Now, Christian and his fellow heard him fall; so they called, to know the matter; but there was none to answer, only they heard a groaning. Then said Hopeful, Where are we now? Then was his fellow silent, as mistrusting that he had led him out of the way: and now it began to rain, and thunder, and lighten in a most dreadful manner, and the water rose amain.*

Then Hopeful groaned in himself, saying, Oh, that I had kept on my way!

REASONING BE

TWEEN CHRISTIAN
AND HOPEFUL.

CHR. Who could have thought that this path should have led us out of the way?

HOPE. I was afraid on't at the very first, and therefore gave you that gentle caution. I would have spoke plainer, but that you are older than I.

CHR. Good brother, be not offended; I am sorry I have brought thee out of the way, and that I have put thee into such imminent

CHRISTIAN'S REPENTANCE FOR LEADING HIS BROTHER OUT OF THE WAY.

danger: pray, my brother, forgive me; I did not do it of an evil intent.†

HOPE. Be comforted, my brother, for I forgive thee; and believe, too, that this shall be for our good.

are prone also to take up with it, owing to that legality, pride, and selfrighteousness which work in their fallen nature. See the end of it, and tremble. For it leads to darkness, and ends in death. Lord, humble our proud hearts, and empty us of self-righteousness, pride, and vain confidence.

Getting into By-path meadow, and walking in vain confidence, will surely bring on terrors-thunderings and lightnings from mount Sinai.

Here see, that as Christians are made helpful, so also, through prevailing corruptions, they are liable to prove hurtful to each other. But observe, how grace works! it humbles, it makes the soul confess and be sorry for its misfortunes; here is no reviling one another, but a tender sympathy and feeling concern for each other. O the mighty power of that grace and truth which came by Jesus Christ! how does it cement souls in the fellowship of love!

CHR. I am glad I have with me a merciful brother : but we must not stand here; let us try to go back again. HOPE. But, good brother, let me go before.

CHR. No, if you please, let me go first, that, if there be any danger, I may be first therein; because by my means we are both gone out of the way.

HOPE. No, said Hopeful, you shall not go first; for, your mind being troubled, may lead you out of the way again. Then, for their encouragement, they heard the voice of one saying, "Let thine heart be towards the highway; even the way that thou wentest, turn again.` But by this time the waters were greatly

THEY ARE IN DANGER OF DROWNING AS THEY GO BACK.

risen, by reason of which the way of going

back was very dangerous. (Then I thought, that it is easier going out of the way when we are in, than going in when we are out.) Yet they adventured to go back; but it was so dark, and the flood was so high, that in their going back they had like to have been drowned, nine or ten times.

Neither could they, with all the skill they had, get again to the stile that night. Wherefore at last, lighting under a little shelter, they sat down there till the day-break: but being weary

THEY SLEEP IN THE GROUNDS OF GIANT DESPAIR.

they fell asleep. Now, there was, not far from the place where they lay, a castle, called Doubting-castle, the owner whereof was Giant Despair;† and it was in his

*

r Jer. xxxi. 21.

This is Christ Christ's precious person, Christ's glorious work, Christ's finished salvation; he is the way, the only way, the high way of justification and holiness.

+ Sooner or later, Doubting Castle will be the prison, and Giant Despair the keeper, of all those who turn aside from Christ and his righteousness, to trust in anywise in themselves, and to their own righteousness. "Our God is a jealous God:" ever jealous of his own glory, and of the honour of his beloved Son.

grounds they now were sleeping. Wherefore he getting up in the morning early, and walking up and down in his fields, caught Christian and Hopeful asleep in his grounds. Then with a grim and surly voice he bid them awake, and asked them whence they were, and what they did in his grounds. They told him they were pilgrims, and that they had lost their way. Then said

HE FINDS THEM IN HIS GROUNDS, AND CARRIES THEM TO DOUBTING CASTLE.

the giant, You have this night trespassed on me by trampling in, and lying on my grounds, and therefore you must go along with me. So they were forced to go, because he was stronger than they. They also had but little to say, for they knew themselves in a fault. The giant, therefore, drove them before him, and put them into his castle, into a very dark dungeon, nasty and stinking

THE GRIEVOUSNESS

OF THEIR IMPRISON-
MENT.

Here

to the spirits of these two men. then they lay from Wednesday morning till Saturday night, without one bit of bread, or drop of drink, or light, or any to ask how they did: they were, therefore, here in evil case, and were far from friends and acquaintance.' Now in this place Christian had double sorrow, because it was through his unadvised counsel that they were brought into this distress.*

Now Giant Despair had a wife, and her name was Diffidence so, when he was gone to bed, he told his wife what he had done; to wit, that he had taken a couple of prisoners, and cast them into his dungeon for trespassing on his grounds. Then he asked her also what he had best do further to them? So she asked what they were, whence they came, and whither they were bound; and he told her. Then she counselled him, that when he arose in the morning he should beat them without mercy. So when he arose, he getteth him a grievous crab-tree cudgel, and goes down into the dungeon to them, and there first falls to rating of them as if they were dogs, although they gave him never a ON THURSDAY GIANT Word of distaste: then he falls upon them, and beats them fearfully, in such sort that they were not able to help themselves, or turn to them upon the floor. This done, he withdraws, and leaves

DESPAIR BEATS HIS

PRISONERS.

8 Psalm lxxxviii. 8.

What! these highly favoured Christians, in Doubting Castle? Is it possible, after having travelled so far in the way of salvation, seen so many glorious things in the way, experienced so much of the grace and love of their Lord, and having so often proved his faithfulness, yet after all this to get into Doubting Castle! Is not this strange? No, it is common! the strongest Christians are liable to err, and get out of the way, and then to be beset with very great and distressing doubts. But though in Doubting Castle, yet it is their peculiar mercy not to be shut up in the iron cage of despair.

ON FRIDAY GIANT DESPAIR COUNSELS THEM TO KILL THEM. SELVES.

them there to condole their misery, and to mourn under their distress so all that day they spent their time in nothing but sighs and bitter lamentations. The next night she, talking with her husband further about them, and understanding that they were yet alive, did advise him to counsel them to make away with themselves. So, when morning was come, he goes to them in a surly manner as before, and perceiving them to be very sore with the stripes that he had given them the day before, he told them, that since they were never like to come out of that place, their only way would be forthwith to make an end of themselves, either with knife, halter, or poison for why, said he, should you choose to live, seeing it is attended with so much bitterness? But they desired him to let them go. With that he looked ugly upon them, and, rushing to them, had doubtless made an end of them himself, but that he fell into one of his fits, (for he sometimes, in sunshiny weather, fell into fits,) and lost for a time the use of his hands. Wherefore he withdrew, and left them, as before, to consider what to do. Then did the prisoners consult between themselves whether it was best to take his counsel, or no; and thus they began to discourse :*

THE GIANT SOMETIMES HAS FITS.

CHR. Brother, said Christian, what shall we do? The life that we now live is miserable. For my part,

See the workings of despair. Where is now their faith in, love to, and dependence upon their Lord? Alas! all seems as at the last gasp. But observe, under their prevailing distress and black despondency, even when despair had almost made an end of them, they had a lucid interval when Giant Despair is seized with a fit, so that Christians are never left of God to total despair; for, says Paul, we are perplexed, but not in despair," 2 Cor. iv. 8. For God never casts away his people whom he foreknew, Rom. xi. 2.