SHEP. The Lord of these mountains hath given us a charge, "not to be forgetful to entertain strangers ;' therefore the good of the place is before you.

I saw also in my dream, that, when the Shepherds perceived that they were wayfaring men, they also put questions to them, (to which they made answer, as in other places,) as, Whence came you? and, How got you into the way? and, By what means have you so persevered therein? for but few of them that begin to come hither do show their face on these mountains. when the Shepherds heard their answers,

But

THE SHEPHERDS WELCOME THEM.

being pleased therewith, they looked very lovingly upon them, and said, Welcome to the Delectable Mountains.

THE NAMES OF THЕ

SHEPHERDS.

The Shepherds, I say, whose names were Knowledge, Experience, Watchful, and Sincere,* took them by the hand, and had them to their tents, and made them partake of that which was ready at present. They said, moreover, We would that you should stay here a while, to be acquainted with us, and yet more to solace yourselves with the good of these Delectable Mountains. Then they told them, that they were content to stay. And so they went to their rest that night, because it was very late.

Then I saw in my dream, that in the morning the Shepherds called up Christian and Hopeful to walk with them upon the mountains. So they went forth with them, and walked a while, having a pleasant prospect on every side. Then said the Shepherds one to another,

w Heb. xiii. 2.

Precious names! what is a pilgrim without knowledge? what is head-knowledge without heart-experience? And watchfulness and sincerity ought to attend us at every step. When these graces are in us and abound, they make delectable mountains indeed.

Smul ve show hese pigrims some won

ters? Si, vien her had concinied to do

Le mi nem ist o ie vo ví a il caled Error,

vil was ter Reed on the furthest

sue. mi ni hem ook town to the bottown, and saw

S Jirstan mi Expeni boked

#ie ftom severi nen ashed ul

pieces by a fall

Then sudi Christian. What beuren is' The Shepheris msverei. Eave you not kaa hen that were made by jerking to Ses md Pietus, as racerning the th of the They inswered. Yes. Then

get out from among them. Then said Christian, What means this?

The Shepherds then answered, Did you not see, a little below these mountains, a stile that led into a meadow, on the left hand of this way? They answered, Yes. Then said the Shepherds, From that stile there goes a path that leads directly to Doubting Castle, which is kept by Giant Despair, and these men (pointing to them among the tombs) came once on pilgrimage, as you do now, even till they came to that same stile. And, because the right way was rough in that place, they chose to go out of it into that meadow, and there were taken by Giant Despair, and cast into Doubting Castle; where, after they had a while been kept in the dungeon, he at last did put out their eyes, and led them among those tombs, where he has left them to wander to this very day, that the saying of the wise man might be fulfilled, "He that wandereth out of the way of understanding shall remain in the congregation of the dead." Then Christian and Hopeful looked upon one another, with tears gushing out, but yet said nothing to the Shepherds.*

Then I saw in my dream, that the Shepherds had them to another place, in a bottom, where was a door in the side of a hill; and they opened the door, and bid them look in. They looked in, therefore, and saw that within it was very dark and smoky; they also thought

y Prov. xxi. 16.

* Do we see others fall into perdition by the very same sins and follies from which God has reclaimed us; what must we resolve this into, but his superabounding, discriminating grace? one shall be taken, and another left. And surely it is enough to make one's eyes gush out with tears, and to melt our hard hearts into fervent love, to look back upon the many singular instances of God's distinguishing favour to us! O call them to mind, and be thankful!

THEY ARE SHOWN WONDERS.

THE MOUNTAIN OF ERROR.

Shall we show these pilgrims some wonders? So, when they had concluded to do it, they had them first to the top of a hill, called Error, which was very steep on the farthest side, and bid them look down to the bottom. So Christian and Hopeful looked down, and saw at the bottom several men dashed all to pieces by a fall that they had from the top. Then said Christian, What meaneth this? The Shepherds answered, Have you not heard of them that were made to err, by hearkening to Hymeneus and Philetus, as concerning the faith of the resurrection of the body? They answered, Yes. Then said the Shepherds, Those that you see lie dashed in pieces at the bottom of this mountain are they; and they have continued to this day unburied, as you see, for an example to others, to take heed how they clamber too high, or how they come too near the brink of this mountain.*

MOUNT CAUTION,

X

Then I saw that they had them to the top of another mountain, and the name of that is Caution, and bid them look afar off;† which when they did, they perceived, as they thought, several men walking up and down among the tombs that were there: and they perceived that the men were blind, because they stumbled sometimes upon the tombs, and because they could not

x 2 Tim. ii. 17, 18.

Fine-spun speculations and curious reasonings lead men from simple truth and implicit faith, into many dangerous and destructive The word records many instances of such, for our caution. Be warned to study simplicity and godly sincerity.

errors.

+ It is well for us to be much on this mount. We have constant need of caution. Take heed and beware, says our Lord constantly, and by his Spirit. Paul takes the Corinthians up to this mount Caution, and shows them what awful things have happened to professors of old; and he leaves this solemn word for us-" Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth, take heed lest he fall," 1 Cor. x. 12.