Season 5 Podcast 100 John Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s Progress, Episode 29 Chapter 6 A, “Evangelist, the Prophet.”

Season 5 Podcast 100 John Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s Progress, Episode 29 Chapter 6 A, “Evangelist, the Prophet.” 

In last week’s episode, after Faithful unveils the hypocrisy of Talkative, Talkative parts company. In this week’s episode we begin new adventures as we open Chapter 6. First, we again meet Evangelist, who is considered a prophet. He asks how Christian and Faithful have fared thus far and quizzes them on how they conducted themselves. Evangelist symbolizes the church, the holy prophets, and the scriptures.

Now, when they were got almost quite out of this wilderness, Faithful chanced to cast his eye back, and espied one coming after him, and he knew him. "Oh!" said Faithful to his brother, "who comes yonder?" Then Christian looked, and said, "It is my good friend Evangelist." "Ay, and my good friend, too," said Faithful; "for it was he that set me the way to the gate." Now was Evangelist come up unto them, and thus saluted them:

EVAN. Peace be with you, dearly beloved, and peace be to your helpers.

CHRIS. Welcome, welcome, my good Evangelist: the sight of thy face brings to my thought thy former kindness and unwearied laboring for my eternal good.

FAITH. "And a thousand times welcome," said good Faithful: "thy company, O sweet Evangelist, how desirable is it to us poor pilgrims!"

EVAN. Then said Evangelist, "How hath it fared with you, my friends, since the time of our last parting? What have you met with, and how have you behaved yourselves?"

It is like an interview to determine their worthiness. Christian gives account of their journey. Evangelist counsels them to hold fast to the word of God.

Then Christian and Faithful told him of all things that had happened to them in the way; and how, and with what difficulty, they had arrived to that place.

EVAN. "Right glad am I," said Evangelist, "not that you met with trials, but that you have been victors, and for that you have, notwithstanding many weaknesses, continued in the way to this very day. I say, right glad am I of this thing, and that for my own sake and yours. I have sowed, and you have reaped; and the day is coming when 'both he that sowed and they that reaped shall rejoice together;' that is, if you faint not. The crown is before you, and it is an uncorruptible one: so run that you may obtain it. Some there be that set out for this crown, and after they have gone far for it, another comes in and takes it from them: 'Hold fast, therefore, that you have; let no man take your crown.'"

Evangelist is challenging them to endure to the end. Many who began the journey have failed: Obstinate, Pliable, Simple, Sloth, Presumption, Formalist, Hypocrisy, Timorous, Mistrust, Talkative, and others. Remember the scroll which Christian always takes with him. The scroll represents the Holy Scriptures which Christian reads daily. One is reminded of the words of David.

Psalm 1

“Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. But his delight is in the law of the Lord; and in his law doth he meditate day and night. And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper. The ungodly are not so: but are like the chaff which the wind driveth away. Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous. For the Lord knoweth the way of the righteous: but the way of the ungodly shall perish.”