men of war.

Wherefore, like men raised from the dead, so the captains and their men arose, made up to the enemy, and cried as before, The sword of the Prince Emmanuel, and the shield of Captain Credence.

The Diabolonians also bestirred themselves and made resistance as well as they could, but in this last engagement the Diabolonians lost their courage, and many of the Doubters fell down dead to the ground. Now when they had been in heat of battle about an hour or more, Captain Credence lift up his eyes and saw, and behold Emmanuel came, and he came with colours flying, trumpets sounding, and the feet of his men scarce touched the ground, they hasted with that celerity towards the captains that were engaged. is betwixt Christ Then did Credence wind with his down they go to men to the townward, and gave to Diabolus the field. So Emmanuel came upon him on the one side, and the enemies place was betwixt them both, then again they fell to it afresh, and now it was but a little while more but Emmanuel and Captain Credence met, still trampling down the slain as they came.

When the enemy

and faith, then

be sure.

But when the captains saw that the Prince was come, and that he fell upon the Diabolonians on the other side, and that Captain Credence and his Highness had got them up betwixt them, they shouted, they so shouted that the ground rent again, saying, The sword of Emmanuel and the shield of Captain Credence. Now when Diabolus saw that he and his forces were so hard beset by the Prince and his princely army, what does he, and the lords of the pit that were with him, but The victory falls make their escape and foresake their and to his men, army, and leave them to fall by the who slay all. hand of Emmanuel, and of his noble Captain Credence; so they fell all down slain before them, before the Prince, and before his royal army; there was not left so much as one doubter alive, they lay spread upon the ground dead men, as one would spread dung upon the land.1

to Emmanuel,

selves to go to the town, they went then to go up to Mansoul, they, the Prince, with all the new forces that now he had brought with him to the war. Also all the gates of the town were set open for his reception, so glad were they of his blessed return. And this was the manner and order of this going of his into Mansoul.

First, as I said, all the gates of the town were set open, yea the gates of the castle also; the elders too of the town of Mansoul placed themselves at the gates of the town to salute him at his entrance thither; and so they did, The manner of for as he drew near and approached his going in. towards the gates, they said, Lift up your heads, O ye gates; and be ye lift up, ye everlasting doors; and the King of glory shall come in.' And they answered again, Who is the King of glory?' and they made return to themselves, The Lord strong and mighty, the Lord mighty in battle. Lift up your heads, O ye gates; even lift them up ye everlasting doors.' Ps. xxiv. 7–9.

·

Secondly, It was ordered also by those of Mansoul, that all the way from the town-gates to those of the castle, his blessed Majesty should be enter tained with the song, by them that had could best skill in music in all the town of Mansoul; then did the elders and the rest of the men of Mansoul answer one another as Emmanuel entered the town, till he came at the castle-gates, with songs and sound of trumpets, saying, 'They have seen thy goings, O God, even the goings of my God, my King, in the sanctuary.' So the singers went before, the players on instruments followed after; among them were the damsels playing with timbrels.' Ps. lxviii. 25.

Thirdly, Then the captains-for I would speak a word of them-they in their order waited on the Prince as he entered into the gates of Mansoul. Captain Credence went before, and Captain Goodhope with him; Captain Charity came behind with other of his companions, and Captain Patience followed after all, and the rest of the captains-some on the right hand, some on the left

accompanied Emmanuel into Mansoul. And all the while the colours were displayed, the trumpets sounded, and continual shoutings were among the soldiers. The Prince himself rode into the town in his armour, which was all of beaten gold, and in his chariot, the pillars of it were of silver, the bottom thereof of gold, the covering of it was of purple, the midst thereof being paved with love for the daughters of the town of Mansoul.

