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Inter. So he said, these two lads are figures: Paffion, of the men of this world; and Patience, of the men of that which is to come: for as here thou feeft, Paffion will have all now, this year; that is to say, in this world; fo are the men of this world: They must have all their good things now, they cannot stay till next year, that is, until the next world, for their portion of good. That proverb, A bird in the band is worth two in the bush, is of more authority with. them, than are all the divine teftimonies of the good of the world to come. But as thou faweft, that he had quickly lavished all away, and had presently left him nothing but rags; fo will it be with all fuch men at the end of this world.

Chr. Then faid Chriftian, Now I fee that Patience has the best wisdom, and that upon many accounts. 1. Because he stays for the best things. 2. And also because he will have the glory of his, when the other has nothing but rags.

Inter. Nay, you may add another, to wit, the glory of the next world will never wear out; but these are suddenly gone. Therefore Paffion had not so much reason to laugh at Patience, because he had his good things firft, as Patience will have to laugh at Paffion, because he had his beft things laft; for first must give place to laft, because last must have its time to come; but laft gives place to nothing; for there is not another to fucceed: he therefore that hath his portion first, muft needs have a time to spend it; but he that hath his portion last, must have it lastingly therefore it is faid of Dives, In

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thy

waiteth patiently for the falvation of the Lord. The higheft enjoyments of the former, are at beft but temporal and perifhing; whilft those of the latter are spiritual and eternal. The one dies in the very ufing, and the other endureth for ever.

But

thy life-time thou receivedft thy good things, and likewife Lazarus evil things; but now he is comforted, and thou art tormented, Luke xvi.

Chr. Then I perceive it is not best to covet things. that are now, but to wait for things to come.

Inter. You fay truth: For the things that are seen are temporal; but the things that are not feen, eternal, 2 Cor. iv. 18. But tho' this be fo, yet fince things prefent, and our fleshly appetite are fuch near neighbours one to another; and again, because things to come, and carnal fenfe, are fuch strangers one to another: therefore it is, that the first of these fo fuddenly fall into amity, and that distance is fo continually between the second.

Then I faw in my dream, that the Interpreter took Christian by the hand, and led him into a place, where was a fire burning against a wall, and one standing by it, always cafting much water upon it, to quench it; yet did the fire burn higher and hot

ter.

Then faid Chriftian, What meaneth this?

The Interpreter anfwered; This fire is the work of grace that is wrought in the heart; he that cafts water upon it, to extinguifh and put it out, is the devil; but in that thou feeft the fire notwithstanding burns higher and hotter, thou fhalt also see the reafon of that. So he had him about to the back

fide

But the christian is yet to be inftructed in one of the deep things of God:-namely, The manner in which spiritual life is maintained in the foul. Wherever there is a divine principle wrought in the heart, by the power of God, it is the grand business of Satan, the great enemy of fouls, to mar, and, if it were poffible, to destroy it. To cool the zeal, and abate the ardour and love of the chriftian's heart, is what Satan aims at. But the believer is the object of divine paternal love. The everlasting arms of Jefus preserve him; and having eternal life given unto him, he shall never perish,

neither

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fide of the wall, where he saw a man with a vessel of oil in his hand, of the which he did alfo continually caft (but fecretly) into the fire.

Then faid Chriftian, What means this?

The Interpreter anfwered, This is Chrift, who continually with the oil of his grace maintains the work already begun in the heart; by the means of which, notwithstanding what the devil can do, the fouls of his people prove gracious ftill. And in that 'thou faweft, that the man ftood behind the wall to maintain the fire; this is to teach thee, that it is hard for the tempted to fee how this work of grace is maintained in the foul. 2 Cor. xii. 9.

I faw alfo, that the Interpreter took him again by the hand, and led him into a pleasant place, where was built a ftately palace, beautiful to behold; at the fight of which Chriftian was greatly delighted; he faw alfo upon the top thereof certain perfons walking, who were clothed all in gold.

Then faid Chriftian, May we go thither?

