and began to try at the dungeon door: whose holt, as he turned the key, gave back, and the door flew open with ease, and Christian and Hopeful both came out. Then he went to the outward door that leads into the castle-yard, and with this key opened that door also. After, he went to the iron gate, for that must be opened too, but that lock went very hard; yet the key did open it. Then they thrust open the gate to make their escape with speed, but that gate as it opened, made such a cracking that it waked Giant Despair, who hastily rising to pursue his prisoners, felt his limbs to fail, for his fits took him again, so that he could by no means go after them. Then they went on, and came to the king's highway, and so were safe, because they were out of his jurisdiction.*

Now when they were gone over the stile, they began to contrive with themselves what they should do at that stile, to prevent those that should come after from falling into the hand of Giant Despair. So they consented to erect there a pillar, and to engrave upon the side thereof this sentence, "Over this stile is the way to Doubting Castle, which is kept by Giant Despair, who despiseth the king of the Celestial Country, and seeks to destroy the holy pilgrims." Many therefore that followed after, read what was written, and escaped the danger. This done they sang as follows:

"Out of the way we went, and then we found
What 'twas to tread upon forbidden ground;
And let them that come after have a eare
Lest they for trespassing, his pris'ners are,
Whose castle's Doubting, and whose name's Despair."

tectable Mountains; which mountains belong to the Lord of that hill of which we have spoken before: so they went up the mountains, to behold the gardens and orchards, the vineyards, and fountains of water; where also they drank and washed themselves, and did

promises are revealed in the word, yet we can get no comfort from them, but by the grace of the Spirit.

* Mind, though the Spirit works deliverance and brings comfort, yet it is by means of the word of promise; for as we depart from and dishonour God by unbelief, so we come back to, and honour him, by believing his word of grace to us through his beloved Son. In this way the Spirit brings deliverance.

† Recording our own observations, and the experience we have had of God's dealing with our souls, are made of special and peculiar use to our fellow-Christians. But let us ever take heed of self-exalting ever remembering that all Christian experience is to humble the soul, and exalt the Saviour. As here these wo pilgrims, by their own folly, got into Doubting Castle; so it was by faith in the promise that they escaped from it. This pillar was a memento to their shame, while it was a monument of God's free favour in Christ to them.

Reader! have you through unbelief been brought into doubts? and has the Lord in his great mercy sent deliverance to your soul? Keep then your faith in continual exercise, while you take up the following

lines

on the tops of these mountains, shepherds feeding their flocks, and they stood by the highway side. The pilgrims therefore went to them, and leaning upon their staves, (as is common with weary pilgrims when they stand to talk with any by the way,) they

Son of God, if thy free grace

Again hath rais'd me up, Call'd me still to seek thy face, And given me back my hope: Still thy timely help afford,

And all thy loving-kindness show; Keep me, keep me, gracious Lord, And never let me go.

By me, O my Saviour, stand

In sore temptation's hour, Save me with thine outstretch'd hand, And show forth all thy power; Oh be mindful of thy word;

Thy all-sufficient grace bestow; Keep me, keep me, gracious Lord, And never let me go.

Give me, Lord, a holy fear,

And fix it in my heart;
That I may when doubts appear

With timely care depart;
Sin be more than hell abhorr'd,

Till thou destroy the tyrant foe:
Keep me, keep me, gracious Lord,
And never let me go.

asked, "Whose Delectable Mountains are these? and whose are the sheep that feed upon them?" *

Shepherds. The mountains are Emmanuel's Land, and they are within sight of his city; and the sheep also are his, and he laid his life down for them.

Christian. Is this the way to the Celestial City?

Shepherds. You are just in the way.
Christian. How far is it thither?

Shepherds. Too far for any but those that shall get thither indeed.f

Christian. Is the way safe or dangerous? Shepherds. Safe for those for whom it is to be safe; "but transgressors shall fall therein." Hos. xiv. 9.

Christian. Is there in this place any relief for pilgrims that are weary and faint in the way?

Shepherds. The Lord of these mountains hath given us a charge "not to be forgetful to entertain strangers," (Heb. xiii. 1, 2;) therefore the good of the place is before you.

I also saw in my dream, that when the shepherds perceived that they were wayfaring men, they also put questions to them, (to which they made answer, as in other places,) 2s, Whence came you? and, How got you into the way? and, By what means have you so persevered therein? for but few of them that begin to come hither do show their faces on this mountain. But when the shepherds heard their answers, being pleased therewith, they looked very lovingly upon them, and said, Welcome to the Delectable Mountains.

* See the ups and downs, and sunshine and clouds, the prosperity and adversity, which Christians go through in their way to the promised land. Lately, these two pilgrims were bewailing their state in Doubting Castle, under Giant Despair; now they are come to Delectable Mountains, where all is clear, perfeet, and joyful hope. So that God's word is now comfortably fulfilled upon them. See Isa. xlix. 9, 10, 11. "I will make all my mountains a way, and my highways shall be exalted," &c.

