Loth-to-stoop departs. When Mr. Loth-to-stoop had heard this answer, he took his leave of Immanuel, and departed, saying, that he would carry word to his master concerning this whole affair. So he departed, and came to Diabolus in Mansoul, and told him the whole of the matter; and how Immanuel would not admit, no not by any means, that he, when he was once gone out, should ever have any thing more to do either in, or with any that are of, the town of Mansoul. When Mansoul and Diabolus had heard this relation of things, they with one consent concluded to use their best endeavours to keep Immanuel out of Mansoul; and sent old Illpause, of whom you have heard before, to tell the Prince and his captains so. So the old gentleman came up to the top of Ear-gate, and called to the camp for a hearing; who, when they gave audiA speech of old ence, he said, "I have in commandIll-pause to the ment from my high lord to bid you camp. tell it to your prince Immanuel, that Mansoul, and their king, are resolved to stand or fall together, and that it is in vain for your prince to think of ever having Mansoul in his hand, unless he can take it by force." So some went and told Immanuel what old Ill-pause, a Diabolonian in Mansoul, had said. Then said the prince, “I pondence and friendship with Satan; or take delight in the re- "Take my whole heart, and let it be They must rations for the battle. must try the power of my sword, Eph. vi. 17. for I will not (for all the rebellions and repulses that Mansoul has made against me) raise my siege and depart, but will assuredly take my Mansoul, and deliver it from her enemy. And with that he gave out a commandment, that Captain Boanerges, Captain Conviction, Captain Judgfight. Prepa- ment, and Captain Execution, should march forthwith up to Ear-gate, with trumpets sounding, colours flying, and with shouting for the battle. Also he would that Captain Credence should join himself in with them: Immanuel moreover gave orders that Captain Good-hope and Captain Charity should draw themselves up before Eye-gate. He bid also that the rest of his captains and their men should place themselves to the best of their advantage against the enemy, round about the town; and all was done as he commanded. Then he bid that the word should be given forth, and the word was at that time IMMANUEL. Then was an alarm sounded, and the battering rams were played, and the slings whirled stones into the town amain; and thus the battle began. Now Diabolus himself managed the townsmen in the war, and that at every gate; wherefore their resistance was the more forcible, hellish, and offensive to Immanuel. Thus was the good prince engaged and entertained by Diabolus and Mansoul for several days together; and a sight worth seeing it was, to behold how the captains of Shaddai behaved themselves in the war. Boanerges plays And first for Captain Boanerges (not to undervalue the rest), he made three most fierce assaults, one after another, upon Ear-gate, to the shaking of the posts thereof. Captain Conviction also made up the man. as fast with Boanerges as possibly he could; and both discerning that the gate began to yield, they commanded that the rams should still be played against it. Now Captain Conviction going up Conviction wounded. very near to the gate, was with great force driven back, and received three wounds in his mouth; and those that rode reformades,* went about to encourage the captains. * Angels.. For the valour of the two captains made mention of before, the prince sent for them to his pavilion; and commanded that awhile they should rest themselves, and that with somewhat they should be refreshed. Care was also taken for Captain Conviction, that he should be healed of his wounds; the prince also gave them a chain of gold, and bid them yet be of good courage. Nor did Captain Good-hope nor Captain ChaGood-hope and rity come behind in this most desperate fight, for they too so behaved themselves at Eye-gate, that they had almost broken it quite open. These Charity play the man at Eye gate. had also a reward from their prince, as also had the rest of the captains, because they did valiantly round about the town 2. In this engagement, several of the officers of Diabolus were slain, and some of the townsmen wounded, for among the officers there was one Captain Boasting slain. This Boasting thought that nobody could have shaken the post of Ear-gate, nor have Captain Boast ing slain.' 2 The soul of man is assaulted by the ear. Boanerges, a faithful preacher of the gospel, boldly perseveres in declaring the truth of God, seconded by Conviction, who is here said to be wounded; or, in other words-that conviction which was occasioned by the word of God, is resisted and driven back by shaken the heart of Diabolus. Captain Secure slain. Next to him there was one Captain Secure slain; this Secure used to say, that the blind and lame in Mansoul were able to keep the gates of the town against Immanuel's army, 2 Sam. v. 6. This Captain Secure did Captain Conviction cleave down the head with a two-handed sword, when he himself received three wounds in the mouth. Captain Bragman slain. Besides, there was one Captain Bragman, a very desperate fellow, and he was captain over a band of those that threw firebrands, arrows, and death; he also received, by the hand of Captain Good-hope at Eye-gate, a mortal wound in the breast. There was moreover one Mr. Feeling, but he was no captain, but a great stickler to Mansoul to rebellion; he re Mr. Feeling hurt. encourage ceived a wound in the eye by the hand of one of Boanerges's soldiers, and had by the captain himself been slain, but that he made a sudden retreat. Will-be-will hurt. But I never saw Will-be-will so daunted in all my life; he was not able to do as he was wont; and some say he also received a wound in the leg, and that some of the men in the prince's army had certainly seen him limp as he afterwards walked on the wall. I shall not give you a particular account of the names of the soldiers that were maimed, wounded, and slain for when they saw that the posts of Ear-gate shook, and Eye-gate was well nigh the reluctant sinner, yet unwilling to yield to its dictates. Hope and Charity, those amiable graces, present themselves to the eye of the world in order to allure their souls. broken quite open; and also that their captains were slain; this took away the hearts of many of the Diabolonians, so that they fell also by the force of the shot that were sent by the golden slings into the midst of the town of Mansoul. Of the townsmen, there was one Love-no-good; he was a townsman, but a Diabolonian? he also received his mortal wound in Mansoul, but he died not Love-no-good wounded. very soon. wounded. Mr. Ill-pause also, who came along with Diabolus when at first he attempted the taking of Mansoul, received a grievous wound in Ill-pause the head; some say that that his brainpan was cracked: this I have taken notice of, that he was never after this able to do that mischief to Mansoul as he had done in times past. Also old Prejudice and Mr. Any-thing fled3. Now when the battle was over, the prince commanded that yet once more the white The white flag flag should be set upon Mount Gracious, in sight of the town of Mansoul; to shew that yet Immanuel had grace for the wretched town of Mansoul. hung out again. When Diabolus saw the white flag hung out again, and knowing that it was not Diabolus's new for him, but Mansoul; he cast in his prank. mind to play another prank, to wit, to see if Immanuel would raise his siege and be gone, upon promise of reformation. So he went 3 Success now begins to crown these efforts of the gospel ministry. The sinner no longer boasts of his fancied virtue, strength, and goodness; sin is no more bragged of, and gloried in; the word is now felt as well as heard; and even the stubborn will of man begins to bend. These and other enemies of Christ are obliged to submit to the victorious weapons of his grace. In this state of things, the display of the white flag, or pardoning mercy, is peculiarly seasonable. |