from The Pilgrim's Progress by John Bunyan:
(267)
(Demas at the Hill Lucre. He calls to Christian and Hopeful
to come to him)
Then I saw in my dream, that a little off the road,
over against the silver mine, stood Demas (gentlemanlike)
to call to passengers to come and see; who said to Christian
and his fellow, Ho! turn aside hither, and I will show you a thing.
CHR. What thing so deserving as to turn us out of the way to see it?
DEMAS. Here is a silver mine, and some digging in it for treasure. If you will come, with a little pains you may richly provide for yourselves.
(268)
(Hopeful tempted to go, but Christian holds him back)
Hope. Then said Hopeful, Let us go see.
CHR. Not I, said Christian, I have heard of this place before now; and how many have there been slain; and besides that, treasure is a snare to those that seek it; for it hindereth them in their pilgrimage. Then Christian called to Demas, saying, Is not the place dangerous? Hath it not hindered many in their pilgrimage?
DEMAS. Not very dangerous, except to those that are careless, (but withal, he blushed as he spake).
CHR. Then said Christian to Hopeful, Let us not stir a step, but still keep on our way.
HOPE. I will warrant you, when By-ends comes up, if he hath the same invitation as we, he will turn in thither to see.
CHR. No doubt thereof, for his principles lead him that way, and a hundred to one but he dies there.
DEMAS. Then Demas called again, saying, But will you not
come over and see?
(269)
(Christian roundeth up Demas)
CHR. Then Christian roundly answered, saying, Demas,
thou art an enemy to the right ways of the Lord of this way,
and hast been already condemned for thine own turning aside,
by one of His Majesty's judges; and why seekest thou
to bring us into the like condemnation? Besides, if we at all turn aside, our Lord and King will certainly hear thereof, and will there put us to shame, where we would stand with boldness before him.
Demas cried again, that he also was one of their fraternity; and that if they would tarry a little, he also himself would walk with them.
(270)
CHR. Then said Christian, What is thy name? Is it not the same by the which I have called thee?
DEMAS. Yes, my name is Demas; I am the son of Abraham.
CHR. I know you; Gehazi was your great-grandfather,
and Judas your father; and you have trod in their steps.
Kings 5:20, Matt. 26:14,15, 27:1-5 It is but a devilish prank that thou usest; thy father was hanged for a traitor, and thou deservest no better reward. Assure thyself, that when we come to the King, we will do him word of this thy behaviour. Thus they went their way.
(271)
(By-ends goes over to Demas)
By this time By-ends and his companions were come again within sight, and they, at the first beck, went over to Demas. Now, whether they fell into the pit by looking over the brink thereof, or whether they went down to dig, or whether they were smothered in the bottom by the damps that commonly arise, of these things I am not certain; but this I observed, that they never were seen again in the way.
Then sang Christian--
By-ends and silver Demas both agree;
One calls, the other runs, that he may be
A sharer in his lucre; so these do
Take up in this world, and no further go.
(272)
(They see a strange monument)
Now I saw that, just on the other side of this plain,
the pilgrims came to a place where stood an old monument,
hard by the highway side, at the sight of which they were
both concerned, because of the strangeness of the form thereof; for it seemed to them as if it had been a woman transformed into the shape of a pillar; here, therefore they stood looking, and looking upon it, but could not for a time tell what they should make thereof. At last Hopeful espied written above the head thereof, a writing in an unusual hand; but he being no scholar, called to Christian (for he was learned) to see if he could pick out the meaning; so he came, and after a little laying of letters together, he found the same to be this, "Remember Lot's Wife". So he read it to his fellow; after which they both concluded that that was the pillar of salt into which Lot's wife was turned, for her looking back with a covetous heart, when she was going from Sodom for safety. Gen. 19:26 Which sudden and amazing sight
gave them occasion of this discourse.
(273)
CHR. Ah, my brother! this is a seasonable sight;
it came opportunely to us after the invitation which Demas gave us to come over to view the Hill Lucre; and had we gone over, as he desired us, and as thou wast inclining to do, my brother, we had, for aught I know, been made ourselves like this woman, a spectacle for those that shall come after to behold.
HOPE. I am sorry that I was so foolish, and am made to wonder that I am not now as Lot's wife; for wherein was the difference betwixt her sin and mine? She only looked back; and I had a desire to go see. Let grace be adored, and let me be ashamed that ever such a thing should be in mine heart.
(274)
CHR. Let us take notice of what we see here, for our help
for time to come. This woman escaped one judgment, for she fell not by the destruction of Sodom; yet she was destroyed
by another, as we see she is turned into a pillar of salt.
HOPE. True; and she may be to us both caution and example;
caution, that we should shun her sin; or a sign of what judgment will overtake such as shall not be prevented by this caution; so Korah, Dathan, and Abiram, with the two hundred and fifty men that perished in their sin, did also become a sign or example to others to beware. Num. 26:9,10 But above all, I muse at one thing, to wit, how Demas and his fellows can stand so confidently yonder to look for that treasure, which this woman, but for looking behind her after, (for we read not that she stepped one foot out of the way) was turned
into a pillar of salt; especially since the judgment which overtook her did make her an example, within sight of where they are; for they cannot choose but see her, did they but lift up their eyes.
(275)
CHR. It is a thing to be wondered at, and it argueth that
their hearts are grown desperate in the case; and I cannot tell who to compare them to so fitly, as to them that pick pockets in the presence of the judge, or that will cut purses under the gallows. It is said of the men of Sodom, that they were sinners exceedingly, because they were sinners before the Lord, that is, in his eyesight,
and notwithstanding the kindnesses that he had showed them Gen. 13:13; for the land of Sodom was now like the garden of Eden heretofore. Gen. 13:10 This, therefore, provoked him the more to jealousy, and made their plague as hot as the fire of the Lord out of heaven could make it. And it is most rationally to be concluded, that such, even such as these are, that shall sin in the sight, yea, and that too in despite of such examples that are set continually
before them, to caution them to the contrary, must be partakers of severest judgments.
HOPE. Doubtless thou hast said the truth; but what a mercy is it, that neither thou, but especially I, am not made myself this example! This ministereth occasion to us to thank God, to fear before him, and always to remember Lot's wife.
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