208 The Pilgrims mount with ease to the City. The talk that they had with the Shining Ones was about the glory of the place; who told them, that the beauty and glory of it was inexpressible. There, said they, is " The Mount Zion, the heavenly Jerusalem, the innumerable company of angels, and the spirits of just men made perfect."* You are going now, said they, to the Paradise of God, wherem you shall see the Tree of Life, and eat of the never-fading fruits thereof; and when you come there you shall have white robes given you, and your walk and talk shall be every day with the King, even all the days of eternity. There you shall not see again such things as you saw when you were in the lower region upon the earth, to wit, sorrow, sickness, alliction, and death, for the former things are passed away." You are going now to Abraham, to Isaac, and Jacob, and to the prophets, men that God hath taken away from the evil to come, and that are now "resting upon their beds, each one walking in his righteousness." The men then asked, What must we do in the holy place? To whom it was answered, 'You must there receive the comfort of all your toil, and have joy for all your sorrow; you must reap what you have sown, even the fruit of all your prayers, and tears, and sufferings, for the King, by the way. In that place you must wear crowns of gold, and enjoy the perpetual sight and vision of the HOLY ONE, for there "you shall see Him as he is." There also you shall serve Him continually with praise, with shouting, and thanksgiving, whom you desired to serve in the world, though with much difficulty, because of the infirinity of your flesh. There your eyes shall be delighted with seeing, and your ears with hearing, the pleasant voice of the Mighty One. There you shall enjoy your friends again, that are gone thither before you; and there you shall with joy receive even every one that follows into the holy place after you. There also you shall be clothed with glory and majesty, and put into an equipage fit to ride out with the King of Glory. When he shall come with sound of trumpet in the clouds, as upon the wings of the wind, you shall come with him; and, when he shall sit upon the throne of judgment, you shall sit by him: yea, and when he shall pass sentence upon all the workers of iniquity, let them be angels or men, you shall have a voice Heb. xii. 22--24. + Rev. ii. 7. iii. 4. xxii. 5. Gal. vi. 7, 8. 1 John, iii. 2. Isa. lxv. 16. from modern customs; but in all other respects it is entirely scriptural, 1 very intelligible and animating to the spiritual mind. They are conducted and welcomed by Angels. 209 in that judgment, because they were his and your enemies. Also when he shall again return to the City, you shall go too with sound of trumpet, and be ever with him.** Now, while they were thus drawing towards the Gate, be hold a company of the heavenly host came out to meet them; to whom it was said by the other two Shining Ones, These are the men that have loved our Lord, when they were in the world, and that have left all for his holy name, and he hath sent us to fetch them, and we have brought them thus far on their desired journey, that they may go in and look their Redeemer in the face with joy.' Then the heavenly host gave a great shout, saying, "Blessed are they that are called to the marriage-supper of the Lamb." There came out also at this time to meet them several of the King's trumpeters, clothed in white and shining raiment, who with melodious noises and loud made even the heavens to echo with their sound. These trumpeters saluted Christian and his fellow with ten thousand welcomes from the world; and this they did with shouting and sound of trumpet. This done, they compassed them round on every side, some went before, some behind, and some on the right hand, some on the left, (as it were to guard them through the upper regions,) continually sounding as they went, with melodious. noise, in notes on high; so that the very sight was to them that could behold it, as if heaven itself was come down to meet them. Thus therefore they walked on together; and, as they walked, ever and anon these trumpeters, even with joyful sound, would, by mixing their music with looks and gestures, still signify to Christian and his brother how welcome they were into their company, and with what gladness they came to meet them. And now were these two men, as it were, in heaven, before they came at it, being swallowed up with the sight of angels, and with hearing of their melodious notes. Here also they had the City itself in view and they thought they heard all the bells therein to ring, to welcome them thereto. But above all, the warm and joyful thoughts that they had about their own dwelling there with such company, and that for ever and ever. Oh! by what tongue or pen can their glori ous joy be expressed?—Thus they came up to the Gate. Now, when they were come up to the Gate, there was written over it, in letters of gold, "Blessed are they that do Thess. iv. 13-17. Jude 14, 15. Dan. vii. 9, 10. 1 Cor vi 2, 3. + Rev. xix. 9. 210 They enter the City in Triumph. his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city."