Clip-Promise taken. Carnal-Sense taken. there was an honest poor man in Mansoul, and his name was Mr Meditation, one of no great account in the days of apostasy, but now of repute with the best of the town. This man, therefore, they were willing to prefer. Now Mr Let-Good-Slip had a great deal of wealth heretofore in Mansoul, and, at Emmanuel's coming, it was sequestered to the use of the Prince: this, therefore, was now given to Mr Meditation, to improve for the common good, and after him to his son, Mr Think-Well: this ThinkWell he had by Mrs Piety his wife, and she was the daughter of Mr Recorder. After this, my lord apprehended Clip-Promise: now because he was a notorious villain, for by his doings much of the King's coin was abused, therefore he was made a public example. He was arraigned and judged to be first set in the pillory, then to be whipped by all the children and servants in Mansoul, and then to be hanged till he was dead. Some may wonder at the severity of this man's punishment; but those that are honest traders in Mansoul are sensible of the great abuse that one clipper of promises in little time may do to the town of Mansoul. And truly my judgment is, that all those of his name and life should be served even as he. He also apprehended Carnal-Sense, and put him. in hold; but how it came about I cannot tell, but he brake prison, and made his escape: yea, and the bold villain will not yet quit the town, but lurks in the Diabolonian dens a-days, and haunts like a ghost honest men's houses a-nights. Wherefore, there was a proclamation set up in the market place in Mansoul, signifying that whosoever could discover Carnal-Sense, and apprehend him and slay him, should be admitted daily to the Prince's table, and should be made keeper of the treasure of Mansoul. Many, therefore, did bend themselves to do this thing, but take him and slay him they could not, though often he was discovered. But my lord took Mr Wrong-Thoughts-of-Christ, WrongThoughts-ofand put him in prison, and he died there; though Christ taken. it was long first, for he died of a lingering consumption. taken. Self-Love was also taken and committed to cus- Self-Love tody; but there were many that were allied to him in Mansoul, so his judgment was deferred. But at last Mr Self-Denial stood up and said: "If such villains as these may be winked at in Mansoul, I will lay down my commission." He also took him from the crowd, and had him among his soldiers, and there he was brained. But some in Mansoul muttered at it, though none durst speak plainly, because Emmanuel was in town. But this brave act of Captain Self-Denial came to the Prince's ears; so he sent for him, and made him a lord Captain in Mansoul. My Lord Will-be-will also obtained great commendations of Emmanuel for what he had done for the town of Mansoul. Self-Denial made a lord. Feeling Then my Lord Self-Denial took courage, and set to the pursuing of the Diabolonians, with my Lord Will-be-will: and they took Live-by-Feeling, and Live-bythey took Legal-Life, and put them in hold till taken. they died. But Mr Unbelief was a nimble Jack: him they could never lay hold of, though they attempted to do it often. He therefore, and some : few more of the subtlest of the Diabolonian tribe, did yet remain in Mansoul, to the time that Mansoul left off to dwell any longer in the kingdom of Universe. But they kept them to their dens and holes if one of them did appear, or happen to be seen in any of the streets of the town of Mansoul, the whole town would be up in arms after them; yea, the very children in Mansoul would cry out after them as after a thief, and would wish that they might stone them to death with stones. And The peace of now did Mansoul arrive to some good degree of peace and quiet; her Prince also did abide within her borders; her captains, also, and her soldiers did their duties; and Mansoul minded her trade that she had with the country that was afar off; also she was busy in her manufacture. Mansoul; she mind's her trade. Isa. 33. 17 Phil. 3. 20. When the town of Mansoul had thus far rid themselves of so many of their enemies, and the troublers of their peace, the Prince sent to them and appointed a day wherein he would, at the market-place, meet the whole people, and there give them in charge concerning some further matters, that, if observed, would tend to their further safety and comfort, and to the condemnation and destruction of their home-bred Diabolonians. So the day appointed was come, and the townsmen met together; Emmanuel also came down in his chariot, and all his captains in their state attending him, on the right hand and on the left. Then was an oyes made for silence, and, after some mutual carriages of love, the Prince began, and thus proceeded : : "You, my Mansoul, and the beloved of mine speech to Mansoul. heart, many and great are the privileges that I have Emmanuel's bestowed upon you; I have singled you out from others, and have chosen you to myself, not for your worthiness, but for mine own sake. I have also redeemed you, not only from the dread of my Father's law, but from the hand of Diabolus. This I have done because I loved you, and because I have set my heart upon you to do you good. I have also, that all things that might hinder thy way to the pleasures of paradise might be taken out of the way, laid down for thee for thy soul a plenary satisfaction, and have bought thee to myself; a price not of corruptible things, as of silver and gold, but a price of blood, mine own blood, which I have freely spilled upon the ground to make thee mine. So I have reconciled thee, O my Mansoul, to my Father, and entrusted thee in the mansion houses that are with my Father in the royal city, where things are, O my Mansoul, that eye hath not seen, not hath entered into the heart of man to conceive. 66 Besides, O my Mansoul, thou seest what I have done, and how I have taken thee out of the hands of thine enemies; unto whom thou hadst deeply revolted from my Father, and by whom thou wast content to be possessed, and also to be destroyed. I came to thee first by my law, then by my gospel, to awaken thee, and shew thee my glory. And thou knowest what thou wast, what thou saidst, what thou didst, and how many times thou rebelledst against my Father and me; yet I left thee not, as thou seest this day, but came to thee, have borne thy manners, have waited upon thee, and, speech to Emmanuel's after all, accepted of thee, even of my mere grace Mansoul and favour; and would not suffer thee to be lost, as thou most willingly wouldst have been. I also compassed thee about, and afflicted thee on every side, that I might make thee weary of thy ways, and bring down thy heart with molestation to a willingness to close with thy good and happiness. And when I had gotten a complete conquest over thee, I turned it to thy advantage. "Thou seest, also, what a company of my Father's host I have lodged within thy borders: captains and rulers, soldiers and men of war, engines and excellent devices to subdue and bring down thy foes: thou knowest my meaning, O Mansoul. And they are my servants, and thine, too, Mansoul. Yea, my design of possessing of thee with them, and the natural tendency of each of them, is to defend, purge, strengthen, and sweeten thee for myself, O Mansoul, and to make thee meet for my Father's presence, blessing, and glory; for thou, my Mansoul, art created to be prepared unto these. “Thou seest, moreover, my Mansoul, how I have passed by thy backslidings, and have healed thee. Indeed I was angry with thee, but I have turned mine anger away from thee, because I loved thee still, and mine anger and mine indignation is ceased in the destruction of thine enemies, O Mansoul. Nor did thy goodness fetch me again unto thee, after that I for thy transgressions have hid my face, and withdrawn my presence from thee. The way of backsliding was thine, but the way and means of thy recovery was mine. I invented the |