who told them, that there was no way better to do than to do as they had done, nor would he that they should be discouraged at all with what they had met with at court; yea, though several of their petitions should be answered with naught but silence or rebuke; for, said he, it is the way of the wise Shaddai to make men wait, and to exercise patience; and it should be the way of them in want to be willing to stay his leisure.

See now what

Then they took courage, and sent again and again, and again and again; for there is the work of a was not a day nor an hour, that went over backsliding saint Mansoul's head, wherein a man might not awakened. have met upon the road one or other riding post from Mansoul to the court of king Shaddai, and all with letters petitionary in behalf of, and for the prince's return, to Mansoul. The road, I say, was now full of messengers, going and returning, and meeting one another; desires. some from the court, and some from Mansoul; and this was the work of the miserable town of Mansoul all that long, that sharp, that cold and tedious winter.*

Groaning

A memento.

Now you may remember that I told you before that after Immanuel had taken Mansoul, yea, and after he had new modelled the town, there remained, in several lurking places of the corporation, many of the old Diabolonians, that either came with the tyrant when he invaded and took the town, or that had there (by reason of unlawful mixtures in their birth, breeding, and bringing up) their holes, dens, and lurking places in, under, or about the walls of the town; some of their names are, the Lord Fornication, the Lord Adultery, the Lord Murder, the Lord Anger, the Lord Laciviousness, the Lord Deceit, the Lord Evil-eye, the Lord Blasphemy, and that horrible villain the old and dangerous Lord Covetousness; these, with many more, had yet their abode in the town of Mansoul, even after Immanuel had driven Diabolus out of the castle.

Against these the good prince granted a commission to the Lord Will-be-will and others, yea, to the whole town of Mansoul, to seek, take, secure, and destroy, any or all that they could lay hands of; for that they were Diabolonians by nature, enemies to the prince, and those who sought to ruin the blessed town of Mansoul. But Mansoul heeded Mansoul did not pursue this warrant, but not the prince's neglected to apprehend, secure, and destroy caution, nor put

Prayer, at all times necessary, becomes peculiarly seasonable when a state of backsliding is discovered. Prayer may not immediately receive an answer, nor forfeited comfort return; but as Godly-fear said, there is no bet. ter way than to pray and pray again, and wait the Lord's pleasure.

his commmission those Diabolonians; wherefore what do in execution. these villains, but by degrees take courage to show themselves to the inhabitants of the town; yea, and as I was told, some of the men of Mansoul grew too familiar with several of them, to the sorrow of the corporation, as you will hear more in time and place.*

CHAPTER XIII.

The Diabolonians take courage from the departure of Immanuel, and plots are formed, in concert with Hell, for a counter-revolution in Mansoul. Covetousness, Lasciviousness, and Anger, by changing their names, are introduced into respectable families, where they corrupt their masters and do incredible mischief. An army of twenty thousand Doubters is raised to surprise the town.

WHEN the Diabolonian lords perceived that Mansoul had, through sinning, offended Immanuel their prince, and that he had withdrawn himself and was gone, what do they but The Diabo- plot the ruin of Mansoul? Accordingly they met lonians' plot. together at the hold of one Mr. Mischief, who was a Diabolonian, and here consulted how they might deliver up Mansoul into the hands of Diabolus again. Now some advised one way, and some another, every man according to his own liking. At last my Lord Lasciviousness proposed, that some of the Diabolonians in Mansoul should offer themselves for servants to some of the natives of the town; for, said he, if they do so, and Mansoul shall accept of them, they may for us, and for Diabolus our lord, make the taking of the town of Mansoul more easy than otherwise it would be. But then stood up the lord Murder, and said, This may not be done at this time, for Mansoul is now in a kind of rage, because by our friend Mr. Carnal-security she hath been once ensnared already, and made to offend against her prince; and how shall she reconcile herself unto her lord again, but by the heads of these men? Besides, we know that they have in commission to take and slay us wherever they shall find us; let us therefore be wise as foxes: when we are dead, we can do them no hurt; but while we live, we may.

Thus when they had tossed the matter to and fro, they

*When Mansoul first received Immanuel, a strict charge was given to discover and destroy the Diabolonians; but this was too much neglected: the consequence was, that they became to Mansoul what the Canaanites were to Israel, according to the prediction, Numb. xxxiii. 55. “If ye will not drive out the inhabitants of the land from before you, then shall it come to pass, that those which ye let remain of them shall be pricks in your eyes, and thorns in your sides, and shall vex you in the land wherein ye dwell."

jointly agreed that a letter should forthwith be They send to sent away to Diabolus in their name, by which hell for advice. the state of the town of Mansoul should be showed him, and how much it is under the frowns of their prince; we may also, said some, let him know our intentions, and ask his advice in the case. So a letter was presently framed, the contents of which were these:

"To our great lord, the Prince Diabolus, dwelling below in the Infernal cave.

"O great father, and mighty prince Diabolus, we the true Diabolonians, yet remaining in the rebellious town of Mansoul, having received our beings from thee, and our nourishment at thy hands, cannot with content and quiet endure to behold, as we do this day, how thou art dispraised, disgraced and reproached among the inhabitants of this town; nor is thy long absence at all delightful to us, because greatly to our detriment.

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The reason of this our writing to our Lord is, that we are not altogether without hope that this town may become thy habitation again: for it is greatly declined from its prince Immanuel, and he is departed from them; yea, and though they send and send after him, to return to them, yet can they not prevail, nor get good words from him.

