A man may be used as a servant in the church of God, and may receive many gifts and much knowledge of the things of heaven, and yet at last, himself be no more than a very bubble and nothing.

This our day doth indeed abound with gifts; many sparkling wits are seen in every corner; men have the word and truths of Christ at their fingers’ ends.  But alas, with many, yea a great many, there is naught but wits and gifts:  they are but words; all their religion lieth in their tongues and heads; the power of what they say and know is seen in others, not in themselves.  These are like the lord on whom the king of Israel leaned; they shall see the plenty, the blessed plenty that God doth provide and will bestow upon his church, but they shall not taste thereof.

Alas, great light, great parts, great works, and great confidence of heaven, may be where there is no faith of God’s elect, no love of the Spirit, no repentance unto salvation, no sanctification of the Spirit, and so, consequently, no saving grace.

The false minister.

So Christian and Hopeful went on, and Ignorance followed.  They went then till they came to a place where they saw a way put itself into their way, and seemed withal to lie as straight as the way which they should go; and here they knew not which of the two to take, for both seemed straight before them; therefore, here they stood still to consider.

And as they wore thinking about the way, behold, a man black of flesh, but covered with a very light robe, came to them, and asked them why they stood there.  They answered, that they were going to the celestial city, but knew not which of these ways to take.  “Follow me,” said the man; “it is thither that I am going.”  So they followed him in the way that but now came into the road, which by degrees turned, and turned them so far from the city that they desired to go to, that in a little time their faces were turned away from it; yet they followed him.  But by and by, before they were aware, he led them both within the compass of a net, in which they were both so entangled that they knew not what to do; and with that the white robe fell off from the black man’s back:  then they saw where they were.  Wherefore, there they lay crying some time, for they could not get themselves out.

Then said Christian to his fellow, “Now do I see myself in an error.  Did not the shepherds bid us beware of the flatterer?” Thus they lay bewailing themselves in the net.  At last they spied a shining one coming towards them with a whip of small cords in his hand.  When he was come to the place where they were, he asked them whence they came, and what they did there.  They told him that they were poor pilgrims going to Zion, but were led out of their way by a black man clothed in white, who bid us, said they, follow him, for he was going thither too.  Then said he with the whip, “It is Flatterer, a false apostle that hath transformed himself into an angel of light.”  So he rent the net, and let the men out.