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Christiana. This is brave: now I see that there was something to be learned by our being pardoned by word and deed. Good Mercy, let us labour to keep this in mind; and, my children, do you remember it also. But, sir, was not this it that made my good Christian's burden fall from off his shoulder, and that made him give three leaps for joy?

Great-heart. Yes, it was the belief of this that cut off those strings that could not be cut by other means; and it was to give him a proof of the virtue of this, that he was suffered to carry his burden to the cross.

Christiana. I thought so; for though my heart was lightful and joyous before, yet it is ten times more lightsome and joyous now. And I am persuaded by what I have felt, (though I have felt but little as yet,) that if the most burdened man in the world was here, and did see and believe as I now do, it would make his heart the more merry and blithe.

Great-heart. There is not only one comfort, and the ease of a burden brought to us, by the sight and consideration of these, but an endeared affection begot to us by it; for who can (if he does but once think that pardon comes not only by promise, but thus) but be affected with the way and means of redemption, and so with the man that hath wrought it for him?*

Christiana. True: methinks it makes my heart bleed to think that he should bleed for me. Oh! thou loving One! Oh! thou blessed One! Thou deservest to have me; thou hast bought me; thou deservest to have me all; thou hast paid for me ten thousand times more than I am worth! No marvel that this made the water stand in my husband's eyes, and that it made him trudge so nimbly on; I am persuaded he wished me with him; but,

Let us beware never to separate them in our views. We want both his blood to atone for our sins, and his righteousness to be imparted to our souls.

Come hither, ye sons of the sorceress, who make sport of holy raptures and heavenly ecstacy, begotten in the soul by the knowledge of redemption in the blood of Christ, the forgiveness of our sins. Laugh on till ye howl in destruction for despising salvation by the blood of the Lamb.

O brave Christians! See what it is to have one's heart inflamed with a sense of the love of Christ. Here observe two things: 1st. That when the affections are thus powerfully carried out, it is no uncommon thing to believe that all may thus come to a saving knowledge of the truth! 2dly. Beware of thinking slightly of having the affections thus divinely inflamed. Many poor, dry, formal professors are

vile wretch that I was! I let him come all alone. O Mercy, that thy father and mother were here! yea, and Mrs. Timorous also; nay, I wish now with all my heart that here was Madam Wanton too. Surely, surely their hearts would be affected; nor could the fest of the one, nor the powerful lusts of the other, prevail with them to go home again, and refuse to become good pilgrims.†

Great-heart. You speak now in the warmth of your affections: will it, think you, be always thus with you? Besides, this is not communicated to every one, nor to every one that did see your Jesus bleed. There were that stood by and that saw the blood run from his heart to the ground, and yet were so far off this, that, instead of lamenting, they laughed at him; and instead of becoming his disciples, did harden their hearts against him. So that all that you have, my daughters, you have by peculiar impression, made by a divine con templating upon what I have spoken to you. Remember that it was told you that the hen, by her common call, gives no meat to her chickens. This you have therefore by a special grace.

Now I saw still in my dream that they went on until they were come to the place that Simple, and Sloth, and Presumption, lay and slept in, when Christian went by on pilgrimage: and behold they were hanged up in irons a little way off on the other side.

Then said Mercy to him that was their guide and conductor, "What are these three men? and for what are they hanged there?"

Great-heart. These three men were men of bad qualities; they had no mind to be pil grims themselves, and whomsoever they could they hindered: they were for sloth and folly themselves, and whomsoever they could per

content with the cold light of the moon, without the genial warmth of the sun; with clear notions of truth in their heads, without their hearts being warmed and their affections carried out by the powerful infin ences of the love of Jesus, who says, " Ask, and you shall receive, that your joy may be full." John xx 24.

