may be finished and bring forth death. For thus it is concluded with us, that the more vile, siuful, and debauched the town of Mansoul is, the more backward will their Emanuel be to come to their help, either by presence, or other relief; yea, the more sinful the more weak, and so the more unable will they be to make resistance, when we shall make our assault upon them to swallow them up. Yea, that may cause that their mighty Shaddai himself may cast them out of his protection; yea, and send for his captains and soldiers home with the slings and rams, and leave them naked and bare, and then the town of Mansoul will of itself open to us, and fall as the fig into the mouth of the eater. Yea, to be sure that we then with a great deal of ease shall come upon her and overcome her. As to the time of our coming upon Mansoul, we as yet have not fully resolved upon that, tho' at present some of us think as you, that a market-day, or a marketday at night will certainly be the best. However, do you be ready, and when you shall hear our roaring drum without, do you be as busy to make the most horrible confusion within; 1 Pet. v. 8. So shall Mansoul certainly be distressed before and behind, and shall not know which way to betake herself for help. My Lord Lucifer, my Lord Belzebub, my Lord Apollyon, my Lord Legion, with the rest salute you, as does also my Lord Diabolus, and we wish both you, with all that you do or shall possess, the very self same fruit and success for their doing, as we ourselves at present enjoy for ours. From our dreadful confines in the most fearful Pit, we salute you, and so do those many legions here Then Mr. Profane addressed himself for his return to Mansoul, with his errand from the horrible pit to the Diabolians that were in that town. So he came up the stairs from the deep to the mouth of the cave where Cerberus was. Now when Cerberus saw him, he asked how matters did go below, about, and against the town of Mansoul. Prof.-Things go as well as we can expect. The letter that I carried thither was highly approved, and well liked by all my Lords, and I am returning to tell our Diabolians I have an answer to it here in my bosom, that I am sure will make our masters that sent me glad; for the contents thereof is to encourage them to pursue their design to the utmost, and to be ready also to fall on within, when they shall see my Lord Diabolus beleaguering of the town of Mansoul. Cerb.-But does he intend to go against them him self? Prof.-Does he? Aye, and he will take along with him more than twenty thousand, all sturdy Doubters, and men of war; pickt men from the land of Doubting, to serve him in the expedition. ་ Cerb. Then was Cerberus glad, and said, And is there such brave preparations a making to go against. the miserable town of Mansoul? And would I might be put at the head of a thousand of them, that I might also shew my valour against the famous town of Mansoul. Prof.-Your wish may come to pass, you look like one that bas mettle enough, and my Lord will have with him those that are valiant and stout. But my business requires baste. Cerb.-Aye, it does. Speed thee to the town of Mansoul, with all the deepest mischiefs that this place can afford thee. And when thou shalt come to the house of Mr. Mischief, the place where the Diabolians meet to plot, tell them that Cerberus doth wish them his service, and that if he may, he will with the army come up against the famous town of Mansoul. Prof.-That I will. And I know that my Lords that are there, will be glad to bear it, and to see you also. So So after a few more such kind of compliments, Mr. Profane took leave of his friend Cerberus, and Cerberus again, with a thousand of their pit wishes, bid him haste with all speed to his masters. The which when he had heard, he made obeisence, and began to gather up his heels to run. Thus therefore he returned, and went and came to Mansoul, and going as afore to the house of Mr. Mischief, there he found the Diabolians assembled, waiting for his return. Now when he was come, and had presented himself, he delivered his letter, and adjoined this compliment to them therewith: My Lords, from the confines of the pit, the high and mighty principalities and powers of the den salute you here, the true Diabolians of the town of Mansoul. Wishing you always the most proper of their benediction, for the great service, high attempts, and brave atchievements that you have put yourselves upon, for the restoring to our Prince Diabolus the famous town of Mansoul. This was therefore the present state of the miserable town of Mansoul. She had offended her Prince, and he was gone; she had encouraged the powers of hell by her foolishness, to come against her to seek her destruction. True, the town of Mansoul was somewhat made sensible of her sin, but the Diabolians were gotten into her bowels; she cried, but Emanuel was gone, and her cries did not fetch him as yet again. Besides, she knew not whether ever or never he would return, and come to his Mansoul again; nor did they know the power and industry of the enemy, nor how forward they were to put in execution that plot of hell that they had devised against her. They did indeed still send petition after petition to the Prince, but he answered all with silence. They did neglect reformation, and that was as Diabolus would have it; for he knew if they regarded iniquity in their hearts, hearts, their King would not hear their prayer; they therefore did still grow weaker and weaker, and were as a rolling thing before the whirlwind. They cried to their King for help, and laid Diabolians in their bosoms; what therefore should a King do to them? Yea, there seemed now to be a mixture in Mansoul; the Diabolians and Mansoulians did walk the streets together. Yea, they began to seck their peace, for they thought, that since the sickness had been so mortal in Mansoul, 'twas in vain to go to handy-gripes with them. Besides, the weakness of Mansoul was the strength of their enemies; and the sins of Mansoul, the advantage of the Diabolians. The foes of Mansoul did also now begin to promise themselves the town for a possession: There was no great difference now betwixt the Mansoulians and Diabolians, both seemed to be masters of Mansoul. Yea, the Diabolians increased and grew, but the town of Mansoul diminished greatly. There were more than eleven thousand of men, women, and children, that died by the sickness of Mansoul. But now, as Shaddai would have it, there was one whose name was Mr. Prywell, a great lover of the people of Mansoul; and he, as his manner was, did go listening up and down in Mansoul, to see and to hear if at any time he might, whether there was any design against it or no. For he was always a jealous man, and feared some mischief sometime would befal it, either from the Diabolians within, or from some power without. Now upon a time it so happened, as Mr. Prywell went listening here and there, that he lighted upon a place called Vile-hill in Mansoul, where Diabolus used to meet; so hearing a muttering (you must know that it was in the night) he softly drew near to hear; nor had he stood long under the house-end (for there stood a house there) but he heard one confidently affirm, That it was not, or would not be long before Diabolus should possess him self self again of Mansoul, and that then the Diabolians did intend to put all Mansoulians to. the sword, and would kill and destroy all the King's captains, and drive all bis soldiers out of the town. He said moreover, That he knew there were above 20 thousand fighting men prepared by Diabolus for the accomplishing of this design, and that it would not be raany months before they all should see it. When Mr. Prywell had heard this story, he did quickly believe it was true; wherefore he went forthwith to my Lord Mayor's house, and acquainted him therewith; who sending for the subordinate Preacher, brake the business to him, and he as soon gave the alarm to the town, for he was now the chief preacher in Mansoul, because as yet my Lord Secretary was ill at ease. And this was the way that the subordinate preacher did take to alarm the town therewith: The same hour, be caused the lecture-bell to be rung, so the people came together; he gave them then a short exhortation to watchfulness, and made Mr. Prywell's news the argument thereof, For, said he, an horrible plot is contrived against Mansol, even to massacre us all in a day; nor is this story to be slighted, for Mr. Prywell is the author thereof. Mr. Prywell was always a lover of Mansoul, a sober and judicious man, a man that is no tattler, nor raiser of false reports, but one that loves to look into the very bottom of matters, and talks nothing of news but by very solid arguments. I will call him, and you shall hear him yourselves; so he called him, and he came and told them his tale so punctually, and affirmed its truth on such ample grounds, that Mansoul fell presently under a conviction of the truth of what he said. The Preacher did also back him, saying, Sirs, it is not irrational for us to believe it, for we have provoked Shaddai to anger, and have sinned Emanuel out of the town; we have had too much correspondence |