to. But what! my purchased one, I trow, hadst thou known never so much beforehand, thou wouldest not have been afraid of a dog. The beggars that go from door to door, will, rather than lose a supposed alms, run the hazard of the bawl

ing, barking, and biting too, of a dog; and

A CHECK TO THE CARNAL FEAR OF THE PILGRIMS.

shall a dog,

a dog in another man's yard, a dog whose barking I turn to the profit of pilgrims, keep any from coming to me? I deliver them from the lions, and "my darling from the power of the dog.""

MER. Then said Mercy, I confess my ignorance: I spake what I understood not: I acknowledge that thou dost all things well.

CHRISTIANS, WHEN WISE ENOUGH, ACQUIESCE IN THE WISDOM OF THEIR LORD,

CHR. Then Christiana began to talk of their journey, and to inquire after the way. So he fed them, and washed their feet, and set them in the way of his steps, according as he had dealt with her husband before.

So I saw in my dream, that they walked on their way; and had the weather very comfortable to them. Then Christiana began to sing, saying,

Bless'd be the day that I began

A pilgrim for to be;
And blessed also be that man

That thereto moved me.

'Tis true, 'twas long ere I began
To seek to live for ever:
But now I run fast as I can;

"Tis better late than never.

Our tears to joy, ours fears to faith,
Are turned, as we see;

Thus our beginning (as one saith)
Shows what our end will be.

u Psalm xxii. 20, 21.

THE DEVIL'S
GARDEN.

Now, there was on the other side of the wall, that fenced in the way up which Christiana and her companions were to go, a garden, and that garden belonged to him whose was that barking dog, of whom mention was made before. And some of the fruit-trees that grew in that garden shot their branches over the wall; and being mellow, they that found them did gather them up, and eat of them to their hurt. So Christiana's boys, (as boys are apt to do,) being pleased with the trees, and with the fruit that did hang thereon, did pluck them, and began to eat. Their mother did also chide them for so doing, but still the boys went on.*

THE CHILDREN EAT OF THE ENEMY'S FRUIT.

Well, (said she,) my sons, you transgress, for that fruit is none of ours: but she did not know that it belonged to the enemy. I'll warrant you, if she had, she would have been ready to die for fear. But that passed, and they went on their way. Now, by that they were gone about two bow-shots from the place that led them into the way, they spied two very ill-favoured ones coming down apace to meet them.† With that, Christiana, and Mercy her friend, covered themselves with their veils, and so kept on their journey: the chil

* What is this garden, but the world? What is the fruit they here found? The lusts of the flesh, the lust of the eye, and the pride of life, I John ii. 16. Of this the boys ate. The mother chides them, for taking that which did not belong to them; but she did not know that it grew in the devil's garden. Parents, mind this. Suffer not your children in the least evil. Reprove them for the smallest fault. Sin is both deceitful and hardening. If no notice is taken of a small fault, it naturally will harden them, so as to commit a greater. Mark the consequence of their eating of this fruit hereafter.

+ What are these ill-favoured ones? Such as you will be sure to meet with in your pilgrimage, some vile lusts, or cursed corruptions, which are suited to your carnal nature. These will attack you, strive

to prevail against you, and overcome you.

Mind how these pilgrims

dren also went on before: so that at last they met together. Then they that came down to meet them, came just up to the women,

TWO ILL-FAVOURED ONES ASSAULT CHRISTIANA AND MERCY.

as if they would embrace them: but Christiana said, Stand back, or go peaceably as you should. Yet these two, as men that are deaf, regarded not Christiana's words, but began to lay hands upon them: at that Christiana waxing very wroth, spurned at them with her feet. Mercy also, as well as she could, did what she could to shift them. Christiana again said to them, Stand back, and be gone, for we have no money to lose, being pilgrims, as you see, and such too as live upon the charity of our friends.

Then said one of the two men, We make no assault on you for money, but are come out to tell you, that if you will but grant one small request we shall ask, we will make women of you for ever.