Mind how tenderly Great-heart deals with Chr tiana. He does not attempt to damp her joy and throw cold water upon the fire of her affections, bu gently insinuates-1st. The peculiar frame of mini she speaks from. 2dly. By a gentle hint, suggests, that her indulgences were of a peculiar nature, b stowed upon the faithful in Christ only. And that therefore amidst all her joyful feelings, she shou know to whom she was indebted for them, and gre all the glory to the God of all grace.

suade, they made so too: and withal taught them to presume that they should do well at last. They were asleep when Christian went by, and now you go by they are hanged.* Mercy. But could they persuade any one to te of their opinion?

Great-heart. Yes, they turned several out of the way. There was Slow-pace, they persuaded to do as they. They also prevailed with one Short-wind, with one No-heart, with one Lingerafter-lust, and with one Sleepy-head, and with a young woman, her name was Dull, to turn out of the way and become as they. Besides, they brought up an ill report of your Lord, persuading others that he was a hard taskmaster. They also brought up an evil report of the good land, saying it was not half so good as some pretending it was. They also began to vilify his servants and to count the best of them meddlesome, troublesome busy-bodies: further, they would call the bread of God, husks; the comforts of his children, fancies; the travail and labour of pilgrims, things to no purpose.t

Nay, said Christiana, if they were such, they should never be bewailed by me: they have but what they deserve; and I think it well that they stand so near the highway, that others may see and take warning. But had it not been well if their crimes had been engraven on some pillar of iron or brass, and left here where they did their mischiefs, for a caution to other bad men?

Great-heart. So it is, as you may well perceive, if you will go a little to the wall.

Mercy. No, no; let them hang, and their names rot, and their crimes live for ever against them: I think it is a high favour that they are hanged before we came hither; who knows else what they might have done to such poor women as we are? Then she turned it into a song, saying—

"Now then, you three, hang there, and be a sign
To all that shall against the truth combine.
And let him that comes after fear this end,
If unto pilgrims he is not a friend.
And thou, my soul, of all such men beware,
That unto holiness opposers are."

CHAPTER V.

The Pilgrims ascend the hill Difficulty, pass the Lions, and arrive at the house Beautiful.

THUS they went on till they came to the foot of the bill Difficulty, where again their good friend Mr. Great-heart took an occasion to tell them what happened there when Christian himself went by. So he had them first to the spring: Lo, saith he, this is the spring that Christian drank of before he went up this hill; and then it was clear and good, but now it is dirty with the feet of some that are not desirous that pilgrims here should quench their thirst. Ezek. xxxiv. 18. Thereat Mercy said,

God, as it were, gibbets some professors, and causes their names and characters to be publicly exbited, as a terror to others.

Let us consider the characters of these three profesors-t. Here is Simple, who, as Solomon says, bereveth every word, (Prov. xiv. 15;) a foolish, credues professor, who is easily led away and beguiled by mth words and fair pretences of others; ever learn

but never coming to the knowledge of the truth, as to believe it, love it, and be established on it: bence able to be carried away by every wind of docthe 21 lb, a quiet, easy professor, who never fir arte any one by his diligence in the word of God, tebi teil for the truths and glory of God. Hence ali meg peak well of him; but Christ denounces a vagant all such. Luke vi. 6. 3dly. Presumption,

And why so envious, trow? But, said the guide, it will do, if taken up and put into a vessel that is sweet and good; for then the dirt will sink to the bottom, and the water come out by itself more clear. Thus therefore Christian and her companions were compelled to do. They took it up, and put it into an earthen pot, and so let it stand till the dirt had gone to the bottom, and then they drank thereof. ‡

Next he showed them the two by-ways that were at the foot of the hill, where Formality one who presumes to find favour with God, in a way which his word does not promise, or expects salvation at the end, without the means prescribed by God for attaining it. Oh beware of these three sorts of professors, for they turn many aside. Real Christians are in danger of being seduced by them, if not of total destruction through their means.

This represents to us, that some preachers, as the prophet says, foul the water with their feet, (Ezek. xxxiv. 18;) that is, though they preach somewhat about Christ, and salvation by him, yet they so clog, mire, and pollute the stream of free grace, with prerequisites, that a poor, thirsty soul cannot drink the water, nor allay his thirst with it; but is forced to let it stand, till these gross dregs sink to the bottom.

and Hypocrisy lost themselves. And, said he, these are dangerous paths: two were here cast away when Christian came by. And although you see these two ways are since stopped up with chains, posts, and a ditch, yet they are they which will choose to adventure here, rather than take the pains to go up this hill.

