Gaius. Then said Gaius, whose wife is Talk between is aged matron, and whofe daughter is Gaius and his is young damfel? Great-heart. The woman is the wife of guests. he Chriftiana pilgrim of former times; and thefe are his ur children. The maid is one of his acquaintance, one at the hath perfuaded to come with her on pilgrimage. he boys take all after their father, and covet to tread in is fteps: Yea, if they do but fee any place where the old lgrim hath lain, or any print of his foot, it miniftereth y to their hearts, and they covet to lie or tread in the ime. Gaius. Then faid Gaius, Is this Chriftian's wife, and lefe Christian's children, I knew your husband's father, fo his father's father. Many have been ood of this stock; their ancestors dwelt Aas 11. 12. rit at Antioch. Chriftian's progenetors Of Chriftian's I fuppofe you have heard your husband ancestors. alk of them) were very worthy men: f They have, above any that I know, fhewed themfelves men great virtue and courage for the Lord of the pilgrims, is ways, and them that loved him. I heard of many of our husband's relations that have stood all trials for the ake of the truth. Stephen, that was one of the first of the amily from whence your hufband fprang, was knocked on he head with ftones. James, another of this generation, was flain with the edge of the fword. To fay nothing of Paul and Peter, men, antiently of the fa mily from whence your bufband came: As 7. 59, 60. There was Ignatius, who was caft to the chap. 12, 8. ions: Romanus, whofe flesh was cut by pieces from his bones, and Polycarp that play'd the man in The fire. There was he that was hanged up in a basket in he fun, for the wafps to eat; and he who they put into a ack, and caft him into the fea to be drowned. It would be utterly impoffible to count up all of that family that have fuffered injuries and death, for the love of a pilgrim's life. Nor can I but be glad to fee that thy husband has left behind four fuch boys as thefe. I hope they will bear up their father's name, and tread in their father's Reps, and come to their father's end. • Great Great heart. Indeed, Sir, they are likely lads; they feem to chufe heartily their father's ways. Gaius. That is it that I faid; wherefore Chriftian's fa mily is like ftill to spread abroad upon the face of the ground, and yet to be numerous upon the Advice to Chri- face of the earth; wherefore, let Chriftian ftiana about her look out fome damfels for her fans, to whom they may be betrothed, &c. that the nam of their father, and the house of his proge boys. nitors may never be forgotten in the word. Hon. It is a great pity his family fhould fall and be ex tinct. Gaius. Fall it cannot, but be diminished it may; but le Chriftiana take my advice, and that's the way to uphold it. And, Chriftiana, faid this innkeeper, I am glad to fee thee and thy friend Mercy, together here a lovely couple: And may I advife, take Mercy into a nearer relation to thee: If the will, let her be given to Matthew thy eld eft fon: It is the way to preferve pofterity in the earth. So this match was concluded, and in process of time they wer married; but more of that hereafter. Matthew and Why women of old fo much defired children. Gen. 3. Gal. 4. Gaius alfo proceeded and faid, I will now fpeak on the behalf of women, to take away their reproach: For as death and the curfe came into the world by a woman, fo alfo did life and health: God fent forth his fon, made of a woman: Yea, to fhew how much thofe that came after did abhor the act of the mother, this fex in the Old Testament coveted children, if haply, this or that woman might be the mother of the Saviour of the world. I will fay again, That when the Saviour was come, women rejoiced in him, before either man or angel, I read not that ever man did give unto Chrift fo much as one groat; but women followed him and miniftred to him of their substance. It was a woman that washed his feet with tears, and a woman that anointes his body to the burial. They were women that wept when he was going to the cross Luke z. chap. 8. and women that followed him from the Luke 24. 