deliverance; for, thought he, if I first brute1 this, | his merciless victory. My mind is, therefore, that the tidings that shall come after, will all be swal- we resolve, to the last man, to resist him, and not lowed up of this; for what else will Mansoul say, to believe him upon any terms; for in at that door when they shall hear that they must be delivered, will come our danger. But shall we be flattered but that the true meaning is, Shaddai out of our lives? I hope you know more of the The place of hearing and of intends to destroy them; wherefore, he rudiments of politics than to suffer yourselves so considering. summons the whole town into the pitifully to be served. market-place, and there, with deceitful tongue, thus he addresses himself unto them: Gentlemen, and my very good friends, You are all, as you know, my legal subjects, and men of the famous town of Mansoul; you know how, from the first day that I have been with you until now, I have behaved myself among you, and what liberty, and great privileges you have enjoyed under my government, I hope to your honour, and mine, and also to your content and delight. Now, my famous Mansoul, a noise of trouble there is abroad, of trouble to the town of Mansoul, sorry I am thereof for your sakes. For I have received but now by the post from my lord Lucifer-and he useth to have good intelligence-that your old king Shaddai is raising of an army to come against you, to destroy you root and branch:2 and this, O Mansoul, is now the cause that at this time I have called you together; namely, to advise what in this juncture is best to be done; for my part, I am but one, and can with ease shift for myself, did I list to seek my own ease, and to leave my Mansoul in all the danger. But my heart is so firmly united to you, and so unwilling am I to leave you, that I am willing to stand and fall with you, to the utmost hazard that shall befall me. What say you, O my Mansoul? Will you now desert your old friend, or do you think of standing by me?' Then as one man, with one mouth, they cried out together, 'Let him die the death that will not.' 3 Then said Diabolus again, It is in vain for us to Very deceivable hope for quarter, for this king knows language. not how to show it: true, perhaps, he at his first sitting down before us will talk of, and pretend to, mercy, that thereby, with the more ease, and less trouble, he may again make himself the master of Mansoul. Whatever therefore he shall say, believe not one syllable or tittle of it, for all such language is but to overcome us, and to make us, while we wallow in our blood, the trophies of 'Brute,' generally spelt bruit;' report, rumour, fame.Imp. Dic.-(ED.) This is one of the great lies with which Satan and his emissaries would keep sinners in bondage, by leading them to think that Christ came not to save, but to destroy, and that true religion is a dull, melancholy, pursuit, tending only to misery and melancholy; the very reverse of all Christian experience and truth.—(ED.) 3 Well may Satan be called the father of lies; all his object is to destroy souls. He is a merciless tyrant; his service is the vilest drudgery; his wages are pain, sorrow, sickness, temporal, and eternal death. O for that spiritual wisdom from heaven by which alone we can detect his devices.-(ED.) | But suppose he should, if he gets us to yield, save some of our lives, or the lives of some of them that are underlings in Mansoul, what help will that be to you that are the chief of the town; especially of you whom I have set up, and whose greatness has been procured by you through your faithful sticking to me? And suppose again, Lying language. that he should give quarter to every one of you, be sure he will bring you into that bondage under which you were captivated before, or a worse; and then what good will your lives do you? Shall you with him live in pleasure as you do now? No, no, you must be bound by laws that will pinch you, and be made to do that which at present is hateful to you; I am for you, if you are for me, and it is better tó die valiantly, than to live like pitiful slaves.5 But I say, the life of a slave will be counted a life too good He is afraid of for Mansoul now; blood, blood, nothing but blood is in every blast of Shaddai's trumpet against poor Mansoul now." Pray, be concerned, I hear he is coming up; and stand to your arms, that now while you have any leisure, I may learn you some feats of war. mour for you I have, and by me it is; yea, and it is sufficient for Mansoul from top to toe; nor can you be hurt by what his force can do, if you shall keep it well girt and fastened about you. Come therefore to my castle, and welcome, and harness yourselves for the war. There is helmet, breastplate, sword, and shield, and what not, that will make you fight like men. losing of Mansoul. Ar He puts them upon arming themselves. 4 The strength of Satan's kingdom lies in preventing men from thinking or examining for themselves.--(ED.) How do the most wretched slaves, even the devil's dirtiest drudges, hug their chains, and try to imagine themselves free. The believer alone knows what liberty is; Christ's service is perfect freedom, and his ways-all his ways, and none but his ways are pleasantness and peace.