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no reafon being annexed, but, So I will have it, fo it fhall be. And is it not grievous to think on, that that very thing you are forbidden to do, might you but do it, would yield you both wifdom and honour? for then your eyes will be opened, and you fhall be as gods. Now, fince this is thus, quoth he, can you be kept by any prince in more flavery, and in greater bondage, than you are under this day? You are made underlings, and are wrapt up in inconveniences, as I have well made appear: for what bondage greater, than to be kept in blindnefs? Will not reafon tell you, that it is better to have eyes, than to be without them? and that to be at liberty, is better than to be thut up in a dark and ftinking cave?"

And juft now, while Diabolus was fpeaking these words to Manfoul, Tifiphone fhot at captain Refiftance, where he flood on the gate, and mortally wounded

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fiftance flain.

him in the head: fo that he, to the amaze- Captain Rement of the townfmen, and the encouragement of Diabolus, fell down dead quite over the wall. Now when captain Refiftance was dead (and he was the only man of war in the town), poor Manfoul was wholly left naked of courage, nor had the now any heart to refift; but this was as the devil would have it. Then stood forth that HE, Mr. Ill-paufe, that Diabolus brought with him, who was his orator, and he addreffed himself to speak to the town of Manfoul: the tenor of whofe fpeech here follows:

ILL-PAUSE. Gentlemen, quoth he, it is my master's happiness, that he has this day a quiet and teachable (a) auditory; and it is

Mr. Ill-pause his fpeech to the town of

Manfoul.

hoped

(a) Beware of flattery and hypocrify; especially of that cunning craftinefs of falfe teachers, whereby they lie in wait to deceive unwary fouls, having itching ears.-To the fincere, unfufpecting profeffor, the white devil, that endeavours to elate the finner with a conceit of his own inherent righteoufnefs, and thus fills him with pride and vain confidence, is much more dangerous than the black one, who instigates to Juft and profaneness" Watch, therefore," Matt. xxiv. 42, No. 1.

с

tion.

hoped by us, that we shall prevail with you not to cast off good advice: my mafter has a very great love for you; and although he very well knows that he runs the hazard of the anger of king SHADDAI, yet love to you will make him do more than that. Nor doth there need that a word more fhould be spoken to confirm for truth what he hath faid; there is not a word but carries with itself evidence in it's bowels; the very name of the tree may put an end to all controverfy in this matter. I therefore at this time fhall only add this advice to you, under and by the leave of my lord (and with that he made Diabolus a very low congee): Confider his words; look on the Strong tempta- tree, and the promifing fruit thereof; remember also, that yet you know but little, and that this is the way to know more: and if your reafon be not conquered to accept of fuch good counfel, you are not the men I took you to be. "But when the townsfolk faw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleafant to the eye, and a tree to be defired to make one wife," they did as old Ill-pause advised, they took and did eat thereof. Now this I fhould have told you before, that even then, when this Ill-pause was making this fpeech to the townfmen, my lord Innocency (whether cency's death. by a hot from the camp of the giant, or from fome qualm that fuddenly took him, or whether by the stinking breath of that treacherous villain, old Ill-paufe, for fo I am most apt to think) funk down in the place where he stood, nor could he be brought to life again. (a) Thus these two brave men died; brave men I call

My lord Inno

them,

(a) When disbelief of the truth of God's word took place in the human mind, there was an end of man's innocence and righteousness for ever: guilt and condemnation fupervened, with their attendant fin, which entered like an irresistible torrent. The understanding and judgment became immediately darkened and depraved; wrong principles produced corrupt

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them, for they were the beauty and glory of Manfoul, fa long as they lived therein; nor did there now remain any more a noble spirit in Manfoul; they all fell down and yielded obedience to Diabolus, and became his flaves and vaffals, as you shall hear.

The town ta

ken by Diabo lus and his

bands.

Now these being dead, what do the rest of the townsfolk, but as men that had found a fool's paradife, they prefently, as afore was hinted, fell to prove the truth of the giant's words and firft, they did as Ill-paufe had taught them, they looked, they confidered, they were taken with the forbidden fruit," they took thereof, and did eat ;" and, having eaten, they became immediately drunken therewith; fo they opened the gates, both ear-gate and eye-gate, and let in Diabolus with all his bands, quite forgetting their good SHADDAI, his law, and the judgment that he had annexed with folemn threatening to the breach thereof. (a)

Diabolus, having now obtained entrance in at the gates of the town, marches up to the middle thereof,

to

corrupt practices, and defiled the whole mafs.-Christian, take heed of difbelieving the oracles of truth: reft your whole foul upon their veracity, attend diligently to them,' pray over them, and fail not to implore the grace of the holy Spirit to enlighten your mind, that you may rightly underftand the fcriptures, which are able to make you wife unto falvation, through faith which is in Chrift Jefus, 2 Tim. iii.

