CHEAP REPOSITORY.
SUNDAY READING.
THE PILGRIMS.
AN ALLEGORY.
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THE PILGRIMS, &c.
METHOUGHT I was once upon a time trave
ling through a certain land which was ver
full of people, but, what was rather odd, not o
of all this multitude was at home; they were a bound to a far distant country. Though it w
permitted by the Lord of the land that these P
grims might associate together for their prese
mutual comfort and convenience; and each w
not only allowed, but commanded to do the othe
all the services he could upon their journey,
it was decreed, that every individual travell
must enter the far country singly. There was
great gulf at the end of the journey which eve
one must pass alone, and at his own risk, and t
friendship of the whole united world could be no use in shooting that gulf. The exact time wh
each was to pass was not known to any, this the Lo
always kept a close secret out of kindness,
still they were as sure that the time must come, a
that at no very great distance, as if they w
informed of the very moment. Now, as they kn
they were always liable to be called away at
hour's notice, one would have thought they wo
have been chiefly employed in packing up, a
preparing, and getting every thing in order.
they indeed. It was almost the only thing wh
they did not think about.
Now I only appeal to you, my readers, if any
ou are setting out upon a little common journey,
f it is only to London or York, is not all your leisure time employed in settling your business at
ome, and packing up every little necessary for
our expedition? And does not the fear of neglecting
ny thing you ought to remember or may have oc
asion for, haunt your mind, and sometimes even
trude upon you unseasonably? And when you
re actually on your journey, especially if you
ave never been to that place before, or are likely
remain there, don't you begin to think a little
out the pleasures and the employments of the
ace, and to wish to know a little what sort of a
y London or York is? Don't you wonder what
doing there, and whether you are properly qua
f
ed for the business or the company you expect
be engaged in? Do you never look at the map
consult Brookes's Gazetteer? And don't you try
pick up from your fellow passengers in the stage
ach any little information you can get? And
ough you may be obliged, out of civility, to
nverse with them on common subjects, yet do
your secret thoughts still run upon London or
ork, its business, or its pleasures? And above all,
you are likely to set out early, are you not afraid
oversleeping, and does not that fear keep you
on the watch, so that you are commonly up and
ady before the porter comes to summon you?
ader! if this be your case, how surprised will
be to hear that the Travellers to the far coun
have not half your prudence, though bound
a journey of infinitely more importance, to a
d where nothing can be sent after them, and
which when they are once settled, all errors
irretrievable.
I observed that these pilgrims, instead of bein
upon the watch, lest they should be ordered o
unprepared, instead of laying up any provision
or even making memorandums of what they would be likely to want, spent most of their time i
crowds, either in the way of traffic or diversion▪ At first, when I saw them so much engaged in co
versing with each other, I thought it a good sig
and listened attentively to their talk, not doubtin
but the chief turn of it would be about the cl
mate, or treasures, or society they should pr
bably meet with in the far country. I suppos
they might be also discussing about the best an
safest road to it, and that each was availing hi
self of the knowledge of his neighbour, on a subje
of equal importance to all. I listened to eve
party, but in scarcely any did I hear one wo
about the land to which they were bound, thou
it was their home, where their whole interest,
pectation, and inheritance lay; to which also gr
part of their friends were gone before, and w
ther they were sure all the rest would follo
. Their whole talk was about the business, or
pleasures, or the fashions, of the strange co
try which they were merely passing through, and which they had not one foot of land which th
were sure of calling their own for the next quar
of an hour. What little estate they had was
perso
and not real, and that was a mortgaged, life-hold
nement of clay, not properly their own, but only
to them on a short uncertain lease, of which thr
score years and ten was considered as the long period, and very few indeed lived in it to the
of the term; for this was always at the will of
Lord, part of whose prerogative it was, that he
ould take away the lease at pleasure, knock
