of the hill, that made Chriftian afraid that he should be burned; (Exod. xix. 16, 18. Heb. xii. 21.) here therefore he sweat and did quake for fear. And now he began to be forry that he had taken Mr. WorldlyWifeman's counfel; and with that he faw Evangelift coming to meet him; at the fight alfo of whom he began to blush for fhame. So Evangelist drew nearer and nearer, and coming up to him, he looked upon him with a fevere and dreadful countenance, and thus began to reafon with Chriftian.

Evan. What doft thou here, Chriftian? faid he : At which words Chriftian knew not what to anfwer; wherefore at present he stood speechlefs before him. Then faid Evangelift farther, Art not thou the man that I found crying without the walls of the city of Destruction?

Chr.

him to quake and fear, left the Hill, the heavy curfe and condemnation of a broken law, should fall on his head: and if, in this deplorable condition, God should be pleased to visit him with a spirit of conviction, on account of his fin, in turning out of the way of duty, he will be ashamed, and afraid to approach God by prayer. Chriftian faw Evangelift coming, but confcious of his guilt, he was afraid to meet him :-fo is every child of God, when humbled for his backfliding iniquities. And, in inftances of this nature, the kindness, grace, and mercy of God, are remarkably displayed. The promife of God is fure, and standeth fast for ever. If his children for fake my law, and walk not in my judgments; if they break my ftatutes, and keep not my commandments; then will I vifit their tranfgref fion with the rod, and their iniquity with ftripes. NEVERTHELESS, my loving kindness will I not utterly take from him, nor fuffer my faithfulness to fail, Pfal. lxxxix. 30-33. If God's people turn out of the way, he mercifully brings, them back again. Chriftian is again met by Evangelift, who, seeing him out of the way, kindly and compaffionately afketh him. the reafon of it. He is addreffed in the fame words as the prophet Elijah, who had turned out of the way, but from very different motives, and with very different views, His righteous foul was vexed on account of the perverseness of the people, and therefore he withdrew from them but as this was contrary to the divine will, the Lord fays unto him; What doft thou bere, Elijah? Chriftian was acting contrary to

:

the

Chr. Yes, dear Sir, I am the man.

Evan. Did not I direct thee the way to the little wicket-gate?

Chr. Yes, dear Sir.

Evan. How is it then that thou art fo quickly turned afide, for thou art now out of the way?

Chr. I met with a gentleman fo foon as I had got over the Slough of Defpond, who persuaded me, that I might, in the village before me, find a man that could take off my burden.

Evan. What was he?

Chr. He looked like a gentleman, and talked much to me, and got me at last to yield; fo I came hither but when I beheld this hill, and how it hangs over the way, I fuddenly made a ftand, left it fhould fall on my head.

Evan. What faid that gentleman to you?

Chr. Why, he asked me whither I was going and I told him.

Evan. And what faid he then?

Chr. He asked me if I had a family; and I told him: but, faid I, I am so loaded with the burden that is on my back, that I cannot take pleasure in them as formerly.

Evan. And what faid he then?

;

Chr. He bid me with speed get rid of my burden and I told him, it was eafe that I fought and faid I, I am therefore going to yonder gate, to receive farther direction how I may get to the place of

de

the will of God, therefore Evangelift fays unto him: What doft thou here, Chriftian? Struck with the folemnity of the interrogation, he knew not what answer to make. He stands fpeechlefs; and, confcious of his guilt, does not so much as attempt to vindicate himself. Many a child of God has been in the fame circumftances of diftrefs. If he has departed from God, and turned afide to the world and pleafure, and

con

deliverance. So he faid, that he would fhew me a better way, and shorter, not fo attended with difficulties as the way, Sir, that you fet me in, which way, faid he, will direct you to a gentleman's houfe that has fkill to take off thefe burdens. So I believed him, and turned out of that way into this, if haply I might be foon eased of my burden. But when I came to . this place, and beheld things as they are, I stopped for fear, as I faid, of danger; but I now know not what to do.

