broad parchment was opened before her, in which was recorded the sum of her ways; and the crimes, as she thought, looked very black upon her. Then she cried out aloud in her sleep, "Lord, have mercy upon me, a sinner!" and the little children heard her. Luke 18. 13 After this, she thought she saw two very ill-favoured ones standing by her bed-side, and saying, What shall we do with this woman? for she cries out for mercy waking and sleeping: if she be suffered to go on as she begins, we shall lose her as we have lost her husband. Wherefore we must, by one way or other, seek to take her off from the thoughts of what shall be hereafter; else all the world cannot help but she will become a pilgrim. Now she awoke in a great sweat; also a trembling was upon her: but after a while she fell to sleeping again. And then she thought she saw Christian, her husband, in a place of bliss among many immortals, with a harp in his hand, standing and playing upon it before One that sat upon a throne, with a rainbow about his head. She saw also, as if he bowed his head with his face towards the paved work that was under his Prince's feet, saying, I heartily thank my Lord and King for bringing me into this place. Then shouted a company of them that stood round about and harped with their harps; but no man living could tell what they said, but Christian and his companions. Next morning, when she was up, had prayed to God, and talked with her children awhile, one knocked hard at the door; to whom she spake, saying, If thou comest in God's name, come in. So he said, Amen; and opened the door, and saluted her with, "Peace be to this house!" The which when he had done, he said, Christiana, knowest thou wherefore I am come? Then she blushed and trembled: also 1. The dream of the broad parchment-the who was thereby forewarned of a temptation scroll of remembrance. This was for convic- that would ere long arise. tion of her sin. CHRISTIAN had felt his sin as the weary burden on his back, and CHRISTIANA now sees her sin unfolded to her conscience in the record of the roll. Thus, by different ways, conviction and consciousness of sin are brought home to the heart of the sinner. 3. The vision of her husband in glory. This dream was sent for her encouragement. She is enabled in some measure to realise her husband's bliss, the glory that is beyond the tomb. She is thus encouraged to adventure the journey, for the attainment of "the rest that remaineth for the people of God." 2. The sight of the two ill-favoured ones. One knocked hard at the door.-The inward This was an effort of the carnal mind to shake | musings of the awakened soul are answered off conviction of sin, and to win back the by the outward calls of God's grace and the awakened conscience to its sleep again. This visits of his mercy. One now stands at the dream was, however, in mercy suggested, door, and knocks. His name is SECRET, from being a presentiment of a scene by-and-by to which we would gather that this messenger happen; and a premonition to CHRISTIANA, was a Divine person (see Judges xiii. 18, and legions more, his companions, ever beholding that face that doth minister life to the beholders: and they will all be glad when they shall hear the sound of thy feet step over thy Father's threshold. Sol. Song 1. 3. Christiana at this was greatly abashed in herself, and bowed her head to the ground. This vision proceeded, and said, Christiana, here is also a letter for thee, which I have brought to thee from thy husband's King. So she took it and opened it; but it smelt after the manner of the best perfume. Also it was written in letters of gold. The contents of the letter were these: that the King would have her to do as did Christian her husband; for that was the only way to come to his City, and to dwell in his presence with joy for ever. At this the good woman was quite overcome so she cried out to her visitor, Sir, will you carry me and my children with you, that we also may go worship the King? may go and Then said the visitor, Christiana, "the bitter is before the sweet.' Thou must through troubles, as he did that went before thee, enter this Celestial City. Wherefore I advise thee to do as did Christian thy husband: Go to the wicket-gate yonder over the plain; for that stands at the head of the way up which thou must go and I wish thee all good speed. Also I advise thee that thou put this letter in thy bosom; that thou read therein to thyself, and to thy children, until they have got it by heart: for it is one of the songs that thou must sing while thou art in this house of thy pilgrimage: also this thou must deliver in at the far gate. Ps. 119. 54. Now I saw in my dream that this old gentleman, as he told me this story, did himself seem to be greatly affected therewith. He moreover proceeded and said: So Christiana called her sons together, and began thus to address herself to them: My sons, I have, as you may perceive, been of late under much exercise in my soul about the death of your father: not for that I doubt at all of his happiness; for I am satisfied now that he is well. I have also been much affected with the thoughts of mine own estate and yours; which I verily believe is by nature indeed, sweeter than honey to our taste, and soft as refreshing showers when they fall upon the parched and thirsty ground? mind the same thing; sing these songs to cheer thee as thou goest; keep this counsel in thy bosom; and present it at the far gate! "The bitter is before the sweet." This Divine ambassador furthermore presents to CHRISTIANA the "golden letter" of The far gate.