fhall reap, if you faint not. Chr. Then Christian thanked him for his exhortation; but told him withal, that they would have him fpeak farther to them for their help the rest of the way; and the rather, for that they well knew that he was a prophet, and could tell them of things that might happen unto them, and how they might refift and overcome them. To which request Faithful alfo confented. So Evangelift began as followeth : Evan. My fons, you have heard in the words of the truth of the gofpel, that you must thro' many tribulations enter into the kingdom of heaven. And again, That in every city, bonds and afflictions abide you; and therefore you cannot expect that you fhould converts fo to run that they might obtain: and suggests, that though they had already passed through many and great dangers, there were yet many more in the way; and that through variety of tribulation and diftrefs, and even death itfelf, they must be brought to inherit the kingdom: that fhould go long on your pilgrimage without them, in fome fort or other: You have found fomething of the truth of these teftimonies upon you already, and more will immediately follow; for now, as you fee, you are almoft out of this wildernefs, and therefore you will foon come into a town that you will byand-by fee before you; and in that town you will be hard befet with enemies,' who will strain hard but they will kill you; and be you sure that one or both of you must feal the teftimony which you hold, with blood; but be you faithful unto death, and the King will give you a crown of life. He that fhall die there, altho' 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 coeleftial city fooneft, but because he will efcape many miferies that the other will meet with in the reft of his journey. But when you are come to the town, and fhall find fulfilled what I have here rerelated, then remember your friend, and quit your felves like men, and commit the keeping of your fouls 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 wildernefs, they presently faw a town before them, and the name of that town is Vanity; and at the town there is a fair kept, called VanityFair: It is 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 fold, or that cometh thither, is Vanity. As is the faying of the wife, All that cometh is vanity. Pfal. xl. 17. Ecclf. i. ch. ii. 11, 17. This this was not their lot only, but peculiar to faints in all ages. -By the striking metaphor Vanity Fair, he points out to them the wretchedness of all creature-comforts; and that all the riches This fair is no new-erected business, but a thing of ancient standing: I will fhew you the original of it. Almost five thousand years agone, there were Pilgrims walking to the cœleftial 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 the city lay through this town of Vanity, they contrived here to set up a fair; a fair wherein should be fold all forts of vanity, and that it should last all the year long; therefore, at this fair, are all fuch merchandizes fold, as houfes, lands, trades, places, honours, preferments, titles, countries, kingdoms, lufts, pleafures; and delights of all forts, as whores, bawds, wives, husbands, children, mafters, fervants, lives, blood, bodies, fouls, filver, gold, pearls, precious ftones, 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, falfe-fwearers, and that of a blood-red colour. And as in other fairs of less moment, there are several rows and streets under their proper names, where fuch and fuch wares are vended: fo here likewise, you have the proper places, rows, streets, (viz. countries and kingdoms) where the wares of this fair are fooneft to be found. Here is the Britain row, the French row, the Italian row, the Spanish row, the German row, where feveral forts of vanities riches, honours, pleasures and enjoyments of the world, are vanity itself. Let us for a moment examine the several particular circumftances which happened at Vanity Fair, and their correspon dent ان vanities are to be fold. But as in other fairs, fome one commodity is as the chief of all the fair, so the ware of Rome and her merchandize is greatly promoted in this fair: only our English nation, with fome others, have taken a dislike thereat. Now, as I faid, the way to the cœleftial city lies juft through the town where this lufty fair is kept; and he that will go to the city, and yet not go through this town, muft needs go out of the world. (1 Cor. v. 10.) The Prince of Princes himself when here, went through this town to his own country, and that upon a fair-day too: yea, and as I think, it was Beelzebub, the chief lord of this fair, that invited him to buy of his vanities; yea, would have made him lord of the fair, would he but have done him reverence as he went through the town: yea, because he was fuch a person of honour, Beelzebub had him from ftreet to street, and fhewed him all the kingdoms of the world in a little time, that he might, if poffible, allure that blessed one, to cheapen and buy fome of his vanities; but he had no. mind to the merchandize, and therefore left the town, without laying out fo much as one farthing, upon these vanities. This fair, therefore, is an ancient thing, of long ftanding, and a very great fair. (Matt. iv. 8. Luke iv. 5, 6.). Now thefe pilgrirns, as I faid, muft needs go. through this fair. Well, so they did; but behold, even as they entered into the fair, all the people in the fair were moved, and the town itself, as it were, in a hubbub about them; and that for feveral reafons: for, Q 2 First, dent fimilarity with the world in general. Chriftian and Faith Jul enter the fair; and becaufe their raiment, fpeech and merchandize, differed from others, they were reproached and con First, The pilgrims were cloathed with fuch kind of raiment, as was diverfe from the raiment of any that traded in that fair. The people, therefore, of the fair, made a great gazing upon them: fome faid they were, fools; (1 Cor. iv. 1o;) fome they were bedlams; and fome, they were outlandish men. Secondly, And as they wondered at their apparel, fo they did likewife at their fpeech; for few could understand what they faid; they naturally spoke the language of Canaan; but they that kept the fair, were the men of this world: fo that from one end of the fair to the other, they feemed barbarians to each other. 1 Thirdly, But that which did not a little amuse the merchandizers, was that these pilgrims fet very light by all their wares; they cared not fo much as to look upon them; and if they called upon them to buy, they would put their fingers in their ears, and cry, Turn away mine eyes from bebolding vanity; and look upwards, fignifying, that their trade and traffick was in heaven. One chanced mockingly, beholding the carriages of the men, to fay unto them, What will ye buy? But they looking gravely upon him, faid, We buy the truth. (Prov. xxiii. 23.) At that, there was an occafion taken to despise the men the more; fome mocking, fome taunting, some speaking reproachfully, and fome calling upon others to fmite them. At laft things came to an hubbub, and great stir in the fair, infomuch that all order was confounded. Now was condemned. The true faints of God always differ from the world in their manner, lives and converfation. They are of a quite different complexion; being born from above, their affections are fet on things above; they love not the world, neither the things that are in the world; therefore the world hateth them. Profeffing to live by faith upon an unfeen Je fus, |