Yet was he troubled to think, that men in that danger fhould fo little esteem the kindness of him that fo freely offered to help them, both by the awakening of them, counfelling of them, and proffering to help them off with their irons. And as he was troubled thereabout, he espied two men come tumbling over the wall, on the left hand of the narrow way; and they made up apace to him. The name of the one was Formalift, and the name of the other Hypocrify. So, as I faid, they drew up into him, who thus entered with them into difcourfe.

Chr. Gentlemen, whence came you, and Chriftian talkwhither go you? eth with them. Form. and Hyp. We were born in the land of Vain glory, and are going for praife to Mount Sion. Chr. Why came you not in at the gate which ftandeth at the beginning of the way? Know you not that it is written, That he that cometh not in by the door, but

climbeth up fome other way, the fame is as a John 10. 1. thief and u robber.

Form. and Hyp. They faid that to go to the gate for entrance, was, by all their countrymen, counted too far about; and therefore their ufual way was to make a short cut of it, and to climb over the wall as they had done.

Chr. But will it not be counted a trefpafs against the Lord of the city, whither we are bound, thus to violate his revealed will?

Form, and Hyp. They told him, that as They that come for that he needed not to trouble his head into the way, thereabout; for what they did they had cuf- but not by the tom, and could produce, if need were, tefti- door, think that mony that would witnefs it for more than a they can Jay thoufand years. Jomething in Chr. But, faid Chriftian, will your prac- vindication of tice ftand a trial at law? their own prac¬ Form, and Hyp. They told him that cuf. tom, it being of fo long ftanding as above

tice,

a thousand years, would doubtless now be admitted as a thing legal by an impartial judge; and befides, fay they. if we get into the way, what's the matter which way we get in? if we are in, we are in: thou art but in the way, who, as we perceive, came in at the gate; and we are also

in the way that came tumbling over the wall: Wherein now is thy condition better than ours?

Chr. I walk by the rule of my master, you walk by the rude working of your fancies. Your are counted thieves already by the Lord of the way, therefore I doubt you will not be found true men at the end of the way. You came in by yourfelves without his direction, and fhall go out by yourfelves without his mercy.

To this they made him but little anfwer; only they bid him look to himfelf. Then i faw that they went on every man in his way, without much conference one with another; fave that these two men told Chriftian, that as to laws and ordinances, they doubted not but they thould as confcientiously do them as he; therefore faid they, we fee not wherein they differeft from us, but by the coat that is on thy back, which was, as we trow, given thee by fome of thy neighbours to hide the fhame of thy nakedness.

Gal. 1. 16.

Chr. By laws and ordinances you will not be faved, fince you came not in by the door, And as for this coat that is on my back, it was given me by the Lord of the place whither I go; and that as you fay, to cover my naked nefs with. And I take it a token of kindness to me, for I had noChriftian has got thing but rags before; and befides, thus I bis Lord's coat comfort myfelf as I go: Surely, think I, on his back, and when I come to the gate of the city, the is comforted Lord thereof will know me for good, fince there with: he is I have his coat on my back! a coat that he comforted allo gave me freely in the day that he stript me with his mark of my rags;. I have moreover a mark in my and bis roll. forehead, of which perhaps you have taken no notice, which one of my Lord's mot intimate affociates fixed there in the day that my burden tell off my fhoulders. I will tell you moreover, that I had then given me a roll fealed, to comfort me by reading, as 1 go on the way; I was alfo bid to give it in at the celestial gate, in token of my certain going in after it; all which things I doubt you want them because you came not in at the gate.

To these things they gave him no anfwer, only they looked upon each other, and laughed. Then I saw that

they

they went on all, fave that Chriftian kept before, who had no more talk but with himfelf, and that fometimes fighingly, and

Chriftian has talk with himJelf.

Difficulty is behind, Fear is before,

Tho' he's got on the hill the lions roar.
A Chriftian man is never long at ease;
When one fright's gone, another doth him feize.

fometimes comfortably: Alfo he would be often reading the roll that one of the fhining ones gave him, by whic he was refreshed.

I beheld then, that they all went on till they came the foot of the hill Difficulty, at the botto

He comes to the of which was a fpring. There were also bill Difficulty. the fame place two other ways besides th which came ftrait from the gate; one turne to the left hand, and the other to the right, at the botto of the hill, but the narrow way Jay right up the hill, an the name of the way going up the fide of the hill is calle Chriftian now went to th Ifaiah 49. 10. fpring, and drank thereof to refresh him felf, and then began to get up the hill

faying,

Difficulty.

The hill, tho' high, I covet to afcend,
The difficulty will not me offend;

For I perceive the way to life lies here;

Come pluck up, heart, let's neither faint nor fear ;
Better, tho' difficult, the right way to go,

འ

Than wrong, tho' eafy, where the end is woe.

The other two alfo came to the foot of the hill; bu when they faw that the hill was steep and high, and tha there were two other ways to go, and fuppofing alfo tha thefe two ways might meet again with that which Chriftia went, on the other fide of the hill, therefore they were re folved to go in thofe ways. Now the name of one of tho ways was Danger, and the name of the other Destruction So the one took the way which is called Danger, which led him into a great wood and the other took direly up the Destruction, which led him into a wide field full of dark mountains, where he ftum bled and fell, and rofe no more.

The danger of turning out of

the way.

way

to

I looked then after Chriflian, to fee him go up the hill where I perceived he fell from running to going, and from going to the clambering upon his hands and his knees, be caufe of the steepness of the place. Now, about the midway to the top of the hill, for the refreshing A word of grace. of weary travellers; thither therefore Chrif

tian got, where alfo he fat down to reft him: then he pulled his roll out of his bofom, and read therein to his comfort; he also now began afresh to take a review of the coat or garment that was given him as he ftood by the cross. Thus pleafing himself a while, he at laft fell into a Alum

ber,