Oh how many professors grow weary of the way, fall short, and fail of coming to the end! Though the way appears too far, too strait, and too narrow for many who set out, and never hold out to the end; yet, all who are begotten by the word of grace, and born of the Spirit of truth, being kept by the mighty power of God, through an exercise of living faith, unto eternal salvation, shall succeed. 1 Pet. i. 5.

their tents, and made then partake of that which was ready at present. They said, moreover, We would that you should stay here awhile to be acquainted with us, and yet more to solace yourselves with the good of these Delectable Mountains. They then told them that they were content to stay: so they went to their rest that night, because it was very late.

Then I saw in my dream, that in the morning the shepherds called up Christian and Hopeful, to walk with them upon the mountains so they went forth with them, and walked awhile, having a pleasant prospect on every side. Then said the shepherds one to another, Shall we show these pilgrims some wonders? So, when they had concluded to do it, they had them first to the top of an hill, called Error, which was very steep on the furthest side, and bid them look down to the bottom. So Christian and Hopeful looked down, and saw at the bottom several men dashed to pieces, by a fall that they had from the top. Then said Christian, What meaneth this? The shepherds answered, Have you not heard of them that were made to err by hearkening to Hymeneus and Philetus, (2 Tim. ii. 17, 18,) as concerning the faith of the resurrection of the body? They answered, Yea. Then said the shepherds, Those that you see lie dashed to pieces at the bottom of this mountain are they; and they have continued to this day unburied, as you see, for example to others to take heed how they clamber too high, or how they come too near the brink of this mountain.||

Then I saw they had them to the top of another mountain, and the name of that is Caution, and bid them look afar off: which when they did, they perceived, as they thought, several men walking up and down among the

Precious names! what is a pilgrim without knowledge? what is head-knowledge without heart-experience? And watchfulness and sincerity ought to attend us every step. When these graces are in us and abound, they make delectable mountains indeed.

Fine-spun speculations, and curious reasonings, lead men from simple truth and implicit faith inte many dangerous and destructive errors. The word records many instances of such for our caution. Be warned to study simplicity and godly sincerity.

It is well for us to be much on this mount. We have constant need of caution. Paul takes the Corinthians up to this Mount Caution, and shows them what awful things have happened to professors of old: and he leaves this solemn word for us; "Wherefore let him who thinketh he standeth, take heed lest he fall." 1 Cor x. 12.

tombs that were there: and they perceived that the men were blind, because they stumbled sometimes upon the tombs, and because they could not get out from among them. Then said Christian, What means this?

The shepherds then answered, Did you not see a little below these mountains, a stile that leads into a meadow, on the left hand of this way? They answered, Yes. Then said the shepherds, From that stile there goes a path, that leads directly to Doubting Castle, which is kept by Giant Despair, and these men (pointing to them among the tombs) came once on pilgrimage, as you do now, even till they came to that same stile. And because the right way was rough in that place they chose to go out of it into that meadow, and there were taken by Giant Despair, and cast into Doubting Castle; where, after they had a while been kept in the dungeon, he at last did put out their eyes, and led them among those tombs, where he has left them to wander to this very day, that the saying of the wise man might be fulfilled, "He that wandereth out of the way of understanding, shall remain in the congregation of the dead." Prov. xxi. 16. Then Christian and Hopeful looked upon one another, with tears gushing out, but yet said nothing to the shepherds.*

Then I saw in my dream, that the shepherds had them to another place in a bottom, where was a door in the side of an hill, and they opened the door, and bid them look in. They looked in therefore, and saw that within it was very dark and smoky; they also thought that they heard there a rumbling noise, as of fire, and a cry of some tormented; and that they smelt the scent of brimstone. Then said Christian, What means this? The shepherds told them, This is a by-way to hell, a way that hypocrites go in at: namely, such as sell their birthright, with Esau; such as sell their Master, with Judas; such as blaspheme the gospel, with Alexander; and that lie and dissemble, with Ananias, and Sapphira his wife.

Then said Hopeful to the shepherds, I perceive that these had on them, even every one, a show of pilgrimage, as we have now; had they not?

Shepherds. Yea, and held it a long time too. Hopeful. How far might they go on in pilgrimage in their days, since they notwithstanding were thus miserably cast away?

Shepherds. Some further, and some not so far as these mountains.†

Then said the pilgrims one to another, We had need to cry to the strong for strength. Shepherds. Ay, and you will have need to use it when you have it, too.

By this time the pilgrims had a desire to go forward, and the shepherds a desire they should; so they walked together towards the end of the mountains. Then said the shepherds one to another, Let us here show the pilgrims the gates of the Celestial City, if they have skill to look through our perspective glass. The pilgrims then lovingly accepted the motion: so they had them to the top of an high hill, called Clear, and gave them the glass to look.

