صور الصفحة
PDF
النشر الإلكتروني

keep you out of; nor will we long thus suffer you to sit down before us. Our people must live in quiet: your appearance doth disturb them, Luke xi. 21. wherefore, arise with bag and baggage, and be gone, or we will let fly from the walls* against you

* Flesh.

13 19

This oration, made by old Incredulity, was seconded by desperate Will-be-will, in words to this effect:

The speech of. the Lord Willbe-will.

"Gentlemen, we have heard your demand, and the noise of your threats, and heard the sound of your summons; but we fear not your force, we regard not your threats, but we will abide as you found us. And we command you, that in three days time you cease to appear in these parts, or you shall know what it is once to dare to offer to rouse the lion Diabolus, when asleep in the town of Mansoul."

The speech of Forget-good, the recorder.

The recorder, whose name was Forget-good, he also added as followeth: "Gentlemen, my lords, as you see, have with mild and gentle words answered your rough and angry speeches: they have moreover, in my hearing, given you leave quietly to depart as you came: wherefore take their kindness, and be gone. We might have come out with force upon you, and have caused you to feel the dint of our swords: but as we love ease and quiet ourselves, so we love not to hurt or molest others."

13 This is the true language of unbelief. We will not knowwe will not believe-we will not submit-we must not be disturbed therefore ye ministers of Christ begone, or we will persecute you.

Then did the town of Mansoul shout for joy; as if by Diabolus and his crew some

The town resolv ed to withstand

the captains.

great advantage had been obtained over the captains. They also rang the bells, and made merry, and danced upon the walls.

Diabolus also returned to the castle, and the lord mayor and recorder to their places; but the Lord Will-be-will took special care that the gates should be secured with double guards, double bolts, and double locks and bars. And that Eargate, especially, might be the better looked to (for that was the gate, in at which the king's forces sought most to enter), the Lord Will-bewill made one old Mr. Prejudice (an angry and ill-conditioned fellow) captain of the ward at that The band of gate; and put under his power sixty deaf-men set men, called deaf-men; men advantato keep Ear- geous for that service, forasmuch as they mattered no words of the captains, nor of the soldiers".

gate.

14 How often do poor mistaken sinners rejoice in their sins, and glory in their shame: but small cause for joy have they, who reject the counsel of God against themselves. Miserable is the state of that man, whose prejudices shut his ears against the gospel of salvation, and who is deaf to all the calls of God.

CHAP. V.

The Captains attack the Town, and are violently resisted....They retire to Winter Quarters....Tradition, Human-wisdom, and Man's-invention taken Prisoners....Hostilities renewed....A Famine in Mansoul....and a Mutiny....The Town sounds a Parley....Propositions made and rejected.... Lord Understanding and Mr. Conscience quarrel with Incredulity....A Skirmish ensues, and Mischief is done.

NOW when the captains heard the answer of

[ocr errors]

the great ones, and that they could not get an hearing from the old natives of the town, and The captains that Mansoul was resolved to give resolved to give the king's army battle; they prepared them battle. themselves to receive them, and to try it out by the power of the arm. And, first, they made their force more formidable against Ear-gate; for they knew, that unless they could penetrate that, no good could be done upon the town. This done, they put the rest of their men in their places. After which, they gave out the word, which was, YE MUST BE BORN AGAIN'. The battle Then they sounded the trumpet: then begun. they in the town made the answer, with shout against shout, charge against charge, and

1 The doctrine of the New Birth should be much insisted upon. Our Lord himself began with it when teaching Nico demus, John iii. 3. This great truth is often very startling to a carnal mind, and objected to as of old-"How can these things be?" Many would get rid of all its force, by referring it to baptism, and others, with equal ignorance, think it means

Two guns planted upon Ear-gate.

so the battle began. Now they in the town had planted upon Mansoul, over Ear-gate, two great guns, the one called Highmind, and the other Heady. Unto these two guns they trusted much; they were cast in the castle by Diabolus's founder, whose name was Mr. Puff-up; and mischievous pieces they were. But so vigilant and watchful were the captains when they saw them, that though sometimes their shot would go by their ears with a whiz, yet they did them no harm. By these two guns, the townsfolk made no question but greatly to annoy the camp of Shaddai, and well enough to secure the gate; but they had not much cause to boast of what execution they did, as from what follows will be gathered.

The famous Mansoul had also some other small pieces in it, of the which they made use against the camp of Shaddai,

They from the camp also did as stoutly, and with as much of that as may in truth be called valour, let fly as fast at the town, and at Ear-gate; for they saw, that unless they could break open Ear-gate, it would be but in vain to batter the wall. Now the king's captains had brought with them several slings, and two or three battering-rams; with their slings, therefore, they battered the houses and people of the town, and with their rams they sought to break Ear-gate

The sentence and power of

the word.

open.

The camp and the town had several skirmishes

the resurrection. Much opposition may be expected to this leading truth, as long as men are "heady and high-minded," which is signified by the two guns mounted upon the wall. From this sort of artillery, however, ministers of the gospel have little to fear, their shots may whiz, but cannot wound.

[ocr errors]

and brisk encounters; while the captains, with their engines, made many brave attempts to break open or beat down the tower that was over Eargate, and at the said gate to make their entrance:

The town stoutly stands out, and the

captains return to their winterquarters.

but Mansoul stood it out so lustily, through the rage of Diabolus, the valour of the Lord Will-be-will, and the conduct of old Incredulity the mayor, and Mr. Forget-good, the recorder, that the charge and expence of that summer's wars (on the king's side) seemed to be almost entirely lost, and the advantage to return to Mansoul: but when the captains saw how it was, they made a fair retreat, and intrenched themselves in their winter-quarters 2

An account of this war, with reference to the

Now in this war, you must needs think there was much loss on both sides, of which be pleased to take loss on bothsides. this brief account following.

new soldiers.

The king's captains, when they marched from the court to come against Mansoul to war, as they came crossing over the country, they happened to light upon three young men that had The three a mind to go for soldiers; proper men they were, and men of courage (and skill) to appearance. Their names were Mr. Tradition, Mr. Human Wisdom, and Mr. Man's Invention. So they came up to the captains, and proffered their service to Shaddai. The captains then told them of their design, and bid them not to be rash in their offers; but the young men told

2 How long do sinners, frequently, resist the Holy Ghost in his word. Satan is unwilling to lose his prey, and unbelief is loth to submit. Ministers of the gospel may almost despair of success, yet must they persevere, whether men will hear, or whether they will forbear.

« السابقةمتابعة »