509

Christian obtains the victory.

Then Apollyon, espying his opportunity, began to gather up close to Christian, and, wrestling with him, gave him a dreadful fall; and with that Christian's sword flew out of his hand. Then said Apollyon, I am sure of thee now; and with that he had almost pressed him to death; so that Christian began to despair of life. But, as God would have it, while Apollyon was fetching his last blow, thereby to make a full end of this good man, Christian nimbly reached out his hand for his sword, and caught it, saying, "Rejoice not against me, O mine enemy! when I fall, I shall arise;" and with that gave him a deadly thrust, which made him give back, as one that had received his mortal wound. Christian, perceiving that, made at him again, saying, "Nay, in all these things, we are more than conquerors, through Him that loved us;" and with that Apollyon spread forth his dragon's wings, and sped him away, that Christian saw him no more. (Micah vii. 8. Rom. viii. 27-39. James iv. 7.)

2

In this combat, no man can imagine, unless he had seen and heard, as I did, what yelling and hideous roaring Apollyon made all the time of the fight. He spake like a dragon; and, on the other side, what sighs and groans burst from Christian's heart. I never saw him all the while give so much as one pleasant look, till he perceived he had wounded Apollyon with his two-edged sword: then, indeed, he did smile, and look upward; but 'twas the dreadfullest sight that ever I saw.

So, when the battle was over, Christian said, I will here give thanks to him that hath delivered me out of the mouth of the Lion, to him that did help me against Apollyon! And so he did, saying,

Great Beelzebub, the Captain of this fiend,

Design'd my ruin; therefore to this end

He sent him harness'd out; and he, with rage
That hellish was, did fiercely me engage;

1 At last, when the enemy plies him closely with infidel suggestions, to which his circumstances give a specious occasion, he may be thrown down, and 'his sword fly out of his hand :' so that for a time he may be unable to give any credit to the truth of the Scriptures, by which alone he was before enabled to repel the tempter.

2 When the Holy Spirit brings to his mind, with the most convincing energy, the evidences of the divine inspiration of the Scripture, and enables him to rely on the promises, he is helped again to seize his sword, and to use it with more effect than ever, and thus at length the enemy is put to flight, by testimonies of holy writ pertinently adduced, and more clearly understood than before.