if the Diabolonians had put the town to the same plight to which he had put the captains.

Well, Diabolus yet resolves to have the other bout with Mansoul; for, thought he, since I beat them once, I may beat them twice: wherefore he commanded his men to be ready at such an hour of the night to make a fresh assault upon the town, and he gave it out in special, that they should bend all their force against Feel-gate, and attempt to break into the town through that. The word that then he gave to his officers and soldiers

He tries what he can do upon the sense and feel

ings of the christian.

was, Hell-fire. And, said he, if we break in upon them, as I wish we do, either with some, or with all our force, let them that break in look to it, that they forget not the word. And let nothing be heard in the town of Mansoul, but Hell-fire, hell-fire, hell-fire! The drummer was also to beat without ceasing, and the standardbearers were to display their colours; the soldiers too were to put on what courage they could, and to see that they played manfully their parts against the town 3.

So the night being come, and all things by the tyrant made ready for the work, he suddenly makes his assault upon Feel-gate, and after he had a while struggled there, he throws the gates wide open; for the truth is, those gates were but weak,

3 It is now determined to bend all the force of Diabolus against Feel-gate, and the cry was incessantly to be Hell-fire! Hell-fire! The meaning is this: christians are to live by faith, not by sense, or feeling-they should derive their hope, not from their feelings and frames in religious duties, &c. but from Jesus alone, and his perfect righteousness. But if, on the contrary, they depend on their feelings. Satan may possibly enter the soul with innumerable doubts, and the fear of hell-fire may be terrible.

and so most easily made to yield. When Diabolus had thus far made his attempt, he placed his captains, to wit, Torment and No-ease, there; so he attempted to press forward, but the prince's captains came down upon him, and made his entrance more difficult than he desired. And to speak truth, they made what resistance they could; but three of their best and most valiant captains being wounded, and by their wounds made much incapable of doing the town that service they would (and all the rest having more than their hands full of the Doubters, and their captains that followed Diabolus,) they were overpowered with force, nor could they keep them out of the town. Wherefore the prince's men and their captains betook themselves to the castle, as to the strong-hold of the town: and this they did, partly for their own security, partly for the security of the town, and partly, or rather chiefly, to preserve to Immanuel the prerogative royal of Mansoul, for so was the castle of Mansoul.

The army of
Diabolus possess

themselves of
the town, while
the captains of
Immanuel fly
to the castle.

The captains therefore. being fled into the castle, the enemy, without much resistance, possess themselves of the rest of the town, and spreading themselves as they went, into every corner, they cried out as they marched, according to the command of the tyrant, Hell-fire, hell-fire, hellfire! so that nothing for a while throughout the town of Mansoul could be heard but the direful noise of Hell-fire, together with the roaring of Diabolus's drum. And now did the clouds hang black over Mansoul, nor to reason, did any thing but ruin seem to attend it. Diabolus also quartered his soldiers in the houses of the inhabitants of the town of Mansoul. Yea, the subordinate

preacher's house was as full of these outlandish Doubters as ever it could hold; and so was my Lord-mayor's, and my Lord Will-be-will's also. 'Yea, where was there a corner, a cottage, a barn, or a hog-sty, that now was not full of these vermin ? Yea, they turned the men of the town out of their houses, and would lie in their beds, and sit at their tables themselves. Ah, poor Mansoul! now thou feelest the fruits of sin, and what venom was in the flattering words of Mr. Carnal-security! They made great havoc of whatever they laid their hands on; yea, they fired the town in several places; many young children also were by them dashed in pieces, yea, those that were yet unborn they destroyed in their mother's wombs; for you must needs think that it could not now be otherwise; for what conscience, what pity, what bowels of compassion can any expect at the hands of outlandish Doubters? Many in Mansoul that were women, both young and old, they forced, ravished, and beast-like abused, so that they swooned, miscarried, and many of them died, and so lay at the top of every street, and in all by-places of the town.

The Doubters make great havoc in the town.

And now did Mansoul seem to be nothing but a den of dragons, an emblem of hell, and a place of total darkness. Now did Mansoul lie almost like the barren wilderness; nothing but nettles, briers, thorns, weeds, and stinking things seem now to cover the face of Mansoul. I told you before, how that these Diabolonian Doubters turned the men of Mansoul out of their beds; and now I will add, they wounded them, they mauled them, yea, and almost brained many of them. Many, did Í say? yea, most if not all of them. Mr. Conscience they so wounded, yea, and his wounds so

X

festered, that he could have no ease day nor night, but lay as if continually upon Sad work among a rack (but that Shaddai rules all, the townsmen. certainly they had slain him outright.) My lord-mayor they so abused, that they almost put out his eyes; my Lord Will-bewill got into the castle; they intended to have chopped him all to pieces, for they looked upon him (as his heart now stood) to be one of the very worst that was in Mansoul against Diabolus and his crew. And indeed he shewed himself a man, and more of his exploits you will hear of afterwards.

Satan has a particular spite against a sanc

tified will.

Now a man might have walked for many days together in Mansoul, and scarce have seen one in the town that looked like a religious man. Oh the fearful state of Mansoul now! now every corner swarmed with outlandish Doubters; red-coats and black-coats walked the town by clusters, and

The soul full of idle thoughts and blasphe. mies.

filled up all the houses with hideous noises, vain songs, lying stories, and blasphemous language against Shaddai and his son. Now also those Diabolonians that lurked in the walls, and dens, and holes that were in the town of Mansoul, came forth and shewed themselves; yea, walked with open face in company with the Doubters that were in Mansoul. Yea, they had more boldness now to walk the streets, to haunt the houses, and to shew themselves abroad, than had any of the honest inhabitants of the now woeful town of Mansoul. But Diabolus and his outlandish men were not at peace in Mansoul; for they were not there entertained as were the captains and forces of Immanuel; the townsmen browbeat them what they could: nor did they partake or make de

struction of any of the necessaries of Mansoul, but that which they seized on against the townsmen's will; what they could they hid from them, and what they could not they had with an ill will. They, poor hearts, had rather have had their room than their company, but they were at present their captives, and their captives for the present they were forced to be, Rom. vii. But I say, they discountenanced them as much as they were able, and shewed them all the dislike that they could 1.

The captains also from the castle held them in continual play with their slings, to the chafing and fretting of the minds of the enemies. True, Diabolus made a great many attempts to have broken open the gates of the castle, Mr. Godly-fear is made keeper but Mr. Godly-fear was made the of the castle- keeper of that; and he was a man of courage, conduct, and valour, so that it was in vain, as long as life lasted within him, to think to do that work, though mostly desired; wherefore all the attempts that Diabolus made against him were fruitless (I have wished sometimes that that man had had the whole rule of the town of Mansoul.)

gates.

The town of Mansoul the seat of war.

Well, this was the condition of the town of Mansoul for about two years and an half; the body of the town was the seat of war; the people of the town were driven into holes, and the glory of Mansoul was laid in the dust; what rest then

This is an awful representation of the state of a soul over whelmed with distressing doubts of God's love, and fears of eter nal destruction; " torment," and " loss of ease," take possession. The understanding is darkened, and the conscience wounded; while a crowd of idle thoughts, vanities, and blasphemies increase the confusion and dismay,