R

*

In this Combat no Man can imagine, unlefs he had seen and heard, as I did, what A brief Yellowing, and hideous Roaring, Apollyon made Relation of all the Time of the Fight; he fpake like a the Combat Dragon: And on the other fide, what Sighs by the Speand Groans burst from poor Chriftian's Heart. &ators. I never faw him all the while give fq much as one pleafant Look, till he perceived he had wounded Apollyon with his two-edged Sword, then indeed he did fmile, and look upward; but 'twas the most dreadful Fight that ever I law.

So when the Battle was over, Chriftian said,
+ I will here give Thanks to him that hath de-t Christi→
livered me out of the Mouth of the Lion and toan gives
him that did help me against Apollyon. And fo God thanks
he did faying;:

Great Belzebub, the Captain of this Fiend,
Defign'd my Ruin; therefore to this end
He fent him barnefs'd out, and he with Rage,
That hellish was, did fiercely me engage;
But bleed Michael helped me, and 1,
By Dint of Sword did quickly make him fly:
Therefore let me to Him give lafting Praise,
And thank and bless his holy Name always.

for bis Deliverance.

Then there came to him an Hand with fome of the Leaves of the Tree of Life, the which Chriftian took and applied to the Wounds that he had received in the Battle, and was healed immediately. He alfo fat down in that Place to eat Bread, and to drink of that Bottle that was given him a little before; fo being refreshed, he addrefied himself to his Journey, with his

DS

Sword

+ Chrifti- Sword drawn in his + Hand; for he faid, an goes on I know not but fome other Enemy may be at hand. his Journey But he met with no other Affront from Apollyon with his quite thro' the Valley.

Sword Now at the End of this Valley was ano drawn in ther, called the Valley of the Shadow of his Hand. Death, and Christian muft needs go thro' it, *The Val- because the Way to the Coeleftial City lay ley of the thro' the midft of it: Now this Valley is a Shadow very folitary Place. The Prophet Fereof Death, miah, thus defcribes it: A Wilderness, [ver. z.

8] a Land of Defart, and of Pits, a Land of Drought, and of the Shadow of Death, a Land that no Man (but a Chriftian) paffeth through, and where no Man dwells.

Now here Chriftian was worse put to it than in the Fight with Apollyon; as by the Sequel. you fhall fee

I faw then in my Dream, That when Chriftian was got on the Borders of the Sha

dow of Death, there met him two Men, The Chilt Children of them that brought up an evil dren f the Report of the good Land, making hafte to Spies go go back; to whom Chriftian fpake as fol

back.

+ Numb.

33

lows:

Ch. Whither are you going?

Men. They faid, Back! Back! And we would have you do fo too, if either Life or Peace is prized by you,

Chr. Why! What's the Matter? faid Chri ftian

Men, Matter! faid they, we were goingthat Way as you are going, and went as far as we durft; and indeed, we were almost paft coming back; for had we gone a little further, we had not been here to bring the News to thee.

Chr.

Chr. But what have you met with? faid Chriftian.

Men. Why, we are almoft in the Valley of Pr. 4. 19 the Shadow of Death, but that, by good Hap, Pf. 1. 17 we looked before us and faw the Danger before we came to it.

Chr. But, what have you feen? faid Chriftian.

Men Seen! Why, the Valley it felf, which is as dark as Pitch we alfo faw there, Hobgoblins, Satyrs, and Dragons of the Pit we heard alfo in that Valley a continual Howling and Yelling, as of Peo-. ple under unutterable Mifery, who there. fat bound in Afflictions and, frons; and over that Valley hangs the difcouraging Clouds John 35 of Confufion : Death alfo does always ch. 10. 22 fpread his Wings over it. In a Word, it is very whit dreadful, being utterly without Order.

Chr. Then faid Chriftian, I perceive not Jer. 36 yet, by what you have faid, but that this is my Way to the defired Heaven

Men. Be it the Way, we will not chufe it for ours...

So they parted and Chriftian went on his Way, but ftill with his Sword drawn in his Hand, for fear leaft he fhould be aifaulted. I faw then in my Dream, to far. as this Valley reached, there was on the Right Hand a very deep Ditch: That it is into which the Blind bath led the Blind in all Ages and have both there miferably perished, PL 69. 2. Again, behold on the Leit Hand there

i

was, a very dange cus Quag, into which, if even a Man falls,

no Ettom for his Foot to fland

finds

on

Into

Into this Quag King David did once fall, and had no doubt there been fmothered had not He that is able plucked

out.

him

The Path way was here alfo exceeding narrow, and therefore good Chriftian was the more put to it; for when he fought in the Dark to fhun the Ditch on the ore Hand, he was ready to Tip over into the Lire on the other; alfe when he fought to escape the Mire, without great Carefulnefs, he would be ready to fall into the Ditch: Thus he went on, and I heard him here figh bitterly; for befides the Danger mentioned above, the Pathway was here fo dark, that oftentimes when he lift up his Foot to go forward, he knew not where, nor upon what he fhould fet it

next.

About the midst of the Valley, I perceived the Mouth of Hell to be, and it flood alfo hard by the Way-fide: Now, thought Chriftian, What shall I do? And ever and anon the Flame and Smoak wou'd come out in fuch Abundance with Sparks and hideous Noifes, (Things that cared not for Chriftian's Sword, as did Apollyon before) that he was forced to put up his Eph. 6. 18 Sword, and betake himself to another Pf. 1.6.3. Weapon, called All-Prayer: So he cryed in my Hearing, O Lord, 1 befeech Thee, den hver my Soul. Thus he went on a great while, yet the Flames would be reaching towards him: Alfo he heard doleful Voices, and rufhings to and fro, fo that fome Times he thought he fhould be trod in Pieces, or trodden down like Mire in the

Streets,

Poor Man! where art thou now? thy Day is Night;
Good Man, Be not cast down, thou art yet right.
Thy Way to Heaven lays by the Gates of Hell;
Chear up, hold out, with thee it fhall go well,