Season 5 Podcast 103 John Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s Progress, Episode 30 Chapter 6 B, “Vanity Fair.”

A New Voice of Freedom

Season 5 Podcast 103 John Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s Progress, Episode 30 Chapter 6 B, “Vanity Fair.”

In last week’s episode, Evangelist returns to Christian and Faithful. He praises them for their faithfulness. He then prophesies that they shall leave the wilderness and go into a city where one or both of them shall seal their testimony with their blood but that they will earn the crown of life. The one who dies will get to the Celestial City sooner. The one who remains shall be called upon to endure greater suffering. Both secretly want to be martyrs, one because there is earthly glory in martyrdom and two because it is the fastest way to the Celestial City. Bunyan delights in pointing out the paradoxes and ambiguities of religious zeal.

Bunyan continues his narrative.

“Then I saw in my dream, that, when they were got out of the wilderness, they presently saw a town before them, and the name of that town is Vanity; and at the town there is a fair kept, called Vanity Fair. It is kept all the yearlong. It beareth the name of Vanity Fair, because the town where it is kept is lighter than vanity, and also because all that is there sold, or that cometh thither, is vanity; as is the saying of the Wise, "All that cometh is vanity."

We are reminded of the words of King Solomon who is also known as The Preacher.

Ecclesiastes 1:1-2

“The words of the Preacher, the son of David, king in Jerusalem. Vanity of vanities, saith the Preacher, vanity of vanities; all is vanity."

Bunyan reminds us that Vanity Fair is of very ancient origin.

“This is no newly begun business, but a thing of ancient standing. I will show you the original of it.

Almost five thousand years ago, there were pilgrims walking to the Celestial City, as these two honest persons are; and Beelzebub, Apollyon, and Legion, with their companions, perceiving by the path that the pilgrims made that their way to the city lay through this town of Vanity, they contrived here to set up a fair; a fair wherein should be sold all sorts of vanity, and that it should last all the yearlong. Therefore at this fair are all such things sold as houses, lands, trades, places, honors, preferments, titles, countries, kingdoms, lusts, pleasures, and delights of all sorts, as wives, husbands, children, masters, servants, lives, blood, bodies, souls, silver, gold, pearls, precious stones, and what not.”

Vanity Fair has its counterpart in the city of Babylon described by John.

Revelation 18:12-13

“The merchandise of gold, and silver, and precious stones, and of pearls, and fine linen, and purple, and silk, and scarlet, and all thyine wood, and all manner vessels of ivory, and all manner vessels of most precious wood, and of brass, and iron, and marble, And cinnamon, and odours, and ointments, and frankincense, and wine, and oil, and fine flour, and wheat, and beasts, and sheep, and horses, and chariots, and slaves, and souls of men.”

Vanity Fair is filled with corruption as described by Bunyan.

“And, moreover, at this fair there are at all times to be seen jugglings, cheats, games, plays, fools, apes, knaves, and rogues, and that of every kind.

Here are to be seen, too, and that for nothing, thefts, murders, false swearers, and that of a blood-red color.”

Vanity Fair represents Babylon or the world.

“And, as in other fairs of less moment there are several rows and streets under their proper names, where such and such wares are vended; so here likewise you have the proper places, rows, streets (namely, countries and kingdoms), where the wares of this fair are soonest to be found. Here are the Britain Row, the French Row, the Italian Row, the Spanish Row, the German Row, where several sorts of vanities are to be sold. But, as in other fairs some one commodity is as the chief of all the fair, so the ware of Rome and her goods are greatly promoted in this fair;”