Christiana. "The way of transgressors is hard,” (Prov. xiii. 15;) it is a wonder that they can get into these ways without danger of breaking their necks.

Great-heart They will venture; yea, if at any time any of the King's servants do happen to see them and doth call upon them, and tell them that they are in the wrong ways, and do bid them beware of the danger, then they railingly return them answer, and say, "As for the word that thou hast spoken unto us in the name of the King, we will not hearken unto thee; but we will certainly do whatsoever thing goeth out of our mouths." Jer. xliv. 16, 17. Nay, if you look a little further, you shall see that these ways are made cautionary enough, not only by these posts and ditch and chain, but also by being hedged up; yet they will choose to go there.*

Christiana. They are idle; they love not to take pains; uphill way is unpleasant to them. So it is fulfilled unto them as it is written, "The way of the slothful man is an hedge of thorns." Prov. xv. 19. Yea, they will rather choose to walk upon a snare, than to go up this hill and the rest of this way to the city." Then they set forward, and began to go up the hill, and up the hill they went; but before they got up to the top, Christiana began to pant, and said, I dare say this is a breathing hill; no marvel if they that love their ease more than their souls, choose to themselves a smoother way. Then said Mercy, I must sit down; also the least of the children began to cry: Come, come, said Great-heart, sit not down here, for a little above is the Prince's arbour. Then he took the little boy by the hand, and led him thereto.f

When they were come to the arbour, they were very willing to sit down, for they were all in a pelting heat. Then said Mercy, "How

Examine, which do you like best, self-soothing or soul-searching doctrine? Formalists and hypocrites love the former, and hate the latter. But the sincere and upright are discovered by desiring to have their hearts searched to the quick, and their ways tried to the uttermost.

He who is a stranger to self-denial, knows not what this hill Difficulty means; for the nearer to the

sweet is rest to them that labour! Matt. xi. 28. And how good is the Prince of pilgrims, to provide such resting-places for them! Of this arbour I have heard much; but I never saw it before. But here let us beware of sleeping for as I have heard, it cost poor Christian dear

Then said Mr. Great-heart to the little ones, Come, my pretty boys, how do you do? What think you now of going on pilgrimage? Sir, said the least, I was almost beat out of heart: but I thank you for lending me a hand at my need. And I remember now what my mother hath told me, namely, that the way to heaven is as a ladder, and the way to hell is as down a hill. But I had rather go up the ladder to life, than down the hill to death.

Then said Mercy, But the proverb is, To go down the hill is easy: but James said, (for that was his name,) The day is coming when, in my opinion, going down the hill will be the hardest of all. 'Tis a good boy, said his master; thou hast given her a right answer. Then Mercy smiled, but the little boy did blush.

Come, said Christiana, will you eat a bit, to sweeten your mouths, while you sit here to rest your legs? For I have here a piece of pomegranate, which Mr. Interpreter put into my hand just when I came out of his doors; he gave me also a piece of an honeycomb, and a little bottle of spirits. "I thought he gave you something," said Mercy, "because he called you aside." "Yes, so he did," said the other. "But," said Christiana, "it shall be still as I said it should, when at first we came from home; thou shalt be a sharer in all the good that I have, because thou so willingly didst become my companion." Then she gave to them, and they did eat, both Mercy and the boys. And said Christiana to Mr. Great-heart, "Sir, will you do as we?" But he answered, "You are going on pilgrimage, and presently I shall return; much good may what you hav do to you! At home I eat the same every day." Now when they had eaten and drank, and had chatted a little longer, their guide salu to them, "The day wears away; if you think good, let us prepare to be going." So they got up to go, and the little boys went before: 11 Christiana forgot to take her bottle of spirits

arbour of Jesus' rest, the more difficulties in the way, but the sweeter it is when attained.