Then they essayed to look, but the remembrance of that last thing that the shepherds had showed them, made their hands shake; by means of which impediment, they could not look steadily through the glass; yet they thought they saw something like the gate, and also some of the glory of the place. Then they went away, and sang this song:

"Thus by the shepherds secrets are reveal'd,

Which from all other men are kept conceal'd;
Come to the shepherds then, if you would see
Things deep, things hid, and that mysterious be."

When they were about to depart, one of the shepherds gave them a note of the way. Another of them bid them beware of the flatterer. The third bid them take heed that they sleep not upon the enchanted ground. And the fourth bid them God speed. So I awoke from my dream.

to say how far, or how long a person may fellow Christ, and because of unfaithfulness, yet fall away, and come short of the kingdom at last. This should excite to diligence, humility, and circumspection, ever looking to Jesus to keep us from falling.

The glass of God's word of grace and truth, held up by the hand of faith to the eye of the soul. So Paul speaks: beholding as in a glass (the Gospel) the glory of the Lord, &c. 2 Cor. iii. 15. But unbelieving doubts and fears will make the band tremble and the sight dim.

AND I slept and dreamed again, and saw the same two pilgrims going down the mountains, along the highway towards the city. Now a little before these mountains on the left hand, lieth the country of Conceit,* from which country there comes into the way in which the pilgrims walked, a little crooked lane. Here therefore they met with a very brisk lad, that came out of that country, and his name was Ignorance. So Christian asked him from what parts he came, and whither he was going.

Ignorance. Sir, I was born in the country that lieth off there a little on the left hand, and am going to the Celestial City.

Christian. But how do you think to get in at the gate? for you may find some difliculties there.

As other good people do, said he.

· Christian. But what have you to show at that gate, that may cause that gate to be opened to you?

Ignorance. I know my Lord's will, and have been a good liver; I pay every man his own; I pray, fast, pay tithes, and give alms, and have left my country for whither I am going.†

Christian. But thou camest not in at the Wicket-gate that is at the head of this way; thou camest in hither through that same crooked lane, and therefore I fear, however thou mayest think of thyself, when the reckoning-day shall come, thou wilt have laid to thy charge, that thou art a thief and a robber, instead of getting admittance into the city.

Ignorance. Gentlemen, ye be utter strangers to me, I know you not; be content to follow the religion of your country, and I will follow the religion of mine. I hope all will be well. And, as for the gate you talk of, all the world knows, that that is a great way off of our country. I cannot think that any men in all our

*This country we were all born in; and are all by nature darkness. Some live long in the country of Conceit, and many end their days in it. Are you come out of it? So was Ignorance; but he breathed his native air. So long as any sinner thinks he can do anything towards making himself righteous before God, his name is Ignorance, he is full of self-conceit, and destitute of the faith of Christ.

Is it not very common to hear professors thus express themselves? Yes, and many who make a very

parts do so much as know the way to it, nor need they matter whether they do or no; since we have, as you see, a fine pleasant green lane, that comes down from our country the nearest

way.

When Christian saw that the man was wise in his own conceit, he said to Hopeful whisperingly, "There is more hope of a fool than of him," (Prov. xxvi. 12;) and said moreover, "When he that is a fool walketh by the way, his wisdom faileth him, and he saith to every one that he is a fool." Eccles. x. 2. What, shall we talk further with him, or outgo him at present, and so leave him to think of what he hath heard already, and then stop again for him afterwards, and see if by degrees we can do any good by him? Then said Hopeful,

"Let Ignorance a little while now muse

On what is said, and let him not refuse
Good counsel to embrace, lest he remain
Still ignorant of what's the chiefest gain.
God saith, those that no understanding have,
Although he made them, them will he not save."

He further added, It is not good, I think, to say to him all at once; let us pass him by, if you will, and talk to him anon, even as he is able to bear it."

So they both went on, and Ignorance he came after. Now when they had passed him a little way, they entered into a very dark lane, where they met a man whom seven devils had bound with seven strong cords, and were carrying him back to the door that they saw on the side of the hill. Matt. xii. 45; Prov. v. 22. Now good Christian began to tremble, and so did Hopeful his companion; yet as the devils led away the man, Christian looked to see if he knew him; and he though it might be one Turn-away, that dwelt in the town of Apos

high profession too; their hopes are plainly grounded upon what they are in themselves, and how they differ from their former selves and other sinners, instead of what Christ has made us, and what we are in Christ. But the profession of such is begun with an ignorant, whole, self-righteous heart; it is continued in pride, self-seeking, and self-exalting, and ends in awful disappointment. For such are called by our Lord thieves and robbers; the ob him of the glory of his grace and the efficacy of s blood.