far, he entered into a very narrow paflage, which was about a furlong off the porter's lodge, and looking very narrowly before him as he went, he efpied two lions in the way. Now, thought he, I fee the danger that Mitruft and Timorous were driven back by. (The lions were chained, but he faw not the chains) Then he was afraid; and thought alfo himself to go back after them, for he thought nothing but death was before him. But the porter at the lodge, whofe name was Watchful, perceiving that Chriftian made a halt, as if he would go back, cried unto him, faying, Is thy ftrength fo Imall? Fear not the lions, for they are chained, and are placed there for trial of faith, where it is, and for discovery of thofe that have none: Keep in the midst of the path, and no hurt fhall come unto thee. Difficulty is behind, Fear is before, Tho' he's got on the hill the lions roar; * Mark xiii.14. When one fright's gone, another doth him feize. Then I faw he went on trembling for fear of the lions; but taking good heed to the directions of the porter, he heard them roar, but they did him no harm Then he clapt his hands, and went on till he came and stood before he gate where the porter was, Then faid Christian to the porter, Sir, What houfe is this, and may I lodge here to-night? The porter anfwered, This houfe was built by the Lord of the hill, and he built it for the relief and fecurity of pilgrims. Then the porter alfo asked, Whence he was, and whither he was going? Chr. I am come from the city of Destruction, and am going to mount Zion; but because the fun is now fet, I defire, if I may, to lodge here to-night. Porter. What is your name? Chr. My name is now Chriftian, but my name at the firft was Graceless; I came of the race of t Japhet, whom God will perfuade to dwell in the tents of Shem. Porter. But how doth it happen that you came fo late? The fun is fet. + Gen. vii. 17. Chr. I had been here fooner, but that, wretched man that I am! I flept in the arbour that ftands on the hill-fide; nay, I had, notwithftanding that, been here much fooner, but that in my fleep, I loft my evidence, and came without it to the brow of the hill, and then feeling for it, and finding it not, I was forced with forrow of heart, to go back to the place where I flept my fleep, where I found it, and now, am come. Porter. Well, I will call out one of the virgins of this place, who will (if the like your talk) bring you unto the reft of the family, ac cording to the rules of the houfe. So Watchful the porter rang a bell, at the found of which came out of the door of the house, a grave and beautiful damfel, named Difcretion, and afked, why he was called? The Porter answered, This man is on a journey from the city of DeAtruction to mount Zion, but being weary and benighted, he asked me if he might lodge here to-night: So I told him I would call for thee, who E after after difcourfe had, may't do as feemeft thee good, even according to the law of the house. Then he asked him, Whence he was, and whither he was going? And he told her. She asked alfo, How he got in the way? And he told her. Then the asked him, What he had feen and met with in the way? And he told her. And at last, She asked his name? So he faid, It was Chriftian, and I have fo much the more a defire to lodge here to-night, because by what I perceive, this place was built by the Lord of the hill, for the relief and fecurity of pilgrims: So the fmiled, but the water flood in her eyes: And after a little paufe, the faid, I will call forth two or three more of the family. So fhe ran to the door, and called out Prudence, Piety, and Charity, who after a little more difcourfe with him, had him into the family: And many of them meeting him at the threshold of the houfe, faid, Come in, thou bleffed of the Lord; this houfe was built by the Lord of the hill, on purpose to entertain fuch pilgrims in. Then he bowed his head, and followed them into the houfe: So when he was come in, and fet down, they gave him fomething to drink, and confented together, that until fupper was ready, fome of them fhould have fome particular difcourfe with Chriftian, for the better improvement of time, and they appointed Piety, Prudence, and Charity to difcourfe with him, and thus they began. Piety, Come, good Chriftian, fince we have been Piety difcourfes fo loving to you, to receive you into our houfe this night, let us, if perhaps we may better ourselves thereby, talk with you of all things that have happened to you in your pilgrimage. bim. Chr. With very good will; and