2?, crofs, and that fat by his fepulchre when 23. he was buried: They were women that were firft with him at his refurrection morn: and women that brought tidings first to his difciples that he was rifen from the dead: Women therefore are highly favoured, and fhew by these things that they are harers with us in the grace of life. Now the cook fent up to fignify that Supper ready. fupper was almost ready, and fent one to lay the cloth, and the trenchers, and to fet the falt and bread in order. Then faid Matthew, the fight of this cloth, and of this fore-runner of the fupper, begetteth in me a greater apre tite to my food than I had before. Gaius. So let all ministering doctrines to What is to be thee in this life, beget in thee a greater de- gathered from fire to fit at the fupper of the Great King laying of the in his kingdom; for all preaching books bread with the and ordinances here, are but as the laying cloth and trenof the trenchers, and as fetting of falt up chers. on the board, when compared with the feaft that our Lord will make for us when we come to his boufe. So fupper came up, and first a heave. Lev. 7. 52, 33, fhoulder David lifted his heart up to God 34. chap. 10. with, and with the weave-breaft, where 14, 15. his heart lay, with that he used to lean Pfal. 25. 1. upon his harp when he played. These two Heb. 13. 15. dishes were very fresh and good, and they Deut. 32. 14. all eat heartily thereof. Judges 9. 13. The next they brought up was a bottle Job 15.5. of wine, as red as blood. So Gaius faid to them, Drink freely; this is the true juice of the vine, that makes glad the heart of God and man: So they drank and were merry. The next was a difh of milk well crumbled: But Gaius faid, Let the boys have that, that they may grow thereby. 1 Pet. 2. 1, 2. Then they brought up in courfe a dish of butter and honey: Then faid Gaius, Eat freely of this, for this is good to cheer up and frengthen your judgments that and understandings: This was our Lord's difh when he was a child: Butter and honey fhall he eat, that he may know how to refuse the evil and receive the good. Ija. 7. 15. Then they brought them a difh of apples, and they wer very good tafted fruit: Then faid Matthew, May we ez apples, face they were fuch by and with which the ferpent beguiled our first mother? Then faid Gaius, Apples were they with which we were beguiled, Then faid Matthew I made this fcruple, because I a while fince was fick with eating of fruit. Gaius. Forbidden fruit will make you sick, but not what our Lord has tolerated. Song 6. 11. While they were thus talking, they were prefented with another difh, and it was a dish of nuts. Then faid fome at the table, Nuts fpoil tender teeth, especially the teeth of the children: Which, when Gaius heard, he faid, Hard texts are nuts, (I will not call them cheaters), Whofe fhells do keep their kernels from the eaters; Open then the hells, and you fhall have the meat; They here are brought for you to crack and eat. Then were they very merry, and fat at the table a long time talking of many things: Then faid the old gentleman, My good landlord, while ye are here cracking your nuts, if you please, do you open to me this riddle. A Riddle put forth by old Honeft. A man there was, tho' some do count him mad, Then Then they all gave good heed, wondering what good Gaius would fay; fo he fat ftill a while, and then thus replied. Gaius opens it. He who thus beftows his goods upon the poor, Then faid Jofeph, I dare fay, Sir, I did Joseph wonders, not think you could have found it out. Ob, faid Gaius, I have been trained up in this way great while; nothing teaches like experience; I have learned of my Lord to be kind, and have found by experience that I have gained thereby. Prov. 11. 24. There is that fcattereth, yet increafeth; chap. 13. 7. and there is that with-holdeth more than is meet, but it tendeth to poverty: There is that maketh himself rich, yet hath nothing; there is that maketh himfelf rich, yet hath nothing; there is that maketh himself poor, yet hath great riches. Then Samuel whifpered to Chriftiana, his mother, and faid, mother, this is a very good man's houfe, let us stay here a good while, and let my brother Matthew be married here to Mercy before we go any farther. The which Gaius the hoft over-hearing, faid, With a very good-will, my child, So they ftaid here more than a month, Matthew and and Mercy was given to Matthew to wife. Mercy are marWhile they flaid here, Mercy, as her ried. custom was, would be making coats and garments to give the poor, by which she brought a very good report upon pilgrims. But to return again to our ftory: After fupper the lads defired a bed, for they were The boys go to weary with travelling: Then Gaius called bed, and the rest to fhew them their chamber; but faid Mer- fit up. cy, I will have them to bed: So fhe had them to bed, and they flept well, but the rest fat up all aight; for Gaius and they were fuch fuitable company, that they could not tell how to part: Then after much talk of their Lord, themselves, and their journey, old Mr. Honeft, he that put forth the riddle to Gaius, began to nod: Then faid Great-heart, Old Hoteft nods. What, Sir, you begin to be drowsy! come rub |