* Chrifti- Sword drawn in his* Hand; for he faid, an goes on I know not but fome other Enemy may be at his four- Hand. But he met with no other Affront ney with from Apollyon quite thro' the Valley. bis Sword Now at the End of this Valley was ano. drawn in ther, called the † Valley of the Shadow of . bis Hand, Death,, and Chriftian muft needs go through + The it, because the Way to the Cœleftial City lay Valley of through the midft of it: Now this Valley is the Sha- a very folitary Place. The Prophet Jeremiah dow of thus defcribes it: A Wilderness, [v. 2. 8.] a Land of Defart, and of Pits, a Land of Drought, and of the Shadow of Death, a Land that no Man (but a Chriftian) paffeth through, and where no Man dwells. Death. Now here Chriftian was worfe put to it than in the Fight with Apollyon; as by the Sequel you fhall fee. I faw then in my Dream, That when Chriftian was got on the Borders of the Shadow of Death, there met him two Men, The Chil- Children of them that brought up an evil aren of the Report of the good Land, making Hafte to go back; to whom Cbriflian spake as follows: Spies go Numb. back. 13. Chr. Whither are you going? Men. They faid, Back! Back! And we would have you do fe too, if either Life or Peace be prized by you. Chr. Why! What's the Matter? faid Chriftian. Men. Matter! faid they, we were going that Way as you are going, and went as far as we durft; and indeed, we were almost past coming back; for had we gone a little further, we had not been here to bring the News to thee. Chr. Chr. But what have you met with? faid Christian. Men. Why, we were almoft in the Valley Pl. iv. 10. of the Shadow of Death, but that by good Pf. i. 17. Hap, we looked before us and faw the Dan- 1. 9. ger before we came to it. Chr. But, what have you feen? faid Chriftian. Men. Seen! Why, the Valley itself, which is as dark as Pitch; we also faw there Hob goblins, Satyrs, and Dragons of the Pit; we heard also in that Valley, a continual Howling and Yelling, as of People under unutterable Mifery, who there fat bound in Afflictions and Irons; and over that Valley hangs the difcouraging Clouds of Confufion: John 3.5. Death alfo does always fpread his Wings over c. 10. 22. it. In a Word, it is every whit dreadful, being utterly without Order. Chr. Then faid Chriftian, I perceive not Jer. 3. 6. yet, by what you have faid, but what this is my Way to the defired Haven. Men. Be it thy Way, we will not chuse it for ours. So they parted, and Chriftian went on his Way, but still with his Sword drawn in his Hand, for fear he fhould be affaulted. I saw then in my Dream, fo far as this Valley reached, there was on the Right-hand a very deep Ditch: That it is into which the Blind hath led the Blind in all Ages, and have both there miferably perifhed. Again, Pf. 69. 24. behold on the Left-hand there was a very dangerous Quag, into which, if even a Man falls, he finds no Bottom for his Foot to itand D. 6. on : Into this Quag King David did once fall, and had no doubt there been fmothered, had not he that is able plucked him out. The Path Way was here fo exceeding nar row, and therefore good Chriftian was the more put to it; for when he ought in the Dark to fhun the Ditch on the one Hand, he was ready to tip over into the Mire on the cther; alfo when he fought to escape the Mire, without great Carefulness, he would be ready to fall into the Ditch: Thus he went on, and I heard him here figh bit. terly; for befides the Danger mentioned above, the Path-way was here fo dark, that oftentimes when he lift up his Foot to go forward, he knew not where, ner upon what he fheuld fet it next,ovo . About the Midft of the Valley, I perceived the Mouth of Hell to be, and it' flood alfo hard by the Way.fide: Now, thought Chriftian, What shall I do? And ever and anon the Flame and Smoke would come out in fuch Abundance, with Sparks and hideous Noifes, (Things that cared not for Chriftian's Sword, as did Apollyon before) fo that he was forced to put up his Sword, and betake himself to another Weapon, called All-Prayer: So he cryed in my Hearing, O Lord, I befeech Thee, Fph. vi 3. deliver my Soul. Thus he went on a great If.i. vi. 3. while, yet the Flames would be reaching towards him : Alfo he heard doleful Voices, and tufhings to and fro, so that fome Times he thought he should be trod in Pieces, or trodden down like Mire in the Streets, Poor Man! where art thou now? Thy Day is Night, well. Chriftian Streets. This frightful Sight was feen, and put to a thefe dreadful Noifes were heard by him for Stand for a feveral Miles together; and coming to a avbile. Place where he thought he heard a Company of Fiends coming forward to meet him, he ftopt, and began to mufe what he had best to do. Sometimes he had half a Mind to go back, then again he thought he might be half Way through the Valley: He remembred alfo how that he had already vanquifh'd many a Danger; but that the Danger of going back might be much more than to go forward, fo he refolved to go on : Yet the Fiends feemed to come nearer and nearer: But when they were come even almost at him, he cried out with a moft vehement Voice, I will walk in the Strength of the Lord God. So they gave back and came no farther. One Thing I would not flip: I took Notice that now poor Chriftian was fe confounded, that he did not know his own Voice: And thus I perceived it just when he was come over against the Mouth of the burning Pit, one of the wicked Ones got behind him, and ftept up foftly to him, and *Chriftian whispering, fuggefted many grievous Blafmade be phemies to him, which he verily thought lieve that had proceeded from his own Mind. This be fpake put Chriftian more to it than any Thing that Blafphe he had met with before; even to think that he mies, when should now blafpheme Him that he loved it was Sa-fo much. before; yet if he could have helped it, he would not have done it: But he had fuggefted not the Difcretion either to ftop his Ears, or them into to know from whence thefe Blafphemies tan that d. came. When |