I will call forth two or three more of my family. So the ran to the door, and called out Prudence, Piety, and Charity, who after a little more difcourfe with him, had him into the family; and many of them meeting him at the threshold of the house, faid, Come in, thou bleffed of the Lord; this house was built by the Lord of the hill, on purpose to entertain fuch pilgrims in. Then he bowed his head, and followed them into the houfe: fo when he was come in, and fat down, they gave him fomething to drink, and confented together that until fupper was ready, fome of them should have fome particular difcourfe with Chriftian, for the best improvement of time; and they appointed Piety, and Prudence, and Charity, to discourse with him; and thus they began:

Piety, Come good Chriftian, fince we have been fo loving to you, to receive you into our house this night, let us, if perhaps we may better ourselves thereby, talk with you of all things that have happened to you in your pilgrimage,

Chr. With a very good will, and I am glad that you are fo well disposed.

Piety. What moved you at first to betake yourself to a pilgrim's life?

Chr. I was driven out of my native country by a dreadful found that was in mine ears; to wit, that unavoidable deftruction did attend me, if I abode in that place where I was.

Piety. But how did it happen that you came out of your country this way?

Chr.

and in confequence of which he meets with a kind reception, and the bleffed privilege of the children of God is fweetly enjoyed. Spiritual converfation is the delightful theme. The particular circumstances attendant upon Chriftian from his

first

Chr. It was as God would have it; for when I was under the fears of destruction, I did not know whither to go; but by chance there came a man, even to me, as I was trembling and weeping, whose name is Evangelift, and he directed me to the Wicketgate, which else I should never have found, and fo fet me into the way that hath led me directly to this house.

Piety. But did you not come by the house of the Interpreter ?

Chr. Yes, and did fee fuch things there, the remembrance of which will stick by me as long as I live; especially three things, to wit, How Chrift, in despite of Satan, maintains his work of grace in the heart; how the man had finned himself quite out of hopes of God's mercy; and also the dream of him that thought in his fleep the day of judgment was

come.

Piety. Why, did you hear him tell his dream?

Chr. Yes, and a dreadful one it was, I thought; it made my heart ache as he was telling of it; but yet I am glad I heard it.

Piety. Was this all you saw at the house of the Interpreter?

Chr. No, he took me, and had me where he fhewed me a stately palace, and how the people were clad in gold that were in it; and how there came a venturous man, and cut his way through the armed men that stood in the door to keep him out; and how he was bid to come in, and win eternal glory: methought those things did ravish my heart! I would

have

first fetting out, to his arrival at the palace, is briefly related, with the end he had in view, and the application he was enabled to make of the blood and righteoufness of a dear, divine Saviour. Every thing is beautiful, that the chriftian is

have ftaid at that good man's house a twelvemonth, but that I knew I had farther to go.

Piety. And what faw you elfe in the way?

Chr. Saw! Why, I went but a little farther, and I saw One, as I thought in my mind, hang bleeding upon a tree; and the very fight of him made my burden fall off my back, (for I groaned under a very heavy burden), but then it fell down from off me. 'Twas a strange thing to me, for I never saw such a thing before: Yea, and while I ftood looking up, (for then I could not forbear looking) three fhining Ones came to me: one of them teftified that my fins were forgiven me; another ftript me of my rags, and gave me this 'broidered coat which you fee; and the third fet the mark which you fee in my forehead, and gave me this fealed roll; (and with that he pluck ed it out of his bofom.)

Piety. But you faw more than this, did you not? Chr. The things that I have told you, were the beft; yet fome other matters I faw, as namely, I faw three men, Simple, Sloth, and Prefumption, lic afleep a little out of the way as I came, with irons upon their heels; but do you think I could awake them! I alfo faw Formality and Hypocrify come tumbling over the wall, to go, as they pretended, to Zion, but they were quickly loft; even as I myself did tell them, but they would not believe: but, above all, I found it hard work to get up this hill, and as hard to come by the lions mouths; and truly

if

enabled to view by faith: the word of God is unto him a beautiful palace a repofitory of exceeding rich and precious promifes: and the houfe of God is rendered beautiful unto him, by the enjoyment of Jefus there. The fellowship of brethren, companions and fellow-travellers, in the way to glory, are the people with whom he enjoys fweet converfe. Being delivered from the same state of wrath and alienation, and

ex

Part I. if it had not been for the good man, the Porter, that ftands at the gate, I do not know, but that, after all, I might have gone back again; but now I thank God I am here, and thank you for receiving of me.

Then Prudence thought good to ask him a few questions, and defired his answer to them.

Prud. Do you not think fometimes of the country from whence you came ??

Chr. Yes, but with much fhame and deteftation: truly, if I had been mindful of that country from whence I came out, I might have had opportunity to have returned; but now I defire a better country; that is, a heavenly one. Heb. xi. 15, 16.

Prud. Do you not yet bear away with you fome of the things that then you were converfant withal?

Chr. Yes, but greatly against my will; especially my inward and carnal cogitations, with which all my countrymen, as well as myself, were delighted: but now all thofe things are my grief; and might I but choose mine own things, I would choofe never to think of thofe things more; but when I would be doing of that which is beft, that which is worft is with me. Rom. vii.

Prud. Do you not find fometimes, as if those things were vanquished, which at other times arè your perplexity ?

Chr. Yes, but that is but feldom; but they are to me golden hours, in which fuch things happen

to me.

Prud.

expectants of the fame kingdom of glory, they are unanimous in their deteftations of that country of natural bondage and flavery, from which, by the power of fovereign grace, they are now freed. They recount, with pleasure, the golden hours they enjoy in fecret communion with their God, and exult in

the

Prud. Can you remember by what means you find your annoyances at times, as if they were vanquished? Chr. Yes, when I think what I faw at the cross, that will do it, and when I look upon my 'broider'd coat, that will do it; and when I look into the roll that I carry in my bofom, that will do it; and when my thoughts wax warm about whither. I am going, that will do it.

Prud. And what is it that makes you so defirous to go to mount Zion?

Chr. Why, there I hope to fee him alive that did hang dead on the crofs; and there I hope to be rid of all those things, that to this day are in me an annoyance to me: there they fay there is no death, and there I fhall dwell with fuch company as I like beft. For, to tell you truth, I love him, because I was by him eafed of my burden; and I am weary of my inward fickness: I would fain be where I fhall die no more, and with the company that shall continually cry, Holy, holy, boly. Ifa. xxv. 8. Rev. xxi. 4.

Then faid Charity to Chriftian, Have you a family? Are you a marry'd man?

Chr. I have a wife and four small children.

the glorious robe of a Redeemer's righteousness, being fully fenfible their own imperfections are fo great, they cannot poifibly ftand before God with acceptance in any thing elfe.-I beg my reader to examine and perufe, with attention, the truly excellent and fpiritual converfation now before us, in which he will find many things worthy of particular notice. The grand and important queftion, Am I interested in Chrift, and a chriftian on gofpel principles? is, in my opinion, determined with admirable precifion. Conviction of ruin, in confequence of fin, effected by the operations of the Spirit of God, is propofed as a decifive proof; and it is obfervable from the paffage, that if God begins a work, he will certainly carry it on to its final confummation. Chriftian fays, God would have it fo; and when God willeth any thing, the proudest heart fhall bow before him, ere the purposes of his will be fruftraChriftian is a fignal proof of this, for having derived

ted.

power