His burden falls off at the sight of the Cross. Now I saw in my dream, that the highway, up which CHRISTIAN was to go, was fenced on either side with a wall, and that wall was called SALVATION. Up this way therefore did burdened CHRISTIAN run, but not without great difficulty, because of the load upon his back. He ran thus till he came to a place somewhat ascending, and upon that place stood a Cross, and a little below in the bottom a Sepulchre. So I saw in my dream, that just as CHRISTIAN came up with the Cross, his burden loosed from off his shoulder, and fell from off his back, and began to tumble, and so continued to do, till it came to the mouth of the Sepulchre, where it fell in, and I saw it no more. Then was CHRISTIAN glad and lightsome, and said with a merry heart,' He hath given me rest by his sorrow, and life by his death.' Then he stood still a while to look and wonder; for it was very surprising to him, that the sight of the Cross should thus ease him of his burden. He looked therefore, and looked again, even till the springs that were in his head sent the waters down his cheeks.† Now, as he stood looking and weeping, behold three shining ones came to him and saluted him, with "Peace be * In that day shall this song be sung in the land of Judah: We have a strong city: salvation will God appoint for walls and bulwarks. Isa. xxvi. 1. + And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplication; and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him as one that is in bitterness for his first born. Zech. xii. 10. SIMPLE, SLOTH, and PRESUMPTION. to thee"; so the first said to him, Thy sins be forgiven;" Mark ii. 5, the second stript him of his rags, and clothed him with a change of raiment :* the third also set a mark upon his forehead, and gave him a Roll with a seal upon it,† which he bid him look on, as he ran, and that he should give it in at the celestial Gate; so they went their way. Then CHRISTIAN gave three leaps for joy, and went on singing Thus far did I come loaden with my sin, I saw then in my dream, that he went on thus even until he came at a bottom, where he saw, a little out of the way, three men fast asleep, with fetters upon their heels. The name of one was SIMPLE, another SLOTH, and the third PRESUMPTION. CHRISTIAN then, seeing them lie in this case, went to them, if peradventure he might awake them; and cried, you are like them that sleep on the top of * And he answered, and spake unto those that stood before him, saying, Take away the filthy garments from him. And unto him, he said, Behold I have caused thine iniquity to pass from thee, and I will clothe thee with change of raiment. Zech. iii. 4. + In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also, after that ye believed, ye were sealed with the holy spirit of promise. Eph. i. 13. FORMALIST and HYPOCRISY tumble over the wall. a mast,* for the dead sea is under you, a gulph that hath no bottom: awake therefore and come away; be willing also and I will help you off with your irons. He also told them, If he that goeth about like a roaring lion, comes by, you will certainly become a prey to his teeth. With that they looked upon him, and began to reply in this sort: SIMPLE said, I see no danger: SLOTH said, Yet a little more sleep:' and PRESUMPTION said, 'Every one must stand upon its own bottom.' And so they lay down to sleep again, and CHRISTIAN went on his way. Yet was he troubled to think that men in that danger should so little esteem the kindness of him that so freely offered to help them, both by awakening of them, counselling 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 FORMALIST, and the name of the other HYPOCRISY. So, as I said, they drew up unto him, who thus entered with them into discourse. CHR. Gentlemen, whence came you, and whither do you go? • Yea, thou shalt be as he that lieth down in the midst of the sea, or as he that lieth upon the top of a mast. Prov. xxiii. 34. ↑ Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the Devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about seeking whom he may devour. 1 Pet v. 8. FORMALIST and HYPOCRISY discourse with CHRISTIAN. FORM. & HYP. We were born in the land of VAIN-GLORY, and are going for praise to MOUNT ZION. CHR. Why came ye not in at the Gate, which standeth at the beginning of the way? Know ye not that it is written, that " He that cometh not in by "the door, but climbeth up some other way, the 66 same is a thief and a robber?" John x. 1. They said, that to go to that way for entrance, was by all their countrymen counted too far about; and that therefore their usual 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 trespass against the LORD of the City, whither we are bound, thus to violate his revealed will ? They told him, That as for that he needed not to trouble his head thereabout: for what they did they had custom for; and could produce, if need were, testimony, that would witness it, for more than a thousand years. But, said CHRISTIAN, Will your practice stand a trial at law? They told him that custom, it being of so long standing as above a thousand years, would doubtless now be admitted as a thing legal, by an impartial judge and besides, said 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 per |