Destruction, which is the place of all evil, and I am going to the city of Zion.

Apol. By this I perceive that thou art one of my

subjects; for all that

country is mine, and I am the

Prince and God of it. How is it, then, that thou hast run away from thy King? Were it not that I hope thou mayst do me more service, I would strike thee now, at one blow, to the ground.

Chr. I was indeed born in your dominions; but your service was hard, and your wages such as a man could not live on, "for the wages of sin is death :"1 therefore, when I was come to years, I did, as other considerate persons do, look out, if perhaps I might mend myself.

APOLLYON'S
FLATTERY.

Apol. There is no Prince that will thus lightly lose his subjects, neither will I as yet lose thee; but since thou complainest of thy service and wages, be content to go back: what our country will afford, I do here promise to give thee. Chr. But I have let myself to another, even to the King of Princes; and how can I with fairness go back with thee?

APOLLYON UNDER

SERVICE.

Apol. Thou hast done in this acVALUES CHRIST'S Cording to the proverb, "Change a bad for a worse." But it is ordinary for those that have professed themselves His servants, after a while, to give Him the slip, and return again Do thou so too, and all shall be well.

to me.

Chr. I have given Him my faith, and sworn my allegiance to Him; how then can I go back from this, and not be hanged as a traitor?

1 Rom. vi. 23.

Apol. Thou didst the same to me; and yet I am willing to pass by all, if now thou wilt yet turn and go back.

Chr. What I promised thee was in my non-age ; and, besides, I count that the Prince under whose banner now I stand is able to absolve me; yea, and to pardon also what I did as to my compliance with thee: and besides, (0 thou destroying Apollyon!) to speak truth, I like His service, His wages, His servants, His government, His company, and country, better than thine; and therefore leave off to persuade me further: I am His servant, and I will follow Him. Apol. Consider again, when thou art in cool blood, what thou art like to meet with in the way that thou goest.

APOLLYON PLEADS
THE GRIEVOUS

ENDS OF CHRIS

TIANS, TO DIS

SUADE CHRISTIAN

Thou knowest that, for the most part, His servants come to an ill end, be- FROM PERSISTING cause they are transgressors against

IN HIS WAY.

me and my ways. How many of them have been put to shameful deaths! And, besides, thou countest His service better than mine, whereas He never yet came from the place where He is to deliver any that served Him out of their hands; but as for me, how many times, as all the world very well knows, have I delivered, either by power or fraud, those that have faithfully served me, from Him and His, though taken by them!-and so will I deliver thee.

Chr. His forbearing at present to deliver them is on purpose to try their love, whether they will cleave to Him to the end; and as for the ill end thou sayest they come to, that is most glorious in their account; for, for present deliverance, they do not much expect it; for they stay for their glory, and then they shall

have it, when their Prince comes in His, and the glory of the Angels.

Apol. Thou hast already been unfaithful in thy service to Him, and how dost thou think to receive wages of Him?

Chr. Wherein, O Apollyon, have I been unfaithful to Him?

APOLLYON PLEADS

HIM.

Apol. Thou didst faint at first setCHRISTIAN'S IN- ting out, when thou wast almost choked FIRMITIES AGAINST in the gulf of Despond. Thou didst attempt wrong ways to be rid of thy burden; whereas thou shouldst have staid till thy Prince had taken it off. Thou didst sinfully sleep, and lose thy choice things. Thou wast also almost persuaded to go back at the sight of the Lions; and when thou talkest of thy journey, and of what thou hast heard and seen, thou art inwardly desirous of vain-glory in all that thou sayest or dost.

Chr. All this is true, and much more which thou hast left out; but the Prince whom I serve and honour is merciful, and ready to forgive: but, besides, these infirmities possessed me in thy country; for there I sucked them in, and I have groaned under them, been sorry for them, and have obtained pardon of my Prince. Then Apollyon broke out into a RAGE FALLS UPON grievous rage, saying, I am an enemy to this Prince! I hate His person, laws, and people, and am come out on purpose to withstand thee.

APOLLYON IN A

CHRISTIAN.

Chr. Apollyon, beware what you do; for I am in the King's highway, the Way of Holiness; therefore take heed to yourself.

Then Apollyon straddled quite over the whole breadth of the way, and said, I am void of fear in this matter; prepare thyself to die; for I swear by my infernal den that thou shalt go no farther: here will I spill thy soul!-And with that he threw a flaming dart at his breast; but Christian had a shield in his hand, with which he caught it, and so prevented the danger of that.

Then did Christian draw, for he saw it was time to bestir him; and Apollyon as fast made at him, throwing darts as thick as hail; by the which, notwithstanding all that Christian could do to avoid it, Apollyon wounded him in his head, his hand, and foot. This made Christian give a little back; Apollyon, therefore, fol- STANDING, FAITII, lowed his work amain, and Christian again took courage, and resisted as

CHRISTIAN WOUND-
ED IN HIS UNDER-

AND CONVERSA-
TION.

manfully as he could. This sore combat lasted for above half a day, even till Christian was almost quite spent; for you must know that Christian, by reason of his wounds, must needs grow weaker and weaker. Then Apollyon, espying his opportunity, began to gather up close to Christian, and, wrestling with him, DOWN TO THE

gave him a dreadful fall; and with

APOLLYON CAST

ETH CHRISTIAN

GROUND.

that Christian's sword flew out of his hand. Then said Apollyon, I am sure of thee now and with that he had almost pressed him to death; so that Christian began to despair of life. But, as God would have it, while Apollyon was fetching his last blow, thereby to make a full end of this good man, Christian nimbly reached out his hand for his sword, and caught it, say

CHRISTIAN'S VIC

LYON.

ing, "Rejoice not against me, O mine TORY OVER APOL- enemy! when I fall, I shall arise;" and with that gave him a deadly thrust, which made him give back, as one that had received his mortal wound. Christian, perceiving that, made at him again, saying, " Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him that loved us ;"

and with that Apollyon spread forth his dragon's wings, and sped him away, that Christian saw him no more. In this combat, no man can imagine,

A BRIEF RELATION

OF THE COMBAT BY unless he had seen and heard, as I THE SPECTATOR. did, what yelling and hideous roaring. Apollyon made all the time of the fight. He spake

? Micah vii. 8. Rom. viii. 8, 9. James iv. 6.