that begin to come hither, do show their face on these mountains. But when the Shepherds heard their answers, being pleased therewith, they looked very lovingly upon them, and said, Welcome to the Delectable Mountains.?

The Shepherds welcome them.

The names of the
Shepherds.

The Shepherds, I say, whose names were Knowledge, Experience, Watchful, and Sincere, took them by the hand, and had them to their tents, and made them partake of that which was ready at present. They said, moreover, We would that ye should stay here awhile, to be acquainted with us; and yet more to solace yourselves with the good of these Delectable Mountains. They then told them that they were content to stay; so they went to their rest that night, because it was very late.

Then I saw in my dream, that in the morning the Shepherds called up Christian and Hopeful to walk with them upon the mountains: so they went forth with them, and walked a while, having a pleasant prospect on every side. Then said the They are shown Shepherds one to another, Shall we show these pilgrims some wonders? So when they had concluded to do it, they had them first to the top of a hill called Error, which was very steep on the

wonders.

The Mountain of

Error. furthest side, and bid them look down to the bottom. So Christian and Hopeful looked down, and saw at the bottom several men dashed all to pieces by a fall that they had from the top. Then said Christian, What meaneth this? The Shepherds answered, Have you not heard of them that were made to err, by hearkening to Hymeneus and Philetus, as concerning the faith of the resurrection of the body? 2 Titus ii. 17, 18. They answered, Yes. Then said the Shepherds, Those that you see lie dashed in pieces at the bottom of this mountain are they; and they have continued to this day unburied, as you see, for an example to others to take heed

? There is in this laconic description of the homely dreamer a richness of beauty which no efforts of the artist can adequately portray; and in the concise dialogue of the speakers, a simple sublimity of eloquence which any commentary could only weaken.

how they clamber too high, or how they come too near the brink of this mountain.

Mount Caution.

Then I saw that they had them to the top of another mountain, and the name of that is Caution, and bid them look afar off; which, when they did, they perceived, as they thought, several men walking up and down among the tombs that were there; and they perceived that the men were blind, because they stumbled sometimes upon the tombs, and because they could not get out from among them." Then said Christian, What means this?

The Shepherds then answered, Did you not see a little below these mountains a stile that led into a meadow, on the left hand of this way? They answered, Yes. Then said the Shepherds, From that stile there goes a path that leads directly to Doubting Castle, which is kept by Giant Despair, and these, pointing to them among the tombs, came once on pilgrimage, as you do now, even till they came to that same stile; and because the right way was rough in that place, they chose to go out of it into that meadow, and there were taken by Giant Despair, and cast into Doubting Castle; where, after they had been a while kept in the dungeon, he at last did put out their eyes, and led them among those tombs, where he has left them to wander to this very day, that the saying of the wise man might be fulfilled, "He that wandereth out of the way of understanding, shall remain in the congregation of the dead." Prov. xxi. 16. Then Christian and Hopeful looked upon one

7 "Eve dilating delightfully before the devil of the worthy privileges God had given her, lost the dread of God's command off her heart, and fell." [45]

Oh, the unthought-of imaginations, frights, fears, and terrors that are effected by a thorough application of guilt, yielding to desperation! This is the man that hath his dwelling among the tombs with the dead, that is always crying out, and cutting himself with stones. Mark v. 3. [12+, 185]

"Some retain the name of Christ, and the notion of him as a Saviour, but cast him off in the very things wherein the essential parts of his sacrifice, merits, and priesthood consist. In this lies the mystery of their iniquity. They dare not altogether deny that Christ doth save his people, as a priest; but then their art is to confound his offices, until they jostle out of doors the merit of his blood and the perfection of his justifying righteousness. Such draw away the people from the cross (put out their eyes), and lead them among the infidels." [50]

another, with tears gushing out, but yet said nothing to the Shepherds.

Then I saw in my dream, that the Shepherds had them to another place, in a bottom, where was a door in the side of a hill, and they opened the door, and bid them look in. They looked in, therefore, and saw that within it was very dark and smoky; they also thought that they heard there a rumbling noise as of fire, and a cry of some tormented, and that they smelt the scent of brimstone. Then said Christian, What means this? The Shepherds told them, This is A by-way to hell. a by-way to hell, a way that hypocrites go in at; namely, such as sell their birthright, with Esau; such as sell their master, with Judas; such as blaspheme the gospel, with Alexander; and that lie and dissemble, with Ananias and Sapphira his wife. Then said Hopeful to the Shepherds, I perceive that these had on them, even every one, a show of pilgrimage, as we have now; had they not?

SHEP. Yes, and held it a long time too.

HOPE. How far might they go on in pilgrimage in their day, since they notwithstanding were thus miserably cast away? SHEP. Some further, and some not so far, as these mountains.

Then said the Pilgrims one to another, We have need to cry to the Strong for strength.

SHEP. Aye, and you will have need to use it, when you have it, too.