I am glad you are fo well difpofed. Piety. What moved you at firit to betake yourself to a Pilgrim's life! Chr. I was driven out of my native country, by a dreadful found that was in mine ears, to wit, That unavoidable deftruction did attend me if I abode in that place where I was. *Horu Chriian was drove out of his own country. Piety. But how did it happen that you came out of your country this way? Chr. It was as God would have it; for when I was under the fears of deftruction, I did not know whither to go; but by chance there came a man to me even as I was trembling and weeping, whofe name ist Evangeli, and he directed me to the wicketgate,which elfe I fhould never have found; and fo fet me in the way that hath led me directly to this house. + How he got into the way to Zion. the Interpreter ? Piety. But did you not come by the houfe of Chr. Yes, and did fee fuch things there, the remembrance of which will lick by me as as I live; especially three things, to wit, How Chrift, in defpite of Satan, maintains his work of grace in the heart: How the man had finned himself quite out of hope of God's mercy; and alfo, The dream of him that thought in his fleep the day of judgment was come. A rehearsal of what he jaw in the way. Piety. Piety. Why, Did you hear him tell his dream? Chr Yes, and a dreadful one it was, I thought: It made my heart ach as he was telling of it; but yet I am glad I heard it. Piety. Was this all you faw at the house of the Interpreter ? Chr. No, he took me and had me where he fhewed me a stately Falace, and how the people were clad in gold that were in it; and how there came a venturous man and cut his way thro' the armed men that ftood in the door to keep him out, and how he was bid to come in and win eternal glory: Methought thofe things did ravish my heart! I would have flaid at the good man's houfe a twelve-month, but that I knew I had further to go. Piety. And what faw you elfe in the way? Chr. Saw? Why, I went but a little further, and I faw one, as I thought in my mind, hang bleeding on a tree; and the very fight of him made my burden fall off my back (for I groaned under a very heavy burden) but then it fell down from off me. 'Twas a ftrange thing to me; for I never faw fuch a thing before. Yea, and while I flood looking up (for then I could not forbear looking) three fhining ones came to me: One of them teftify'd that my fins were forgiven me: Another ftript me of my rags, and gave me this embroider'd coat which you fee, and the third fet the mark which you fee in my forehead, and gave me this fealed roll (and with that he plucked it out of his bolom.) Piety. But you faw more than this, did you not? Chr. The things that I told you were the best, yet fome other matters I faw, as namely, I faw three men, Simple, Sloth, and Prefumption lie afleep a little out of the way as I came, with irons upon their heels; but do you think that I could awake them? I faw alfo Formality and typocrify come tumbling over the wall, to go (as they pretended) to Zion; but they were quickly loft; even as my felf did tell them, but they would not believe. But above all, I found it hard work to get up this hill, and as hard to come by the lions mouth; and truly if it had not been for the good man, the porter that stands at the gate, I do not know, but that after all, I might have gone back again : But I thank God, I am here, and I thank you for receiving of me. Then Prudence thought it good to ask him a few queftions, and defired his anfwer to them. Pru. Do you not think fometimes of the country from whence you came. Chr. Yes, but with much fhame and deteftation: Truly if I had been mindful of the country from whence I came out, I might have had opportunity to have returned: But now I defire a better country, that is, an heavenly one. Pru. Do you not bear away with you fome of the things that then you were converfant withal? Chr. Yes, but greatly against my will, especially my inward and carnal cogitations, with which all my E 2 Prudence difcourses him. * Chriftian's thoughts of his native country. Heb. xiii. 15, 16. Christian diftafted with car country nal cogitations * Chriftian's choice. † Rom. i. countrymen, as well as myfelf were delighted; but now all thote things are my grief, and might I but chufe my own my things, I would chufe never to think of those things more: But when I would be a doing that which is beft, † that which is wort is with me. Pru. Do you not find fometimes, as if thofe things were vanished, which at other times are your