he was come in, and fat down, they gave him fomething to drink, and consented together that, until fupper was ready, fome of them fhould have fome particular discourse with Chriftian, for the best improvement of time. They therefore appointed Piety, Prudence, and Charity, to difcourfe with him; and thus they began:

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

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

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

Chr. I was driven out of my native country by a dreadful found which was continually in my ears; to wit, That unavoidable destruction did attend me, if I abode in the place where I was.

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

Chr. It was as God would have it. When I was under the fears of deftruction, I did not know whither to go; but, by chance, there came a man to me, as I was trembling and weeping, whofe name is Evangelist, and he directed me to the wicket-gate, which else I should never have found, and so set me into the way which hath led me directly to this houfe.

Piety

Piety. But did you not come by the houfe 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 alfo, The dream of him who thought in his fleep that the day of judg

ment was come.

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

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

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

Chr. No; he took me and had me to a place where he fhewed me a stately palace, where the people who were in it were clad in gold, and there I saw a ventrous man, who cut his way through the armed men who stood in the door to keep him out; and he was bad to come in, and win eternal glory. These things did ravifh my heart: I would 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 faw one who, as I thought in my mind, hung bleeding upon a tree; the very fight of him made

my

my burden fall off my back (for I groaned under a very heavy burden), but then it fell down from off

me.

'Twas a ftrange thing to me,-I never faw fuch 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 stript me of my rags, and gave me this 'broidered coat which you fee; and the third fet this mark, which you fee, in my forehead, and gave me this fealed roll (and with that he plucked 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; fome other matters I did fee, as namely, I faw three men, Simple, Sloth, and Prefumption, lie afleep a little out of the way which I came, with irons upon their heels; but, would you think it? I could not 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 warn them; but they would not believe me. Above all, I found it hard

work to get up this hill, lions' mouths: truly, if it had not been for the good man, the porter who ftands at the gate, I do not know, after all, but I might have gone back again: but now I thank God I am here, and I thank you for receiving of me.

and as hard to come by the

8

Then

Then Prudence thought good to ask him a few queftions, and defire his answer to them.

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

Chr. Yea, 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.

Prud. Do you not yet bring away with you fome of the things which you was converfant with before?

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

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

Chr. Yes, but that is but feldom; but they are to me golden hours in which this happens to me. Prud. Can you remember by what means you find that your annoyances, at times, are as if they were vanquished" ?

Chr.

b Those means, by which Chriftian finds those annoyances vanquished, which at times are his perplexity, deferve to be

attended

Chr. Yes, when I think of what I faw at the crofs, that will do it: when I look upon my 'broi dered coat, that will do it: when I look into the roll which 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 which makes you fo defirous to go to Mount Zion?

Chr. Why, there I hope to fee him alive who did hang dead on the crofs: there I hope to be rid of all thofe things which, to this day, are in me, and are annoyances to me: there, they fay, is no death, and there I fhall dwell with fuch company as I like beft. For, to tell you the truth, I love him, because I was by him eafed of my burden; and I

am

attended to moft feriously. Many tell us that it is neceffary to preach the law, and to hold forth its terrors, in order to drive men to their duty, and to restrain them from fin; but the Apoftle fays, "The motions of fin are by the law;" and in another place he fays, Sin, taking occafion by the com"mandment, wrought in me all manner of concupifcence."It is the grace of God which brings falvation home to my heart, powerfully felt, and fenfibly enjoyed; which teaches me to deny ungodliness and worldly lufts. To whom much is forgiven, these of course will love much.

c He who loves God knows what he loves him for. St. John fays, "We love him because he first loved us." Some talk of loving God for what he is in himself, for his holiness, &c. abftractedly from all confiderations of what he has done for us as a Saviour. Bleffed be God, who has given any of us an understanding to know him that is true, and to know

that