tears, to think how far I have gone back from heaven-ward by reason of sleeping in this place; and what danger you would all have run, fhould you have lain down on this in chanted ground, for this is the place the fhepherds told m of.

Spiritual-man. Bleffed art thou of the Lord, O happy young man, who haft prevented us from fleeping in thi place; pray entertain as with a relation of your paft travels, for I perceive by your difcourfe that you have been this way before now.

Conv. 'Tis poffible that you may have heard of one Athei that met Chriftian and Hopeful a little way off from thir place as they travelled to the heavenly city. I am the man, though my name be changed; nor was that my proper name, but was given me after my fleep on the inchanted ground; for my name before was Well-meaning, but now it is Convert. I was born in the valley of Deftruction, and brought thence very young by my father, but as we came along, by that man behind us even by Human-reafon, telling my fa ther, that he being old and crazy, I fhould foon overtake him: But Human reafon had fuch inticing ways with him, that I had not power to leave his company a great while nay, and at laft when he faw that I would go, he would needs accompany me to this place, and at parting he gave me fomething to drink out of a vial, which he told me was an excellent cephalic, and good against all the distemper of the brain, to which travellers are liable, by reafon of heats and colds, and the like; and fo he took his leave and went back to his cave: But he was no fooner gone than I fell afleep on this ground, whether through the influence of that liquor he gave me, or through the nature of the va pours which arife out of the ground, I know not, but my fleep feemed very fweet unto me, and I believe I had flept my last here, had I not been used in my childhood to walk in my fleep: For getting up in my fleep, I walked back aagain the fame way by which I came, and there I met with Chriftian and Hopeful, who were going forward to moant Zion So when they told me where they were going, I fell A laughing heartily at them, calling them a hundred fools for taking upon them fo tedious a journey, when they were like to have nothing for their pains but mere labour & travel. Now all this while my brains were to upified with

that

liquor which Human-reafon kad made me drink, that is not fenfible I had beca asleep, but was once in a m, and my fancy was fo poffeffed with an imagination I had been as far as any pilgrim ever went, but could no fuch place as the heavenly Jerufalem, and therefore lieved there was none, and fo I told them; but however did not mind my foolish words, but went forward on r journey, and I kept on my course backward till I came he town of Vanity, where I took up my lodging for a at while, till once upon a time, being at one of the pubhows in the fair, I was ftruck with a thunderbolt from ven, which had almost cost me my life, for I was forced keep my chamber a whole year upon it. Now, in this e of my confinement I began to think of my former life, the miferable condition I was in, if it should please God ake me away; this made me weep day and night by felf; I fafted also, and prayed, and humbled myfelf bee the Lord in fecret, and I vowed a vow unto God, that t would please him to reftore me to health again, I would dertake a pilgrimage to Mount Zion, on the firft oppority I could meet with to have company: So God heard prayer, my vows and my tears, and reftored me in a le time, and I walked, and foon left that wicked town; d remembering that I had an acquaintance or two in the ve of Reformation, men of fober difpofitions and religious es, I refolved to go and fee them, if perhaps I might preil upon them to go along with me: So I went accordingly the aforefaid cave, and found my two friends there, whom often broke my mind to about this matter; but they put e off till they could get more company, telling me that it ould not be long before fome pilgrims would come by, hich made me long for the happy hour when I might hear f any travellers that were going that WAY.

In the mean while I abode in the cave, and converfed with a reat many men there, and among the reft i prevailed on Zealousna und Yielding to go along with us; for my friends names vere Seek-truth and Weary-o'-te-world whom we have in our ompany now: So when Tender confcience came by, and was oking on the pillar of Hiftory, Seek truth happened to fee him, nd knowing by his habit hat be was a pilgrim be presently truck up the bargain with him to bear him company, and called be reft out of the cave, a litle way off from which we overtook Spiritual

Spiritual man, and fo we all joined in company, and came along together, not one of us but Yielding being loft: He must needs follow the fedurer in the town of Vanity, and fo got a surfeit with excefs of wine, which killed him.

Now I faw in my dream, that the pilgrims by this time were got over the inchanted ground. and entered into the country of Beulah, whofe air was freetened with all manner of aromatic perfumes, which revived their drooping spirits, grown beary and almoft ftupified with walking over the inchanted grund. Here were trees growing, whefe fauits neser fade away, and whofe leaves are always green In this place there is a perpetu al Spring, the birds always finging, the meadows adorned quitbe flowers and all things abounding that are delightful; for it lies within fight of paradife, and the shadow of the celeftial city. reaches to it. Here they walked and comforted themjelves with the pleasures which the goodly lana afforded, reflecting back unt the toils and hardships they had undergone; they jolaced themfelves with the thought that now they were near their journey's end, and within plain view of the celestial Jerufalem, which they hau fo long ana fo fervently defired to jee. The farther they walked, the plainer might the glory of that place be seen, and the more earnefily did they long to come to it: So they spurred one auther forward, with comfortable words, Jaying, Come let us go up to the bouje of the Lord, our feet phall be flanding in thy courts, O Jerufalem. In the fight of angels we will fing unto thee, O Lord, and will adore in thy boly temple.

