Two hundred years after Pilgrim’s Progress was first published, American author Nathaniel Hawthorne published a modernized sequel to Christian’s journey, that has remained largely unknown and underrated. Hop on as we bring you Part 1 of “The Celestial Railroad.”

<p>Two hundred years after Pilgrim’s Progress was first published, American author Nathaniel Hawthorne published a modernized sequel to Christian’s journey, that has remained largely unknown and underrated. Hop on as we bring you Part 1 of “The Celestial Railroad.”</p>

<p>Free sharing permitted under the Creative Commons <a rel="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/us/">BY-NC-ND 3.0 (US)</a> license.</p>

GYC Southeast

Rhonda Grakov

Great in God's Sight Season 2

Johannes Kepler: Thinking God’s Thoughts

Blaise Pascal: Where Faith and Reason Intersect

Sir Robert Boyle: Christian Virtuoso

Sir Isaac Newton: On the Shores of the Ocean of Truth

The Celestial Railroad: Part 1

The Celestial Railroad: Part 2

The Celestial Railroad: Part 3

The Celestial Railroad: Part 4

Johann Sebastian Bach: This Art Still Lives

John Bunyan: Progress in Prison


Hello and welcome to Grading God's Sight, the podcast that explores underrated heroes. Most folks are familiar with the quintessential Christian classic, Pilgrim's Progress, but many are not aware that there is a sequel of sorts to John Bunyan's unforgettable allegory. In 1843, celebrated American author Nathaniel Hawthorne penned a short story entitled The Celestial Railroad that satirized the lukewarm Christianity of his day and masterfully mirrored the themes found in Pilgrim's Progress, with a twist. Today, we are pleased to present Part 1 of Hawthorne's underrated tale, The Celestial Railroad. Please be sure to subscribe, And check out the beautiful artwork that goes along with the story on our website, thegreatpodcast.org.

Thanks for listening! Not a great while ago, passing through the Gate of Dreams, I visited that region of the earth in which lies the famous city of destruction. It interested me much to learn that by the public spirit of some of the inhabitants, a railroad has recently been established between this populous and flourishing town and the Celestial City. Having a little time upon my hands, I resolved to gratify a liberal curiosity to make a trip thither. Accordingly, 1 fine morning, after paying my bill at the hotel and directing the porter to stow my luggage behind a coach.

I took my seat in the vehicle and set out for the station-house. It was my good fortune to enjoy the company of a gentleman, 1 Mr. Smoothitoway, who, though he had never actually visited the Celestial City, yet seemed as well acquainted with its laws, customs, policy, and statistics as with those of the City of Destruction, of which he was a native townsman. Being, moreover, a director of the Railroad Corporation and 1 of its largest stockholders, he had it in his power to give me all desirable information respecting that praiseworthy enterprise. Our coach rattled out of the city, and at a short distance from its outskirts passed over a bridge of elegant construction, but somewhat too slight, as I imagined, to sustain any considerable weight.

On both sides lay an extensive quagmire, which could not have been more disagreeable either to sight or smell, had all the kennels of the earth emptied their pollution there. "'This, ' remarked Mr. Smoothatoway, "'is the famous Slough of Despond, a disgrace to all the neighborhood, and the greater that it might so easily be converted into firm ground. "'I have understood, ' said I, "'that efforts have been made for that purpose from time immemorial. Bunyan mentions that above 20000 cart-loads of wholesome instructions had been thrown in here without effect.

"'Very probably. And what effect could be anticipated from such unsubstantial stuff?' cried Mr. Smoothit away. "'You observe this convenient bridge? We obtained a sufficient foundation for it by throwing into the slew some editions of books of morality, volumes of French philosophy and German rationalism, tracts, sermons, and essays of modern clergymen, extracts from Plato, Confucius, and various Hindu sages, together with a few ingenious commentaries upon texts of Scripture, all of which, by some scientific process, have been converted into a mass like granite.

The whole bog might be filled up with similar matter." It really seemed to me, however, that the bridge vibrated and heaved up and down in a very formidable manner, and in spite of Mr. Smoothatoway's testimony to the solidity of its foundation, I should be loath to cross it in a crowded omnibus, especially if each passenger were encumbered with as heavy luggage as that gentleman and myself. Nevertheless, we got over without accident, and soon found ourselves at the station house. This very neat and spacious edifice is erected on the side of the little wicket gate, which formerly, as all old pilgrims will recollect, stood directly across the highway, and by its inconvenient narrowness, was a great obstruction to the traveler of liberal mind and expansive stomach. The reader of John Bunyan will be glad to know that Christian's old friend evangelist, who was accustomed to supply each pilgrim with a mystic role, now presides at the ticket office.

Some malicious persons, it is true, deny the identity of this reputable character with the evangelist of old times, and even pretend to bring competent evidence of an imposture. Without involving myself in a dispute, I shall merely observe that, so far as my experience goes, the square pieces of pasteboard now delivered to passengers are much more convenient and useful along the road than the antique roll of parchment. Whether they will be as readily received at the gate of the Celestial City, I decline giving an opinion. A large number of passengers were already at the station house, awaiting the departure of the cars. By the aspect and demeanor of these persons, it was easy to judge that the feelings of the community had undergone a very favorable change in reference to the Celestial Pilgrimage.

