Editorial August 16, 1947 Issue

HEALING MR. DESPONDENCY AND MRS. MUCH-AFRAID

John Randall Dunn

In John Bunyan's "Pilgrim's Progress" we read of Gyant Despair and his wife Diffidence, who lived in Doubting Castle. Prisoners in the castle were Mr. Despondency and his daughter, Mrs. Much-afraid. Finally Mr. Great-heart, accompanied by old Mr. Honest and others, killed the giant and his wife and demolished their stronghold. Then we read: "When Mr. Great-heart and his Companions had performed this Exploit, they took Mr. Despondency, and his Daughter Much-afraid, into their Protection, for they were honest People, though they were Prisoners in Doubting Castle, to that Tyrant Gyant Despair."

What delightful imagery is this! What lessons are here for the modern Christian pilgrim as he journeys from material sense to the spiritual! Many times he may seem to find himself in Doubting Castle, alongside Mr. Despondency and Mrs. Much-afraid; and how welcome is the release when the great heart of divine Love is manifested in the fear-destroying consciousness brought to light by Christian Science! It is not strange that despair, or the feeling of utter hopelessness, should be closely allied with diffidence, or distrust of one's own powers, and that this unhappy coalition should be found in an atmosphere of doubt; and what gigantic proportions may such errors assume! Little wonder that Bunyan calls despair a giant!

But all this, the Science of Christianity declares unreal in human life, as in the allegory. Sooner or later the realization must come that a loving God knows nothing about giants of despair in Doubting Castles. He does not see His children as prisoners of despond or fear. "Have the workers of iniquity no knowledge?" asked the Psalmist; and he continued, "There were they in great fear, where no fear was" (Ps. 53:4, 5).

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