Christiana Read online

  "Very good, Samuel. What else?"

  "The mother hen seems to have several types of calls," observed Matthew. "First, there is the common call that she clucks out continually to reassure her chicks."

  "And what is the lesson?"

  "Well, I suppose it must be the same with the Spirit of God. He is ever there to remind us that we are never alone."

  "Jesus did say, '. . .Lo, I am with you always'," added Joseph.

  "Good, boys! And what else?"

  "Well," continued Matthew, "there is also her feeding call by which she beckons them to come share some new morsel."

  "And the lesson?"

  "God calls us to come feed upon the dainty morsels of His Word."

  "Good, Matthew. And you, Joseph? What do you hear?"

  "Well," said he thoughtfully, "when it is time to nap or retire for the night, she has a brooding call by which she calls her chicks to abide under her wing."

  "Sharp eyes, lad!" said he with a smile and a clap of his hands. "And do you see a lesson?"

  "Mmmm . . . God must also have a brooding call by which He invites us come rest under His wings."

  "Right you are. And can you give a verse for it?"

  "Uh . . . no."

  "Yes you can, Joseph," encouraged Christiana. "We just learned it: 'Come unto Me . . .'"

  "Oh! I know! I know! 'Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden and I will give you rest'. Jesus said it."

  "Good boy! And good mother too!" exclaimed the Interpreter with delight.

  Suddenly the ominous shadow of a hawk swept across the yard - at which the mother hen gave a cry of alarm which sent every chick in the pen scurrying to find refuge under the shelter of her wings.

  "I see a lesson!" volunteered James. "When there is danger, God has a special squawk to bid us flee under His wings."

  "Well said, James. And how does God give His cry of warning?"

  By . . . uh . . . I guess I might not know, sir."

  "Is it not by the promptings of His Spirit upon our hearts?" offered Matthew.

  "Yes."

  "And also by the words of Scripture which do come to mind when we are in danger of making a wrong choice?" added Samuel.

  "Aye."

  "Might it not also be by the teachings of His prophets, which, from time to time, do walk among us?" questioned Mercy.

  "Aye! Well said, all of you. I can see that Christiana has filled your travel time with good wholesome instruction. Come."

  So he had them into the slaughter-house, where a butcher was killing a sheep. And behold the sheep was quiet, and took her death patiently.

  "Ah, poor lamb," said Mercy, sadly.

  "There are deep lessons here, for my heart is about to break," said Christiana sadly.

  "Aye," answered the Interpreter, softly. "This is the Lamb of God. Who opened not His mouth while his enemies slew Him by tortures most terrible."

  "Ah," cried Christiana, with tears in her eyes. "To see Him portrayed in this lamb - how it moves me to love Him all the more."

  "Aye. But can you see that this lamb pictures you as well?"

  "Us!" exclaimed Christiana. "In what way?"

  "Do you see how quietly she takes her death; and how, without objecting, she allows her skin to be pulled over her ears?"

  "Yes, sir."

  "Your King calls you His sheep."

  "Ah. Then, as this lamb is patient under sufferings and wrongs, so must we learn to endure hardship without murmur or complaint."

  "Aye. Your Master was made perfect by sufferings before you, and you can be sure that the servant is not greater than his Lord."

  "Then, by His grace we shall be like Job who said, 'Yea, though He slay me, yet will I trust Him'."

  "Wisely spoken, Christiana. And now, come out to the garden."

  The Interpreter's Garden

  And so he led them to where there was a great variety of flowers. Then said James, "Mama! Look at all the pretty flowers. May I pick one, sir?"

  "I don't know, James. Will you put it to good use?"

  "Oh, yes, sir. The best use."

  "Then yes. You may pick."

  "And may I, sir?" asked Matthew.

  "You may," said he with a nod. Then James brought a pink carnation to his mother and said, "Here, Mama. This is for you."

  "Why, James! What a dear you are!" And with that she planted a kiss on his forehead. "Whatever made you think of doing that?"

  "Oh, I just remembered how happy you were when Papa gave you flowers. So, m'thought that I would give them for him till we get to the Kingdom."

  "Bless you, sweet boy. Bless you," said Christiana, giving her youngest a big squeezy hug of thanks.

  Then said Matthew, "Mercy?"

  "Yes?" answered she.

  "This rose is for you."

  "For me? But why?"

  "Oh, no reason, really. I guess I just thought it might help make your journey a bit more pleasant. That's all."

  "Why, thank you, Matthew. Thank you very much."

  "You're welcome, Miss."

  At this Joseph and Samuel exchanged glances and rolled their eyes.

  "'Tis a lovely patch of flowers you have here, sir," commented Christiana, admiring the vast array all about her.

  "Thank you," replied the Interpreter with a smile. "We call them 'little wanderers from Eden'."

