Season 5 Podcast 55 John Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s Progress, Episode 14 Chapter 3 F, “Prudence.” Episode

A New Voice of Freedom

Season 5 Podcast 55 John Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s Progress, Episode 14 Chapter 3 F, “Prudence.”

In last week’s episode, Piety grilled Christian about his journey thus far. Following Piety’s question, this week we shall listen to the questioning of Prudence, who takes a rather hard line.

Her line of questioning is far different than that of Piety. First, we must ask what is the difference between Piety and Prudence as virtues? Piety is associated with reverence as well as the outward show of religious observance. Piety deals with devotion, duty, and devoutness. Some synonyms are godliness, saintliness, spirituality, holiness, and sanctity.

Prudence is associated with sound judgment, caution, careful management, frugality, and discretion. Some synonyms are caution, sagacity, wisdom, judgment, perspicacity, forethought, circumspection, discerning and discriminating.

Christian, on his journey to Zion, must acquire the virtues of Christ. Bunyan personifies the virtues and gives them a voice. Piety directed her questions toward his experiences while on the journey, getting him to recall to mind everything he saw and heard and learned and the people he met. Prudence, in rapid-fire fashion, grills Christian about his past before he began his journey. Honesty and humility are virtues that Christian possesses. Those virtues have helped him get this far. He is self-deprecating and does not hide his faults.

Then Prudence thought good to ask him a few questions, and desired his answer to them.

Pru. Do you think sometimes of the country from whence you came?

Chris. Yes, but with much shame and detestation. Truly, if I had been mindful of that country from whence I came out, I might have had an opportunity to have returned; but now I desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one.

There is a parallel between Christian leaving Babylon and traveling to Zion and the Children of Israel leaving Egypt and traveling to the Promised Land. One problem the Children of Israel had was in leaving the temptations of Egypt behind. Prudence is concerned about the same thing with Christian. She continues her questioning.

Pru. Do you not yet bear away with you in your thoughts some of the things that you did in the former time?

Chris. Yes, but greatly against my will; especially my inward and sinful thoughts, with which all my countrymen, as well as myself, were delighted. But now all those things are my grief; and, might I but choose mine own things, I would choose never to think of those things more; but when I would be doing that which is best, that which is worst is with me.

Prudence understands the difficulty of leaving the past behind.

Pru. Do you not find sometimes as if those things were overcome, which at other times are your trouble?

Chris. Yes, but that is but seldom; but they are to me golden hours in which such things happen to me.

In effect Prudence is asking Christian if he were able to abandon his old sins. Christian admits that the temptations are still there, but he relishes the golden hours in which he feels he has overcome the world. This addresses the ambiguity of repentance. Repentance is not a one-time event, but a continuous struggle. Bunyan himself is a realist. There is a continuous battle between the natural man and the spiritual man. Even though Christian laid his burden at the cross and his sins were forgiven him, he still must struggle. Prudence is teaching the principle of enduring to the end which along with faith, repentance, baptism, and the gift of the Holy Ghost is a saving principle.

Keep in mind that they are in the temple where Christian must be sanctified. Prudence continues her questions, not giving Christian time to fabricate an answer. A great deal is at stake here. They are determining if Christian is ready to continue his journey.