It would have done Bunyan's heart good to see it. Instead of a lonely and ragged man, with a huge burden on his back, plodding along sorrowfully on foot, while the whole city hooted after him, here were parties of the first gentry and most respectable people in the neighborhood, setting forth towards the celestial city as cheerfully as if the pilgrimage were merely a summer tour. Among the gentlemen were characters of deserved eminence, magistrates, politicians, and men of wealth, by whose example religion could not but be greatly recommended to their meaner brethren. In the ladies' apartment, too, I rejoice to distinguish some of those flowers of fashionable society who are so well fitted to adorn the most elevated circles of the celestial city. There was much pleasant conversation about the news of the day, topics of business, politics, or the lighter matters of amusement, while religion, though indubitably the main thing at heart, was thrown tastefully into the background.

Even an infidel would have heard little or nothing to shock his sensibility. 1 great convenience of the new method of going on pilgrimage, I must not forget to mention. Our enormous burdens, instead of being carried on our shoulders, as had been the custom of old, were all snugly deposited in the baggage car, and as I was assured, would be delivered to their respective owners at the journey's end. Another thing, likewise, the benevolent listener will be delighted to understand. It may be remembered that there was an ancient feud between Prince Beelzebub and the keeper of the Wicked Gate, and that the adherents of the former distinguished personage were accustomed to shoot deadly arrows at honest pilgrims while knocking at the door.

This dispute, much to the credit as well as of the illustrious potentate above mentioned, as of the worthy and enlightened directors of the railroad, has been pacifically arranged on the principle of mutual compromise. The prince's subjects are now pretty numerously employed about the station-house, some in taking care of the baggage, others in collecting fuel, feeding the engines, and such congenial occupations, and I can conscientiously affirm that persons more attentive to their business, more willing to accommodate, or more generally agreeable to the passengers, are not to be found on any railroad. Every good heart must surely exult at so satisfactory an arrangement of an immemorial difficulty." "'Where is Mr. Great Heart?' inquired I. "'Beyond a doubt the directors have engaged that famous old champion to be chief conductor on the railroad.'" "'Why, no, ' said Mr.

Smoothit away, with a dry cough. "'He was offered the situation of brakeman, but to tell you the truth, our friend Greatheart has grown preposterously stiff and narrow in his old age. He has so often guided pilgrims over the road on foot that he considers it a sin to travel in any other fashion. Besides, the old fellow had entered so heartily into the ancient feud with Prince Beelzebub that he would have been perpetually at blows or ill-language with some of the prince's subjects and thus have embroiled us anew. So, on the whole, we were not sorry when honest Great Heart went off to the Celestial City in a huff, and left us at liberty to choose a more suitable and accommodating man.

Yonder comes the conductor of the train. You will probably recognize him at once." The engine at this moment took its station in advance of the cars, looking, I must confess, much more like a sort of mechanical demon that would hurry us to the infernal regions than a laudable contrivance for smoothing our way to the celestial city. On its top sat a personage almost enveloped in smoke and flame which, not to startle the listener, appeared to gush from his own mouth and stomach as well as from the engine's brazen abdomen. "'Do my eyes deceive me?' cried I. "'What on earth is this?

A living creature? If so, he is own brother to the engine he rides upon.' "'Pooh, you are obtuse, ' said Mr. Smoothit-Hawai, with a hearty laugh. "'Don't you know Apollyon, Christian's old enemy, with whom he fought so fierce a battle in the Valley of Humiliation? He was the very fellow to manage the engine, and so we have reconciled him to the custom of going on pilgrimage, and engaged him as chief conductor." "'Bravo, bravo!' exclaimed I, with irrepressible enthusiasm.

This shows the liberality of the age, this proves, if anything can, that all musty prejudices are in a fair way to be obliterated. And how will Christian rejoice to hear of this happy transformation of his old antagonist! I promise myself great pleasure in informing him of it when we reached the Celestial City. The passengers being all comfortably seated, we now rattled away merrily, accomplishing a greater distance in 10 minutes than Christian probably trudged over in a day. It was laughable, while we glanced along, as it were, at the tail of a thunderbolt, to observe 2 dusty foot-travellers in the old pilgrim guise, with cockle-shell and staff, their mystic rolls of parchment in their hands, and their intolerable burdens on their backs.

The preposterous obstinacy of these honest people, in persisting to groan and stumble along the difficult pathway, rather than take the advantage of modern improvements, excited great mirth among our wiser brotherhood. We greeted the 2 pilgrims with many pleasant jibes and a roar of laughter, whereupon they gazed at us with such woeful and absurdly compassionate visages that our merriment grew tenfold more obstreperous. Apollyon also entered hardly into the fun, and contrived to flirt the smoke and flame of the engine, or of his own breath, into their faces, and enveloped them in an atmosphere of scalding steam. These little practical jokes amused us mightily, and doubtless afforded the pilgrims the gratification of considering themselves martyrs. Join us next time for part 2 of our travels on the Celestial Railroad.

Thank you for listening to Great and God's Sight, a podcast by GYC Southeast. We hope you have enjoyed this adventure through time and pray it serves to deepen your relationship with God. Please remember to hit the subscribe button and share this episode with your friends via text or social media. You never know who might be encouraged. Until next time, we wish you God's blessing as you seek to be great in His sight too.

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Series

Great in God's Sight Season 2

The Celestial Railroad: Part 1

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Parent Series

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Recorded

Other Teachings in Series

Johannes Kepler: Thinking God’s Thoughts

11m

Blaise Pascal: Where Faith and Reason Intersect

10m

Sir Robert Boyle: Christian Virtuoso

11m

Sir Isaac Newton: On the Shores of the Ocean of Truth

11m

The Celestial Railroad: Part 1

13m

The Celestial Railroad: Part 2

13m

The Celestial Railroad: Part 3

11m

The Celestial Railroad: Part 4

13m

Johann Sebastian Bach: This Art Still Lives

13m

John Bunyan: Progress in Prison

9m

Sound Doctrine