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perceived the holes in his hands and in his fide: Then (concluded that he was our Lord. So I went up the hill. Chr. That man that overtook you was

Mofes. He fpareth none, neither knoweth The temper of he how to fhew mercy to thofe that trans- Mojes. grefs his law.

Faith. I know it very well; it was not the first time that me has met with me. 'Twas he that came to me when I welt fecurely at home, and that told me he would burn my houfe over my head, if I ftaid there.

Chr. But did you not fee the houfe that flood there on he top of the hill, on the fide of which Mofes met you? Faith. Yes, and the lions too, before I came at it; but or the lions, I think they were afleep; for it was about oon; and becaufe I had fo much of the day before me, paffed by the porter and came down the hill.

Chr. He told me indeed, that he faw you go by; but I wish you had called at the houfe, for they would have hewed you fo many rarities that you would scarce have Forgot them to the day of your death. But pray tell me, id you meet nobody in the valley of humility?

Faith. Yes, I meet with one difcontent, who would wilngly have perfuaded me to go back again

with him: His reafon was, that the valley Faithful affaultas altogether without honour. He told ed by Difcontent, me moreover, that there to go, was to dif

blige all my friends, as Pride, Arrogancy, Self-conceit, Worldly Glory, with others, who, he knew, as he faid, would be very much offended, if I made fuch a fool of my elf as to wade thro' this valley.

Chr. Well, and how did you anfwer him?

Faith. I told him, That altho' all these that he named might claim a kindred of me, and that rightly, (for indeed they were my relations according to

"he fieb) yet fince I became a pilgrim, they Faithful's anmave difowned me, as I also have rejected fwer to Difconhem; and therefore they were to me now tent.

o more than if they had never been of my

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ineage: I told him, moreover, that as to this valley, he ad quite mifreprefented the thing: for before honour is umility, and a haughty fpirit before a fall. Therefore, aid I, I had rather go through this valley to the honour

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that was fo accounted by the wifeft, than chufe that which he esteemed moft worthy our affections.

Chr. Met you with nothing elfe in that valley?

Faith. Yes, I met with Shame; but of all the men that I met with in my pilgrimage, he, I think, bears the wrong name. The other would he said nay, after He is affaulted a little argumentation, and fomewhat elfe; by Shame. but this bold-faced Shame would never have done.

Chr. Why, what did he fay to you?

3. Cor. 1. 26. Chap. 3. 18.

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Phil. 3. 7. 9.
John 7.48.

Faith. What! why he objected against religion itself; he faid, 'Twas a pitiful, low, fneaking bufinefs for a man to mind religion; he faid that a tender confcience was an unmanly thing; and that for a man to watch over his words and ways, fo as to tie up himfelf from that hectoring liber ty that the brave fpirits of the times accuftom themselves unto, would make him the idicule of the times. He objected also, that few of the mighty, rich, or wife, were ever of my opinion; nor any of them neither, before they were perfuaded to be fools, and to be of a voluntary fondnefs, to venture the lofs of all, for nobody elfe knows what He moreca cr objected the bafe and low estate and condition of thofe that were chiefly the pilgrims of the times in which they lived; alfo there in ignorance, and vant of understanding in all natural science. Yea, he did hold me to it, at that rate alfo, about a great many more things than here I relate; as that it was a thame to fit whining and mourning under a fermon, and a fhame to come fighing and groaning home: That it was a shame to afk my neighbour forgiveness for petty faults, or to make reftitution where I have taken from any. He faid alfo that religion made a man grow ftrange to the great, becaufe of a few vices (which he called by finer names) and made him own and refpect the bafe, becaufe of the fame religious fraternity: And is not this, faid he, a fhame?

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Chr. And what did you, fay to him ?

Faith. Say? I could not tell what to fay at first. Yea, he put me. fo to it, that the blood came up in my face; even this fhame fetch'd it up, and had almost beat me quite off, But at last I began to confider, that That which is

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highly efteemed among men, is had an a- Luke 16. 15. bomination with God. And I thought again, this fhame tells me what men are but it tells me nothing what God, or the word of God is. And I thought moreover, that at the day of doom we shall not be doomed to death or life, according to the wifdom and law of the Highest. Therefore, thought I, what God fays is beft, tho' all the men in the world are against it: Seeing then that God prefers his religion; feeing God prefers a tender confcience; feeing. they that make themselves fools for the kingdom of heaven, are wifeft; and that the poor man that loveth Christ is richer than the greatest man in the world that hates him; Shame depart, thou art an enemy to my falvation; fhall I entertain thee against my fovereign Lord? How then fhall I look him in the face at his coming?

