By fuch enticing words and perfuafions as thefe, they prevailed upon Tender confcience to go along with them; but as he drew near to the houfe he heard a great noife, a one of them that make merry, fiaging, dancing, and playing upon mufical inftruments, with much laughter; at which Tender-confcience was greatly aftonished. But as he came up to the house he faw written over the deor theft words, This is the Houfe of Mirth: Then he remembered the words of the wifeman. That it is better to go to the Haufe of Mourning, than to go to the Iloufe of Fealing Ecclef. vii. 2, 4. And again, The heart of the wife is a the Houfe of Mourning, but the heart of fools is in the House of Mirth.

So he asked the young men what that houfe was called on the other fide of the crofs, and they told him it wa called the House of Mourning; moreover they railed and scoffed at the people that lived in it, and told that noas but a few dull phlegmatic fools ever frequented it; but Tender-confcience weighed more the words of the wife man their flanderous tongues, and told them he would go feek a lodging at the Houfe of Mourning. Then they laughed at him, and called out to the rest of their compa nions to deride him; but he departed from them, and pa fed by the cross, at the fight of which he was tranfported with unfpeakable love, grief, compaffion, and fuch like affections, the young men and their companions all t while following him, and making a mock at his tendernefs; and as he wept at the foot of the crofs, they fell a laughing, ranting, and roaring, till at length he rofe up and made hafte to go to the House of Mourning; he was no fooner arrived, but two grave, yet comely men, bid him kindly welcome, lay to him, We faw how you were like to be feduced into the Houfe of Mirth, and were rejoiced to behold your refolution not to enter into that feat of vanity; we alfo faw your conftancy in withftanding their taunting coffs and mockery, and how you were not ashamed of the crofs, the fight of it pierced your heart with divine lave, and cauled your eyes to pour out rivers of tears, while thefe prophane wretches laughed you to fcor; all this we be held with great fatisfaction; and now come in thou bleffed, of the Lord, and reft in this place till to-morrow, and then thou may'it go in

where

peace:

WO

o Tender-confcience went in along with the courteous natrons, who washed his feet, and having refreshed him ith a morfel of bread and a little wine, with a few figs, aifins, and almonds they fell into difcourfe about the peron who fuffered death on the cross; and the eldest matron bake to this effect

Eld, Mat. How vain and profane are these poor wretches. ho defpite the cross of Christ, and are become bitter eneies, both to him and his fufferings! they profefs to beeve in God and worship bim; yet, at the fame time, give oth him and themfelves the lie in their practice: They rofefs to believe Chrift crucified for our fins; yet, at the ime time, they crucify him themselves afresh, and put kim o an open hame. They lay an embargo on their faith, nd fuffer it not to launch beyond the narrow limits of heir fenfes; and taking up their religion on the credit of lesh and blood, their carnal paffions are made the ftandards of its practice; and whofoever thwarts their lufts, is baished their converfation: Hence it comes to pass, that what at first was efteemed dull and unpleafing, was by degrees, flighted and neglected, till at length it is become the object of their fcorn and derifion, as you fee experi mented in the Houfe of Mirth this evening...

Youngest Mat. And that which is the more furprising is that there very perfons pretend to be honourers of the cross, and difciples of Jefus Chrift: Their houfe is built as near the crofs outwardly as our is; and yet, at the fame time, they are enemies to those who tread in the fteps of him who fuffered that ignominious death for our fakes.

Tender confcience. Aye, faid Tender-confcience, the three

young
men told me they were going toward the heavenly
city as well as I, and if I would repofe myself in the Houfe
of Mirth this night, they would bear me company on the
morrow; but as foon as they perceived I would lodge in
the Houfe of Mourning, they turned their compliments in-
to fcoffs, their pretenced civility into real rudeneis, and
their feign'd pious purposes into open prophanenels; rail-
ing at you and your boufe, and all your guests; ceriding
and laughing at me for a fool and madman, like thofe
Greeks to whom the cross of Chrift was foolishness, and
all that bore any affection to it were etteemed as the off-
fcouring of all things. Such was my entertainment an ong

them;

1

them; for whereas before they were merry in the house, finging, dancing, and playing on inftruments of mufc; fo foon as the three young men gave intimation to them of my defign, they forfook their melody, and came running out of the houfe to mock and deride me, ranting and roar ing, and railing great laughter while I fat weeping by the

crofs.