—(ED.) Without the shedding of blood there is no remission of sins; but with the blood-shedding of Jesus, the gospel of peace and salvation is brought to the guilty conscience. How malignantly the father of lies can pervert the plainest gospel truths. —(Ed.) sword, or shield can hurt him; this therefore keep on, and thou wilt keep off many a blow, my Mansoul.1 2. My breastplate is a breastplate of iron; I had it forged in mine own country, and II's breasty late. all my soldiers are armed therewith; in plain language it is an hard heart, an heart as hard as iron, and as much past feeling as a stone; the which if you get, and keep, neither mercy shall win you, nor judgment fright you. Re. ix. 9. This, therefore, is a piece of armour most necessary for all to put on that hate Shaddai, and that would fight against him under my banner. Ilis shield. 4. My shield is unbelief, or calling into question the truth of the Word, or all the sayings that speak of the judgment that Shaddai has appointed for wicked men. Use this shield. Job xv. 26. Many attempts he has made upon it, and sometimes, it is true, it has been bruised. I's. lxxvi. 3. But they that have writ of the wars of Emmanuel against my servants, have testified that he could do no mighty work there because of their unbelief. Mar. vi. 5, 6. Now, to handle this weapon of mine aright, it is not to believe things because they are true, of what sort or by whomsoever asserted. If he speak of judgment, care not for it; if he speak of mercy, care not for it; if he promise, if he swear that he would do to Mansoul, if it turn, no hurt but good, regard not what is said; question the truth of all; for this is to wield the shield of unbelief aright, and as my servants ought and do; and he that doth otherwise loves me not, nor do I count him but an enemy to me.2 5. Another part or piece,' said Diabolus, 'of mine excellent armour is a dumb and prayerless spirit—a spirit that scorns to cry for mercy; wherefore be you, my Mansoul, sure that you make use of this. What! cry for quarter, never do that if you 1 How many baptized infidels perish in a vain hope that Divine mercy will be extended to impenitent, unawakened sinners; forgetting that ‘a God all mercy, is a God unjust.' -(ED.) This shield of the devil is used to an extent that few persons imagine. All the impenitent disbelieve the punishinent of sin, and use this shield to ward off conviction; and how many of the children of God, when in a state of doubt, ise the same shield, to prevent the entrance of those promises which would bring consolation to their wounded souls! Strangely has sin perverted the faculties of Mansoul.—(ED.) How skilfully Satan plies his suggestions, to keep poor sinners from their kuces. He knows that he cannot withstand godly, fervent, prayer.—(ED.) would be mine; I know you are stout men, and am sure that I have clad you with that which is armour of proof; wherefore to cry to Shaddai for mercy, let that be far from you. Besides all this, I have a maul, fire-brands, arrows and death, all good handweapons, and such as will do execution.'* He backs all with a speech to them. After he had thus furnished his men with armour and arms, he addressed himself to them in such like words as these:- Remember,' quoth he, that I am your rightful king, and that you have taken an oath, and entered into covenant to be true to me and my cause; I say, remember this, and show yourselves stout and valiant men of Mansoul. Remember also the kindness that I have always showed to you, and that without your petition: I have granted to you external things, wherefore the privileges, grants, immunities, profits and honours wherewith I endowed yon, do call for at your hands returns of loyalty, my lion-like men of Mansoul; and when so fit a time to show it as when another shall seek to take my dominion over you, into their own hands? One word more, and I have done, Can we but stand, and overcome this one shock or brunt, I doubt not but in little time all the world will be ours; and when that day comes, my true hearts, I will make you kings, princes, and captains, and what brave days shall we have then?" soul show their Diabolus having thus armed, and fore-armed his servants and vassals in Mansoul, against their good and lawful king Shaddai; in the next place, he doubleth his guards at the gates of the town, and he takes himself to the castle, which was his strong hold. His vassals also, to show their They of Manwills, and supposed, but ignoble, gal- loyalty to the lantry, exercise themselves in their giant. arms every day, and teach one another feats of war; they also defied their enemies, and sang up the praises of their tyrant; they threatened also what men they would be, if ever things should rise so high as a war between Shaddai and their king." 4 Reader, we have here presented to our view the whole armour of the devil-presumption, hardness of heart, a blasphemous tongue, unbelief, and a prayerless spirit. This is Satan's armour; the very reverse of that which God has provided for Christian soldiers.--(Burder.) Thus Satan deceiveth the world, promising liberty and pleasure, while slavery and destruction are his only aim. All these things,' said he to our Lord, 'will I give thee, if thou wilt worship me.' O that we may be enabled to say, 'Get thee behind me, Satan.'-(Burder.) Satan first beguiles, then destroys, and lastly torments; he flatters only to betray aud ruin.