This fair is no new-erected business, but a thing of ancient standing: I will show you the original of it.

THE ANTIQUITY OF

THIS FAIR.

Almost five thousand years ago, there were pilgrims walking to the Celestial City, as these two honest persons are; and Beelzebub, Apollyon, and Legion, with their companions, perceiving by the path that the pilgrims made, that their way to the city lay through this town of Vanity, they contrived here to set up a fair; a fair wherein should be sold all sorts of vanity; and that it should last all the year long. Therefore, at this fair are all such merchandise sold, as houses, lands, trades, places, honours, preferments, titles, countries, kingdoms, lusts, pleasures; and delights of all sorts, as whores, bawds, wives, husbands, children, masters, servants, lives, blood, bodies, souls, silver, gold, pearls, precious stones, and what not.

THE MERCHANDISE OF THIS FAIR.

And, moreover, at this fair there is at all times to be seen jugglings, cheats, games, plays, fools, apes, knaves, and rogues, and that of every kind.

Here are to be seen too, and that for nothing, thefts, murders, adulteries, false-swearers, and that of a bloodred colour.*

And, as in other fairs of less moment, there are several rows and streets under their proper names,

A just description of this wicked world. How many, though they profess to be pilgrims, have never yet set one foot out of this fair, but live in it all the year round! They walk according to the course of this world, Eph. ii. 2, for the god of this world hath blinded their minds, 2 Cor. iv. 4. But all those for whose sins Jesus hath died, " he delivers from this present evil world," Gal. i. 4. You cannot be a pilgrim, if you are not delivered from this world and its vanities; for if you love the world, if it has your supreme affections, the love of God is not in you, 1 John ii. 15, you have not one grain of precious faith in precious Jesus.

where such wares are vended; so here, likewise, you have the proper places, rows, streets, (viz. countries and kingdoms,) where the wares of this fair are soonest to be found. Here is the Britain-row,

THE STREETS OF THE FAIR.

the French-row, the Italian-row, the Spanish-row, the German-row, where several sorts of vanities are to be sold. But, as in other fairs, some one commodity is the chief of all the fair, so the ware of Rome and her merchandise is greatly promoted in this fair only our English nation, with some others, have taken a dislike thereat.*

*

CHRIST WENT
THROUGH
FAIR.

THIS

Now, as I said, the way to the Celestial City lies just through this town where this lusty fair is kept; and he that will go to the city, and yet not go through this town, must needs go out of the world. The Prince of princes himself, when here, went through this town to his own country, and that upon a fair-day too: yea, and, as I think, it was Beelzebub, the chief lord of this fair, that invited him to buy of his vanities; yea, would have made him lord of the fair, would he but have done him reverence as he went through the town: yea, because he was such a person of honour, Beelzebub had him from street to street, and showed him all the kingdoms of the world in a little time, that he might, if possible, allure that blessed One to cheapen and buy some of his vanities: but he had no

The doctrine of the church of Rome. It is much to be wished that the vile Romish ware, of man's bartering with God, and purchasing a title to heaven by his performing terms and conditions of salvation, meriting heaven by his good works, and procuring justification by his own obedience, to the exalting his pride, and the debasing the work and glory of Christ, was totally rejected by us, and banished from us. But, alas! these proud, unscriptural notions too much prevail among us.

CHRIST NOTHING FAIR.

BOUGHT

IN THIS

mind to the merchandise, and therefore left the town, without laying out so much as one farthing upon these vanities." This fair, therefore, is an ancient thing, of long standing, and a very great fair.

THE PILGRIMS ENTER THE FAIR.

Now, these pilgrim, as I said, must needs go through this fair. Well, so they did; but behold, even as they entered into the fair, all the people in the fair were moved, and the town itself, as it were, in a hubbub about them, and that for several reasons: for,

THE FAIR IN A HUB

BUB ABOUT THEM.

First, The Pilgrims were clothed with such kind of raiment, as was diverse from the raiment

THE

FIRST CAUSE

OF THE HUBBUB.

of any that traded in that fair. The people, therefore, of the fair made a great gazing upon them some said they were fools; some, they were bedlams; and some, they were outlandish men.

THE SECOND CAUSE OF THE HUBBUB.

Secondly, And as they wondered at their apparel, so they did likewise at their speech; for few could understand what they said. They naturally spoke the language of Canaan; but they that kept the fair were the men of this world: so that from one end of the fair to the other they seemed barbarians each to the other.

THIRD CAUSE OF

THE HUBBUB.

Thirdly, But that which did not a little amuse the merchandisers was, that these pilgrims set very light by all their wares; they cared not so much as to look upon them: and if they called upon them to buy, they would put their fingers in their ears, and cry, "Turn away mine eyes from beholding vanity;" and look upwards, signifying that their trade and traffic was in heaven.

w Matt. iv. 8, 9. Luke iv. 5—7.

x 1 Cor. iv. 9, 19.

y Psalm exix. 37.