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Should I now be afhamed of his ways and Matth. 8. 38. fervants, how can I expect the bleffing? But indeed this Shame was a bold villain; I could fcarce fhake him out of my company; yea, he would be haunting of me, and continually whispering me in the ear, with fome de or other of the infirmities that attend religion; but at at I told him, it was but in vain to atttempt further in this bufinefs; for thofe things that he difcained, in those fid I fee most glory; and fo at laft I got paft this impor tunate.one. And when I had fhaken him off, then I be gan to fing

The trials that thofe men do meet withal,
That are obedient to the heavenly call,
Are manifold, and fuited to the flesh,

And come, and come, and come again afresh :
That now, or fometime elfe, we by them may
Be taken, overcome, and caft away.
O let the pilgrims, let the pilgrims then
Be vigilant, and quit themselves like men.

Chr. I am glad, my brother, that thou didst withstand his villain fo bravely for of all, as thou fayeft, I think he has the wrong name; for he is fo bold as to follow us the streets, and to attempt to put us to fhame before all men, that is, to make us ashamed of that which is good; But if he was not himself audacious, he would never attempt

to do as he does; but let us ftill refift him; for notwithflanding all his bravado's, he promoteth the fool, and none elfe. The wife fhall inherit glory, faid Solomon; but fhame fhall be the promotion of fools.

Prov. 3. 35.

Faith. I think we mult cry to him for help againft Shame, that would have us to be valiant for trath upon the earth. Chr. You fay true: But did you meet nobody else in that valley ?

Faith. No, not I; for I had fun-fhine all the rest of the way through that, and also through the valley of the shadows of death.

Chr. It was well for you; I am fure, it fared far otherwife with me; I had for a long feason, as foon almost as I entered into that valley, a dreadful combat with that foul fiend Apollyon; yea, I thought verily he would have killed me, especially when he got me down, and crushed me under him, as if he would have crushed me to pieces: For as he threw me, my fword flew out of my hand; nay, he told me he was fure of me; but I cried to God, and he heard me, and delivered me out of all my troubles. Then I entered into the valley of the fhadow of death, and had no light for almoft half the way through it, I thought I should have been killed there over and over; but at last day brake, and the fun arofe, and I went through that which was be hind with far more ease and quiet.

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Moreover I faw in my dream, that as they went on, Faithful, as he chanced to look on one fide, faw a man whofe name is Talkative, walking at a diftance befides them (for in this place there was room enough for them all to walk). He was a tall man, and fomething more comely at a diftance 'than at hand: To this man Faithful 'addreffed himfelf in this manner":

Talkative de

fcribed.

Faith. Friend, whither away? Are you going to the heavenly country?

Talk. I am going to the fame place.

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Faith. That is well; then I hope we may have your good company.

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Talk. With a very good will, will I be your companien. Faith. Come onthen, and let us go together, and let

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#fpend our time in difcouraging of things that are profi

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Talk. To talk of things that are good to Faithful and me is very acceptable, with you or with any Talkative enter s other, and I am glad that I have met with into discourse. those that incline to fo good a work: For

to speak the truth, there are but few that care thus to spend their time (as they are in their travels) but chufe much ra ther to be speaking of things to no profit; and this hath been a trouble to me.

Faith. This is indeed a thing to be lamented; for what thing fo worthy of the ufe of the tongue and mouth of men on earth, as are the things of the God of heaven ?

Talk like you wonderful well; for your fayings are full of conviction; and I will add, what things is fo plea fant, and what fo profitable, as to talk of the things of God

What things fo pleasant (that is, if a man hath any delight in things that are wonderful) for inftance: If a man doth delight to talk of the hiftory, or the mystery of things or if a man doth love to talk of miracles, wonders, or figns, where fhall he find things recorded fo delightful, and fo fweetly penned, as in the holy fcripture ? Faith. That's true; but to be profited by fuch things in our talk, fhould be our chief defign.

Talk. That is it that I faid: for to talk of fuch things is most profitable; for by fo doing, a man may get knowledge of many things; as of the vanity of earthly things, and the benefit of things above: Thus in general, but more particularly, by this a man may learn the neceflity of the new birth, the infufficiency of our works, the need of Chrift's righteoufnefs, c. Befides, by this, a man may learn what it is to repent, to believe, to pray, to fuffer, or the like: By this alfo a man may learn what are the great promifes and confolations of the gospel to his own comfort. Farther, by this a man may learn to refute falfe opinions, to vindicate the truth, and alfo to inftruct the ignorant. Faith. All this is true, and I am glad to hear these things from you.

Talk. Alas! the want of this is the cause O brave Talkathat fo few understand the need of faith, tave. and the neceffity of works of grace in their

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