-(Mason.) [CHAPTER IV.] [CONTENTS:-Shaddai sends an army of forty thousand to re duce Mansoul, under the direction of four captains, Boanerges, Conviction, Judgment, and Execution, who address the inhabitants with great energy, but to little purpose Diabolus, Incredulity, Illpause, and others, interfere to prevent submission - Prejudice defends Eargate with a guard of sixty deaf men.] Shaddai prepar eth an army very of Mar for the reco soul. Now all this time, the good King, the King Shaddai was preparing to send an army to recover the town of Mansoul again, from under the tyranny of their pretended king Diabolus. But he thought good, at the first, not to send them by the hand and conduct of brave Emmanuel his Son, but under the hand of some of his servants, to see first, by them, the temper of Mansoul; and whether by them they would be won to the obedience of their King. The army consisted of above forty thousand, all true men; for they came from the King's own court, and were those of his own choosing. The words of God. names. They came up to Mansoul under the conduct of four stout generals, each man being a captain of The captains' ten thousand men, and these are their names, and their signs. The name of the first was Boanerges; the name of the second was Captain Conviction; the name of the third was Captain Judgment; and the name of the fourth was Captain Execution. These were the captains that Shaddai sent to regain Mansoul.1 These four captains, as was said, the King thought fit, in the first place, to send to Mansoul, to make an attempt upon it; for indeed, generally in all his wars he did use to send these four captains in the van, for they were very stout and roughhewn men, men that were fit to break the ice, and to make their way by dint of sword, and their men were like themselves. Ps. 1x. 4. 2 To each of these captains the King gave a banner that it might be displayed, because of the goodness of his cause, and because of the right that he had to Mansoul. First to Captain Boanerges, for he was the chief; to him, I say, was given ten thousand men. His ensign was Mr. Thunder; he bare the black colours, and his escutcheon was three burning thunderbolts. Mar. iii. 17. The second 1 The army of forty thousand terrors of the law was not so fearful as one threatening of the new covenant. Read carefully Grace Abounding, No. 246.-(ED.) 2 Mansoul's spirit is first to be broken by the terrors of the law; there is no difficulty in understanding the very appropriate names of the captains. But why forty thousand convictions and terrors, unless from that number of valiant men 'prepared for war,' that went up with Joshua, who was feared as they feared Moses?' Jos. iv. 13. The margin says, "The words of God.' There are in the Bible 810,697 words, so that the 40,000 and above may refer to the number of those passages intended to convince of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment to come.-(ED.) captain was Captain Conviction; to him was also given ten thousand men. His ensign's name was Mr. Sorrow; he did bear the pale colours, and his escutcheon was the book of the law wide open, from whence issued a flame of fire. De. xxxiii. 2. The third captain was Captain Judgment; to him was given ten thousand men. His ensign's name was Mr. Terror; he bare the red colours, and his escutcheon was a burning fiery furnace. Mat. xiii. 40, 41. The fourth captain was Captain Execution; to him was given ten thousand men. His ensign was one Mr. Justice; he also bare the red colours, and his escutcheon was a fruitless tree, with an axe lying at the root thereof. Mat. iii. 10. These four captains, as I said, had every one of them under his command ten thousand men; all of good fidelity to the King, and stout at their military actions.3 Well, the captains, and their forces, their men and under-officers, being had upon a day by Shaddai into the field, and there called all over by their names, were then and there put into such harness1 as became their degree, and that service that now they were going about for their King. Now, when the King had mustered his forces— for it is he that mustereth the host to the battlehe gave unto the captains their several commissions. with charge and commandment, in the audience of all the soldiers, that they should take heed faithfully and courageously to do and execute the same. Their commissions were, for the substance of them, the same in form; though as to name, title, place, and degree of the captains, there might be some, but very small variation. And here let me give you an account of the matter and sum contained in their commission. 3 Boanerges,' a powerful awakening ministry; 'Conviction,' an awful display of the requirements of the law; Judgment,' the dreadful expectation of the great day; Execution,' the destruction of impenitent sinners. These are means of conviction, although in many cases, as that of Lydia, the heart is gently opened to admit Emmanuel.- (ED.) 4 Harness;' dress or equipments for fighting men, or for horses.- (Ed.) These are the usual means of conviction and conversion, but not the only means. Some are gently led to the Saviour, to others in a dream, in a vision of the night; he openeth the ears of men, and sealeth their instruction.' Job xxxiii. 15, 16. The great question is, Do I love the Lord? Does that love lead to obedience ?-(ED.) 6 A son of thunder, meaning a powerful proclamation of the gospel, which, when made effectual in the heart by the Holy Ghost, becomes the power of God to salvation.