Feeling that they had said enough about Pliable, Christian and Faithful walked on together, speaking of things touching the King, reminding each other how grace taught their wandering feet to tread the heavenly road. The time passed quickly, for the love of God was shed abroad in the heart of each, and as brethren in Christ they enjoyed happy fellowship with each other.
After going a little way they saw another man who looked like a pilgrim and whose name they soon afterward learned was Talkative. Faithful turned a little aside to converse with the stranger, who had a good deal to say about himself and his own goodness. At first Faithful thought that a man who could talk so fluently and appeared to have such a knowledge of the things of God must indeed be a wonderful pilgrim, but after a time he did not feel quite satisfied. So again joining Christian, who had fallen a little way behind, he asked him if he knew Mr. Talkative.
"Yes," replied Christian, "I know him well. I wonder you do not know him. He, like ourselves, was born in the City of Destruction, but as it is a very large town it is possible you may not have met him. He is the son of Mr. Say-Well and lived in Prating Row. He is a ready speaker but not a man to be trusted."
Faithful was greatly surprised and said, "I have then been greatly deceived. I know that saying and doing are two things, but this will, I trust, teach me to be more careful in the future and to remember that 'pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world' (James 1:2727Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world. (James 1:27)). I also remember having read, `Even so faith, if it bath not works, is dead, being alone."
"That," said Christian, "is quite true. If good works are the fruit of love to Christ, they are pleasing to God, but if they only spring from a love of praise or a desire to be thought pious and godly by others, they will not bear the test of the judgment-seat of Christ but will only prove to have been 'wood, hay and stubble."
After some further conversation, Talkative, finding their company did not altogether suit his taste, left them. Their way next led through a wilderness. The pilgrims found it indeed to be a dry and thirsty land. There were few if any springs of water. The ground was rough and stony, and there was no proper road. Still, they were together, and the way seemed shorter as they cheered and encouraged each other by speaking of the Celestial City to which they were journeying and of the Savior whose welcome would more than repay them for all the dangers and hardships they might meet with by the way.
They were nearly through the wilderness when Faithful noticed someone coming toward them and asked Christian if he knew who it was. Christian, after looking for a moment, exclaimed with a glad smile, "I know him well. It is my old friend Evangelist! He is a messenger of glad tidings. He met me as I was turning my back on the City of Destruction and directed me to the Wicket-Gate. Let us hasten to give him a loving welcome."
Evangelist soon joined our pilgrims and greeted them by saying, "Peace be to thee, dearly beloved."
Christian cried, "Welcome, a thousand times welcome, my dear Evangelist. The sight of your face and the tones of your voice bring to remembrance our last meeting, the good counsel you then gave me, and how earnestly you sought my eternal happiness."
"You are indeed welcome," added Faithful. "Thy company, dear Evangelist, is delightful to us poor pilgrims."
"How has it fared with you, my friends?" said Evangelist. "Tell me, I pray you, Christian, how it has fared with you since our last meeting."
Evangelist listened with great interest to all the pilgrims had to tell him of what had happened to them by the way and of the trials they had met with since leaving the land of their birth. When they had told him all they could remember, he encouraged them by saying, "My dear sons, I rejoice to find that you have not grown weary in well-doing. It does not in the least surprise me to hear that you have met with trials, for have you not read that we must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God? That honored servant of the Lord Jesus Christ, the Apostle Paul, did not have or expect an easy path. When he was getting near the end of his journey he wrote, The Holy Ghost witnesseth in every city, saying that bonds and afflictions abide [await] me.' You will yet meet with trials, but do not grow fainthearted: 'Have faith in God.' Be thou faithful unto death,' and the Lord Himself will give each overcomer a crown of life."