Derek Thomas

And before he came to assurance of faith, he actually went down and down and down into further and further conviction and further depression with regard to the hopelessness of his condition. Pliable is still there. He continues with Christian until they come to a bog, quicksand. It's a well-known place, of course, the Slough of Despond. Now, you may say slew, or I've even heard the word slough.

But, in England, it is Slough, and in Bunyan's time, it was most definitely Slough, the Slough of Despond. Now, because Christian is weighed down with this burden, when he comes to this quicksand, of course, he begins to sink. But Pliable, because Pliable doesn't have a Burton, Pliable is sort of light-footed, and he manages to free himself from this quicksand without too much difficulty.

But, in England, it is Slough, and in Bunyan's time, it was most definitely Slough, the Slough of Despond. Now, because Christian is weighed down with this burden, when he comes to this quicksand, of course, he begins to sink. But Pliable, because Pliable doesn't have a Burton, Pliable is sort of light-footed, and he manages to free himself from this quicksand without too much difficulty.

And next on the scene comes a man by the name of Help. Again, these are evangelists, just like evangelists himself. Help is there to aid Christian on in the pathway to salvation. And Help puts out his hand, and he takes hold of Christian, and he pulls him out of the quicksand.

And next on the scene comes a man by the name of Help. Again, these are evangelists, just like evangelists himself. Help is there to aid Christian on in the pathway to salvation. And Help puts out his hand, and he takes hold of Christian, and he pulls him out of the quicksand.

Alexander White says of this section, in his description of the Slough, Bunyan touches his highest watermark for humor and pathos and power and beauty of language. Now, upon getting stuck in the mire, Christian asks help why this place isn't better signposted and why it isn't fixed. And the answer is very interesting. This miry slough is such a place as cannot be mended.

Alexander White says of this section, in his description of the Slough, Bunyan touches his highest watermark for humor and pathos and power and beauty of language. Now, upon getting stuck in the mire, Christian asks help why this place isn't better signposted and why it isn't fixed. And the answer is very interesting. This miry slough is such a place as cannot be mended.

It is the descent whither the scum and filth that attends conviction for sin doth continually run. And therefore it's called the slough of despond. For still as the sinner is awakened about his lost condition, there arise in his soul many fears and doubts.

It is the descent whither the scum and filth that attends conviction for sin doth continually run. And therefore it's called the slough of despond. For still as the sinner is awakened about his lost condition, there arise in his soul many fears and doubts.

It's a discouraging place, and Helper continues to describe how millions of instructions sent to try and mend the place have been swallowed up, and that the lawgiver has placed steps to enable the traveler to find a way through. Bunyan is describing, I think, how he himself descended into a period of melancholy and despair. He was under conviction of sin in his own personal life for 18 months.

It's a discouraging place, and Helper continues to describe how millions of instructions sent to try and mend the place have been swallowed up, and that the lawgiver has placed steps to enable the traveler to find a way through. Bunyan is describing, I think, how he himself descended into a period of melancholy and despair. He was under conviction of sin in his own personal life for 18 months.

He'd heard this sermon. He'd been rebuked about his blasphemy and his bad language, and he'd been told by a woman of ill repute outside a store one day, that he was heading to hell unless he meant his ways. But he still hasn't found the gospel. He still hasn't found the way of salvation and the way of assurance of the forgiveness of sins. So there's another incident now that takes place.

He'd heard this sermon. He'd been rebuked about his blasphemy and his bad language, and he'd been told by a woman of ill repute outside a store one day, that he was heading to hell unless he meant his ways. But he still hasn't found the gospel. He still hasn't found the way of salvation and the way of assurance of the forgiveness of sins. So there's another incident now that takes place.

Obstinate is gone, pliable, managed to get out of the slough of despond easily because he had no burden. And help has pulled Christian out of the slough of despond. And now there enters another character, a man by the name of Worldly Wiseman.

Obstinate is gone, pliable, managed to get out of the slough of despond easily because he had no burden. And help has pulled Christian out of the slough of despond. And now there enters another character, a man by the name of Worldly Wiseman.

And Worldly Wiseman is going to send Christian to a place called Morality, a little village called Morality, and there he is to meet with a man called Mr. Legality, who is skilled, so Worldly Wiseman says, he's skilled at removing burdens like the one Christian has. Of course, this is the way of works.

And Worldly Wiseman is going to send Christian to a place called Morality, a little village called Morality, and there he is to meet with a man called Mr. Legality, who is skilled, so Worldly Wiseman says, he's skilled at removing burdens like the one Christian has. Of course, this is the way of works.

This is the way of obedience, that the way to remove your burden of sin is to do more, is to obey the Ten Commandments, is to throw yourself into a life of obedience. Now a little later in the story, Evangelist will tell Christian three things about worldly wise men. He'll say, first of all, that he turns Christian onto the wrong path. Secondly, that he makes the cross odious to him.

This is the way of obedience, that the way to remove your burden of sin is to do more, is to obey the Ten Commandments, is to throw yourself into a life of obedience. Now a little later in the story, Evangelist will tell Christian three things about worldly wise men. He'll say, first of all, that he turns Christian onto the wrong path. Secondly, that he makes the cross odious to him.

And thirdly, he suggests a way that can only lead to death, the way of works. Now Bunyan says in his own autobiography, and I'm quoting here from Grace Abounding to the Chief of Sinners. This is what Bunyan says, "'Thus I continued about a year. Our neighbors did take me to be a very godly man, a new religious man.'" He turned over a new leaf. He had pulled himself up by his bootstraps.