I

may

Evan. Then faid Evangelift, ftand still a little, that fhew thee the words of God. So he ftood trembling. Then faid Evangelift, See that ye refufe not him that fpeaketh: for if they escaped not who refufed him that spake on earth, much more fhall not we efcape, if we turn away from him that Speaketh from beaven, Heb. xii. 25. He faid moreover, Now the just fball live by faith; but if any man draw back, my foul shall have no pleasure in him, Heb. x. 38. He also did thus apply them, Thou art the man that art running into this misery;

thou

confcience, God's vicegerent within, has fecretly fuggefted the queftion, What doft thou here? confcious guilt has inftantly ftruck him dumb; and fpeechlefs he would remain, were he not to be vifited in love. And, with the tendereft feelings of generous affection, does Evangelift vifit our pilgrim; who, at length encouraged by the kindness of his addrefs, relates unto him the feveral diftreffing circumstances that had befallen him, fince he left him; makes an ample declaration refpecting his giving heed to Worldly Wifeman; and tells him plainly, that in this cafe he knew not what to do. The answer he receives is blended with dignity and love. It pleafingly, though awfully, ftrikes the mind, like that of Mofes to the children of Ifrael: Fear ye not, ftand still, and Jee the falvation of the Lord, Exod. xiv. 13. When God fpeaks by his fervants, his prophets, apoftles and evangelifts, as the eternal fovereign of heaven, it is the bufinefs of man to obey -to stand still, and hear what God the Lord fhall fay. Evangelift begins, the more to engage his attention, and ftrike his

mind

Part I. thou haft begun to reject the counsel of the Most High, and to draw back thy foot from the way of peace, even almost to the hazarding of thy perdition. Then Chriftian fell down at his feet as dead, crying, Woe is me, for I am undone! At the fight of which, Evangelift caught him by the right hand, faying, Al manner of fins and blafphemies fhall be forgiven unto men, Matt. xii. Be not faithless, but believing, Mark iii. Then did Christian again a little revive, and stood up trembling, as at first, before Evangelift.

Then Evangelift proceeded, faying, give more earnest heed to the things that I fhall tell thee of. I will now fhew thee who it was that deluded thee, and who it was also to whom he fent thee. The man that met thee, is one Worldly Wifeman; and rightly he is fo called partly, because he favoureth only

of

mind with deeper awe, by fuggesting to him the danger of not paying a proper regard to the word of the Lord of Hofts; in which he particularly alludes to that moft tremendous declaration recorded Heb. xii. 25. He tells him, moreover, of the pleasure of God, concerning the justified man, and likewise the very awful cafe and condition of those who depart from him: - If any man draw back, my foul fhall have no pleasure in bim, chap. x. 38. But Evangelift leaves not the matter at large; like a faithful steward of the myfteries of God, he labours to apply the word, by telling Chriftian plainly, That he had rejected the counfel of God, to the hazarding of his foul in everlasting perdition. The effects are both obvious and alarming. Chriftian's heart is wounded-is broken-is ploughed up, as it were, before God; he is bowed down, and, under a fenfe of guilt, in the extreme anguish of his foul, he cries out: Woe is me, for I am undone! Never did language more powerfully exprefs the heart humbling conviction of a finner's mind. Evangelift, like a fkilful phyfician of fouls, obferving that conviction faftened upon his confcience, directs him to the only fovereign, the only healing balm of confolation:-Be not faithlefs, but believing: apply to Chrift by an appropriating faith in his precious blood, and thy fins and iniquities fhall be forgiven thee. A proper word, and feafonably adminiftred. Evangelift next proceeds to describe the wretched character of Mr. Worldly Wifeman, and in him all the

men

of the doctrine of this world, 1 John iv. 5. (therefore he always goes to the town of Morality to church) and partly because he loveth that doctrine beft, for it faveth him from the crofs; and becaufe he is of this carnal temper, therefore he feeketh to prevent thy ways, tho' right. Now there are three things in this man's counsel that thou must utterly abhor.

1. His turning thee out of the way.

2. His labouring to render the cross odious to thee.

3. And his fetting thy feet in that way that leadeth unto the adminiftration of death.

the

Firft, Thou muft abhor his turning thee out of

way; yea, and thine own confenting thereto because this is to reject the counsel of God, for the fake of the counsel of a Worldly Wifeman. The Lord fays, Strive to enter in at the strait gate, Luke xiii. 24. The gate to which I fend thee: For ftrait is the gate that leadeth unto life, and few there be that find #t, Matt. vii. 13, 14. From this little Wicket-gate, and from the way thereto, hath this wicked man turned thee, to the bringing of thee almost to deftruction; hate therefore his turning thee out of the way, and abhor thyfelf for hearkening to him.

Secondly, Thou must abhor his labouring to render the cross odious unto thee; for thou art to pre

men of the world. Nor is this all; his doctrines and their tendency are expofed, and Chriftian's abhorrence of them. plainly infifted upon. He fums up the whole in three particulars, which are of especial note, and well deferve the attention of the most established believer. That as there is not any thing more natural to him, than to be led away by divers temptations, fo therefore not any thing more neceffary for the comfort and well being of his foul, than to abhor the means by which he has been drawn afide. Who, or whatever, tends to alienate

the