-There is a near gate - the the King. The golden counsel of this letter "strait gate;" and there is a "far gate" was-On to thy pilgrimage! tread the ground-away in the distance; so narrow, that only that CHRISTIAN trod; enter by the Gate as true men can enter there, and yet so wide as CHRISTIAN entered; walk by the same rule; to administer an "abundant entrance" to all Mrs. Timorous and Mercy visit Christiana. miserable. My carriage also to your father in his distress is a great load to my conscience: for I hardened both mine own heart and yours against him, and refused to go with him on pilgrimage. The thoughts of these things would now kill me outright, but for a dream which I had last night, and but for the encouragement this stranger hath given me this morning. Come, my children, let us pack up, and be gone to the gate that leads us to the Celestial country, that we may see your father, and be with him and his companions in peace, according to the laws of that land. Then did her children burst out into tears, for joy that the heart of their mother was so inclined. So their visitor bid them farewell; and they began to prepare to set out for their journey. But while they were thus about to be gone, two of the women that were Christiana's neighbours came up to her house, and knocked at her door. To whom she said as before, If you come in God's name, come in. At this the women were stunned; for this kind of language they used not to hear, or to perceive to drop from the lips of Christiana. Yet they came in: but, behold, they found the good woman preparing to be gone from her house. So they began and said, Neighbour, pray what is your meaning by this? Christiana answered and said to the eldest of them, whose name was Mrs. Timorous, I am preparing for a journey. (This Timorous was daughter to him that met Christian upon the hill of Difficulty, and would have him go back for fear of the lions.) TIM. For what journey, I pray you? CHR. Even to go after my good husband.—And with that she fell a weeping. TIM. I hope not so, good neighbour; pray, for your poor children's sake, do not so unwomanly cast away yourself. CHR. Nay, my children shall go with me: not one of them is willing to stay behind. God's children. Between the near gate and so CHRISTIANA must now be strong to resist the far gate intervenes the path of the pil- | the ill advice of those who would turn her feet grimage" from this world to that which is to come." back, ere she has well gained the threshold of the way. When God, by his awakening Spirit, knocks at the door of our hearts, we may be sure we shall hear other knocks besides-of those who would inquire what we mean to do, and whither we would go. One of these neighbours of CHRISTIANA strongly urges her TIM. I wonder in my very heart what or who has brought you into this mind! CHR. Oh, neighbour, knew you but as much as I do, I doubt not but that you would go along with me. TIM. Pr'ythee what new knowledge hast thou got, that so worketh off thy mind from thy friends, and that tempteth thee to go nobody knows where ? Then Christiana replied, I have been sorely afflicted since my husband's departure from me; but especially since he went over the river. But that which troubleth me most is my churlish carriage to him, when he was under his distress. Besides, I am now as he was then; nothing will serve me but going on pilgrimage. I was dreaming last night that I saw him. O that my soul was with him! He dwelleth in the presence of the King of the country; he sits and eats with him at his table; he has become a companion of immortals, and has a house now given him to dwell in, to which the best palace on earth, if compared, seems to me but as a dunghill. The Prince of the place has also sent for me, with promises of entertainment, if I shall come to him; his messenger was here even now, and brought me a letter which invites me to come. And with that she plucked out her letter, and read it, and said to them, What now will you say to this? 2 Cor. 5. 1-4. TIM. Oh, the madness that hath possessed thee and thy husband, to run yourselves upon such difficulties! You have heard, I am sure, what your husband did meet with, even in a manner at the first step that he took on his way, as our neighbour Obstinate can yet testify, for he went along with him: yea, and Pliable too; until they, like wise men, were afraid to go any further. We also heard, over and above, how he met with the lions, Apollyon, the Shadow of Death, and many other things. Nor is the danger that he met with at Vanity Fair to be forgotten by thee. For if he, though a man, was so hard put to it, what canst thou, being but a poor woman, do? Consider also that these four sweet babes are thy children, thy flesh and thy bones. to abandon her projected pilgrimage. Her plead the willingness of her children to acname is Mrs. TIMOROUS. She has come of no company her; in vain does she relate her worthy pedigree; her family failing being to dreams, and the visit of the Man of Godturn people back from good designs and from TIMOROUS calls it "madness," and recites the heavenly intentions. difficulties and hardships of CHRISTIAN'S OWN In vain does CHRISTIANA plead the inward experience, and, plausibly enough, reminds convictions of the soul, which will not be set her that he was a strong man, but she a weak at rest by any other means; in vain does she woman. Thus the tempters of this world do the |