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Comes in sight of the Palace Beautiful.

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Now, by this time he was come to the Arbour again, where, for a while, he sat down and wept; but, at last (as Providence would have it,) looking sorrowfully down under the settle, there he espied his Roll; the which he, with trembling and haste, catched up, and put into his bosom. But who can tell how joyful this man was when he had gotten his Roll again! for this Roll was the assurance of his life and acceptance at the desired haven. Therefore he laid it up in his bosom, gave thanks to God for directing his eye to the place where it lay, and with joy and tears betook himself again to his journey. But, O how nimbly now did he go up the rest of the hill! Yet, before he got up, the sun went down upon Christian; and this made him again recall the vanity of his sleeping to his remembrance; and thus he again began to condole with himself: O thou sinful sleep! how, for thy sake, am I like to be benighted in my journey! I must walk without the sun, darkness must cover the path of my feet, and I must hear the noise of the doleful creatures because of my sinful sleep! Now, also, he remembered the story that Mistrust and Timorous told him of, how they were frighted with the sight of the Lions. Then said Christian to himself again, These beasts range in the night for their prey, and if they should meet with me in the dark, how should I shift them? how should I escape being by them torn in pieces? Thus he went on; but while he was thus bewailing his unhappy miscarriage, he lift up his eyes, and behold there was a very stately palace before him, the name of which was Beautiful; and it stood just by the highway side.' (Rev. iii. 2. 1 Thes. v. 7, 8.)

roll, and went back to seek it, exactly suit the experience of humble and conscientious believers, when unwatchfulness has brought their state into uncertainty.

1 Hitherto Christian has been a solitary pilgrim: but we must next consider him as admitted to the communion of the faithful, and joining with them in the most solemn public ordinances. This is represented under the emblem of the house Beautiful, and the pilgrim's entertainment in it.-Mr. Bunyan was a protestant dissenter, an Independent in respect of church-government and discipline: and an Anti-pædo-baptist, or one who deemed adult professors of repentance and faith the only proper subjects of baptism, and immersion the only proper mode of administering that ordinance. But he has expressed himself so candidly and cautiously, that his representations may suit the admission of members into the society of professed Christians, in any communion, where a serious regard to spiritual religion is in this respect maintained.—It may perhaps be questioned, how far, in the present state of things, this is practicable; but we can scarcely deny it to be very desirable, that Christian societies should be formed according to the principles here exhibited: such would indeed be very

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