Character of Faint-Heart, Mistrust, and Guilt.

would go try what he could do; but though some do say of him that he is the prince of the apostles, they handled him so that they made him at last afraid of a sorry girl.

Besides, their king is at their whistle; he is never out of hearing; and if at any time they be put to the worst, he, if possible, comes in to help them: and of him it is said, "The sword of him that layeth at him cannot hold; the spear, the dart, nor the habergeon. He esteemeth iron as straw, and brass as rotten wood. The arrow cannot make him flee: sling-stones are turned with him into stubble. Darts are counted as stubble: he laugheth at the shaking of a spear." (Job xli. 26-29.) What can a man do in this case? It is true, if a man could at every turn have Job's horse, and had skill and courage to ride him, he might do notable things. "For his neck is clothed with thunder. He will not be afraid as a grasshopper: the glory of his nostrils is terrible. He paweth in the valley, and rejoiceth in his strength: he goeth on to meet the armed men. He mocketh at fear, and is not affrighted; neither turneth be back from the sword. The quiver rattleth against him, the glittering spear and the shield. He swalloweth the ground with fierceness and rage; neither believeth he that it is the sound of the trumpet. He saith among the trumpets, Ha, ha; and he melleth the battle afar off, the thunder of the captains, and the shouting." (Job xxxix. 19–25.)

But for such footmen as thou and I are, let us never desire to meet with an enemy, nor vaunt as if we could do better, when we hear of others that they have been foiled, nor be tickled at the thoughts of our own manhood; for such commonly come by the orst when tried. Witness Peter, of whom I made ention before; he would swagger, ay, he would; would, as his vain mind prompted him to say, do better, and stand more for his master, than all men;

Christian discourses on the Armour and Protection of Pilgrims.

but, who so foiled and run down by these villains að he?

When therefore we hear that such robberies are committed on the King's highway, two things become us to do.

First, to go out harnessed, and to be sure to take a shield with us; for it was for want of that, that he who laid so lustily at Leviathan could not make him yield: and indeed, if that be wanting, he fears us no' at all. Therefore he that had skill hath said, "Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked." (Ephes. vi. 16.)

It is good also that we desire of the King a convoy, yea, that he will go with us himself. This made David rejoice when in the Valley of the Shadow of Death; and Moses was rather for dying where he stood, than to go one step without his God. (Exod. xxxiii. 15.) O my brother, if he will but go along with us, why need we be afraid of ten thousands that shall set themselves against us? (Psa. iii. 5-8. xxvii. 1-3.) But without him, the proud helpers fall under the slain. (Isa. x. 4.)

I, for my part, have been in the fray before now, and though (through the goodness of him that is best) I am, as you see, alive, yet I cannot boast of my manhood. Glad shall I be if I meet with no more such brunts; though I fear we are not got beyond all danger. However, since the lion and the bear have not as yet devoured me, I hope God will also deliver us from the next uncircumcised Philistine. Then sang Christian :

Poor Little-Faith! hast been among the thieves?
Wast robb'd? Remember this, whoso believes,
And get more faith; then shalt thou victor be
Over ten thousand, else scarce over three.b

Experienced christians will not be severe in their censures when weak believers are overtaken with a fault, nor think little of

The Pilgrims turn out of their way,

So they went on, and Ignorance followed. They went then till they came to a place where they saw a way which put itself into their way, and seemed withal to lie as straight as the way which they should go; and here they knew not which of the two to take, for both seemed straight before them; therefore here they stood still to consider. And as they were thinking about the way, behold, a man black of flesh, but covered with a very light robe, came to them, and asked them why they stood there. They answered, that they were going to the Celestial City, but knew not which of these ways to take. Follow me, said the man: it is thither that I am going. So they followed him in the way that but now came - into the road, which by degrees turned, and turned them so from the city which they desired to go to, that in a little time their faces were turned from it: yet they followed him. But by and by, before they were aware, he led them within the compass of a net, in which they were both so entangled that they knew not what to do; and with that the white robe fell off the black man's back. Then they saw where they were. Wherefore there they lay crying some time, for they could not get themselves out.