Eld. Mat. It is worth one's obfervation, to fee by what degrees men arrive at that ridiculous vanity, as well as no torious impiety. First, they let loofe the reins of the wanson humour in trivial and fmall matters, delighting is nothing fo much as a jest or droll in ordinary conversation, Thus having habituated and used themselves to a jocular vein, they can hardly forbear to play the wag with things of more ferious importance, as the affairs of justice, and and the public ftate; then being, as it were, fteeled and hardened in this wanton humour, they at last fall to mocking and jefting at the most holy and religious things, verifying the faying of the wife man, He who contemns little things fhall fall by little and little. Certainly vain mirth and exceflive laughter do but raife a duft in the eyes of the foul, and interrupt her more ferene and steady prospect of better things; and the mol innocent jefts may be reckoned. like mushrooms, which, well ordered and fpiced, may do no harm, but can do no good. Whatfoever habit the foul it is had to remove it; and the habit of exceflive laughter is moft difficult to be overcome, because it is a faculty el Tential to our nature to laugh; and he that gives way to it, and to common jefting, betrays his mind to an unmanly likeness, and an habitual vanity, which afterwards he will find difficult to root out. And therefore, feasonable wal the advice of the apostle Paul, when he counfelled the Ephefians, Eph. v. 4. to avoid foolish talking and jefting and the Theffalonians, 1 Thef. v. 22. to abitain from all appearance of evil. Now what was faid to them, no doubt, was written for our inftruction; and all christians are obli ged to obferve their fage counfels in this as well as other matters, and not to pick and choose what counfels we please to obey, as if we would compound with God for quarter or half performance of his will. And though this prohi bition of vain jelts and foolish mirth feems to be of fmall moment with fome, yet it is good to obferve every title of

the

word of Ged with great reverence: And you have done part of a wie man in forfaking the Houfe of Mirth, coming to the House of Mourning; for they think this to be but a pattime or a market for gain, Ifa. v. 12,. They drink wine in cow's : The harp and the viol, . the timbrel and pipe are in their feasts; but they re1 not the work of the Lord, weither confider the opeon of his hands; therefore hell hath enlarged herself, opened her mouth without meafure, and their glory, their multitude, and their pomp and he that rejoiamong them, fhall defcend into it..

oungest Mat. Neither is it lefs worthy of remark, by? at artifices and mifreprefentations the people belonging: House of Mirth do endeavour to frighten travellers ncoming to our houfe, bringing an ill name upon it, telling them we are fad melancholy folks, nothing to heard here but fighting, lamenting and groaning, and t many poor travellers have been driven to defpair in place, and made away with themselves. Whereas re is nothing of this true; for our forrow is not worldly o, which bringeth death, but mourning and repente unto life, which needeth not to be repented of. In fighs we rejoice, and in our tears we file, as it is › iten, They that fow in tears fhall reap in joy: And deepest of our groans are but forerunners of the foul's mph over fin and death: And there is fo near a neighurhood betwixt this kind of grief and the moft exalted afure, that it is hard to diftinguish between the one and other. While our eyes rain tears, the clouds that caufe m are fcattered from our hearts; and that very tempest fighs and groans which threatens to rend our bealls in ces, does but fweep and cleanfe the air of our fouls, and ders it more calm and ferene than it was before; thus ingeth light from darkness, peace from war, and life In ceath. And fo tar is this home from leading any to despair, or to be the occafion of any destroying themves, that, on the contrary, many that have come from e Houfe of Mirth in that condition, when their means ere all fpent in rioting and vain mirth, have defired harur with us, and in a little time have recover'd their judgent, reafon, and fenfe again, and have gone away full comfort and fatisfaction.

Now

Now by this time it grew late, and they broke up com pany, caufing one of the houtho'd to fhew Tender-com fcience to his longing, having wified him a good repole: He, returning them hearty thanks for their unfÌ and edifying difcourfe. took his leave for that evening, n went to rest. In the morning he rofe early and prepare for his journey, being extremely pleafed with the entes tainment he found in this place, fo that he burst ou finging in his chamber,

Bleffed be God, who travellers doth guide,

And with his wings from dangers them doth hide.
My foot had well nigh flipt, when I was led
Within the Houfe of Mirth to take a bed:
But better things rememb'ring, I retir'd,
As I was by the grace of God infpir d:
They laugh'd, I wept; they mock'd, while I did wail
And at the House of Mourning they did rail,
The House of Mourning folid joys does bring,-
Whilft that of Mirth behind it leaves a fling.

Now whilft he was finging these laft words, he heard. very great noife without; and, looking out of the windo he faw feveral of thofe that belonged to the house of Mirth who had befet the houfe of Mourning, and demanded have the man delivered to them that came in there the la night. This put Tender-confcience into no fmall fright fo that he fell to prayer, and behold three shining enes peared to him, and bid him be of good cheer, for the would deliver him out of his enemies hands: Then one them breathed on him, faying, Be thou changed, and b was immediately transformed, and became a new creature and bis face, hich before looked meagre and pale, co became ruddy and fhining, his eyes fparkling like diamon fo that thofe who had feen him before could not know him Then the fecond prefented him with a change of raiment clothing him in a white robe; whereas before he was i a crimíon coloured garment. The third allo fet a mark his forehead, giving him fuch a roll, with a feal проя as Chriflian had given him; fo the three fhining ones pro nounced a blessing on him, and bid him go away in peace for that no evil thould befall him. Then Tender-conf