my father's captains, and made them to fight against those that were sent of him to deliver them from their bondage! All these things, and very many more, thou hast done against thy light, and in contempt of my father, and his law: yea, and with design to bring under his displeasure for ever, the miserable town of Mansoul. I am therefore come to revenge the wrong that thou hast done to my father, and to deal with thee for the blasphemies wherewith thou hast made poor Mansoul blaspheme his name: yea, upon thy head, thou prince of the infernal cave, will I require it.

As for myself, O Diabolus, I am come against thee by lawful power; and to take, by strength of hands, this town of Mansoul out of thy burning fingers: for this town of Mansoul is mine, O Diabolus, and that by undoubted right, as all shall see that will diligently search the most ancient and most authentic records, and I will plead my title to it to the confusion of thy face.

"First, For the town of Mansoul, my father built and The town of fashioned it with his hands. The palace also, Mansoul is the that is in the midst of the town, he built for right of Shaddai his own delight. This town of Mansoul, who built it. therefore, is my father's, and that by the best of titles; and he that gainsays the truth of this, must lie against his soul.

"Secondly, O thou master of the lie, this town of Mansoul is mine:

"1. For that I am my father's heir, his first-born, and the only delight of his heart, Heb. i. 2; John xv. 16. I am, therefore, come up against thee in mine own right, even to recover mine own inheritance out of thine hands.

"2. But further, as I have a right and title to Mansoul Also the inhe- by being my father's heir, so I have also by ritance of his son my father's donation, John xvii. His it was, Immanuel. and he gave it me: nor have I at any time offended my father, that he should take it from me, and give it to thee, Isa. 1. 1. Nor have I been forced, by playing the bankrupt, to sell or set to sale to thee my beloved town of Mansoul. Mansoul is my desire, my delight, and the joy of my heart. But,

"3. Mansoul is mine by right and purchase. I have bought it, O Diabolus, I have bought it for myself. Now since it was my father's and mine, as I was his heir, and since also I have made it mine by virtue of a great purchase, it followeth, that by all lawful right the town of ManDiabolus an soul is mine; and that thou art an usurper, tyusurper and rant, and traitor, in thy holding possession tyrant. thereof. Now the cause of my purchasing it

was this: Mansoul had trespassed against my father. Now my father had said, that in the day that they broke his law, they should die: now it is more possible. for heaven and earth to pass away, than for my father to break his word, Matt. v. 18. Wherefore when Mansoul had sinned indeed by hearkening to thy lie, I put in and became a surety to my father, body for body, and soul for soul, that I would 'make amends for Mansoul's transgressions: O sweet prince and my father accepted thereof. So when Immanuel! the time appointed was come, I gave body for body, soul for soul, life for life, blood for blood, and so redeemed my beloved Mansoul.

"4. Nor did I this by halves; my father's love and justice, that were both concerned in the threatening upon transgression, are both now satisfied, and very well content that Mansoul should be delivered.

"5. Nor am I come out this day against thee, but by commandment from my father; 'twas he that said unto me, Go down and deliver Mansoul.

"Wherefore be it known unto thee, O thou Immanuel comfountain of deceit, and be it also known to the missioned by his foolish town of Mansoul, that I am not come father. against thee this day without my father.

"And now, said the golden-headed prince, I have a word to the town of Mansoul (but so soon as mention was made, that he had a word to speak to the besotted town of Mansoul, the gates were double-guarded, and all men commanded not to give him audience;) so he proceeded and said, O unhappy town of Mansoul, I cannot but be touched with pity and compassion for thee. Thou hast accepted of Diabolus for thy king, and art become a Immanuel's adnurse and minister of Diabolonians against dress to the town thy sovereign Lord. Thy gates thou hast of Mansoul. opened to him, but hast shut them fast against me; thou hast given him a hearing, but hast stopt thine ears to my cry: he brought to thee thy destruction, and thou didst receive both him and it; I am come to thee bringing salvation," but thou regardest me not. Besides, thou hast with sacrilegious hands taken thyself, with all that was mine in thee, and hast given all to my foe, and to the greatest enemy my father has. You have bowed and subjected yourselves to him, you have vowed and sworn yourselves to be his. Poor Mansoul! what shall I do unto thee? Shall I save thee? Shall I destroy thee? What shall I do unto thee? Shall I fall upon thee, and grind thee to powder; or make thee a monument of the richest grace? What shall I do unto thee? Hearken, therefore, thou town of Mansoul, hearken to my word, and thou shalt live. I am merciful, Mansoul,

and thou shalt find me so: shut me not out of thy gates, Cant. v. 2.

"O Mansoul, neither is my commission or inclination at all to do thee hurt: why flyest thou so fast from thy friend, and stickest so close to thine enemy? Indeed I would have thee, because it becomes thee, to be sorry for thy sin: but do not despair of life: this great force is not to hurt thee, but to deliver thee from thy bondage, and to reduce thee to hy obedience.

! "My commission indeed is, to make war upon Diabolus Immanuel's com- thy king, and upon all Diabolonians with mission is to make him, for he is the strong man armed that war upon Diabolus keeps the house: but I will have him out; and to save Man- his spoils I must divide, his armour I must take from him, his hold I must cast him out of, and must make it an habitation for myself. And this, Ó Mansoul, shall Diabolus know, when he shall be made to follow me in chains, and when Mansoul shall rejoice to see it too.

soul.