Fourthly, When the Prince was come to the entrance of Mansoul, he found all the streets strewed with lilies and flowers, curiously decked with boughs and branches from the Good and joyful green trees that stood round about thoughts. the town. Every door also was filled with persons

who had adorned every one their fore-part against their house, with something of variety and singular excellency to entertain him withall as he passed in the streets; they also themselves, as Emmanuel passed by, did welcome him with shouts and acclamations of joy, saying, Blessed be the Prince that cometh in the name of his Father Shaddai.1

Fifthly, At the castle-gates the elders of Mansoul, to wit, the Lord Mayor, the Lord Will-bewill, the subordinate Preacher, Mr. Knowledge, Mr. Mind, with other of the gentry of the place, saluted Emmanuel again. They bowed before him, they kissed the dust of his feet, they thanked, they blessed, and praised his Highness for not taking advantage against them for their sins, but rather had pity upon them in their misery, and returned to them with mercies, and to build up their Mansoul for ever. Thus was he had up straightway to the castle; for that was the royal palace, and the place where his honour was to dwell; the which was ready prepared for his Highness by the presence of the Lord Secretary and the work of Captain Credence. So he entered

in.

Sixthly, Then the people and commonalty of the town of Mansoul came to him into the castle to mourn, and to weep, and to lament for their wickedness by which they had forced him out of the town. So they, when they were come, bowed themselves to the ground seven times, they also wept, they wept aloud, and asked forgiveness of the Prince, and prayed that he would again, as of old, confirm his love to Mansoul.

To the which the great Prince replied, Weep not, but go your way, eat the fat and drink the sweet, and send portions unto them for whom nought is prepared for the joy of the Lord is your strength.' Ne. viii. 10. I am returned to Mansoul with mercies, and my name shall be set up, exalted, and magnified by it. He also took these inhabitants and kissed them, and laid them in his bosom.

How gladly is Jesus received! None but those who have experienced it can tell how delightful and welcome is his presence to the soul that has long been vexed with an army of doubts. O let us beware of sin and unbelief, which caused him to withdraw and the doubts to enter. Well may the soul be humbled in the dust in the recollection of its backsliding. -(Burder.) Strewing the streets with flowers, and decorating the fronts of the houses, was customary, in Bunyan's time, in all royal processions.-(ED.)

Giving them the Holy Ghost; purifying their hearts by faith.' Ac. xv. 8, 9.—(ED.)

When Emmanuel the Prince had done all these things for the famous town of Mansoul, then he said unto them, first, Wash your garments, then put on your ornaments, and then come to me into the castle of Mansoul. Ex. ix. 8. So they went to the fountain that was set open for Judah and Jerusalem to wash in, Zec. xiii. 1, and there they washed, and there they made their garments white, and came again to the Prince into the castle, and thus they stood before him. Re. vii. 14, 15.

And now there was music and dancing through out the whole town of Mansoul, and that because their Prince had again granted to them his presence and the light of his countenance, the bells also did ring, and the sun shone comfortably upon them for a great while together.*

The town of Mansoul did also now more throughly seek the destruction and ruin of all remaining Diabolonians that abode in the walls and the dens that they had in the town of Mansoul, for there was of them that had to this day escaped with life and limb from the hand of their suppressors in the famous town of Mansoul.5

But my Lord Will-be-will was a greater terror to them now than ever he had been before; forasmuch as his heart was yet more fully bent to seek, contrive, and pursue them to the death; he pursued them night and day, and did put them now to sore distress, as will afterwards appear.

dead.

After things were thus far put into order in the famous town of Mansoul, care was taken and order given by the blessed Prince Emmanuel, that the townsmen should, without further delay, appoint some to go forth into the plain to bury Orders given out the dead that were there-the dead to bury the that fell by the sword of Emmanuel and by the shield of the Captain Credence-lest the fumes and ill savours that would arise from them might infect the air, and so annoy the famous town of Mansoul. This also was a reason of this order, to wit, that as much as in Mansoul lay, they might cut off the name, and being, and remembrance of those enemies from the throught of the famous town of Mansoul and its inhabitants.

