Char. And why did you not bring them along with you? Chr. Then Chriftian wept, and faid, Oh! how willingly would I have done it! but they were all of them utterly averfe to my going on pilgrimage. Char. But you should have talked to them, and have endeavoured to have fhewn them the danger of being behind. Chr. So I did; and told them also what God had fhewn to me of the deftruction of our city; but I seemed to them as one that mocked, and they believed me not. Gen. xix. 14. Char. And did you pray to God that he would bless your counsel to them? Chr. Yes, and that with much affection; for you must think that my wife and poor children were very dear unto me. Char. But did you tell them of your own forrow, and fear of destruction? for I fuppofe that deftruction was visible enough to you? Chr. Yes, over and over, and over. They might alfo fee my fears in my countenance, in my tears, and also in my trembling under the apprehension of the judgment that did hang over our heads; but all was not fufficient to prevail with them to come with me. Char. But what could they fay for themselves why they came not? Chr. Why, my wife was afraid of lofing this world; power from God to overcome his corruptions, he can exult in covenant love, and rejoice in a pardoning God. And let it be remarked here, that a believer, under the manifestation of the love of God to his foul, is particularly concerned to bring forth fruit acceptable to God, and is peculiarly defirous, that every dear friend and relative may be made a partaker of the fame grace. Chriftian's conduct in this respect is worthy of imitation. His every action discovers a concern for the happiness of his family; and though the power rested not world; and my children were given to the foolish delights of youth: So what by one thing and what by another, they left me to wander in this manner alone. Char. But did you not with your vain life damp all that you by words used by way of persuasion to bring them along with you? Chr. Indeed I cannot commend my life, for I am conscious to myself of many failings therein: I know also, that a man by his conversation may foon overthrow what by arguments or perfuafion he doth labour to faften upon others for their good. Yet this I can fay, I was very wary of giving them occafion, by any unfeemly action, to make them averse to going on pilgrimage. Yea, for this very thing, they would tell me I was too precife, and that I denied myself of things (for their fakes) in which they faw no evil. Nay, I think I may say, that if what they faw in me did hinder them, it was my great tendernefs in finning against God, or of doing any wrong to my neighbour. Char. Indeed Cain hated his brother, because his own works were evil, and his brother's righteous; and if thy wife and children have been offended with thee for this, they thereby fhew themfelves to be implacable to good; and thou haft delivered thy foul from their blood. 1 John iii. 12. Ezek. iv. 19. Now I faw in my dream, that thus they fat talking together until fupper was ready. So when they K 2 had not with himself, yet he was determined to bear a faithful teftimony, and if they perished, to be pure from their blood. In a word, he is a devoted pilgrim to God, and therefore careful that the importance of his character fhould be fupported with confiftency and conformity to his will: and in this way he proves to be a favoured fervant of God, whilst antient things are exhibited to his view, and the delectable mountains of a Redeemer's joy realized to the eye of faith, had made ready, they fat down to meat now the table was furnished with fat things, and with wine. that was well refined; and all their talk at the table was about the Lord of the hill; as, namely, about what he had done, and wherefore he did what he did, and why he had built that house; and by what they faid, I perceived that he had been a great warrior, and had fought with, and flain him that had the power of death, but not without great danger to himfelf, which made me to love him the more. Heb. ii. 14, 15. For as they faid, and, as I believe, (faid Chriftian) he did it with the lofs of much blood; but that which put glory of grace into all he did, was, that he did it of pure love to his country. And befides, there were fome of them of the houfhold that faid, they had been, and spoke with him fince he did die on the crofs; and they have attefted, that they had it from his own lips, that he is such a lover of poor pilgrims, that the like is not to be found from the east to the west. They moreover gave an' inftance of what they affirmed, and that was, he had stript himself of that glory, that he might do this for the poor; and that they heard him fay and affirm, That he would not. dwell in the mountain of Zion alone. They said, moreover, that he had made many pilgrims princes, tho' by nature they were beggars born, and their original had been the dunghill. 1 Sam. ii. 8. Pfa. cxiii. 7. Thus they discoursed together till late at night; and after they had committed themselves to their Lord for protection, they betook themselves to rest: The pilgrim they laid in a large upper chamber, whofe window opened towards the fun-rifing: the name of the chamber was Peace, where he slept till break of day, and then he awoke and fang, Where Where am I now! is this the love and care. So, in the morning, they all got up; and, after some more difcourfe, they told him that he fhould not depart till they had fhewed him the rarities of that place. And first they had him into the study, where they fhewed him records of the greatest antiquity; in which, as I remember my dream, they fhewed him firft the pedigree of the Lord of the hill, that he was the Son of the Ancient of days, and came by that eternal generation: here alfo was more fully recorded the acts that he had done, and the names of many hundreds that he had taken into his fervice; and how he had placed them in fuch habitations, that could neither by length of days, nor decays of nature, be diffolved. Then they read to him fome of the worthy acts that fome of his fervants had done: as how they had fubdued kingdoms, wrought righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the fword, out of weakness were made ftrong, waxed valiant in fight, and turned to flight the armies of the Aliens, Heb. xi. 33, 34. Then they read again in another part of the records of the house, where it was fhewed how wil, ling their Lord was to receive into his favour, any, even any, though they in time paft had offered great affronts to his perfon and proceedings. Here alfo were feveral other hiftories of many other famous things, of all which Christian had a view: as of things both ancient and modern: together with prophecies and predictions of things that have their certain certain accomplishment, both to the dread and a mazement of enemies, and the comfort and folace of pilgrims. The next day they took him, and had him into the armory, where they fhewed him all manner of furniture, which their Lord had provided for pilgrims, as fword, fhield, helmet, breaft-plate, Allprayer, and fhoes that would not wear out. And there was here enough of this to harness out as many men, for the service of their Lord, as there be ftars in the heaven for multitude. They also fhewed him fome of the engines with which fome of his fervants had done wonderful things. They fhewed him Mofes's rod, the hammer and nail with which Jael flew Sifera, the pitchers, trumpets, and lamps too, with which Gideon put to flight the armies of Midian. Then they fhewed him the ox's goad, wherewith Shamgar flew fix hundred men. They fhewed him alfo the jaw bone with which Samson did fuch mighty feats: They fhewed him moreover the fling and stone with which David flew Goliath of Gath; and the sword alfo with which their Lord will kill the man of fin, in the day that he shall rise up to the prey. They shewed him befides many excellent things, with which Chriftian was much delighted. This done, they went to their reft again. Then I saw in my dream, that on the morrow he got up to go forwards, but they defired him to stay till the next day alfo ; and then faid they, we will, if the day be clear, fhew you the delectable moun tains; which, they said, would yet farther add to his comfort, because they were nearer the defired haven than the place where at prefent he was; fo he confented and staid. When the morning was up, they |