CHR. Then said Christian to his fellow, Now do I see myself in an error. Did not the Shepherds bid us beware of the Flatterer? As is the saying of the

the strength of those temptations by which they have been overcome. Remembering that the most eminent believers have through the malice and power of the devil been ensnared and foiled, they will see the danger of trusting to their own hearts, depend wholly upon the grace of the Lord Jesus, and implore his presence to be constantly with them, that he that hath delivered them may still deliver. The prayer of the apostles, "Lord, increase our faith," will be always necessary whilst we continue in the present world. "We can do all things through Christ who strengtheneth us," Phil. iv. 13. but "without him we can do nothing," John xv. 5. This is another topic respecting which unrenewed conceited professors are entirely ignorant.

and are entangled in the Snares of the Flatterer.

wise man, so we have found it this day: "A man that flattereth his neighbour spreadeth a net for his feet." (Prov. xxix. 5.)

HOPE. They also gave us a note of directions about the way, for our more certain finding thereof; but therein we have also forgotten to read, and have not kept ourselves from the paths of the destroyer. Here David was wiser than we; for, saith he, "Concerning the works of men, by the word of thy lips I have kept me from the paths of the destroyer.' (Psal. xvii. 4.) Thus they lay bewailing themselves in the net. At last they espied a Shining One coming towards them with a whip of small cord in his hand. When he was come to the place where they were, he asked them whence they came, and what they did there. They told him, that they were poor pilgrims going to Zion, but that they had been led out of their way by a black man clothed in white, "who bid us," said they," follow him, for he was going thither too." Then said he with the whip, "It is the Flatterer, a false apostle, that hath transformed himself into an angel of light." (Dan. xi. 32. 2 Cor. xi. 13, 14.) So he rent the net, and let the men out. Then said he to them, "Follow me, that I may set you in your way again. So he led them back to the way which they had left to follow the Flatterer." Then he asked them, saying, "Where did you lie the last night? They said, "With the Shepherds upon the Delectable Mountains." He asked them then, if they had not a note of directions for the way. They answered, "Yes." But did you, said he, when you were at a stand, pluck out and read your note? They answered, "No." He asked them, "Why?" They said, "they forgot." He asked moreover, if the Shepherds did not bid them beware of the Flatterer. They answered, "Yes; but we did not imagine," said they, "that this fine-spoken man had been he." (Rom. xvi. 17 18.)

The Pilgrimss escape

Then I saw in my dream, that he commanded them to lie down; which when they had done, he chastised them sore, to teach them the good way wherein they should walk; (Deut. xxv. 2. 2 Chron. vi. 27) and as he chastised them, he said, " As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten; be zealous, therefore, and repent." (Rev. iii. 19.) This done, he bid them go on their way, and take good heed to the other directions of the Shepherds. So they thanked him for all his kindness, and went softly along the right way, singing:

Come hither, you that walk along the way,
See how the pilgrims fare that go astray:
They catched are in an entangled net,

'Cause they good counsel lightly did forget;

'Tis true they rescued were; but yet, you see,

They're scourg'd to boot: let this your cation be.

"They came to a place where they saw a way put itself into their way." As the account of Little-Faith exposed Arminianism, so this, I apprehend, refers to Antinomianism. The "man black of flesh, but covered with a very light robe," is an Antinoniian preacher, whose corrupt doctrines are covered over by the pretence of their exalting the riches of divine grace, in magnifying the merits of Christ, and making him all in all in the salvation of a sinner. This scheme of doctrine says, that believers need not fear that any, or all the sins which they commit, will do them any harm; that God sees no sin in believers, whatsoever sins they commit, because they were all laid upon Christ, and because his holiness is imputed to them for sanctification. This doctrine has been maintained by men who were of good repute for piety; such were Saltmarsh and Crisp, to whose writings it is probable Mr. Bunyan refers. By these opinions he had known christians so ensnared, as to make work for repentance, and expose themselves to divine corrections.-The confident manner in which such mien speak of themselves, and of the exclusive soundness of their creed, is expressed by the black man's saying, "Follow me."-If genuine christians receive such notions, they will be taught to infer, that believers are not bound to confess their sin, or to mourn on the account, or to pray for the forgiveness of it. They will be taught that it was pardoned before it was committed, and that pardoned sin can be no sin. But who does not see that such opinions and expressions give occasion for wicked men to abuse the grace of God, and to turn it to licentious purposes;-that the spirit of the