14. Mat. 7. 13. the Gate to which I fend thee; † for strait is 26. the Gate that leadeth unto Life, and few there be that find it. From this little Wicket-Gate, and from the Way thereto, hath this wicked Man turned thee, to the bringing of thee almost to Deftruction: Hate, therefore, his turning thee out of the Way, and abhor thyfelf for hearkening to him. Secondly, Thou must abhor his labouring to render the Crofs odious unto thee; Heb. 11.25. for thou art to prefer it before the Treasurers in Egypt: Befides, the King of Glory hath Mark 8. 35. told thee, || That he that will fave his Life John 12. 25. fhall leofe it: And, be that comes after him, Matt. 10. 39. Luke 14, 26. and hates not his Father and Mother, and Wife, and Children, and Brethren, and Sifters, yea and his own Life alfo, he cannot be my Difciple. I fay therefore, for a Man to labour to perfuade thee that That fhall be thy Death, without which, the Truth hath faid thou can'ft not have Eternal Life: This Doctrine thou must abhor. § Gal. 4. 21, Woman. Thirdly, Thou muft hate his fetting of thy Feet in the Way that leadeth to the Miniftration of Death. And for this thou muft confider to whom he fent thee, and alfo how unable that Perfon was to deliver thee from thy Burden. He to whom thou waft fent for Eafe, being by Name Legality, is the Son of the § Bond-woman which now is, and is in Bondage with her Children, and is in a Mystery this Mount + Sinia, which thou haft feared will fall on thy Head. Now if fhe with her Children are in Bondage, How How canft thou expect by them to be made Free? This Legality, therefore, is not able to fet thee free from thy Burden. No Man was as yet ever rid of his Burden by him; no, nor ever is like to be: Ye cannot be juftified by the Works of the Law; for by the Deeds of the Law no Man living can be rid of his Burden: Therefore Mr. Worldly Wifeman is an Alien, and Mr. Legality a Cheat: As for his Son Civility, notwithstanding his fimpering Looks, he is but an Hypocrite, and cannot help thee. Believe me, there is nothing in all this Noife, that thou haft heard of thefe fottifh Men, but a Defign to beguile thee of thy Salvation, by turning thee from the Way in which I had fet thee. After this, Evangelift called aloud to the Heavens for Confirmation of what he had faid; and with that there came Words and Fire out of the Mountain under which poor Chriftian ftood, that made the Hair of his Flesh stand up: The Words were thus pronounced,* As many as are of Gal. 3. 10. the Works of the Law are under the Curfe; for it is written, curfed is every one that continueth not in all Things which are written in the Book of the Law to do them. * Now Chriftian looked for nothing but Death, and began to cry out lamentably; even curfing the Time in which he met with Mr. Worldly Wifeman; ftill calling himself a thousand Fools for hearkening to his Counsel: He also was greatly ashamed to think that this Gentleman's Arguments, flowing only from the Flesh, should have the Prevalency with him as to caufe him to for C 3 fake + Chriftian enquires if he may yet be Happy. fake the right Way. This done, he applied himself again to Evangelift in Words and Sense as follow: Chr. Sir, What think you? Is there Hopes? May I now go back, and go up to the Wicket-Gate? Shall I not be abandoned for this, and fent back from thence afhamed? I am forry I have hearkened to this Man's Counfel; but may my Sin be forgiven? Evang. Then faid Evangelift to him, Thy Sin is very great, for by it thou haft committed two Evils; thou haft forfaken the Way that is good, to tread in forbidden Evangelift Paths; yet will the Man at the Gate comforts him. receive thee, for he has Good-will for Men; only, faid he, take heed that thou turn not afide again, left thou perish from the | Pfalm 2. laft Way, when his Wrath is || kindled but a Verfe. little. Then did Chriftian address himself to go back; and Evangelift, after he had kiffed him, gave him one Smile, and bid him God speed: So he went on with Hafte, neither spake he to any Man by the Way; nor if any afked him, would he vouchsafe them an Answer. He went like one that was all the While treading on forbidden Ground, and could by no Means think himself fafe, till again he was got into the Way which he left to follow Mr. Worldly Wifeman's Counsel: So in Procefs of Time, Chriftian got up to the Gate. Now over the Gate there was § Matt. 7. 8. written, § Knock, and it shall be opened unto you. He |