152

CONVERSATION RELATIVE TO TALKATIVE.

pany than reform his life; but he is gone, as I said: let him go, the loss is no man's but his own: he has saved us the trouble of going from him; for he continuing (as I suppose he will do) as he is, he would have been but a blot in your company: besides, the apostle says, "From such withdraw thyself."

FAITH. But I am glad we had this little discourse with him; it may happen that he will think of it again : however, I have dealt plainly with him, and so am clear of his blood if he perisheth.*

CHR. You did well to talk so plainly to him as you did; there is but little of this faithful dealing with men now-a-days, and that makes religion to stink so in the nostrils of many as it doth: for there are these talkative fools, whose religion is only in words, and are debauched and vain in their conversation, that, being so much admitted into the fellowship of the godly, do puzzle the world, blemish christianity, and grieve the sincere. I wish that all men would deal with such as you have done; then should they be either made more conformable to religion, or the company of saints would be too hot for them. Then did Faithful say

"How Talkative at first lifts up his plumes?
How bravely doth he speak! How he presumes
To drive down all before him! But so soon
As Faithful talks of heart-work, like the moon
Thats' past the full, into the wane he goes:
And so will all but he that heart-work knows."

Thus they went on talking of what they had seen by the way, and so made that way easy which would other wise no doubt have been tedious to them: for now they went through a wilderness.t

Mind this. These are right principles to act from, and right ends to have in view, in faithful reproving, or aiming to convict our fellow-sinners. Study and pursue these.

† Spiritual observations and conferences on past experiences, are very enlivening to the soul. They very often change the wilderness of dejection into a garden of delights; and so beguile the weary steps of pilgrims through tedious paths. O Christians, look more to Christ, and talk more to each other of his love to you, and dealings with you.

CHRISTIAN AND FAITHFUL MEET EVANGELIST. 153

CHAPTER XIII.

PERSECUTION EXHIBITED, IN THE TREATMENT OF CHRISTIAN AND FAITHFUL IN VANITY FAIR

NOW when Christian and Faithful were got almost quite out of this wilderness, Faithful chanced to cast his eye back, and spied one coming after them, and he knew him. Oh! said Faithful to his brother, Who comes yonder? Then Christian looked, and said, It is my good friend Evangelist. Aye, and my good friend too, said Faithful; for it was he that set me in the way to the gate. Now as Evangelist came up unto them, he thus saluted them:

Peace be with you, dearly beloved; and peace be to your helpers.

CHR. Welcome, welcome, my good Evangelist, the sight of thy countenance brings to my remembrance thy ancient kindness and unwearied labours for my eternal good.

And a thousand times welcome, said good Faithful'; thy company, O sweet Evangelist, how desirable is it to us poor pilgrims !*

Then said Evangelist, How hath it fared with you, my friends, since the time of our last parting? what have you met with, and how have you behaved yourselves ?+

Then Christian and Faithful told him of all things that had happened to them in the way; and how,

* A sincere and cordial love for gospel ministers, under a sense of their being made instrumental to our soul's profit, is a sure and a blessed sign of a pilgrim's spirit.

To inquire after the concerns and prosperity of the soul, should always be the business of faithful ministers of Christ: but is not this sadly neg lected? O how often do ministers visit and depart, without close experimental converse with their people! Hence both suffer present loss, and much harm is the consequence.

154

EVANGELIST'S EXHORTATION :

and with what difficulty, they had arrived to that place.

Right glad am I, said Evangelist, not that you have met with trials, but that you have been victors, and for that you have, notwithstanding many weaknesses, continued in the way to this very day. I say, right glad am I of this thing, and that for my own sake and your's. I have sowed and you have reaped; and the day is coming, when "both he that sowed and they that reaped shall rejoice together;" that is, if you hold out; "for in due time ye shall reap, if you faint not."(a) The crown is before you, and it is an incorruptible one; "so run, that you may obtain it." Some there be that set out for this crown, and after they have gone far for it, another comes in and takes it from them; "hold fast therefore that you have, let no man take your crown:"(b) you are not yet out of the gun-shot of the devil: "you have not resisted unto blood, striving against sin:" let the kingdom be always before you, and believe steadfastly concerning things that are invisible let nothing that is on this side the other world get within you and, above all, look well to your own hearts, and to the lusts thereof, for they are "deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked:" set your faces like a flint; you have all power in heaven and earth on your side.*

Then Christian thanked him for his exhortation; but told him withal, that they would have him speak further to them for their help the rest of the way; and the rather, for that thy well knew that he was a prophet, and could tell them of things that might happen unto them, and how they might resist and overcome them. To

* Here is a blessed word of encouragement, of warning and of exhortation, to be steadfast in faith, joyful in hope, watchful over our hearts, and to abound in the work of the Lord. All this is constantly necessary for pilgrims. Faithful ministers will give advice, and pilgrims will be thanks ful for such.