So order was given out by the Lord Mayorthat wise and trusty friend of the town of Mansoul -that persons should be employed about this

necessary business; and Mr. Godly-fear and one Mr. | Upright were to be overseers about this matter; so persons were put under them to work in the fields and to bury the slain that lay dead in the plains. And these were their places of employment-some were to make the graves, some to bury the dead, and some were to go to and fro in the plains, and also round about the borders of Mansoul, to see if a skull, or a bone, or a piece of a hone, or a piece bone of a Doubter was yet to be

Not a skull, or a

ut a bone of a

Doubter to be left seen above ground anywhere near unburied. the corporation; and if any were found, it was ordered that the searchers that searched should set up a mark thereby, and a sign, that those that were appointed to bury them might find it, and bury it out of sight, that the name and remembrance of a Diabolonian Doubter might be blotted out from under heaven. And that the children, and they that were to be born in Mansoul, might not know, if possible, what a skull, what a bone, or a piece of a bone of a Doubter was.

So the buriers, and those that were appointed for that purpose, did as they were commanded, they buried the Doubters, and all the skulls and bones, and pieces of bones of Doubters wherever they found them, and so they cleansed the plains. Now also Mr. God's-peace took up his commission and acted again as in former days.

Thus they buried, in the plains about Mansoul, the Election-doubters, the Vocation-doubters, the Grace-doubters, the Perseverance-doubters, the Resurrection-doubters, the Salvation-doubters, and the Glory-doubters, whose captains were Captain Rage, Captain Cruel, Captain Damnation, Captain Insatiable, Captain Brimstone, Captain Torment, Captain Noease, Captain Sepulchre, and Captain Pasthope, and old Incredulity was under Diabolus their general; there were also the seven heads of their army, and they were the Lord Beelzebub, the Lord Lucifer, the Lord Legion, the Lord Apollyon, the Lord Python, the Lord Cerberus, and the Lord Belial. But the princes and the captains, with old Incredulity their general, did all of them make their escape, so their men fell down slain by the power of the Prince's forces, and by the hands of the men of the town of Mansoul. They also were

1 Thus was the victory completed, and by this we are taught that doubts of the love of Christ, contrary to the declarations of his Word, should be utterly suppressed, as being infinitely dishonourable to our faithful covenant God, and unspeakably pernicious to our own souls.-(Burder.) Still we are not to forget the danger of their rising from the tomb again to distress us, unless we are found constantly watchful and prayerful. When Greatheart and the Pilgrims had killed Despair, and destroyed Doubting Castle, and are rejoicing over the ruins, Bunyan thus warns them

"Though Doubting Castle be demolished,

And the Giant Despair hath lost his head,
Sin can rebuild the castle, make it remain,
And make Despair, the giant, live again.'--(ED.)
VOL. III.

[CHAPTER XVII.]

Their arms and armour buried with them.

what else

[CONTENTS: A new army of Bloodmen, or persecutors, attack the town, but are surrounded by the Mansoulians, headed by Faith and Patience-The examination of some of the leaders-Evil-questioning entertains some of the Doubters, but is discovered by Diligence-The principal Doubters tried, convicted, and executed.]

The tyrant re

solves to have yet a bout with Mansoul.

Now when the tyrant was arrived at Hell-gatehill, with his old friend Incredulity, they immediately descended the den, and having there, with their fellows, for a while condoled their misfortune and great loss that they sustained against the town of Mansoul, they fell at length into a passion, and revenged they would be for the loss that they sustained before the town of Mansoul, wherefore they presently call a council to contrive yet further what was to be done against the famous town of Mansoul; for their yawning paunches could not wait to see the result of their Lord Lucifer's and their Lord Apollyon's counsel that they had given before, for their raging gorge thought every day even as long as a short-for-ever, until they were filled with the body and soul, with the flesh and bones, and with all the delicates of Mansoul. They therefore resolve to make another attempt upon the town of Mansoul, and that by an army mixed, and made up, partly of Doubters and partly of Bloodmen." A more particular account now take of both.

2 Poor Mansoul, having by grace overcome his doubts and fears, having died to sin and risen again to newness of life, is now fit to comfort his brethren in church fellowship. As the Pilgrim was frighted by the lions before the house Beautiful, to prevent his entering into communion with a church, so here they suffer persecution from these lions, here called 'Bloodmen,' and an appropriate title it is for all persecutors. All those who enforce human laws to compel our presence at, or support to, any form of worship, are bloodmen. Bless God that they can only scratch us now; but if they had the power, the same spirit that now scratches would devour the saints of God.--(ED.)

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