-(Mason.) servants; go thou in my name, with this thy force, to the miserable town of Mansoul; and when thou comest thither, offer them first conditions of peace, Mat. x. 11. Luke x. 5. and command them, that casting off the yoke and tyranny of the wicked Diabolus, they return to me, their rightful Prince and Lord; command them, also, that they cleanse themselves from all that is his in the town of Mansoul, and look to thyself that thou hast good satisfaction touching the truth of their obedience. Thus when thou hast commanded them, if they in truth submit thereto, then do thou, to the uttermost of thy power, what in thee lies, to set up for me a garrison in the famous town of Mansoul; nor do thou hurt the least native that moveth or breatheth therein, if they will submit themselves to me, but treat thou such as if they were thy friend or brother—for all such I love, and they shall be dear unto me—and tell them that I will take a time to come unto them, and to let them know that I am merciful. 1 Th. ii. 7—11. But if they shall notwithstanding thy summons, and the production of thy authority-resist, stand out against thee, and rebel, then do I command thee to make use of all thy cunning, power, might, and force, to bring them under by strength of hand. Farewell.' Thus you see the sum of their commissions, for, as I said before, for the substance of them they were the same that the rest of the noble captains had. a march. when they saw, the captains could for their hearts do no less than for a while bewail the condition of the town, for they quickly saw how that it was prostrate to the will of Diabolus, and to his ways and designs. Well, to be short, the captains came up before the town, march up to Eargate, sit down there, for that was the place of hearing. So, when they had pitched their tents and intrenched themselves, they addressed themselves to make their assault. The world are convinced by the well-ordered life of the godly. Now the townsfolk at first, beholding so gallant a company, so bravely accoutered, and so excellently disciplined, having on their glittering armour, and displaying of their flying colours, could not but come out of their houses and gaze. But the cunning fox, Diabolus, fearing that the people, after this sight, should on a sudden summons, open the gates to the captains, came down with all haste from the castle, and made them retire into the body of the town, who, when he had them there, made this lying and deceivable speech unto them: 6 from them. tan. Gentlemen,' quoth he, although you are my trusty and well-beloved friends, yet I Diabolus aliencannot but a little chide you for your ates their minds late uncircumspect action, in going out to gaze on that great and mighty force that but yesterday sat down before, and have now intrenched themselves, in order to the maintaining of a siege against, the famous town of Mansoul. Wherefore they having received each commander Do you know who they are, whence they come, his authority, at the hand of their King, the day and what is their purpose in setting down before They prepare for being appointed, and the place of their the town of Mansoul? They are they That's false, Sarendezvous prefixed, each commander of whom I have told you long ago, appeared in such gallantry as became his cause that they would come to destroy this town, and and calling. So, after a new entertainment from against whom I have been at the cost to arm you Shaddai, with flying colours, they set forward to with cap-a-pie3 for your body, besides great fortimarch towards the famous town of Mansoul. Cap-fications for your mind. Wherefore, then, did you tain Boanerges led the van; Captain Conviction and not rather, even at the first appearance of them, Captain Judgment made up the main body, and cry out, fire the beacons, and give the Captain Execution brought up the rear. Eph. ii. 13, whole town an alarm concerning them, 17. They then having a long way to go, for the that we might all have been in a pos- they will set town of Mansoul was far off from the court of Shad-ture of defence, and been ready to dai, they marched through the regions and countries of many people, not hurting or abusing any, but blessing wherever they came. They also lived upon the King's cost in all the way they went.1 2 Having travelled thus for many days, at last they came within sight of Mansoul; the which, Although Bunyan was not a hireling preacher, but for a great portion of his life maintained himself and his family by the labour of his hands, yet he plainly intimates that itinerating and missionary labourers in the Lord's vineyard must be maintained at the King's cost while away from home.-(ED.) 2 The distance to which man has fallen from God, is well set forth in the Church Homily on the Nativity: Before he was beloved, now he is abhorred; before he was most beautiful and precious, now he is vile and wretched. Instead of the image Satan greatly afraid of God's ministers, that Mansoul against him. have received them with the highest of God, he is now the image of the devil; instead of being the citizen of heaven, he is the bond-slave of hell; having no one part of his former purity and cleanness, but is altogether spotted and defiled, and is nothing but a lump of sin, and condemned to everlasting death.' What strange ideas must pass over the mind of an unconverted clergyman, who prides himself on the dignity of human nature, and yet reads this to his congregation.--(ED.) 3 'Cap-a-pie;' armed all over froin head to feet.