So all Things work for Good, and tend to make you more wary. Chrift. Shall we go back again to my Lord, and confefs cur Folly, and ask one ? Rel. Your Confeffion of your Folly I will prefent him with: To go back again, you need not; for in all Places where you fhall come, you will find no Want at all; for every of my Lord's Lodgings, which he has prepared for the Reception of his Pilgrims, there is fufficient to furnish them against all Attempts whatsoever. But as I faid, he will be enquired of by them Ezek. 36, 37. to do it for them. And it is a poor Thing that is not worth afking for. When he had thus faid, he went back to his Place, and the Pilgrims went on their Way. The Miftake of Mercy. Chriftiana's Guilt. Mercy. Then faid Mercy, What a fudden Blank is here: I made account we had been past all Danger, and that we should never forrow more. Christ. Thy Innocency, my Sifter, faid Chriftiana to Mercy, may excufe thee much; but as for me, my Fault is fo much the greater, for that I faw this Danger before I came out of the Doors, and yet did not provide for it where Provifion might have been had. I am much to be blamed. Mercy. Then faid Mercy, How knew you this before you came from Home? Pray open to me this Riddle. Christ. Why, I will tell you: Before I fét Foot out of Doors one Night, as I lay in my Bed, I had a Dream about this: For methought I faw two Men, as like thefe as ever the World they could look, look, ftand at my Bed's Feet, plotting how they might prevent my Salvation. I will tell you their very Words: They faid, (it was when I was in my Troubles) What Chriftiana's fhall we do with this Woman? For fhe Dream recries out Waking and Sleeping for Fors peated. giveness; if fhe be fuffered to go on as The begins, we fhall lofe her as we have loft her Husband. This you know might have made me take Heed, and have provided when Provifion might have been had. Mercy. Well, faid Mercy, As by this Mercy makes Neglect we have an Occafion miniftered good Use of unto us, to behold our Imperfections: So their Neglect our Lord has taken Occafion thereby to of Duty. make manifeft the Riches of his Grace; for he, as we fee, has followed us with unafked Kindnefs, and has delivered us from their Hands that were stronger than we, of his mere good Pleasure, Thus now when they had talked away a little more Time, they drew near to a Part I. page House which ftood in the Way, which 27, &c. House was built for the Relief of Pilgrims, as you will find more fully related in the firft Part of the Records of the Pilgrim's Progress: So they drew on towards the Houfe, (the Houfe of the Interpreter) and when they came to the Door, they heard a great Talk in the Houfe; then they gave ear, and heard, as they thought, Chrifti- Talk in the ana mentioned by Name. For you muft Interpreter's know, that there went along even before Hofe about her a Talk of her and her Children go- going on Piling on Pilgrimage. And this was the grimage. more pleafing to them, because they had heard that he was Chriftian's Wife, that Woman S 2 Chriftiana's Woman who was fome Time ago fo unwilling to hear of going on Pilgrimage. Thus therefore, they ftood still, and heard the good People within commending her, who they little thought stood at She knocks at the Door. At laft Chriftiana knocked, as fhe had done at the Gate before. Now when fhe had knocked, there came to the Door, a young Damfel, named Innocent, and opened the Door, and looked, and behold, two Women were there. the Door. The Door is Damfel. Then faid the Damfel to them, With whom would you speak in this Place ? Chrift. Chriftiana answered, We underpened to them ftand that this is a privileged Place for by Innocent. thofe that are become Pilgrims, and we now at this Door are fuch: Wherefore we pray that we may be Partakers of that for which we at this Time are come; for the Day, as thou feeft, is very far fpent, and we are loth to Night to go any farther. Damfel. Pray, what may I call your Name, that I may tell it to my Lord within? Chrift. My Name is Chriftiana; I was the Wife of that Pilgrim that fome Years ago did travel this Way, and these be his four Children. This Maiden is alfo my Companion, and is going on Pilgrimage too. Innocent. Then ran Innocent in (for that was her Name) and faid to thofe within, Can you think who is at the Door? There is Chriftiana and her Children, and her Companion, all waiting for Entertain ment ment here. Then they leaped for Joy, and went and told their Mafter. So he came foy in the to the Door, and looking upon her, he Houfe of the faid, Art thou that Chriftiana whom Chri. Interpreter, ftian the good Man left behind him, when ana is turned he betook himself to a Pilgrim's Life? Pilgrim. Chrift. I am that Woman that was fo hard-hearted as to flight my Hufband's Troubles, and that left him to go on his Journey alone, and these are his four Children; but now I alfo am come, for I am convinced that no Way is right but this. that Chrifti Inter. Then is fulfilled that which is written of the Man that faid to his Son, Matt. 21.29. Go work to-day in my Vineyard; and he faid to his Father, I will not; but afterwards repented and went. Chrift. Then faid Chriftiana, So be it, Amen. God make it a true Saying upon me, and grant that I may be found at the laft of him in Peace, without Spot, and blameless. Inter. But why ftandeft thou at the Door? Come in, thou Daughter of Abraham; we were talking of thee but now, for Tidings have come to us before, how thou art become a Pilgrim. Come Children, come in; come, Maiden, come; fo he had them all into the House. So when they were within they were bidden to fit down and reft them; the which when they had done, thofe that Old Saints attended upon the Pilgrims in the Houfe, glad to fee the came into the Room to fee them. And young Ones walk in God's one fniled, and another fmiled, and another fimiled, and they all fmiled, for Joy. S 3 that Ways. that Chriftiana was become a Pilgrim: They alfo looked upon the Boys; they ftroaked them over their Faces, with their Hands, in Token of their kind Reception of them: They alfo carried it lovingly to Mercy, and bid them all welcome into their Mafter's Houfe. After a While, becaufe Supper was not The Signi- ready, the Interpreter took them into his ficant Rooms. Significant Rooms, and fhewed them what Chriftian, Chriftiana's Hufband, had seen fome Time before. Here therefore they faw the Man in the Cage, the Man and his Dream, the Man that cut his Way through his Enemies, and the Picture of the biggest of all, together with the Reft of thofe Things that were then fo profitable to Chriftian. The Man with the Muckrake, expounded. This done, and after thofe Things had been fomewhat digefted by Chriftiana and hér Company, the Interpreter takes them apart again, and has them first into a Room, where was a Man that could look no Way but downwards, with a Muckrake in his Hand: There ftood alfo one over his Head with a Coeleftial Crown in his Hand, and proffered him that Crown for his Muckrake; but the Man did neither look up, nor regard, but raked to himself the Straws, the fmall Sticks, and Dust of the Floor. Then faid Chriftiana, I perfuade myself, that I know fomewhat the Meaning of this: For this is the Figure of a Man in this World: Is it not, good Sir? Inter. Thou haft faid right, faid he, and his Muckrake doth fhew his carnal Mind. And |