15.

(a) Thus man, by tranfgreffion, fell, from being the fervant and favourite of the ever-bleffed God, into the slavery and bondage of the devil and his luft:

"O what a fall! a steep from high to low!

Extremes of blifs, to what extremes of woe!
Plumb from his heav'n this fecond angel fell
Down his own depth, his God-abandon'd hell:
Horror of horrors! darkness and despair!

He look'd for comfort-but no gleam was there!"
BROOKE.

Thus we read, James i. 5. that "when luft hath conceived; it bringeth forth fin; and fin, when it is finished, bringethforth death." By one fin, death entered into the world, with

to make his conqueft as fure as he could; and finding, by this time, the affections of the people warmly inclining to him, he, thinking it was beft ftriking while the iron is hot, made this further deceivable fpeech unto them, faying, "Alas, my poor Manfoul! I have done thee indeed this fervice, as to promote thee to honour, and to greaten thy liberty; but alas! alas! poor Manfoul, thou wanteft now one to defend thee; for affure thyself, when SHADDAI fhall hear what is done, he will come; for forry will he be that thou haft broken his bonds, and caft his cords away from thee. What wilt thou do? Wilt thou, after enlargement, fuffer thy privileges to be invaded and taken away? or what wilt thou refolve with thyfelf?" Then they all with one confent faid to this bramble, Do thou reign over Diabolus is en- So he accepted the motion, and became the king of the town of Manfoul. This betheir king. ing done, the next thing was, to give him poffeffion of the caftle, and fo of the whole ftrength of the town. Wherefore into the caftle he goes (it was that which SHADDAI built in Manfoul, for his own delight and pleasure) this was now become a den and hold for the giant Diabolus. Now having got pofHe is poffeffed of the caftle, and feffion of this ftately palace or caftle, what fortifieth it for doth he, but make it a garrifon for himself, and ftrengthens and fortifies it with all forts of provifions against the king SHADDAI, or those that fhould endeavour the regaining of it to him and his obedience again.

tertained for

himself.

us.

all it's train of complicated miferies and woes':

This

"Earth felt the wound; and nature, from her feat, Sighing thro' all her works, gave figns of woe, That all was loft".

MILTON.

Since Adam finned as a public perfon, temporal and eternal guin were entailed on himself and his defcendants: the corrupt root infected every part of the tree; the whole man be came earthly, fenfual, devilish; and, having degenerated into a state of oppofition and enmity to God, "the thoughts and imaginations of his heart were only evil continually," Gen. v. 50

This done, but not thinking himself yet Diabolus newfecure enough, in the next place he bethinks models the himfelf of new-modelling the town: (a) and town. fo he does, fetting up one, and putting down another at pleasure. Wherefore my lord mayor, whofe name was my lord Underftanding, and Mr. Recorder, whose name was Mr. Confcience, thefe he put out of place and power. As for my lord mayor, though he was an The lord mayor

understanding man, and one too that had put out of place. complied with the rest of the town of Manfoul in admitting the giant into the town, 2 Cor. x. 4, 5. yet Diabolus thought not fit to let him abide in his former luftre and glory, because he was a feeing man, Eph. iv. 18, 19. wherefore he had darkened him not only by taking from him his office and power, but by building of an high and strong tower, just between the fun's reflections and the windows of my lord's palace; by which means the house, and the whole of his habitation, was made as dark as darkness itfelf: and thus, being alienated from the

(a) God's image of holinefs being obliterated, Satan, with all his horrid crew of lufts and vile affections, gained admittance: the understanding was perverted, and the affections tranged; the dreadful refult was,

“Foul distrust, and breach
Difloyal, on the part of man; revolt,
And difobedience: on the part of heav'n,
(Now alienated) diftance and diftafte,
Anger and just rebuke, and judgment giv'n,
That brought into this world a world of woe;
Sin, and her fhadow death; and mifery,
Death's harbinger"-

MILTON

for

May the confideration of the awful effects of fin lead thee and me, reader, to the blood of Jefus continually for the atonement of it; and to the throne of grace, power againft it-that it may appear exceeding finful; being most loathfome in the fight of God, and destructive of man's happiness. Sin expelled the angels from heaven, man from pa adife, and, if unatoned for, through hardness of heart, impenitence, and unbelief, will shut up both foul and body in The Lord enable us to the prison of hell for evermore. abhor the least appearance of evil, and to cleave unto that which is good!

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