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to parley with them. But when all came to all, his parley was turned into a summons to the town, to deliver up themselves: but they gave him neither heed nor hearing, for they remembered what at first it cost them to hear him a few words 11.

11

The next night he sends again, and then who should be his messenger to Mansoul but the terrible Captain Sepulchre; so Captain Sepulchre came up to the walls of Mansoul, and made this oration to the town:

"O ye inhabitants of the rebellious town of Mansoul! I summon you in the name of the prince Diabolus, that without any more ado you set open the gates of your town, and admit your lord to come in. But if you shall still rebel, when we have taken the town by force, we will swallow you up as the grave; wherefore if you will hearken to my summons, say so; and if not, then let me know.

"The reason of this my summons," quoth he, "is, for that my lord is your undoubted prince and lord, as you yourselves have formerly owned. Nor shall that assault that was given to my lord, when Immanuel dealt so dishonourably by him, prevail with him to lose his right, and to forbear to attempt to recover his own. Consider then, O Mansoul, with thyself, wilt thou shew thyself peaceably, or not? If thou wilt quietly yield up thyself, then our old friendship shall be renewed; but if thou wilt yet refuse and rebel, then expect nothing but fire and sword"2.

11 We must not parley with the tempter, or hold any correspondence with him. A few words with him ruined us all in our first parents.

12 The fear of death sometimes seizes the mind of a child of God; but Jesus came to deliver us from that cruel bondage. This Captain Sepulchre often pays a visit to the doubting

When the languishing town of Mansoul had heard this summoner, and his summons, they were yet more put to their dumps, but made the captain no answer at all; so away he went as he came. After some consultation among themselves, as The Mansouli- also with some of their captains, they applied themselves afresh to the lord secretary for counsel and advice from him; for this lord secretary was their chief preacher (as mentioned before) only now he was ill at ease; and of him they begged favour in these two or three things.

ans apply for advice to their lord secretary.

1. That he would look comfortably upon them, and not keep himself so much retired from them as formerly Also, that he would be prevailed with to give them a hearing while they should make known their miserable condition to him. But to this he told them as before, That as yet he was but ill at ease, and therefore could not do as he had formerly done.

2. The second thing they desired, was, that he would be pleased to give them his advice about their now so important affairs, for that Diabolus was come and set before the town with no less than twenty thousand Doubters. They said moreover, that both he and his captains were cruel men, and that they were afraid of them. But to this he said, You must look to the law of the prince, and there see what is laid upon you to do 13

soul. But Christians should remember, that Jesus has disarmed death of his sting, and that death itself shall be rendered gain.

13 It was wisely done to seek the assistance of the holy spirit. He refers them to the written word, for there is sufficient direction in every case. While we earnestly desire the help of the good spirit we must not neglect the directions of

the word.

3. Then they desired that his highness would help them to frame a petition to Shaddai, and unto Immanuel his son, and that he would set his own hand thereto, as a token that he was one with them in it for said they, my Lord, many a one have we sent, but can get no answer of peace, but now surely one with thy hand unto it, may obtain good for Mansoul.

But all the answer he gave to this, was, That they had offended Immanuel, and had also grieved himself, and that therefore they must as yet partake of their own devices.

This answer of the lord secretary fell like a mill-stone upon them; yea, it crushed them so, that they could not tell what to do, yet they durst not comply with the demands of Diabolus, nor with the demands of his captain, The sad straits Lam i. 3. So then here were the straits that the town of Mansoul was in when the enemy came upon her: her foes were ready to swallow her up, and her friends forbore to help her.

of Mansoul.

Then stood up my lord-mayor, whose name was my Lord Understanding, and he began to pick and pick, until he had picked comfort out of that seemingly bitter saying of the lord secretary; for thus he descanted upon it: First, said he, This unavoidably follows upon the saying of my lord, That we must yet suffer for our sins. 2. But, quoth he, the word "yet" sounds as if at last we should be saved from our enemies, and that, after a few more sorrows, Immanuel will come and be our help. Now the lord-mayor was the more critical in his dealing with the secretary's words, because my lord was more than a prophet, and because none of his words were such, but that at all times they were most exactly signi

ficant, and the townsmen were allowed to pry into them, and to expound them to their best advantage

14

So they took their leaves of my lord, and returned to the captains, to whom they told what my lord secretary had said, who, when they had heard it, were all of the same opinion as was my lord-mayor himself; the captains therefore beand prepared to make some gan to take courage, brave attempt upon the camp of the enemy, and to destroy all that were Diabolonians, with the roving Doubters that the tyrant had brought with him to ruin the poor town of Mansoul.

Mansoul in or

der.

So all betook themselves forthwith to their places, the captains to their's, the The town of ford-mayor to his, the subordinate preacher to his, and my Lord Willbe-will to his. The captains longed to be at some work for their prince, for they delighted in warlike achievements. The next day, therefore, they came together and consulted; and after consultation had, they resolved to give an answer to the captain of Diabolus with slings; and so they did at the rising of the sun on the morrow; for Diabolus had adventured to come nearer again, but the sling-stones were to him and his like hornets. For as there is nothing to the town of Mansoul so terrible as the roaring of Diabolus's drum, so there is nothing to Diabolus so terrible as the well playing of Immanuel's slings. Wherefore Diabolus was forced to make another retreat, yet further off from the famous town of Mansoul. Then did the lord-mayor of Mansoul cause the bells to be rung, and that thanks should be sent to

14 To search the scriptures carefully is our duty, and it is a great privilege to possess an enlightened understanding for that purpose.

the lord high secretary by the mouth of the subordinate preacher; for that by his words the captains and elders of Mansoul had been strengthened against Diabolus 15.

When Diabolus saw that his captains and soldiers, high lords, and renowned, were frightened and beaten down by the stones that came from the golden slings of the prince of the town of Mansoul, he bethought himself, and said, I will try to catch them by fawning, I will try to flatter them into my net.

changes

Wherefore, after a while, he came down again to the wall, not now with his drum, nor Diabolus with Captain Sepulchre, but having all so his way. besugared his lips, he seemed to be a very sweet-mouthed, peaceable prince, designing nothing for honour sake, nor to be revenged on Mansoul for injuries by them done to him; but the welfare, and good, and advantage of the town and people therein, was now, as he said, his only design. Wherefore, after he had called for audience, and desired that the townsfolk would give it to him, he proceeded in his oration; and said

16

"Oh! the desire of my heart, the famous town of Mansoul, how many nights have I watched, and how many weary steps have I taken, if perhaps I

15 Resist the devil and he will flee from you. A little encouragement from the holy spirit excites fresh courage in the soul to oppose Satan; and, no doubt, the holy resistance of the Christian is as formidable to him as his assaults are to the tempted.

16 Satan has various modes of attack. If he succeed not as the roaring lion, he will assume the crafty serpent; if he prevail not by fear, he will resort to flattery; in the latter way he obtained his purpose with our first mother.

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