own the stoutest tenement at a single blow, and
urn out the poor, shivering, helpless tenant naked,
o that far country for which he had made no
rovision. Sometimes, in order to quicken the
ilgrim in his preparations, the Lord would break
own the tenement by slow degrees, sometimes he
ould let it tumble by its own natural decay, for as it
as only built to last a certain term, it would some
es grow so uncomfortable by increasing dilapida
ons even before the ordinary lease was out, that
e lodging was hardly worth keeping, though the
nant could seldom be persuaded to think so, but
ng to it to the last. First the thatch on the top of
e tenement changed colour, then it fell off and left
roof bare, then "the grinders ceased because
ey were few;" then the windows became so dark
ed that the owner could scarcely see through
m, then one prop fell away, then another, then
uprights became bent, and the whole fabric
mbled and tottered, with every other symptom
a falling house. On some occasions the Lord
dered his messengers, of which he had a great va
ty, to batter, injure, deface, and almost demolish
frail building even while it seemed new and
ong; this was what the landlord called
giving
rning;
but many a tenant would not take it, and
s so fond of staying where he was, even un
all these inconveniences, that at last he was
out by ejectment, not being prevailed on to
ve his dwelling in a proper manner, though one
uld have thought the fear of being turned out
uld have whetted his diligeace in preparing for
a better and more enduring inheritance▪
For thoug
the people were only tenants at will in these cra
enements, yet through the goodness of the sa
Lord, they were assured that he never turned the
out of these habitations before he had on his pa
provided for them a better, so that there was not su
another landlord in the world; and though their pr
sent dwelling was but frail, being only slightly
up to serve the occasion, yet they might hold the
future possession by a most certain tenure, the wo
of the Lord himself, which was entered in a c
venant, or title-deed, consisting of many shee
and because a great many good things were give
away in it, a book was made of which eve
soul might get a copy. This indeed had not a
ways been the case, because, till a few ages bac
there had been a sort of monopoly in the case, an
"the wise and prudent," that is, the cunning an
fraudful had hid these things from the "babes an
sucklings," that is, from the low and ignorant, an
many frauds had been practised, and the poor ha
been cheated of their right, so that not being allo
ed to read and judge for themselves, they had be
sadly imposed upon; but all these tricks had be
put an end to more than two hundred years when
passed through the country, and the meanest ma
who could read might then have a copy, so that
might see himself what he had to trust to, and eve
those who could not read, might hear it read on
or twice every week at least without pay. But
surprised me to see how few comparatively ma
use of these vast advantages. Of those who
had
copy, many laid it carelessly by, expressed a
gen
ral
belief in the truth of the title-deed, a
gener
satisfaction that they should come in for a share of the inheritance, a
general
good opinion of the Lord whose word it was, and a
general
disposition to take his promise upon trust, always however intending at a
convenient season
to inquire farther into the matter, and this neglect of theirs was construed into a forfeiture of the inheritance.
At the end of this country lay the vast gulf mentioned before; it was shadowed over by a broad
nd thick cloud, which prevented the pilgrims from seeing in a distinct manner what was doing behind it▪ yet such beams of brightness now and
hen darted through the cloud as enabled those who
sed a telescope provided for that purpose, to
ee
the substance of things hoped for;
but it was not
very one who could make use of this telescope;
o eye indeed was
naturally
disposed to it; but an
arnest desire of getting a glimpse of the invisible
ealities, gave such a strength and steadiness to the
ye, as enabled it to discern many things which
ould not be seen by the natural sight. Above the
loud was this Inscription,
The things which are
are temporal, but the things which are not
n are eternal.
Of these last many glorious de
riptions had been given, but as those splendors
ere at a distance, and as the pilgrims in general
d not care to use the telescope, these distant
ances made little impression. The glorious
heritance which lay beyond the cloud, was
alled
The things above,
while a multitude of tri
ing objects, which appeared contemptibly small
hen looked at through the telescope were called
The things below.
