A new oath

Secondly, This done, in the next place, Diaimpofed. bolus, that he might make Manfoul as fure as he could, frames and imposes a new oath and horrible covenant upon the town's folk:

To wit, That they should never defert him, nor his government, nor yet betray him, nor feek to alter his laws but that they fhould own, confefs, ftand by, and acknowledge him for their rightful king, in defiance of any that do, or hereafter fhall, by any pretence, law, or title whatsoever, lay claim to the town of Manfoul, Ifa. xxviii. 15. thinking belike that SHADDAI had not power to abfolve them from this covenant with death, and They take the agreement with hell. Nor did the filly Manfoul stick or boggle at all at this molt monftrous engagement, but, as if it had been a fprat in the mouth of a whale, they fwallowed it without any chewing. Were they troubled at it? Nay, they rather bragged and boafted of their fo brave fidelity to the tyrant their pretended king; fwearing, that they would never be changelings, nor forfake their old lord for a new. (a)

oath.

Thus did Diabolus tie poor Manfoul faft; but jealousy, that never thinks itself ftrong enough, put him in the next place upon another exploit, which was, yet more, if poffible, to debauch this town of Manfoul: wherefore he caufed, by the hand of one Mr. Filth, an odious, nafty, lafcivious

(a) When men determine to refift the council of God against themselves, they become by degrees hardened in fin, fo as even to glory in their fhame, and fcoff at the most solemn truths; and this they do, because, as the poet juftly obferves, they

"reject the fuftenance divine,
To beggarly vile appetites delcend;

Afk alms of earth, for guests that came from heav'n;
Sink into flaves; and fell for present hire

Their rich reverfion, and (what shares it's fate)
Their native freedom, to the prince who sways
This nether world.".

YOUNG.

iftical pamphlets, and fil

thy ballads and

Odious athe- lafcivious piece of beaftliness * to be drawn up in writing, and fet upon the gates: whereby he granted and gave licence to all his true and trufty fons in Manfoul to dɔ whatsoever their luftful appetites prompted them to do, and that no man was to let, hinder, or controul them, upon pain of incurring the displeasure of their prince.

romances full of ribaldry.

Now this he did for thefe reasons :

thus doing.

Reafons for his 1. That the town of Manfoul might be yet made weaker and weaker, and fo more unable, fhould tidings come that their redemption was defigned, to believe, hope, or confent to the truth thereof: for reafon fays, the bigger the finner, the less g roundor hope of mercy.' (a)

2. The fecond reafon was, If perhaps EMANUEL, the Son of SHADDAI their King, by feeing the horrible and profane doings of the town of Manfoul, might repent, though entered into a covenant of redeeming them, of purfuing that covenant of their redemption; for he knew that SHADDAI was holy, and that his fon EMANUEL Wȧs holy; yea, he knew it by woful experience: for, for the iniquity and fin of Diabolus was he caft from the highest orbs. Wherefore what more rational than for him to conclude, that thus for fin it might fare with Manfoul? But fearing left also this knot fhould break, he bethinks himfelf of another, to wit:

Thirdly, To endeavour to poffefs all hearts in the town of Manfoul, that SHADDAI was raising an army, to come

to

(a) When the wretched, fallen fons of Adam are brought, by a continuance in fin, to throw the reins over their lufts and paffions, working all uncleannefs with greediness, the heart then becomes callous, God's bleffed ways defpifed, his laws trampled upon, his mercy defpaired of, and therefore flighted and unfought for, Thefe are dreadful forebodings of that hard and impenitent heart which " treasures up unto itself wrath against the day of wrath, and revelation of the righteous judgment of God." Rom. ii. 5.

*

to overthrow and utterly to destroy the town of Mansoul (and this he did to foreftall any tidings that might come to their ears, of their deliverance); for, thought he, if I first spread this abroad, the tidings that might come after will be fwallowed up of this; for what elle will Manfoul fay, when they fhall hear that they must be delivered, but that the true meaning is, SHADDAI intends to deftroy them? (a) Wherefore he fummons the whole town into the * The place of market-place, and there with deceitful hearing, and of tongue thus he addreffes himself unto them: confidering. Gentlemen, and my very good friends, you are all, as you know, my legal fubjects, and men of the famous town of Manfoul; you know how, from the first day that I have been with you until now, I have behaved myself among you, and what liberty and great privileges you have enjoyed under my government; I hope, to your honour and mine, and alfo to your content and delight. Now, my famous Manfoul, a noife of trouble there is abroad, of trouble to the town of Manfoul; forry I am therefore for your fakes. For I received but now by the poft, from my lord Lucifer (and he used to have good intelligence), that your old King SHADDAI is raifing an army to come against you, to destroy you root and branch: and this, O Manfoul, is now the caufe that at this time I have called you together, namely, to advise what in this juncture is beft to be done. For my part, I am but

