginal note I said in the previous lecture. The two editions of Pilgrim's progress that includes Bunyan's marginal notes and W was reprinted in the margin.

Bunyan has mock this and he has it twice mock this mark. This that because he was taken by the giant unwillingly. He would not be kilts. I think Bunyan is trying to say something here about the whole business of perseverance in a what is the difference between between somebody who willingly turns back and in such cases, a Bunyan is rather skeptical of whether they have the root of the matter in them. This is like Hymenaeus and finally, tests or edema. Sword forsaken me, having loved this present evil world, but this man, Mr. feeble mind been captured against his will, even though he was feeble of mind and so I think Bunyan again pastorally is trying to say that even though feeble mind finds himself in trouble and and that partly because of the feebleness of his mind. He was taken unwillingly in the end, and therefore that he would not be killed in the second note he says is that this I have resolved to run when I can to go when I cannot run enter creep when I cannot again. Bunyan is underlining that somehow or other we persevere even when there's tremendous opposition even when I can't run I will endeavor to creep. Now they spend two months now in diocese in and there is just a one wedding Matthew and mercy. But James II eldest son and Finis are one of the women diocese daughter also married. So there's a double wedding in part two of pilgrims progress and is described in the wonderful terms very happy moment in part two, and then after spending two months here in a diocese in my off they go to vanity. The city of vanity with vanity fair and this of course is the place where Christian faithful were arrested and faithful after the trial was burnt was executed and horses and chariots, and take faithful to the nearest gates to the celestial city, so there's some unease now as we think of turning the page here to go off to the city of vanity things double wedding is almost bound to be trouble just around the corner publisher sooner next month to see how it turns out tomorrow. I hope you'll join us as Cristiano follows the Kings Highway.

The troop continues to grow as they experience new joys and challenges. Dr. Derek Thomas is our teacher this week here on Renewing Your Mind is guided tour of the Pilgrim's progress he is giving us some great insight into John Bunyan's brilliant allegory and this week we've concentrated on Cristiano story in part two remaking the entire series available though. In a free DVD set is contact us today with a donation of any amount to look in your ministries and will send it to you to make your request and give your gift online. You can go to Renewing Your Mind.org or if you prefer you can call us. Our number is 800-435-4343 our three weeks in the 2022.

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