(a) John iv, 36. Gal. vi. 9. (b) 1 Cor. ix. 24-27. Rev iii. 1,

FORETELLS THEIR APPROACHING TRIALS. 155

which request Faithful also consented. So Evangelist began as followeth :

My sons, you have heard in the words of the truth of the gospel, that "you must through many tribulations enter into the kingdom of heaven." And again, that "in every city, bonds and afflictions abide on you;" and therefore you cannot expect that you should go long on your pilgrimage without them, in some sort or other. You have found something of the truth of these testimonies upon you already, and more will immediately follow for now, as you see, you are almost out of this wilderness, and therefore you will soon come into a town, that you will by and by see before you; and in that town you will be hardly beset with enemies, who will strain hard but they will kill you; and be you sure that one or both of you must seal the testimony which you hold with blood: but "be you faithful unto death, and the King will give you a crown of life." He that shall die there, although his death will be unnatural, and his pains perhaps great, he will yet have the better of his fellow, not only because he will be arrived at the Celestial City soonest, but because he will escape many miseries that the other will meet with in the rest of his journey. But when you are come to the town, and shall find fulfilled what I have here related, then remember your friend, and quit yourselves like men; and "commit the keeping of your souls to your God in well-doing, as unto a faithful Creator."*

Then I saw in my dream that, when they were got out of the wilderness, they presently saw a town before them; the name of that town is Vanity; and at that town there is a fair kept, called Vanity Fair: it is

* Woe unto them that fold their hands, and fall asleep in strong confidence. You see what hard work yet lay before these pilgrims. Let us ever remember, this is not our rest. We must be pressing forward, fighting the good fight of faith, labouring to enter into that rest which remaineth for the people of God: looking diligently, lest we fail of the grace of God, Heb. xii. 5.

156

VANITY FAIR DESCRIBED.

kept all the year long: it beareth the name of Vanity fair, because the town where it is kept is "lighter than vanity," and also, because all that is there sold, or that cometh thither, is vanity. As is the saying of the wise, "All that cometh is vanity."(a)

This fair is no new-erected business, but a thing of ancient standing: I will shew you the original of it.

Almost five thousand years agone, there were pilgrims walking to the Celestial City, as these two honest persons are: and Beelzebub, Apollyon, and Legion, with their companions, perceiving, by the path that the pilgrims made, that their way to their city lay through this town of Vanity, they contrived here to set up a fair; a fair, wherein should be sold all sorts of vanity; and that it should last all the year long: therefore, at this fair, are all such merchandise sold, as houses, lands, trades, places, honours, preferments, titles, countries, kingdoms, lusts, pleasures; and delights of all sorts, as whores, bawds, wives, husbands, children, masters, servants, lives, blood, bodies, souls, silver, gold, pearls, precious stones, and what not?

And moreover, at this fair there is at all times to be seen jugglings, cheats, games, plays, fools, apes, knaves, and rogues, and that of every kind.

Here are to be seen too, and that for nothing, thefts, murders, adulteries, false-swearers, and that of a bloodred colour.*

And as in other fairs of less moment, there are several rows and streets under their proper names,

A just description of this wicked world. How many, though they profess to be pilgrims, have never yet set one foot out of this fair; but live in it all the year round! They walk according to the course of this world. Eph. ii. 2. For the God of this world hath blinded their mind. 1 Cor. iv. 4. You cannot be a pilgrim, if you are not delivered from this world and its vanities; for if you love the world, if it has your supreme affections, the love of God is not in you. 1 John ii. 15. You have not one grain of faith in

Jesus.

(a) Eccles. i. 2-14. ii. 17. xi. 8. Isaiah xl. 17.