perplexity? + Chriftian's golden hours. Chr. Yes, but that is but feldom; but they are to me golden hours, in which fuch things happen to me. Pru. Can you remember by what means you find your annoyances at times, as if they were vanquished ? How Chrift ian gets power nver his corrup tions. Chr. Yes, I think that what I faw at the croft, will do it; and when I look upon my embroidered coat, that will do it; and when look into the roll that I carry in my bosom, that will do it; and when my thoughts wax warm about whither I am going, that will do it. Pru. And what is that which makes you fo defirous to go to mount Zion ? Why Chriftian would be at mount Zion. * Ifa. 28. Rev. ii. 4. Chr. Why, There I hope to fee. Him alive, that did hang dead on the crois; and there i hope to be rid of all thofe things, that to this day are in me an annoyance to me, there they tay there is no death; and there I fhall dwell with tuch company as I like beft. For to tell you the truth I love Him, because I was by him eafed of my burden, and I am weary of my inward ficknefs: I would fain be where I fhould die no more, and with the company that fhall continually cry, Holy! Holy! Holy! 1 Chriftian's and children love to his wife you Then faid Charity to Chriftian, † Have a family? Are you a married man ? Chr. I have a wife and four fmall children. Chriftian wept, and faid, Oh, how willingly would of Cha. But you fhould have talked to them, and have endeavoured to have fhewn them the danger being left behind. Chr. So I did; and told them alfo what God had fhewed to me of the deftruction of our city; but I feemed to them as one that mocked, and they believed me not. Gen. xi. 14. Cha. And did you pray to God, that he would blefs your council to them? Chr. Yes, and that with much affection, for you must think, that my wife and poor children were very dear unto me. Cha. Cha. But did you tell them of your own forrow and fear of deAtruction? For I fuppofe that deftruction was visible enough to you? Chr Yes, over, and over, and over. They might alfofee my fears in my countenance, in my tears, and allo in my trembling under the apprehenfion of the judgments that did hang over our heads; but all was not fufficient to prevail with them to come with me. Cha. But what could they fay for themselves, why they came not? Chriftian's fear of perishing might be read in his very counte nance. the cause why bis wife and children did not go. Chr. Why + my wife was afraid of lofing this world; and my children were given to the foolish delights of youth: So what by one thing, and what by another, they left me to wander in this manner alone. Cha. But did you not, by your vain life, damp all that you in words ufed by way of prefumption to bring them away with you? Chriftian's good coverfation before his wife and children. Chr. Indeed I cannot commend my life, for I am confcious to myfelf of many failings therein: I know alfo, that a man by his converfation may foon overthrow what by argument or perfuafion he doth labour to faften upon others for their good: Yet, this I can fay, I was very wary of giving them occafion by any unfeemly action, to make them averfe to going on pilgrimage. Yea, for this very thing they would tell me I was too precife, and that I deny'd myfelf of things (for their fakes) in which they faw no evil. Nay, I think I may fay, that if what they faw in me did hinder them, it was my great tenderness in finning against God, or doing any wrong to my neighbour. Cha. Indeed Cain hated his brother, because his own works were evil, and his brother's righteous; and if thy wife and children have been offended with thee for this, they thereby fhew themfelves to be implacable to good, and thou haft deliver'd thy foul from their blood. + Chriftian clear of their blood if they perih. Ezek. iv. 19. || What Chriftian bad to his Supper. Now I faw in my dream, that thus they fat talking together until fupper was ready. So when they had made ready, they fat down to meat. Now the table was furnished with || fat things✔ and with wine that was well refined, and all their talk at the table was about the LORD of the hill; as namely, about what he had done, and wherefore he did what he did, and why he had builded that houfe and by what they laid. I perceived that he had been a great warrior, and had fought with, and flain him that had the power of death, but not without great danger to himself; which made him love him the more. Their talk at IS. For as they faid, and as I believe (faid Christian) he did it with the lofs |