By this time the Pilgrims had a desire to go forward, and the Shepherds a desire they should; so they walked together towards the end of the mountains. Then said the Shepherds one to another, Let us here show to the Pilgrims the gates of the The Shepherds' Celestial City, if they have skill to look through perspective glass. Our perspective glass. The Pilgrims then

* It reflects the highest credit on Bunyan's genius, so rich in its inventions, so aspiring in its imaginative flights, that, after such an exordium, he should have made no effort to describe what was in its own splendour or glory indescribable. Nothing can be more admirable than this indistinct report of the perspective glass; it cannot offend the most fastidious taste, yet leaves scope for the exercise of the most ardent and aspiring imagination.

lovingly accepted the motion; so they had them to the top of a high hill, called Clear, and gave them their

glass to look.

The Hill Clear.

Then they essayed to look, but the remembrance of that last thing that the Shepherds had showed them, made their hands shake; by means of which impediment, they The fruits of sercould not look steadily through the glass; yet vile fear. they thought they saw something like the gate, and also some of the glory of the place." Then they went away, and sang this song

Thus, by the Shepherds, secrets are reveal'd,
Which from all other men are kept conceal'd.
Come to the Shepherds, then, if you would see
Things deep, things hid, and that mysterious be."

When they were about to depart, one of the Shepherds gave them a note of the way. Another of them bid them beware of the Flatterer. The third bid them take heed that they sleep not upon the Enchanted Ground. And the fourth bid them God-speed. So I awoke from my dream."

A twofold Caution.

And I slept, and dreamed again, and saw the same two Pilgrims going down the mountains along the highway towards

"Such mountains round about this house do stand

As one from thence may see the Holy Land." [40]

"What a gallery of solemn REALITIES is here, what a system of divine truth, commending itself to all men's consciences! It is not so much the richness of imagination, nor the tenderness of feeling here exhibited, nor the sweetness and beauty of the imagery with which this book is filled, as it is the presence of these REALITIES that constitutes the secret of its unbounded power over the soul. In this light the walls of this gallery seem moving with celestial figures speaking to the soul. They are acting the drama of a life which is the reality; it is the spectators only who are walking in a vain show.

"Because I would have thee think of my directions how to run to the Kingdom, take all in short in this little bit of paper:-1. Get into the way. 2. Stay on it. 3. Strip and lay aside every weight that would hinder. 4. Beware of by-paths. 5. Do not stare much about thee, but ponder the path of thy feet. 6. Do not stop for those who call after thee. 7. Be not daunted with discouragements. 8. Take heed of stumbling at crosses. 9. Cry hard to God; and God give thee a prosperous journey. Yet let me give thee a pair of spurs to urge on thy lumpish heart in this rich journey: if thou winnest, then heaven, God, Christ, glory eternal is thine; if thou lose, thou procurest, eternal death." [57]

the use of his hand; wherefore he withdrew, and left them as before, to consider what to do. Then did the prisoners consult between themselves, whether it was best to take his counsel or no; and thus they began to discourse :

CHR. Brother, said Christian, what shall we do? The life that we now live is miserable. For my part Christian crushed. I know not whether is best, to live thus, or to die out of hand. My soul chooseth strangling rather than life," and the grave is more easy for me than this dungeon. Job vii. 15. Shall we be ruled by the Giant ?c

HOPE. Indeed, our present condition is dreadful, and Hopeful comforts death would be far more welcome to me than

him. thus for ever to abide; but yet, let us consider, the Lord of the country to which we are going hath said, Thou shalt do no murder: no, not to another man's person; much more, then, are we forbidden to take his counsel to kill ourselves. Besides, he that kills another, can but commit murder upon his body; but for one to kill himself is to kill body and soul at once. And, moreover, my brother, thou talkest of ease in the grave; but hast thou forgotten the hell, whither for certain the murderers go? For "no murderer hath eternal life," &c. And let us consider, again, that all the law is not in the hand of Giant Despair. Others, so far as I can

d

"Satan and his angels will not be wanting to help forward the calamity of the man, who, in coming to Christ, is beat out of breath, out of heart, out of courage, by winds that blow him backward. They will not be wanting to throw up his heels in their dirty places, nor to trouble his head with the fumes of their foul breath. Now it is hard coming to God; Satan has the art of making the most of every sin; he can make every hair on the head as big as a cedar. But, soul, Christ can save unto the uttermost! come, man, come. He can do exceeding abundantly above all that we can ask or think." [53]

a Bunyan had an acute sense of the exceeding sinfulness of sin, and no saint suffered more severely from despair. One of his great objects is to arm poor pilgrims against desponding fears. "He (the devil) will be sure to present to thy conscience the most sad sentences of the Scripture; yea, and set them home with such cunning arguments, that if it be possible he will make thee despair, and make away thyself as did Judas." [1] "Sin, when seen in its colours, and when appearing in its monstrous shape and hue, frighteth all mortals out of their wits, away from God, and, if he stops them not, also out of the world. This is manifest by Cain, Judas, Saul, and others. They fly from before God, one to one fruit of despair, and one to another." [35]