come to revenge the wrong that thou hast done to my father, and to deal with thee for the blasphemies wherewith thou hast made poor Mansoul blaspheme his name; yea, upon thy head, thou prince of the infernal cave, will I require it.

"As for myself, O Diabolus, I am come against thee by lawful power; and to take, by strength of hands, this town of Mansoul out of thy burning fingers for this town of Mansoul is mine, O Diabolus, and that by undoubted right, as all shall see that will diligently search the most ancient and most authentic records, and I will plead my title to it to the confusion of thy face.

The town of Mansoul is the right of Shad

"First, For the town of Mansoul, my father built and fashioned it with his hand. The palace also, that is in the midst of the town, he built for his own dai, who built it. delight. This town of Mansoul, therefore, is my father's, and that by the best of titles; and he that gainsays the truth of this, must lie against his soul.

"Secondly, O thou master of the lie, this town of Mansoul is mine:

"1. For that I am my father's heir, his firstborn, and the only delight of his heart, Heb. i. 2. John xv. 16. I am therefore come up against thee in mine own right, even to recover mine own inheritance out of thine hands.

Also the inherit

ance of his son

Immanuel.

"2. But further, as I have a right and title to Mansoul by being my father's heir, so I have also by my father's donation, John xvii. His it was, and he gave it me; nor have I at any time offended my father, that he should take it from me, and give it to thee, Isa. 1. 1. Nor have I been forced, by playing the bankrupt, to sell or set to sale to

thee my beloved town of Mansoul. Mansoul is my desire, my delight, and the joy of my heart. But,

Diabolus an usur

"Mansoul is mine by right of purchase. I have bought it, O Diabolus, I have bought it for myself. Now since it was my father's and mine, as I was his heir, and since also I have made it mine by virtue of a great purchase, it followeth, that by all lawful right the town of Mansoul is mine; and that thou art an usurper, tyrant, and traitor, in thy per and tyrant. holding possession thereof. Now the cause of my purchasing it was this: Mansoul had trespassed against my father. Now my father had said, that in the day that they broke his law, they should die: now it is more possible for heaven and earth to pass away, than for my father to break his word, Matt. v. 18. Wherefore when Mansoul had sinned indeed by hearkening to thy lie, I put in and became a surety to my father, body for body, and soul for soul, that I would make amends for Mansoul's transgressions: and O sweet Prince my father accepted thereof. O sweet Prince when the time appointed was come, I gave body for body, soul for soul, life for life, blood for blood, and so redeemed my beloved Mansoul.

Immanuel!

So

4. Nor did I this by halves; my father's love and justice, that were both concerned in the threatening upon transgression, are both now satisfied, and very well content that Mansoul should

be delivered.

66 5. Nor am I come out this day against thee, but by commandment from my father; 'twas he that said unto me, Go down, and deliver Mansoul.

"Wherefore be it known unto thee, O thou fountain of deceit, and be it also known to the foolish town of Mansoul, that I am

Immanuel commissioned by his father,

Immanuel's

soul.

not come against thee this day without my father.

"And now, said the golden-headed prince, I have a word to the town of Mansoul (but so soon as mention was made, that he had a word to speak to the besotted town of Mansoul, the gates were double-guarded, and all men commanded not to give him audience); so he proceeded and said, O unhappy town of Mansoul, I cannot but be touched with pity and compassion for thee. address to the Thou hast accepted of Diabolus for town of Man- thy king, and art become a nurse and minister of Diabolonians against thy sovereign lord. Thy gates thou hast opened to him, but hast shut them fast against me; thou hast given him a hearing, but hast stopt thine ears to my cry: he brought to thee thy destruction, and thou didst receive both him and it; I am come to thee bringing salvation, but thou regardest me not. Besides, thou hast with sacrilegious hands taken thyself, with all that was mine in thee, and hast given all to my foe, and to the greatest enemy my father has. You have bowed and subjected yourselves to him, you have vowed and sworn yourselves to be his. Poor Mansoul! what shall I do unto thee? Shall I save thee? Shall I destroy thee? What shall I do unto thee? Shall I fall upon thee, and grind thee to powder; or make thee a monument of the richest grace? What shall I do unto thee? Hearken therefore, thou town of Mansoul, hearken to my word, and thou shalt live. I am merciful, Mansoul, and thou shalt find me so: shut me not out of thy gates, Cant. v. 2.

"O Mansoul, neither is my commission or inclination at all to do thee hurt: why flyest thou

so fast from thy friend, and stickest so close to thine enemy? Indeed I would have thee, because it becomes thee, to be sorry for thy sin but do not despair of life: this great force is not to hurt thee, but to deliver thee from thy bondage, and to reduce thee to thy obedience.

66

Immanuel's

commission is to make war upon Diabolus and to save Mansoul.

My commission indeed is, to make war upon Diabolus thy king, and upon all Diabolonians with him, for he is the strong man armed that keeps the house: but I will have him out; his spoils I must divide, his armour I must take from him, his hold I must cast him out of, and must make it an habitation for myself. And this, O Mansoul, shall Diabolus know, when he shall be made to follow me in chains, and when Mansoul shall rejoice to see it too.

"I could, would I now put forth my might, cause that forthwith he should leave you, and depart; but I have it in my heart so to deal with him, as that the justice of the war, that I shall make upon him, may be seen and acknowledged by all. He hath taken Mansoul by fraud, and keeps it by violence and deceit; and I will make him bare and naked in the eyes of Conclusion of Im- all observers. All my words are true: I am mighty to save, and will deliver my Mansoul out of his hand 16."

manuel's speech.

16 In this speech of Immanuel, the true character of Satan is drawn, and he is represented, as in the sacred scriptures, a liar, a deceiver, a blasphemer, an usurper, the malicious enemy of God and man; while Immanuel claims the human soul as his own, his workmanship, his delight, his inheritance, his purchase.

That part of the speech which is directed to Mansoul, contains the charming substance of the gospel of grace, the merciful design of Christ in his approaches to the soul, which is not to destroy but to save. How well does his gracious address deserve the most cordial acceptation: but, mark the sequel!

This speech was intended chiefly for Mansoul, but Mansoul would not have the hearing of it. They shut up Ear-gate, they barricadoed it up, they kept it locked and bolted, they set a guard thereat, and commanded that no Mansoulian should go out to him, nor that any from the camp should be admitted into the town: all this they did, so horribly had Diabolus inchanted them to do, and to seek to do for him, against their rightful lord and prince; wherefore no man, nor voice, nor sound of man that belonged to the glorious host, was to come into the town "7.

17 Infatuated sinners! rejecting the counsel of God against themselves. Reader, is this thy picture?-pause and examine. Remember," faith cometh by hearing." your soul shall live."

66

Hear, then, and

I