Having been greeted by three Shining Ones who announced that he had received salvation, dressed him in a new coat, and given him a Scroll, Christian sets off on the path to Mount Zion. He meets three men fast asleep. Their names are Simple, Sloth, and Presumption. He urges them to awaken and join him for the Devil might come by soon. They dismiss his warning, so he travels on.

Christian encounters two men, Formalist and Hypocrisy, who climb over the wall and start on the same path. Christian warns them that unless they come in through the Gate, they will face condemnation. They tell him that it does not matter how they got on the path; once they are in, they are in.

When they come to the Hill Difficulty, Formalist and Hypocrisy take the two easy roads and so are lost. Christian travels up the hill but becomes weary before he reaches the summit. He spies an arbor by the side of the road, so he sits down to rest.

He begins to read the Scroll given him by the Shining Ones, which brings him comfort. He soon falls asleep and hears a voice telling him to wake up and continue his journey. He awakens, startled, and speeds on his way.

Christian meets two men named Timorous and Mistrust, who warn him of two lions up ahead. Although he is afraid, Christian travels on until he realizes that he has lost his Scroll. This is his token into the Celestial City, and he must find it.

He retraces his steps to the arbor, where he finds the Scroll under the bench. It is almost night and there are still the lions to encounter, but he travels on until he comes to the Palace Beautiful.

He approaches the Palace until he sees the two lions guarding the way. At the door is the Porter, called Watchful, who calls to him that the lions are chained and serve only as a test of the faith of travelers such as himself.

In the Palace Beautiful, Christian is welcomed by four damsels: Discretion, Prudence, Piety, and Charity. They question Christian about his adventures and invite him to rest in the Palace. They show him some Rarities of previous travelers, such as Moses’ Rod, the jawbone of an ass that Samson used to slay his enemies, and the sling that David used to kill Goliath.

After a few days, Christian leaves the Palace Beautiful and travels to his next destination: the Valley of Humiliation.