"I could, would I now put forth my might, cause that forthwith he should leave you, and depart; but I have it in my heart so to deal with him, as that the justice of the war, that I shall make upon him, may be seen and acknowledged by all. He hath taken Mansoul by fraud, and keeps it by

Conclusion violence and deceit; and I will make him bare of Immanuel's and naked in the eyes of all observers. All my speech. words are true: I am mighty to save, and will deliver my Mansoul out of his hand."*

This speech was intended chiefly for Mansoul, but Mansoul would not have the hearing of it. They shut up EarGate, they barricadoed it up, they kept it locked and bolted, they set a guard thereat, and commanded that no Mansoulian should go out to him, nor that any from the camp should be admitted into the town; all this they did, so horribly had Diabolus inchanted them to do, and to seek to do for him, against their rightful lord and prince; wherefore no man, nor voice, nor sound of man that belonged to the glorious host, was to come into the town.†

In this speech of Immanuel, the true character of Satan is drawn, and he s represented, as in the sacred scriptures, a liar, a deceiver, a blasphemer, an usurper, the malicious enemy of God and man; while Immanuel claims the human soul as his own, his workmanship, his delight, his inheritance, his purchase.

That part of the speech which is directed to Mansoul, contains the charm. ing substance of the gospel of grace, the merciful design of Christ in his approaches to the soul, which is not to destroy but to save. How well does his gracious address deserve the most cordial acceptation: but, mark the sequel!

Infatuated sinners! rejecting the counsel of God against themselves.

CHAPTER VII.

Immanuel prepares to make war upon Mansoul. Diabolus sends Mr. Loth. to-stoop with proposals for accommodating the difference. His dishonourable proposals are rejected by Immanuel. Again he proposes to be Immanuel's Deputy, and turn reformer; this proposal also rejected. New preparations for battle. A violent assault upon Ear-gate with the Battering Rams. The gate broken to pieces; the troops enter the town; take possessoin of Mr. Conscience's house. Several Diabolonians are killed.

WHEN Immanuel saw that Mansoul was thus involved in sin, he called his army together, (since now all his words were despised,) and gave out a commandment throughout all his hosts, to be ready against the time appointed. Now forasmuch as there was no way lawfully to take the town of Mansoul, but to get in by the pares to make gates, and at Ear-gate as the chief, therefore war upon Manhe commanded his captains and commanders soul.

Immanuel

pre

to bring their rams, their slings, and their men, and place them at Eye-gate and Ear-gate, in order to his taking the town.

When Immanuel had put all things in readiness to bid Diabolus battle, he sent again to know of the town of Mansoul, if in peaceable manner they would yield themselves; or whether they were yet resolved to put him to try the utmost extremity? They then, together with Diabolus the king, called a council of war, and resolved upon certain propositions that should be offered Immanuel, if he will accept thereof: so they agreed; and then the next Diabolus sends by was who should be sent on this errand. the hand of his serNow there was in the town of Mansoul an vant Mr, Loth-toold man, a Diabolonian, and his name was stoop, and by him Mr. Loth-to-stoop; a stiff man in his way, ditions of peace. he propounds conand a great doer for Diabolus; him therefore they sent, and put into his mouth what he should say. So he went, and came to the camp to Immanuel; and when he was come, a time was appointed to give him audience. So at the time he came; and after a Diabolonian ceremony

Reader, is this thy picture ?-pause and examine. Remember, "faith com eth by hearing." 'Hear, then, and your soul shall live."

Mansoul.

Diabolus wishes or two, he thus began, and said, Tim. i. 16. to retain the half of "Great Sir, that it may be known unto all men, how good-natured a prince my master is, he hath sent me to tell your lordship, that he is very willing, rather than go to war, to deliver up into your hands one half of the town of Mansoul. I am therefore to know if your Mightiness will accept of this proposition ?"

Then said Immanuel, "The whole is mine by gift and purchase, therefore I will never lose one half."

And will allow Then said Mr. Loth-to-stoop, "Sir, my masImmanuel to be ter hath said, that he will be content that you called Lord of all shall be the nominal and titular lord of all, if he may possess but a part," Luke xiii. 25.

Then Immanuel answered, "The whole is mine really, not in name and word only; wherefore I will be the sole lord and possessor of all, or of none at all, in Mansoul." Then Mr. Loth-to-stoop said again, "Sir, behold the condescension of my master! He says, that he Mark this. will be content if he may but have assigned to him some place in Mansoul, as a place to live privately in, and you shall be lord of all the rest." Acts v. 1-5.

Then said the Golden Prince, "All that the Father giveth me, shall come to me; and of all that he hath given me I will lose nothing, no not the least corner in Mansoul to dwell in, I will have it all to myself."

Mark this well.

Then Loth-to-stoop said again, "But, Sir, suppose that my Lord should resign the whole town to you only, with this proviso, that he sometimes, when he comes into this country, may, for old acquaintance sake, be entertained as a wayfaring man for two days, or ten days, or a month, or so; may not this small matter be granted?”

Then said Immanuel, "No: He came as a wayfaring man to David, nor did he stay long with him, and yet it had like to have cost David his soul, 2 Sam. xii. 1-5. I will not consent that he ever should have any harbour more there."

Then said Mr. Loth-to-stoop,,"Sir, you seem to be very hard. Suppose my master should yield to Sin and car- all that your lordship hath said, provided that nal lust. his friends and kindred in Mansoul may have liberty to trade in the town, and to enjoy their present dwellings; may not that be granted, Sir?"

Then said Immanuel, "No; that is contrary to my father's will, Rom. vi. 13; Col. iii. 5; Gal. v. 24. For all, and all manner of Diabolonians that now are, or that at any time shall be found in Mansoul, shall not only lose their lands and liberties, but also their lives."