Season 5 Podcast 121 Revision John Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s Progress, Episode 36 Chapter 7 C, “Love Gain.”

Season 5 Podcast 121 Revision John Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s Progress, Episode 36 Chapter 7 C, “Love Gain.” 

In last week’s episode we were introduced to the people of Fair-Speech, a very wealthy town. We met My Lord Turnabout, My Lord Timeserver, My Lord Fair-Speech, Mr. Smooth-man, Mr. Facing-both-ways, Mr. Anything, Mr. Two-tongues, and My Lady Feigning’s daughter. 

The Town of Fair-Speech symbolizes hypocrisy, worldliness, the vanity of wealth, the philosophies of man rather than the teachings of Christ in the Holy Bible. They call good evil and evil good. It is part of Babylon summarized so beautifully by the Revelator John.

Revelation 16:11-13

“And the merchants of the earth shall weep and mourn over her; for no man buyeth their merchandise any more: The merchandise of gold, and silver, and precious stones, and of pearls, and fine linen, and purple, and silk, and scarlet, and all thyine wood, and all manner vessels of ivory, and all manner vessels of most precious wood, and of brass, and iron, and marble, And cinnamon, and odours, and ointments, and frankincense, and wine, and oil, and fine flour, and wheat, and beasts, and sheep, and horses, and chariots, and slaves, and souls of men.” 

In the above John emphasizes that man has become a slave to his wealth and, therefore, it will cost him his soul. Christian and Hopeful part company with Mr. By-ends. Mr. By-ends is a citizen of the town of Fair-Speech. ‘By-ends’ suggests that the ends justify the means. In other words, if the ends are considered good, then one may lie, cheat, steal, and even kill to obtain them. The pilgrims see through his hypocrisy and find him tedious.

In this week’s episode we learn of Mr. Gripe-man, a schoolmaster in the town of Love-gain. He teaches the citizens of Fair-speech the art of achieving their ends whether by violence, cheating, flattery, etc. 

“Now, I saw in my dream that Christian and Hopeful forsook him, and kept their distance before him; but one of them, looking back, saw three men following Mr. By-ends; and, behold, as they came up with him, he made them a very low bow, and they also gave him a compliment. The men's names were Mr. Hold-the-world, Mr. Money-love, and Mr. Save-all; men that Mr. By-ends had been formerly acquainted with; for in their boyhood they were schoolfellows, and taught by one Mr. Gripe-man a schoolmaster in Love-gain, which is a market town in the county of Coveting, in the North. This schoolmaster taught them the art of getting, either by violence, cheating, flattery, lying, or by putting on a pretence of religion; and these four gentlemen had learned much of the art of their master, so that they could each of them have kept such a school themselves."

Mr. Money-love asks Mr. By-ends about Christian and Hopeful and wonders why they don’t all travel together to the Celestial City. 

“Well, when they had, as I said, thus saluted each other, Mr. Money-love said to Mr. By-ends, "Who are they upon the road before us?" for Christian and Hopeful were yet within view.

BY. They are a couple of far countrymen, that, after their mode, are going on pilgrimage.

MONEY. Alas! why did they not stay, that we might have had their good company? for they, and we, and you, sir, I hope, are all going on pilgrimage."

In other words, Mr. Hold-the-world, Mr. Money-love, and Mr. Save-all want to travel to the Celestial City with Christian and Hopeful. It is an allusion to the parable of the wheat and the tares.

Matthew 13:24-30

“Another parable put he forth unto them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is likened unto a man which sowed good seed in his field: But while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went his way. But when the blade was sprung up, and brought forth fruit, then appeared the tares also.