Then the Interpreter took him and led him up towards the door of the palace; and behold, at the door ftood a great company of men, as defirous to go in, but durft not.. There alfo fat a man at a little distance from the door, at a table fide, with a book, and his inkhorn before him, to take the names. of them that should enter therein: he faw alfo, that in the door-way stood many men in armour to keep it, being refolved to do to the men that would enter, what hurt and mischief they could. Now was Christian fomewhat in amaze: at laft, when every

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neither fhall any pluck him from his dear Redeemer's arms. He fhall find the Lord ftronger than Satan; and the power of his grace, like the oil over the water, to prevail against the darts of the enemy, and the divine life fupported in his foul,

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Part I. man started back for fear of the armed men, Chriftian faw a man of a very stout countenance, come up to the man that fat there to write, faying, Set down my name, Sir; the which when he had done, he saw the man draw his sword, and put an helmet upon his head, and rush towards the door, upon the armed men, who laid upon him with deadly force: but the man, not at all difcouraged, fell to cutting and hacking most fiercely. So after he had received, and given many wounds to those that attempted to keep him out, he cut his way through them all, and preffed forward into the palace; at which there was a pleasant voice heard from those that were within, even of thofe that walked upon the top of the palace, faying,

Come in, come in:

Eternal glory thou shalt win.

So he went in, and was clothed with fuch garments as they. Then Chriftian fmiled, and faid, I think verily I know the meaning of this.

So

• Now, faid Chriftian, let me go hence. Nay, ftay (faid the Interpreter) till I have fhewed thee a little more, and after that thou shalt go on thy way. he took him by the hand again, and led him into a very dark room, where there fat a man in an iron cage.

Now

by the arm of omnipotence itself. Strong as the armed man is, he fhall nevertheless be fubdued. God does indeed permit him, for wife reasons, to affault the chriftian with the combined force of malice and revenge: but no weapon formed against him fhall profper; he fhall come off more than conqueror, through Jefus the captain of his falvation, and enter into glory with loud hofannas of everlasting praise.

. Of all the different ftates and conditions, to which a finner may be reduced in time, there is none fo exceedingly tremendous as that of defpair. It is the black foreboding evil through time, and the finner's malignant anguish thro'

eternity

Now the man, to look on, feemed very fad; he fat with his eyes looking down to the ground, his hands folded together, and he fighed as if he would break his heart. Then faid Chriftian, what means this? at which the Interpreter bid him talk with the

man.

Then faid Chriftian to the man, What art thou? the man answered, I am what I was not once.

Chr. What waft thou once?

Man. The man faid, I was once a fair and flourifhing profeffor, both in mine own eyes, and also in the eyes of others: I once was, as I thought, fair for the coeleftial city, and had then even joy at the thoughts that I fhould get thither. Luke viii. 13. Chr. Well, but what art thou now?

Man. I am now a man of despair, and am fhut up in it, as in this iron cage. I cannot get out; O now I cannot!

Chr. But how cameft thou in this condition?

Man. I left off to watch, and be fober: I laid the reins upon the neck of my lufts; I finned against the light of the word, and the goodness of God: I G 2

have

eternity in hell. Add to this the ten thousand aggravations of accumulated guilt in the finner, who, after a profeffion of the truth as it is in Jefus, is loft in a total forgetfulness of God, and funk down in endlefs perdition. In a fituation like this, who can fufficiently exprefs the inconceivable horror of the confcience, thus made to feel the moft awful pangs of hell's tremendous evils? To have tafted of the good word of God-bid fair for the kingdom, and perish with the hand on the very threshold of glory, is beyond all conception dreadful. My very blood chills in my veins whilst I write on this awful fubject, and attend to the paffage before me. Chriftian, after the glorious difcovery that was made to him, is defirous to enter the peaceful manfion, but he is detained by the Interpreter, to behold a fcene not more ftriking in itfelf, than alarming in its confequences. He is led to a man, who once had heard the word of God with joy, and for a while run well; but when temptation or perfecution came,

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