This is right; when we are praised, to have a conscious blush, well knowing how much we have to be ashamed of. Oh cry to the Lord continually agai spiritual pride, and for an humble heart, knowing thyself to be a poor sinner.

with her; so she sent her little boy back to fetch it. Then said Mercy, "I think this is a losing place. Here Christian lost his roll, and here Christiana left her bottle behind her; sir, what is the cause of this?" So their guide made answer, and said, "The cause is sleep or forgetfulness: some sleep when they should keep awake, and some forget when they should remember; and this is the very cause, why often at the resting-places some pilgrims in some things come off losers. Pilgrims should watch and remember what they have already received under their greatest enjoyments; but for want of doing so, oftentimes their rejoicing ends in tears, and their sunshine in a cloud: witness the story of Christian at this place."*

When they were come to the place where Mistrust and Timorous met Christian to persuade him to go back for fear of the lions, they perceived as it were a stage, and before it, towards the road, a broad plate, with a copy of verses written thereon, and underDeath, the reason of raising up of that stage in that place rendered. The verses were

"Let him that sees that stage take heed,
Upon his heart and tongue:
Lest if he do not, here he speed
As some have long agone."

were

The words underneath the verses "This stage was built to punish some upon, who, through timorousness or mistrust, shall be afraid to go further on pilgrimage: also on this stage both Mistrust and Timorous were burnt through the tongue with a hot iron, for endeavouring to hinder Christian on his journey."†

Then said Mercy, This is much like to the ying of the Beloved, "What shall be given unto thee; or what shall be done unto thee, thou false tongue; sharp arrows of the mighty, with coals of the juniper." Ps. cxx. 3, 4.

So they went on till they came within sight of the lions. Now Mr. Great-heart was a strong man, so he was not afraid of a lion: but yet when they were come up to the place

Beader, min i this well; remember it often; and it will do thee good.

† Christians, take heed to your tongues. Oh beware, ware, lest in any wise, you make a false report of the good land, through fear or mistrust! The Lord enes what you boldly speak for his ways, and to his gor, and be marks your words which in any wise have a contrary tendency. The tongue is an unruly evil.

Who is this Giant Grim, who backs the lions, and

where the lions were, the boys that went before were glad to cringe behind, for they were afraid of the lions; so they stept back and went behind. At this their guide smiled, and said, "How now, my boys; do you love to go before when no danger doth approach, and love to come behind so soon as the lions appear?"

Now as they went on, Mr. Great-heart drew his sword, with intent to make a way for the pilgrims in spite of the lions. Then there appeared one, that it seems had taken upon him to back the lions; and he said to the pilgrims' guide, "What is the cause of your coming hither?" Now the name of that man was Grim, or Bloody-man, because of his slaying of pilgrims; and he was of the race of the giants.‡

Then said the pilgrims' guide, These women and children are going on pilgrimage: and this is the way they must go, and go it they shall, in spite of thee and the lions.

Grim. This is not their way, neither shall they go therein. I am come forth to withstand them, and to that end will back the lions.

Now, to say the truth, by reason of the fierceness of the lions, and of the grim carriage of him that did back them, this way had of late lain much unoccupied, and was almost all grown over with grass.

Then said Christiana, Though the highways have been unoccupied heretofore, and though the travellers have been made in times past to walk through by-paths, it must not be so now I am risen; "Now I am risen a mother in Israel." Judges v. 6, 7.

Then he swore by the lions, but it should: and therefore bid them turn aside, for they should not have passage there. But their guide made first his approach unto Grim, and laid so heavily on him with his sword, that he forced him to retreat.

Then said he that attempted to back the lions, "Will you slay me upon mine own ground?"

Great-heart. It is the King's highway that

terrifies the hearts of pilgrims, with a sense of danger in the right way to the kingdom? It is an evil heart of unbelief. This Great-heart will fight with, and conquer. Oh how does unbelief multiply dangers, and magnify difficulties, call up fear, and deject our hearts! Unbelief makes every danger wear a grim and terrible aspect. The only weapon to slay this enemy is the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. Eph. vi. 17.

we are in, and in this way it is that thou hast placed the lions; but these women and these children, though weak, shall hold on their way in spite of the lions. And with that he gave him again a downright blow, and brought him upon his knees. With this blow he also broke his helmet, and with the next cut off an

arm.