Now as we know it is nearness which gives size and bulk to any object, it was not wonderful that these ill'-judging pilgrims were more struck with these baubles and trifles, which by lying close at hand, were visible and temp
ing to the naked eye, and which made up th
sum of
The things below,
than with the remo
glories of
The things above:
but this was chief
owing to their not making use of the telescope through which, if you examined thoroughly
T
things below,
they seemed to shrink almost down t
nothing, while
The things above
appeared the mo
beautiful and vast the more the telescope was used▪ But the surprising part of the story was this, no
that the pilgrims were captivated at first sight wit
The things below,
for that was natural enough, bu
that when they had tried them all over and over and found themselves deceived and disappointed in almost every one of them, it did not at a
lessen their fondness, and they grasped at the
again with the same eagerness as before. Ther
were some gay fruits which looked alluring, but o
being opened instead of a kernel they were found to contain rottenness, and those which seemed th
fullest often proved on trial to be quite hollow an
empty. Those which were most tempting to the ey
were often found to be wormwood to the taste, o
poison to the stomach, and many flowers that seemed most bright and gay had a worm gnawing at th
root.
Among the chief attractions of
The things below
were certain little lumps of yellow clay, on which almost every eye and every heart was fixed. Whe
I saw the variety of uses to which this clay could be converted, and the respect which wa
shewn to those who could scrape together the greate
number of pieces, I did not much wonder at the general desire to pick up some of them. But when I be
eld the anxiety, the wakefulness, the competitions, be contrivances, the tricks, the frauds, the scuffling,
e pushing, the turmoiling, the kicking, the shov
g, the cheating, the circumvention, the envy, the
alignity, which was excited by a desire to possess
is article; when I saw the general scramble among
ose who had little to get much, and of those who
d much to get more, then I could not help applying to these people a Proverb in use among us,
at gold may be bought too dear.
Though I saw
at there were various sorts of baubles which en
ged the hearts of different Travellers, such as an
of red or blue ribbon, for which some were
ntent to forfeit their future inheritance, commit
g the sin of Esau without his temptation of hun
r; yet the yellow clay I found was the grand ob
ct for which most hands scrambled and most souls
re risked. One thing was extraordinary, that the
arer these people were to being turned out of
ir tenement, the fonder they grew of these pieces
clay, so that I naturally concluded they meant
take the clay with them to the far country; but
oon learnt this clay was not current there, the
rd having declared to these pilgrims, that as
y had brought nothing into this world, they could
ry nothing out.
I inquired of the different people who were rais
g the various heaps of clay, some of a larger,
e of a smaller size, why they discovered such
remitting anxiety, and for whom? Some whose
es were immense, told me they were heaping up
their children; this I thought very right, till on
ting my eyes round, I observed many of the chil
en of these very people had large heaps of their own. Others told me it was for their grand-childre
but on enquiry I found these were not yet born, a
in many cases there was little chance that they ev
would. The truth, on a close examination, prov
to be, that the true genuine heapers really heap
for themselves; that it was in fact neither for frie
or child, but to gratify an inordinate appetite
their own. Nor was I much surprised after this
see these yellow hoards at length
canker, and
rust of them become a witness against the hoarde
and e
t their flesh as it were fire.
Many however who had set out with a high he
of their father's raising, before they had got o
third of their journey had scarcely a single pie
left. As I was wondering what had caused the enormous piles to vanish in so short a time, I spi
scattered up and down the country all sorts of o
inventions, for some or other of which the va
possessors of the great heaps of clay had truck
and bartered them away in fewer hours than th
ancestors had spent years in getting them togeth
. O what a strange unaccountable medley it wa
and what was ridiculous enough, I observed th
the greatest quantity of the clay was always e
changed for things that were of no use that I cou
discover, owing I suppose to my ignorance of
manners of that country.
