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THE GAOL.

down in that place to sleep; and, as I slept, I dreamed a dream. I

dreamed, and behold I saw a man

clothed with rags, standing in a certain place, with his face from his own house, a book in his hand, and a great burden upon his back. I looked, and saw

1 Isa. Ixiv. 6. Luke, xiv. 33. Psalm xxxviii. 4. Heb. ii. 2. Acts, xvi. 31.

him open the book, and read therein, and as he read he wept and trembled; and not being able longer to contain, he brake out with a lamentable cry, saying, "What shall I do!"2

HIS OUTCRY.

In this plight, therefore, he went home, and refrained himself as long as he could, that his wife and children should not perceive his distress; but he could not be silent long, because that his trouble increased; wherefore, at length, he brake his mind to his wife and children, and thus he began to talk to them: "O! my dear wife (said he), and you the children of my bowels, I, your dear friend, am in myself undone, by reason of a burden that lieth hard upon me: Moreover, I am for certain informed, that THIS WORLD. this our city will be burnt with fire from heaven; in which fearful overthrow both myself, with thee my wife, and you my sweet babes, shall miserHE KNOWS NO ably come to ruin, except (the which yet I see not) some way of escape may be found, whereby we may be delivered. At this his relations were sore amazed; not for that they believed that what he had said to them was true, but because they thought that some frenzy distemper had got into his head; therefore, it drawing towards night, and they hoping that sleep might settle his brains, with all haste they got him to bed; but the night was as troublesome to him as the day: wherefore instead of sleeping, he spent it in sighs and tears. So, when the morning was come, they would know how he did; he told them, Worse and worse. also set to talking to them again; but they began to

WAY OF ESCAPE
AS YET.

He

2 Acts, ii. 37.

CARNAL PHYSIC

FOR A SICK

SOUL.

be hardened. They also thought to drive away his distemper by harsh and surly carriage to him: Sometimes they would deride, sometimes they would chide, and sometimes they would quite neglect him; wherefore he began to retire himself to his chamber to pray for and pity them, and also to condole his own misery: he would also walk solitarily in the fields, sometimes reading, and sometimes praying; and thus for some days he spent his time.

Now I saw, upon a time, when he was walking in the fields, that he was (as he was wont) reading in his book, and greatly distressed in his mind; and, as he read, he burst out as he had done before, crying, "What shall I do to be saved?"3

I saw also, that he looked this way and that way, as if he would run; yet he stood still, because (as I perceived) he could not tell which way to go. I looked then, and saw a man named Evangelist coming to him, and asked, Wherefore dost thou cry ?

He answered, Sir, I perceive, by the book in my hand, that I am condemned to die, and after that to come to judgment; and I find that I am not willing to do the first, nor able to do the second.1

Then said Evangelist, Why not willing to die, since this life is attended with so many evils? The man answered, Because I fear that this burden that is upon my back will sink me lower than the grave, and I shall fall into Tophet.5 And, Sir, if I be not fit to go to prison, I am not fit to go to judgment, and from 3 Acts, xvi. 30, 31.

'Heb. ix. 27. Job, x. 21, 22. Ezek. xxii. 14.

5 Isa, xxx. 33.

thence to execution; and the thoughts of these things

make me cry.

Then said Evangelist, if this be thy condition, why standest thou still? He answered, Because I know not whither to go. Then he gave him

CONVICTION OF

THE NECESSITY
OF FLYING.

a parchment-roll, and there was written within, "Fly from the wrath to come!"6 The man therefore read it, and, looking upon Evangelist very carefully, said, Whither must I fly? Then said Evangelist, pointing with his finger over a very wide field, Do you see yonder wicket-gate? The

CHRIST, AND

THE WAY TO

FOUND WITH

OUT THE WORD.

man said, No. Then said the other, Do you see yonder shining light! He said,

HIM, CANNOT BE I think I do. Then said Evangelist, Keep that light in your eye, and go up directly thereto, so shalt thou see the gate; at which, when thou knockest, it shall be told thee what thou shalt do.

So I saw in my dream, that the man began to run; now, he had not run far from his own door, when his wife and children, perceiving it, began to cry after him to return; but the man put his fingers in his ears, and ran on, crying, Life, life, eternal life! So he looked not behind him, but fled towards the middle of the plain.1

THEY THAT FLY
FROM THE WRATH
TO COME ARE A
GAZING-STOCK TO
THE WORLD.2

The neighbours also came out to see him run, and as he ran, some mocked, others threatened, and some cried after him to return; and, among those that did so, there were two that

6 Matth. iii. 7. 7 Matth. vii. 13. 8 Psalm cxix. 105. 2 Pet. i. 19. 9 Luke, xiv. 26. 1 Gen. xix. 17.

2 Jer. xx. 10.

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