one,

(a) From a love to their finful ways, the profane will always raife an evil report concerning the good land; reprefenting true religion as a dull, melancholy purfuit, tending to deftroy all happiness and peace. But the reverse is the truth; fince God, all-wife and gracious, exhorts to nothing but what makes for our present and eternal benefit, and diffuades from nothing but what would be hurtful to us; his promifes, and threatenings too, flow alike from love to fouls. Wifdom is juftified of her children," Matt. xi. 19. "Her ways are ways of pleasantness, and all hes paths peace," Prov, iii, 17,

one, and can with ease fhift for myself, did I lift to feek my own eafe, and to leave my Manfoul in all danger: but my heart is fo firmly united to you, and fo loth am I to leave you, that I am willing to stand and fall with you, to the utmost hazard that shall befal me. (a) What say you, O my Manfoul? will you now defert your old friend; or do you think of ftanding by me?"

Then as one man, with one mouth, they cried out together, "Let him die the death that will not."

language.

Very deceiving Then faid Diabolus again, ""Tis in vain for us to hope for quarter, for this King knows not how to fhew it. True, perhaps he, at his first fitting down before us, will talk of, and pretend to mercy, that thereby with the more eafe, and lefs trouble, he may again make himself the master of Manfoul; whatever therefore, he fhould fay, believe not one fyllable or tittle of it, for all fuch language is but to overcome us; and to make us, while we wallow in our blood, the trophies of his merciless victory. My mind is, therefore, that we refolve to the last man to resist him, and not to believe him on any terms; for in at that door will come our danger. But fhall we be flattered out of our lives? I hope you know more of the rudiments of politics, than to fuffer yourfelves to be fo pitifully served.

"But

(a) Our daily prayer fhould be, for wisdom to discern, grace to watch againft, and ftrength to overcome, the wiles and devices of the deftroyer, "left by any means, as the ferpent beguiled Eve through his fubtlety, our minds should be corrupted from the fimplicity that is in Chrift," 2 Cor. xi, 3. By liftening to this lyar and murderer, contrary to the divine command, fin and every evil entered, the whole mafs being thereby defiled.Satan is a mercilefs tyrant; his fervice is the vileft drudgery; his wages are pain, forrow, fickness, temporal and eternal death;-death to all happiness for ever both of body and foul. But, on the contrary, the fervice of Chrift is a reasonable service, Rom. xii. 1. and perfect freedom,

He is afraid of

"But fuppofe he should, if he get us to yield, fave fome of our lives, or the lives of some of them that are underlings in Manfoul, what help will that be to you that are the chief of the town, especially you whom I have set up, and whofe greatnefs has been procured by you through your faithful fticking to me? And fuppofe again, Lying language. that he should give quarter to every one of you, be fure he will bring you into that bondage under which you were captivated before, or a worse, and then what good will your lives do you? Shall you with him live in pleasure, as you do now? No, no, you muit be bound by laws that will pinch you, and be made to do that which at prefent is hateful to you. (a) I am for you, if you are for me; and it is better to die valiantly, than to live like pitiful flaves. But I fay, the life of a flave will be accounted a life too good for Manfoul now; blood, blood, nothing but blood, is in every blaft of SHADDAI's trumpet against poor Manfoul now: pray be concerned, I hear he is coming up, and ftand to your arms, that now, while you have leifure, I may teach you fome feats of war. Armour for you I have, and by me it is; yea, and it is fufficient for Manfoul, from top to toe : nor can you be hurt by what his force can do, if you fhall keep it well girt and fastened about you: come therefore to my cafle and welcome, and harness yourselves for the war. There is helmet, breast-plate, fword, fhield, and what not, that you will fight like men.

lofing Manfoul.

He puts them upon arming themselves.

(a) Here Satan unwittingly speaks truth for once; because when the work of regeneration is begun, old things (loved before) become hateful, and all things become new; namely, the will, affections, and aims; and whereas, before converfion, the finner was led captive by the enemy at his will, now, after that bleffed change has taken place, his language is, "Draw me; we will run after thee,' Cant. i. 4. Before the Lord draws, we can't ftir a step, nay, we rather (like fallen Adam in Paradife) run away from God: not fo after converfion, for then we walk, yea delight in his ways; then we move freely and fwiftly to him, as the center of our hopes, and fource of our felicity. May this ever be our happy lot!