In one place I saw large heaps exhausted
order to set two idle pampered horses a runnin
but the worst part of the joke was, the horses
not run to fetch or carry any thing, but merely let the gazers see which could run fastest. N
this gift of swiftness, exercised to no one use
purpose, was only one out of many instances
talents used to no end. In another place I
hole piles of the clay spent to maintain long
anges of buildings full of dogs, on provisions
hich would have nicely fattened some thousands
f pilgrims who sadly wanted fattening, and whose
agged tenements were out at elbows, for want of little
help to repair them. Some of the piles
ere regularly pulled down once in seven years
order to corrupt certain needy pilgrims to
their consciences. Others were spent in play
ng with white stiff bits of paper painted over
ith red and black spots, in which I thought there
ust be some conjuring, because the very touch of
ese painted pasteboards made the heaps fly from
e to another, and back again to the same, in a
ay that natural causes could not account for.
here was another proof that there must be some
agic in this business, which was that if a pasteboard
th red spots fell into a hand which wanted a black
e, the person changed colour, his eyes flashed
e, and he discovered other symptoms of madness,
hich showed there was some witchcraft in the case.
hese clean little pasteboards, as harmless as they
oked, had the wonderful power of pulling down
e highest piles in less time than all the other
ses put together. I observed many small piles
re given in exchange for an enchanted liquor,
hich when the purchaser had drank to a little ex
ss, he lost all power of managing the rest of his
ap without losing the love of it.
Now I found it was the opinion of sober pilgrims,
at either hoarding the clay or trucking it for any
ch purposes as the above, was thought exactly
e same offence in the eyes of the Lord, and it is expected that when they should come under
more immediate jurisdiction in the far country, the penalty annexed to hoarding and squanderi
would be nearly the same. While I examined t
countenances of the owners of the heaps, I o
served that those who I well knew never intend
to make any use at all of their heap, were f
more terrified at the thought of losing it, or of bei
torn from it, than those were who were employi
it in the most useful manner. Those who
knew what to do with it, set their hearts least upo
it, and were always most willing to leave it. B
such riddles were common in this odd country.
Now I wondered why these Pilgrims, who we
naturally made erect with an eye formed to loo
up to
The things above,
yet had their eyes almo
constantly bent in the other direction rivetted
the earth, and fastened
on things below,
just lik
those animals who walk on all four. I was to
they had not always been subject to this weakne
of sight and proneness to earth: That they ha
originally been upright and beautiful, having be
created after the image of the Lord who was himself the perfection of beauty, that he had place
them in a far superior situation which he had give
them in perpetuity, but that their first ancesto
fell from it through pride and carelessness; th
upon this the freehold was taken away, they lo
their original strength, brightness and beauty, an
were driven out into this strange country; whe
however they had every opportunity given them
recovering their health, and the Lord's favo
and likeness, for they were become so disfigured, an
were grown so unlike him, that you would hard
believe they were his own children, though, in som
the resemblance was become again visible. Th
Lord, however, was so merciful, that instead
iving them up to the dreadful consequences of
eir own folly, as he might have done without any
peachment of his justice, he gave them immedie comfort, and promised them, that in due time,
own Son should come down and restore them
the future inheritance which he should purchase
r them. And now it was that in order to keep up
ir spirits, after they had lost their estate through
e folly of their ancestors, that he began to give
em a part of their former Title Deed. He con
ued to send them portions of it from time to
e by different faithful servants, whom, however,
ese ungrateful people generally used ill, and
me of whom they murdered. But for all this
Lord was so very forgiving, that he at length
these mutineers a Proclamation of full and free
rdon by his Son, who, though they used him in
more cruel manner than they had done any of
servants, yet after having
finished the work his
ther had given him to do,
went back into
country to prepare a place for all them who
lieve in him; and there he still lives, begging
d pleading for those unkind people whom he
ll loves and forgives, and will restore to the
chased inheritance on the easy terms of their
ing heartily sorry for what they have done, tho
ghly desirous of pardon and convinced that
He
able and willing to save to the utmost all them that
unto him.