—(Imp. Dic.) out any longer. Wherefore have I commanded a | also how he had sped. Whereat the captain was grieved, but bid the trumpeter go to his tent. watch, and that you should double your guards at the gates? Wherefore have I endeavoured to make you as hard as iron, and your hearts as a piece of the nether millstone? Was it, think you, that you might show yourselves women, and that you might go out like a company of innocents to Hestirs them up gaze on your mortal foes? Fy, fy, tothe ministers put yourselves into a posture of defence, beat up the drum, gather together in warlike manner, that our foes may know that, before they shall conquer this corporation there are valiant men in Mansoul. to bid defiance of the Word 'I will leave off now to chide,1 and will not further rebuke you; but I charge you that henceforwards you let me see no more such actions. Let not henceforward a man of you, without order first obtained from me, so much as show his head over the wall of the town of Mansoul. You have now heard me, do as I have commanded, and you shall cause me that I dwell securely with you, and that I take care as for myself, so for your safety and honour also. Farewell." When sinners tan, they are ness. Now were the townsmen strangely altered; they were as men stricken with a panic fear; they ran to and fro through the streets of the hearken to Sa- town of Mansoul, crying out, Help, set in a rage help! the men that turn the world against godli upside down are come hither also;' nor could any of them be quiet after, but still, as men bereft of wit, they cried out, "The destroyers of our peace and people are come.' This went down with Diabolus. Aye!' quoth he to himself, this I like well, now it is as I would have it; now you show your obedience to your prince, hold you but here, and then let them take the town if they can.' The King's trum Well, before the King's forces had sat before Mansoul three days, Captain Boanerges commanded his trumpeter to go down to Eargate, pet sounded at and there, in the name of the great Eargate. Shaddai, to summons Mansoul to give audience to the message that he, in his Master's name, was to them commanded to deliver. So the trumpeter, whose name was Take-heed-what-youhear, went up, as he was commanded, to Ear-gate, and there sounded his trumpet for a hearing; but They will not there was none that appeared that gave answer or regard; for so had Diabolus commanded. So the trumpeter returned to his captain, and told him what he had done, and lear. 1 To alarm and to persuade are the two principal means by which the devil tempts men; and it is not uncommon among Christians to feel the influence of both on one occasion. Now, as two things so dissimilar are not likely to arise out of the self-same mind, is not this an evidence of the power of some foreign and infernal influence over the human heart? Let us, then, be always awake to a sense of our danger, and put on the whole armour of God.-(Mason.) Again Captain Boanerges sendeth his trumpeter to Eargate, to sound, as before, for a A second sum hearing. But they again kept close, mons repulsed. came not out, nor would they give him an answer, so observant were they of the command of Diabolus their king.2 3 A council of war. Then the captains, and other field-officers, called a council of war, to consider what further was to be done for the gaining of the town of Mansoul, and, after some close and thorough debate upon the contents of their commissions, they concluded yet to give to the town, by the hand of the fore-named trumpeter, another summons to hear; but if that shall be refused, said they, and that the town shall stand it out still, then they determined, and bid the trumpeter tell them so, that they would endeavour, by what means they could, to compel them by force to the obedience of their King. Lu. xiv. 23. mons. So Captain Boanerges commanded his trumpeter to go up to Eargate again, and, A third sumin the name of the great King Shaddai, to give it a very loud summons, to come down without delay to Eargate, there to give audience to the King's most noble captains. So the trumpeter went and did as he was commanded. He went up to Eargate and sounded his trumpet, and gave a third summons to Mansoul; he said, moreover, that if this they should still refuse to do, the captains of his Prince would with might come down upon them, and endeavour to reduce them to their obedience by force. Is. lviii. 1. The Lord Will-be Then stood up my Lord Will-be-will, who was the governor of the town; this Willbe-will was that apostate of whom will: his speech to the trumpeter. mention was made before, and the keeper of the gates of Mansoul. He, therefore, with big and ruffling words, demanded of the trumpeter who he was, whence he came, and what was the cause of his making so hideous a noise at the gate, and speaking such insufferable words against the town of Mansoul? The trumpeter answered, I am servant to the most noble captain, Captain Boanerges, The trumpeter. general of the forces of the great King Shaddai, against whom both thyself, with the whole town of Mansoul, have rebelled, and lift up the heel; and my master, the captain, hath a special mes Faith cometh by hearing;' but, alas! how often, at the instigation of Satan, is the ear shut against the messages of grace. The Christian inquirer's duty is to hear and search all things, and hold fast that which is good.-(Ed.) The knowledge which Bunyan displays upon all subjects is very surprising. He had an opportunity, when in the army, of hearing about councils of war, at which, in that day, captains may have assisted; but now a captain is not called 'a fieldofficer.'-(ED.) |