And so on through the whole of human
life. He that hath not the root of the matter in himself dureth for a
while, but by and by, for one reason or another, he is sure to be
offended.
So much, then,--not enough, nor good enough--for our Lord's swift stroke
at the heart of His hearers. But let us now pass on to Pliable, as he so
soon and so completely discovers himself to us under John Bunyan's so
skilful hand. Look well at our author's speaking portrait of a
well-known man in Bedford who had no root in himself, and who, as a
consequence, was pliable to any influence, good or bad, that happened to
come across him. 'Don't revile,' are the first words that come from
Pliable's lips, and they are not unpromising words. Pliable is hurt with
Obstinate's coarse abuse of the Christian life, till he is downright
ashamed to be seen in his company. Pliable, at least, is a gentleman
compared with Obstinate, and his gentlemanly feelings and his good
manners make him at once take sides with Christian. Obstinate's foul
tongue has almost made Pliable a Christian. And this finely-conceived
scene on the plain outside the city gate is enacted over again every day
among ourselves.
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