I saw indeed that many old offenders appeared
be sorry for what they had done; that is, they did
like to be punished for it. They were willing
ough to be delivered from the penalty of their
, but they did not heartily wish to be delivered
the power of it. Many declared, in the most public manner, once every week, that they we
very sorry they had done amiss; but it was
enough to
declare
their sorrow ever so often
they gave no other sign of their penitence.
there was so little truth in them, that the Lord r
quired other proofs of their sincerity beside the
own word, for they often lied with their lips an
dissembled with their tongue. But those who pr
fessed to be penitents were neither allowed
raise heaps of clay, by circumventing their neig
bours, or to have great piles lying by them usele
nor must they barter them for any of these id
vanities, which reduced the heaps on a sudden for I found that among the grand articles of futu
reckoning, the use they had made of the hea
would be a principal one.
I was sorry to observe many of the fairer pa
of these Pilgrims spend too much of their hea
in adorning and beautifying their tenements
clay, in painting, and white washing, and ename
ling them. All those tricks, however, did not pr
serve them from decay, and when they grew ol
they even looked worse for all this cost and va
nish. Some, however, acted a more sensible pa
and spent no more upon their mouldering te
ments than just to keep them whole and clean, an
in good repair, which is what every tenant oug
to do; and I observed that those who were mod
rate in the care of their own tenements, were mo
attentive to repair and warm the ragged tenements
others. But none did this with much zeal or acce
ance, but those who had acquired a habit of ov
looking the
things below,
and also by the consta
use of the Telescope, had got their natural we
and dim sight so strengthened, as to be able to
pretty distinctly the nature of the
things above.
e habit of fixing their eyes on these glories,
ade all the shining trifles which composed the
of
things below
at last appear in their own
minutive littleness. For it was in this case parti
ularly true, that things are only big or little by
mparison; and there was no other way of mak
g the
things below
appear as small as they really
re, but by comparing them by means of the Tele
ope with the
things above.
But I observed that
e false judgment of the Pilgrims ever kept pace
th their wrong practices, for those who kept their
es fastened on the
things below,
were reckoned
in their generation, while the few who look
forward to the future glories, were account
by the bustlers or heapers, to be either fools
mad.
Well—most of these Pilgrims went on in adorn
g their tenements, adding to their heaps, grasp
g the
things below
as if they would never let
em go, shutting their eyes instead of using their te
scope, and neglecting their Title Deed, as if it was
Parchment of another man's estate and not their
n; till one after another each felt his tenement
mbling about his ears.—O
! then what a busy,
stling, anxious, terrifying, distracting moment was
at! What a deal of business was to be done, and
hat a strange time was this to do it in! Now to
e the confusion and dismay occasioned by having
every thing to the last minute. First some
was sent for to make over the yellow heaps to
other, which the heaper now found would be of
use to himself in shooting the gulf; a transfer
hich ought to have been made while the tenement
s sound. Then there was a consultation between two or three masons at once, perhaps to try to pat
up the walls, and strengthen the props, and stop
decays of the tumbling tenement; but not till
masons were forced to declare it was past repairing (a truth they were rather too apt to keep back) di
the tenant seriously think it was time to pac
up, prepare, and begone. Then what sending
the wise men who professed to explain the Tit
Deed! And oh, what remorse that they had ne
lected to examine it till their senses were too confused for so weighty a business! What reproache
or what exhortations to others to look better after their own affairs! Even to the wisest of the inh
bitants the falling of their tenements was a solemn thing; solemn but not surprising; they had lo
been packing up and preparing; they praised the Lord's goodness that they had been suffered to sta
so long; many acknowledged the mercy of thei
frequent warnings, and confessed that those ver
dilapidations which had made the house uncomfortable had been a blessing, as it had set them
diligent preparation for their future inheritance▪ had made them more earnest in examining their titl
to it, and had set them on such a frequent application to the telescope, that
The things above
ha
seemed every day nearer and nearer. These desired not to be
uncloathed but to be cloathed upon for they knew that if their frail Tabernacle was dissolved they had an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.
THE END.