  "My! So many different kinds!" said. "Posies 'n pansies, carnations, roses, pinks, morning-glories and a hundred besides."

  "And all of them so different," observed Mercy. "Some climb the wall, some stand alone, others creep upon the ground. My! Truly, God must have had a merry time inventing such variety."

  "And how much pleasure you must have, sir," added Christiana gratefully, "caring for all these lovelies in order to refresh the senses of weary pilgrims."

  "'Tis not only for this that we care for these little friends of God," said the Interpreter.

  "Oh?" questioned Christiana. "Why else?"

  "That 'by beholding you might become changed'."

  "Into a flower?" quipped Joseph, which caused many smiles and a chuckle from the Interpreter.

  "Heh, heh. Nay, Joseph, but into the image of Christ."

  "By beholding flowers? Do say on, sir," urged a puzzled Samuel.

  "Notice how these plants are all different in stature, in quality, in color, and in smell. Some are more suited for giving while others are good for ground cover. But, no matter where the gardener sets them - there they stay without one word of complaint. And no matter who their neighbor, there has never been heard a word of quarrel among the lot."

  "A good lesson for us all," noted Christiana. "We should bloom where we are planted and accept our neighbors as set there of God."

  "Aye, Christiana. We can all be as different as can be, and yet be perfectly united."

  "Unity in diversity," commented Christiana.

  "Aye," said the host. "Come over here."

  So he led them into his wheat field, which had been harvested leaving only stubble. "What do you see, boys?" he inquired.

  "Just a field of straw with all the grain cut off," answered Joseph.

  "And what is it good for?"

  "Nothing, but to be burned or else used to make bricks with," answered the boy.

  "But if there were still grain to be had?"

  "Oh. Then there would be a harvest," said Joseph.

  "And a harvest feast!" piped up James.

  "Aye. In farming, fruit is what we look for. Without fruit, a field or tree is good for nothing but to be cut down or turned under."

  "And the lesson I see," concluded Christiana, "is that we too must bear fruit in the Lord's vineyard or be cut down with Satan and his angels."

  Then, as they were coming in from the field, they espied a robin with a large spider in her mouth. "Look here," said the Interpreter. "There is a lesson for us all." So they looked, but for a time the lesson was lost upon them. At last Christiana said, "This is a sad sight for me. I had always thought th
at our friendly robins ate crumbs of bread or seeds. Not ugly spiders! I don't think I care for Mrs. Robin so much as I did before. But do tell, what is the lesson?"

  "This robin is like many a fair professor of religion, Christiana. He is fair to look upon, he sings righteous songs and associates much with other Christians. But, when no one sees, he can be like this pretty bird - gobbling up spidery gossip, drinking in tales of iniquity, and swallowing down sin like water."

  Now, during this last lesson, Samuel had quietly climbed to the tippy-top of a nearby tree. "Look, Mama!" he called from his eagle's perch.

  "Samuel!" cried Christiana, in motherly alarm. "What are you doing way up there?"

  "I saw where that robin had her nest and I climbed up to see."

  "Is there anything in it?" inquired Matthew.

  "Sure is. A bunch of baby birds. And the mama just fed them that ugly 'ole spider."

  "And there is sure to be a lesson in that," observed Christiana.

  "Yes. Two of them," answered the Interpreter with a note of concern in his voice. "But first, 'tis best that we invite our young monkey to scamper down quick as he can."

  "Samuel!" called Christiana. "Come down quickly."

  "All right," said he as he skillfully maneuvered his way down through the mass of green limbs and foliage. "Here I am!" he declared as he hung down and dropped the last few feet. "But what was the big hurry? I was having a good time watching God's feathered friends."

  "Did you notice that this tree has a lean to it?" asked the Interpreter.

  "Sure! That's what made it easy to climb."

  "Right you are. But come around to the underside and see what you can see."

  So, walking round it they saw that the entire trunk was rotted away, leaving only a shell. "What do you see, Samuel?"

  "Wow! This 'ole tree is hollow, and rotten inside!" he exclaimed. "Now I see why you wanted me to hurry down."

  "Aye. This tree could come down any second."

  "And what is the lesson, sir?"

  "Mmmm . . . there are many men who grow in the garden of God who outwardly appear as strong and fair as this tree. But within they are rotten and empty! With their lips they sing the praises of God while with their hands they do nothing. At any slight wind of temptation, they are like to come crashing down and prove to be nothing but fuel for the devil's tinderbox. And that is the lesson of the hollow tree."

  "But you said there were two lessons, sir," said James. "What is the other?"

  "What was the mama robin feeding her young, Samuel?"

  "Spiders."

  "So it is with false professors of religion, James. Without knowing it, their children eat the same spiders of doubt and murmuring as they themselves feed upon. Then they wonder why the youth call everyone hypocrites and leave the nest of the church as soon as they can fly."