Now Christiana, imagining what they should mean, made answer again, We will neither hear, nor regard, nor yield to what you shall ask. We are in haste, and cannot stay; our business is a business of life and death. So again she and her companion made a fresh essay to go past them: but they letted them in their way.

And they said, We intend no hurt to your lives; 'tis another thing we would have.

SHE CRIES OUT.

Ay, quoth Christiana, you would have us body and soul, for I know 'tis for that you are come; but we will die rather upon the spot, than to suffer ourselves to be brought into such snares as shall hazard our well-being hereafter. And with that they

acted, and follow their example. Were one to fix names to these illfavoured ones, they might be called Unbelief and Licentiousness, which aim to rob Christ's virgins of their chastity to him.

both shrieked out, and cried, Murder! murder! and so put themselves under those laws that are provided for the protection of women." But the men still made their approach upon them, with design to prevail against them. They therefore cried out again.'

IT IS GOOD TO CRY OUT WHEN WE ARE ASSAULTED.

THE RELIEVER
COMES.

*

Now they being, as I said, not far from the gate in at which they came, their voice was heard from whence they were, thither: wherefore some of the house came out, and knowing that it was Christiana's tongue, they made haste to her relief. But by that they were got within sight of them, the women were in a very great scuffle: the children also stood crying by. Then did he that came in for their relief call out to the ruffians, saying, What is that thing you do? Would

my Lord's people to transgress?

THE ILL ONES FLY TO THE DEVIL FOR RELIEF.

you make He also attempted

to take them but they did make their escape over the wall into the garden of

the man to whom the great dog belonged; so the dog became their protector. This Reliever then came up to the women, and asked them how they did. So they answered, We thank thy Prince, pretty well, only we

ye

v Deut. xxii. 25-27.

Here we see, that the most violent temptation to the greatest evil is not sin, if resisted and not complied with. Our dear Lord himself was tempted in all things like as we are, yet without sin. Therefore, dear followers of him, don't be dejected and cast down, though you should be exercised with temptations to the blackest crimes, and the most heinous sins. You cannot be assaulted with worse than your Lord was he was tempted to hellish unbelief, abominable idolatry, and cruel self-murder, by the devil; but he resisted Satan, and overcame all in our nature. And he is faithful, "who will not suffer us to be tempted above that we are able; but will, with the temptation also, make a way to escape, that we may be able to bear it," 1 Cor. x. 13. Oh, then cry to him. He is the precious Reliever, who will come in the hour of distress.

have been somewhat affrighted; we thank thee also, that thou camest in to our help, otherwise we had been

overcome.

THE RELIEVER
TALKS TO THE
WOMEN.

RELIEVER. So, after a few more words, this Reliever said as followeth: I marvelled much, when you were entertained at the gate above, being ye knew that ye were but weak women, that you petitioned not the Lord for a conductor; then might you have avoided these troubles and dangers; MARK THIS! for he would have granted you one.*

CHR. Alas! said Christiana, we were so taken with our present blessing, that dangers to come were forgotten by us beside, who could have thought, that so near the King's palace there could have lurked such naughty ones? Indeed, it had been well for us, had we asked our Lord for one; but, since our Lord knew it would be for our profit, I wonder he sent not one along with us.t

REL. It is not always necessary to grant things not asked for, lest by so doing they become

WE LOSE FOR NOT
ASKING FOR,

eyes of him

of little esteem; but when the want of a thing is felt, it then comes under, in the that feels it, that estimate that properly is its due, and so consequently will be thereafter used. Had my Lord granted you a conductor, you would not either so have bewailed that oversight of yours in not asking for one,

Let this convince us of our backwardness to prayer, and make us ashamed of ourselves, that our conduct brings that cutting word against us, "Ye have not, because ye ask not," James iv. 2.

+ It is well to be taken with present blessings, to be joyful in them, and thankful for them; but it is wrong to forget our dangers, and grow secure. Though the Lord loves us so well as to withhold no good thing from us, yet what he does withhold, he makes to work for good unto us; even to convict us of our remissness.