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There has been also of late, and is yet remaining, a very great sickness and faintings among them; and that not only upon the poorer sort of the town, but upon the lords, captains, and chief gentry of the place; [we only, who are Diabolonians by nature, remain well, lively and strong;] so that through their great transgression on one hand, and their dangerous sickness on the other, we judge they lie open to thy hand and power. If therefore it shall stand with thy horrible cunning, and with the cunning of They propose a the rest of the princes with thee, to come and second attempt amake an attempt to take Mansoul again, gainst Mansoul. send us word, and we shall to our utmost power be ready to deliver it into thy hand. Or if what we have said shall not be thought best and most meet to be done, send us thy mind in a few words, and we are all ready to follow thy counsel, to the hazard of our lives, and what else we have. "Given under our hands this day and date above written, after a close consultation at the house of Mr. Mischief, who is yet alive, and hath his place in our desirable town of Mansoul."

When Mr. Profane (for he was the car- Mr. Profane is rier) was come with his letter to Hellgate- carrier: he brings hill, he knocked at the gate for entrance. the letter to Hell

the porter.

gate-hill, and pre- Then did Cerberus the porter (for he was sents it to Cerberus the keeper of that gate) open to Mr. Profane; to whom he delivered his letter which he had brought from the Diabolonians in Mansoul. So he carried it in, and presented it to Diabolus his lord, and said, Tidings, my lord, from Mansoul; and from our trusty friends in Mansoul.

Then came together Beelzebub, Lucifer, Apollyon, with the rest of the rabble there, to hear what news from Mansoul. So the letter was read and Cerberus stood by. When the letter was openly read, and the contents thereof spread into all the corners of the den, command was given, that Deadman's bell, without let, or stop, Deadman's bell should and how it went. be rung for joy. So the bell was rung, and the princes rejoiced that Mansoul was like to come to ruin. Now the clapper of the bell went, "The town of Mansoul is coming to dwell with us; make room for Mansoul." This bell, therefore, they rang, because they hoped that they should have Mansoul again.*

Now when they had performed this their horrible ceremony, they got together again, to consult what answer to send to their friends in Mansoul; and some advised one thing, and some another; but at length, because the business required haste, they left the whole business to Diabolus, judging him the most proper lord of the place. So he drew up a letter in answer to what Mr. Profane had brought, and sent it to the Diabolonians in Mansoul, by the same hand that brought their's to him; and these were the contents thereof:

A letter from

"To our Offspring, the high and mighty Diabolonians that yet dwell in the town of Mansoul; DiaboDiabolus to lus, the great Prince of Mansoul, wisheth a the Diaboloni- prosperous issue and conclusion of those many ans his ser- brave enterprises and conspiracies, and designs, vants in Man- that you, of your love and respect to our honour, have in your hearts to attempt to do against

soul.

Mansoul.

"Beloved children and disciples, my Lord Fornication, Adultery, and the rest; we have here, in our desolate den, received, to our highest joy and content, your welcome letter, by the hand of our trusty Mr. Profane; and to show how acceptable your tidings were, we rang our bell for

*Wilful departure from God gives courage to our spiritual foes, who rejoice in the hope of making backsliders apostates. Satan will renew his temp. tations with double force; while lasciviousness, murder, and mischief will unite with him in cunning devices to ruin the soul.

gladness; for we rejoiced as much as we could, when we perceived that yet we had friends in Mansoul, and such as sought our honour and revenge in the ruin of the town of Mansoul. We also rejoiced to hear that they are in a degenerate condition, have offended their prince, and that he Is gone. Their sickness also pleaseth us, as does also your health, might, and strength. Glad also would we be, right horribly beloved, could we get this town into our clutches again. Nor will we be sparing of our wit, cunning, craft, and hellish inventions, to bring to a wished conclusion this your brave beginning.

"And take this for your comfort, our birth and offspring, that if we again surprise and take it, we will attempt to put all your foes to the sword, and make you the great lords and captains of the place. Nor need you fear (if ever we get it again) that we after that shall be cast out any more; for we will come with more strength, and so take faster hold than we did at first. Fesides, it is the law of that prince, which now they own, that if we get them a second time, they shall be our's for ever, Matt. xii. 43-45.

"Do you therefore, our trusty Diabolonians, yet more pry into and endeavour to spy out, the weakness of the town of Mansoul. We would also that you yourselves do attempt to weaken them more and more. Send us word also by what means we had best to attempt the regaining thereof, to wit, whether by persuasion to à vain and loose life; by tempting them to doubt and despair; or by blowing up the town by the gunpowder of pride and self-conceit.* Do you also, O ye brave Diabolonians, and true sons of the pit, be always in a readiness to make a most horrid assault within, when we shall be ready to storm it without. Now speed you in your project, and we in our desires, the utmost power of our gates, which is the wish of your great Diabolus, Mansoul's enemy, and him that trembles when he thinks of judgment to come. All the blessing of the pit be upon you! and so we close up our letter.

"Given at the Pit's Mouth, by the joint consent of all the princes of darkness; to be sent (to the force and power that we have yet remaining in Mansoul) by the hand of Mr. Profane.

"By me, DIABOLUS."

This letter was sent to the Diabolonians that yet remained in Mansoul, and that yet inhabited the wall, from the dark dungeon of Diabolus, by the hand of Mr. Profane, by whom they also in Mansoul sent their's to the pit. Now

*These means of destruction are proposed in hell: 1. A Vicious life. 2. Despair of mercy. 3. Prevailing pride; either of these would prove our ruin But grace prevents.