  "Ah," answered Christiana. "A very important lesson for me. If you boys ever hear me serving up spiders for supper, be sure to rebuke me."

  Then the Interpreter brought them back into the house. But, since supper was still a-fixing, and the boys seemed a bit restless, Christiana asked the Interpreter to fill the moments with a few more precious lessons. So he said:

  "Listen up, everyone! I will begin a sentence and you see if you can finish it. Ready? The fatter the sow is . . ."

  "Uh . . .the more she loves to roll in the mire," answered Mercy.

  "Very good, Mercy. The fatter the ox is . . . "

  "Probably the more gamesomely he struts to the slaughter," volunteered Christiana.

  "Good again! The more healthy the lusty man is . . ."

  "The more likely he is to get into trouble," piped up Samuel.

  "Well thought out, Samuel. As a woman, by nature, loves to dress herself in neat and fine clothing . . ."

  "So will a true Christian, by his new nature, love to clothe himself with a meek and quiet spirit," observed Christiana.

  "Aye. Which is in the sight of God a virtue of great price. Try this one: As it is easier for a watchman to stay awake for a night or two than to do it for a whole year . . ."

  "Ummm . . . so it is probably easier to set out on pilgrimage than to reach its end," guessed Mercy.

  "Very insightful, Mercy. Try this one: When a ship is caught in a fierce storm the captain will order things tossed overboard to lighten the load. But he begins with that which is greatest of weight and least in value. So we, in the storms of life, should . . ."

  "Toss over those sins that so easily beset and weigh us down," said Matthew.

  "Aye. Try this one, James: Upon the high seas, one leak will . . ."

  "Uh . . . ummm . . . sink the ship!"

  "Good, good! And upon the sea of life, one small sin will . . ."

  "Mmmm . . . sink the sinner!"

  "Very good, lad! He that forgets the kindness of a friend wounds his heart. But he that forgets the mercies of his Savior . . ."

  "Wounds his own heart and robs it of joy," answered Mercy.

  "There was once a foolish man who sowed his field with cockle and thistles and yet hoped to reap a harvest of wheat and barley. What do we call such a man, Samuel?"

  "Well, I'd call him a fool, sir."

  "Then what do we call the man who sows a life of sin and yet plans to reap a harvest of happiness, James?"

  "A big fool!"

  "Heh, heh, heh," chuckled the Interpreter. "Aye, right you are, lad. 'As a man sows, so shall he reap'. Therefore, boys - in your youth sow only such seeds as you will be glad to harvest. Think of what you want men to say of you at your funeral and then live a life worthy of those words."

  Now Innocent came out to announce that supper was being served. So they sat them down at a table richly spread with a king's banquet.

  "Mmm! Mmm!" exclaimed James hungrily.

  "Good stuff, eh, James? said Matthew with a smile.

  "You betcha!"

  Then said the Interpreter, "You boys need to earn supper by answering four more riddles. Ready? We seldom sit down to eat but what we eat our fill and have something left over. So, when we come to eat of the righteousness of Christ . . ."

  "We can eat our fill, and yet leave enough to satisfy the whole world," volunteered Matthew.

  "Good, Matthew. The things of this world are mere vanity in God's eyes, yet we pursue them as if they were worth everything. So how should we regard heaven, which God sees as the pearl of great price?"

  "We should treasure and strive for it with all our heart," answered Samuel.

  "Good, Samuel. Life is attended with many sorrows, and yet there is no one who will lose it without a struggle. The life above is filled with peace and joy. Therefore . . ."

  "We ought to strive for it with all of our hearts, all of our strength, and all of our minds," said Christiana.

  "Good. One last riddle: Seldom a day goes by but what we hear some man being praised by someone. But how seldom do we . . ."

  "Hear the praises of God!" answered Mercy.

  "Which is what I want to do now. I shall sing a song of blessing in thanks for our food."

  And so the Interpreter motioned to the minstrel who struck a note on his harp and then accompanied this song:

  "The Lord is my only support

  And He that doth me feed:

  How can I, then want anything

  Whereof I stand in need?"

  So they all ate their fill. And great was their gratitude to the Lord of the hill for providing such a pleasant place of refreshment.

  Now, after all had satisfied themselves, the Interpreter asked Christiana what it was that had led her to undertake the perilous life of a pilgrim. So she recounted her beginnings and all that had so far befallen her on her pilgrimage; namely, the Slough of Despond, the ferocious dog, and those who had made assault on her virtue.

  Then said the Interpreter, "Your beginning has been good, dear Christiana; but your ending shall be glorious beyond your wildest dreams. Yea, 'eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither hath entered into the heart of man
the things that God hath prepared for them that serve Him'." Turning to address Mercy, who had been sitting quietly with her head bowed, he said, "And what was it that moved you to come this way, dear heart?"