* (1) Then I saw in my dream that the Shining Men bid them call at the Gate; the which when they did, some from above looked over the Gate, to wit, Enoch, Moses, and Elijah, &c. to whom it was said, 'These Pilgrims are come from the City of Destruction, for the love that they bear to the King of this place;' and then the pilgrims gave in unto them each man his certificate, which they had received in the beginning: those therefore were carried in to the King, who, when he had read them, said, 'Where are the men?' to whom it was answered, They are standing without the Gate,' The King then commanded to "open the Gate, that the righteous nation," said he, "that keepeth truth may enter in." Now I saw in my dream, that these two men went in at the Gate; and, lo! as they entered, they were transfigured; and they had raiment put on that shone like gold. There was also that met them with harps and crowns, and gave them to them; the harps to praise withal, and the crowns in token of honour. Then I heard in my dream that all the bells in the City rang again for joy, and that it was said unto them, "Enter into the joy of your Lord." I also heard the men themselves, that they sang with a loud voice, saying, "Blessing, and honour, and glory, and power, be to Him that sitteth upon the throne, and to the Lamb for ever."‡ ye Now, just as the Gates were opened to let in the men, I looked after them, and behold the City shone like the sun; the streets also were paved with gold; and in them walked many men with crowns on their heads, palms in their hands, and golden harps, to sing praises withal. There were also of them that had wings, and they answered one another without intermission, saying, "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord." And after that they shut up the Gates: which when I had seen, I wished myself among them. *Rev. xxii. 14. + Isa. xxvi. 2. Rev. v. 13, 14. (The commandments of God, as given to sinners under a dispensation of mercy, call them to repentance, faith in Christ, and the obedience of faith and love; the believer habitually practises according to these commandments, from the time of his receiving Christ for salvation; and this evidences his interest in all the blessings of the new covenant, and proves that he has a right through grace to the heavenly inheritance.May the writer of these remarks, and every reader, have such "an abundant entrance," as is here described," into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ!" Ignorance ferried over by Vain-Hope. 211 Now, while I was gazing upon all these things I turned my head to look back, and saw Ignorance come up to the River side but he soon got over, and that without half the difficulty which the other two men met with. For it happened tha! there was then in that place one Vain-hope, a ferry-man, that with his boat helped him over; so he, as the other I saw, did ascend the hill to come up to the Gate; only he came alone; neither did any man meet him with the least encouragement. When he hadcome up to the Gate, he looked up to the writing that was above, and then began to knock, supposing that entrance should have been quickly administered to him but he was asked by the men that looked over the top of the Gate, Whence come you? And what would you have?' He answered, I have ate and drunk in the presence of the King, and he has taught in our streets.' Then they asked him for his Certificate, that they might go in and show it to the King :— so he fumbled in his bosom for one and found none. Then, said they, Have you none? But the man answered never a word. So they told the King, but he would not come down to see him; but commanded the two Shining Ones, that conducted Christian and Hopeful to the City, to go out and take Ignorance, and bind him hand and foot, and have him away. Then they took him up, and carried him through the air to the Door that I saw in the side of the hill, and put him in there. Then I saw that there was a way to hell, even from the gates of heaven, as well as from the City of Destruction. (m) So I awoke, and beheld it was a dream. (m) We frequently hear of persons that have lived strangers to evangelical religion, and the power of godliness, dying with great composure and resig nation: and such instances are brought forward as an objection to the neces sity of faith, or of a devoted life. But what do they prove? What evidence is there, that such men are saved? Is it not far more likely that they continued to the end under the power of ignorance and self-conceit; that Satan took care not to disturb them; and that God gave them over to a strong delusion and left them to perish with a lie in their right hand Men, who have neglected religion all their lives, or have habitually for a length of years disgraced an evangelical profession, being when near death visited by pious persons, Bometimes obtain a sudden and extraordinary measure of peace and joy, and die in this frame. This should in general be considered as a bad sign: for deep humiliation, yea distress, united with some trembling hope in God's mercy throug the gospel, is far more suited to their case, and more likely to be the effect of spiritual illumination. But when a formal visit from a minister of any sect, a few general questions, and a prayer, (with or without the sa craient.) calm the mind of a dying person. whose life has been unsuitable to the Christian profession; no doubt, could we penetrate the veil, we should see hini wafted across the River in the boat of Vain-hope, and meeting with the awful doom that is here described. From such delusions, good Lord deliver Amon. 1 END OF PART I |