And as they pafed along they came to certain vineyards which belonged to the King, and the keepers invited them in, faying, Come in ye bleed of the Lord, and tafte ye the wine that rejoi ces the heart of God and man: So the pilgrims went into the vint yards and drank of the wine thereof, which inebriated them with love and joy, with defire and hope to Jee the King's faut, of whom the keepers of the vineyards told them many glorious things, faying, That he was faireft among ten thousand, therefore the virgins loved him, and ran after the odour of his oint ments They jaid aljo, that he was a great lover of pilgrims, and that he himself cook upon him once to be a pilgrim. Many more good commendations they gave of him, which made tboje men impatient till THEY got to the CITY. SO THEY kft

the VINEYARDS and went forward, and run as it were for their lives. Thus THEY continued running till THEY came in fight of the gate: but, in a kind of a bottom, THEY were

Hopped

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1 by a river which was VERY deep, and had not a bridge

over it.

oreover I faw in my dream that there fat a multitude of women, and children, of all nations, tribes, and lanes, on the banks of the river: So when the pilgrima down to the river fide, they fat down likewife on the , and began to question one another how they fhould ver; Alfo they afked of fome that were fitting there e them, whether there was any other way to go into the ; and they answered them, No.

hen they were greatly perplexed in mind, to think how fhould get over this river; but Weary-o'-the-world faid his companions, be not difcouraged becaufe of the river, will venture in first, and according as it fares with me may act. If I get over in fafaty, then you may fey follow: but if Ink and perish in thefe deep wathen you have your choice before you; do what feems in your own eyes. So he boldy rushed into the river, ging himself over head and ears in a moment, and they faw him rife again, which did greatly dishearten the of the pilgrims, and they knew not what to do, or ch way to turn themfelvos.

Whilst they were thus difconfolate and melancholy, there e flying to them a man in bright cloathing, who faid, e be unto you, let not your hearts be troubled becaufte he man who juft entered the river, and presently funk of your fight: His name is Weary-o'-the-world, and circumftances anfwer his name; for he has a long time under great ditcontent, because the affairs of his life it not fmoothly on his fide; he has met with a great ay loffes and croffes, vexations and troubles in the world. has been croffed in body, foul, and eftate, in wife, chil. n, and friends:-Now all thofe together made him weary the world, and refolved to go out of it: But he fuffered e of those things for righteoufnefs fake, or for the name Chrift, but for his own ambition, covetousness, and enwhich made him odious to all that knew him; này, he reby-pat himself out of the protection of Providence, fo it nothing thrived which he took in hand: His corn was ifted in the field; his body afflicted with many difeafes, ich were occafioned by his lufts; his wife and children rfed him to his face, becaufe of his tyranny and cruelty;

his friends and neighbours mocked and derided at kis ca lamities; and all things went against him: So in a pet he tok up a refolution to leave the world; but he did it not for the love of God, which was the reafon why you faw hum fink in the waters of this river, and rife no mere. I is not enough to be weary of the world; bus to be weary of fo, is that which is acceptable in the fight of God, and of great price: Befides he ought not to have rushed into the river himfelf without orders, but fhould have waited till the King's pleafure was manifefted to him, as you many fitting along on the river fide, and waiting for the King's command: And now I am fent with a meffage to Tender-confcience, to tell him it is the King's pleafure he Should come over next.

So Tender-confcience prepared himself to obey the King's fammons, but his heart panted, and all his limbs trembled to think what was become of Weary-o' the-world, and for fear he should fink likewife: Whom, when Spiritual-man faw in his ageny, he comforted him, bidding him be of good cheer, aying, You are not the Art, neither will του be the last that muft pafs through this river; all that have Leen before you fince Adam, have been forced to go shis river, except Enoch and Elijah, and fo muft all that come alter you: Death is a debt we all owe to God and nature, and it must be paid one time or other, early or later. There is an appointed time for all men once to die, and after death to come to judgment; therefore be not a fraid of that which cannot be avoided.

thro

Tender-con I am not fo much afraid of death, as of wha will come after; I fear I fhall never fee the city of God, the heavenly Jerufalem, whofe glittering walls and turre ravished my eyes, when we paffed thro' the lands of Beulah: I fear I am going down into a land of darkness, where my feet will fusible on the dark mountains; a land without light or order, where there dwells nothing but fempiternal horror and confufion. This is that which makes my heart ftrings ready to break, and my knees to fmite one again another. Oh! that fome one would hide me till the fury of his anger be overpaft! Oh! that he would protect me in the fecret of his tabernacle, and fhelter me under the fhadow of his wings! For yet a little while, and the eye shat feeth me fhall fee the no more.

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