Then did the giant roar so hideously, that his voice frighted the women; and yet they were glad to see him lie sprawling upon the ground. Now the lions were chained, and so of themselves could do nothing.* Wherefore, when old Grim that intended to back them, was dead, Great-heart said to the pilgrims, "Come now, and follow me, and no hurt shall happen to you from the lions." They therefore went on, but the women trembled as they passed by them; the boys also looked as if they would die, but they all got by without further hurt.

Now, when they were within sight of the porter's lodge, they soon came up unto it; but they made the more haste after this to go thither, because it is dangerous travelling there in the night. So when they were come to the gate, the guide knocked, and the porter cried, "Who is there?" But as soon as the guide had said, "It is I," he knew his voice, and came down, (for the guide had oft before that come thither as a conductor of pilgrims.) When he was come down, he opened the gate, and seeing the guide standing just before it, (for he saw not the women, for they were behind him,) he said unto him, How now, Mr. Great-heart, what is your business here so late at night? "I have brought," said he, "some pilgrims hither, where, by my Lord's commandment, they must lodge: I had been here some time ago, had I not been opposed by the giant that used to back the lions. But I, after a long and tedious combat with him, have cut him off, and have brought the pilgrims hither in safety."†

Porter. Will not you go in, and stay till morning?

Great-heart. No. I will return to my Lord to-night.

Christiana. Oh, sir, I know not how to be

How often, after we have fought with the courage of faith and the resolution of hope, and have overcome a grim enemy, have we seen the fiercest of our enemies chained by the power of God, so as not to have the least power to hurt us! O pilgrim! it is sweet to reflect, that every lion-like foc is under the control of thy God, and cannot come one link of their chain nearer to thee than thy Lord will permit.

willing you should leave us in our pilgrimage: you have been so faithful and so loving to us you have fought so stoutly for us, you have been so hearty in counselling of us, that I shall never forget your favour towards us.

Then said Mercy, Oh that we might have thy company to our journey's end. How can such poor women as we hold out in a way so full of troubles as this way is, without a friend or defender?

Then said James, the youngest of the boys, Pray, sir, be persuaded to go with us, and help us, because we are so weak, and the way so dangerous as it is.

Great-heart. I am at my Lord's commandment: if he shall allot me to be your guide quite through, I will willingly wait upon you. But here you failed at first: for when he bid me come thus far with you, then you should have begged me of him to have gone through with you, and he would have granted your request. However, at present I must withdraw; and so, good Christiana, Mercy, and my brave children, adieu.

Then the porter, Mr. Watchful, asked Christiana of her country, and of her kindred: and she said, "I came from the city of Destruction; I am a widow woman, and my husband is dead; his name was Christian, the pilgrim." "How!" said the porter, was he your husband?" "Yes," said she, "and these his children; and this (pointing to Mercy) is one of my townswomen." Then the porter rang his bell, as at such time he is wont, and there came to the door one of the damsels, whose name was Humble-mind. And to her the porter said, "Go tell it within, that Christiana, the wife of Christian, and her children, are come hither on pilgrimage." She went in, therefore, and told it. But oh, what noise for gladness was therein when the damsel did but drop that out of her mouth!

So they came with haste to the porter, for Christiana stood still at the door. Then some of the most grave said unto her, "Come in, Christiana, come in, thou wife of that good man; come in, thou blessed woman, come in, with all that are with thee." So she went in, and they followed her that were her children

How mindful is our Lord of us! How gracious is be to us! What blessed provisions doth be make for us! If pilgrims are attacked by Giant Grim, and terrified with the sight of lions, they may be sure that at is only a prelude to some sweet enjoyment of the Lord's love, and that they are near to some sweet asylum, some sanctuary of rest, peace, and comfort.

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