By-er.ds gives au Account of himself.

her father's side: and, to tell you the truth, I am become a gentleman of good quality; yet my great grandfather was but a waterman, looking one way and rowing another, and I got most of my estate by the same occupation.

CHR. Are you a married man?

By. Yes, and my wife is a very virtuous woman, the daughter of a virtuous woman: she was my Lady Feigning's daughter: therefore she came of a very honourable family, and is. arrived to such a pitch of breeding, that she knows how to carry it to all, even to prince and peasant. It is true, we somewhat differ in religion from those of the stricter sort, yet but in two small points; First, we never strive against wind and tide Secondly, we are always most zealous when religion goes in his silver slippers; we love much to walk with him in the street, if the sun shines, and the people applaud him.

Then Christian stept a little aside to his fellow Hopeful, saying, "It runs in my mind that this is one By-ends, of Fair-speech; and if it be he, we have as very a knave in our company as dwelleth in all these parts." Then said Hopeful, "Ask him; methinks he should not be ashamed of his name." So Christian came up with him again, and said, "Sir, you talk as if you knew something more than all the world doth; aud, if I take not my mark amiss, I deem I have half

At a period of religious persecution, they who can feign and dissemble will be considered by many as persons of respectability and "good breeding." This time-serving spirit, which leads them to turn about, and to be any thing which will please their neighhours, especially if they can talk smoothly, and suit their conversation to the known opinions of those to whom they look for worldly advantage, will be the certain way to rise (as it is called) in the world, and to better their outward circumstances. They make no secret of their principles respecting religion. They attend to it, so far as they can render it subservient to their temporal advantage; and therefore they always sail with the tide when it is opposed; but they are among the foremost in its commendation, when it is countenanced and applauded by the people of the world

Conversation of Christian and By-ends.

a guess of you: Is not your name Mr. By-ends, of Fair-speech?

By. This is not my name; but indeed it is a nickname that is given me by some that cannot abide me, and I must be content to bear it as a reproach, as other good men have borne theirs before me.

CHR. But did you never give an occasion to men to call you by this name?

By. Never, never! The worst that ever I did to give them an occasion to give me this name was, that I had always the luck to jump in my judgment with the present way of the times, whatever it was, and my chance was to get thereby; but if things are thus cast upon me, let me count them a blessing; but let not the malicious load me therefore with reproach.

CHR. I thought indeed that you were the man that I had heard of; and to tell you what I think, I fear this name belongs to you more properly than you are willing we should think it doth.

By. Well, if you will thus imagine, I cannot help it: you will find me a fair company-keeper, if you will still admit me your associate.

CHR. If you will go with us, you must go against wind and tide; the which, I perceive, is against your opinion; you must also own Religion in his rags, as well as when in his silver slippers; and stand by him too when bound in irons, as well as when he walketh the streets with applause.

By. You must not impose, nor lord it over my faith; leave me to my liberty, and let me go with you. CHR. Not a step farther, unless you will do in what I propound as we.

I

Then said By-ends, I shall never desert my old principles, since they are harmless and profitable. If may not go with you, I must do as I did before you overtook me, even go by myself, until some overtake me that will be glad of my company."

"Genuine christians, from adopting our Lord's maximus, "Ye cannot serve God and inamnion,”—and, “li any man will come after

Christian and Hopeful forsake By-ends.

Then I saw in my dream, that Christian and Hopeful forsook him, and kept their distance before him; but one of them looking back, saw three men following Mr. By-ends; and, behold, as they came up with him, he made them a very low congee; and they also gave him a compliment. The men's names were Mr. Hold-the-World, Mr. Money-love, and Mr. Save-all; men that Mr. By-ends had formerly been acquainted with; for in their minority they were schoolfellows, and were taught by one Mr. Gripe-man, a school

me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me," can instantly detect those professors as knaves and hypocrites, who avow their determination, at all events, to secure their worldly advantage, and rather to give up their religion than suffer for it. Though they know something more than all the world doth, yet they cannot, even with a smooth tongue, conceal their "by-ends" from those who are plain, honest-hearted followers of Christ. Hypocrites may blush when their deception is discovered : but, instead of repenting of their deeds, they charge their reprovers with being of a persecuting spirit; and they attempt a justification of their base and selfish practices, by means of which they have bettered their worldly circumstances, by attributing their success to luck and chance, which have always favoured their versatile conduct in changing their religion with the changes of the times. Plain dealing with the consciences of time-servers in religion, will soon drive them from the company of serious and conscientious Christians; as they will not join in fellowship with those who propose, as the terms of communion, that Religion must be owned in rags, as well as in his golden slippers, and that we must stand by him when bound in irons, as well as when he walketh the streets with applause. It is very affecting to perceive persons, who have appeared for a time zealous for religion, driven back to the world by the appearance of difficulties, to which their profession has exposed them. In a letter written in 1661, from Exeter jail, by Mr. Abraham Chean, a Baptist minister of Plymouth, who suffered greatly for nonconformity, and at length died in a state of banishment, there is this remark; "We have many brought in here daily, who go out again almost as soon; for a week in a prison tries a professor more than a month in a church."

The narrative that follows, till Christian and Hopeful enter "the plain of Ease," does not appear in the second edition of the Pilgrim's Progress, printed in 1678. It is probable that the characters, having been designed for persons who were living and well known, were so strongly marked, that Mr. Bunyan though proper to omit it, and that it was not added to the work till after the author's death in 1688.

Conversation of By-ends and his Friends.

master in Love-gain, which is a market-town in the county of Coveting, in the North. This schoolmaster taught them the art of getting, either by violence, cozenage, flattery, lying, or by putting on a guise of religion; and these four gentlemen had attained much of the art of their master, so that they could each of them have kept such a school themselves."

Well, when they had, as I said, thus saluted each other, Mr. Money-love said to Mr. By-ends, "Who are they upon the road before us?" for Christian and Hopeful were yet within view.

By. They are a couple of far countrymen, that after their mode are going on pilgrimage.

MONEY. Alas! why did they not stay, that we might have had their good company? for they, and we, and you, Sir, I hope are going on pilgrimage.

By. We are so indeed; but the men before us are so rigid, and love so much their own notions, and do also so lightly esteem the opinion of others, let a man be ever so godly, yet if he jumps not with them in all things, they thrust him quite out of their company.

SAVE. That is bad; but we read of some that are

Covetousness is a vice so degrading, and so abhorrent from the spirit of christianity, that it cannot be too severely censured. An apostle has said, "Covetousness, which is idolatry." Mr. Bunyan has been very happy in describing the dispositions of those religious persons, who are determined, from their "love of money," to "hold the world," and to "save all;" who will be rich, and are totally careless by what means they obtain their object; whether by "violence, cozenage, flattery, lying, or putting on a guise of religion." This vile passion, which, it is to be regretted, is often indulged among professors of religion, discovers itself in different ways: in some, by a griping rapacity for getting money; in others, by their plans for hoarding it; and in others, by their resolution not to part with it, however strong may be the claims which humanity and religion have upon them. It is a circumstance much to be lamented, when such persons have influence in religious societies, as they are sure to paralyze every generous exertion: it was doubtless on this account that the apostle, in describing the essential qualifications for the deacon's office, says, "Not greedy of filthy lucre," 1 Tim. iii. 8.

Conversation of By-ends and his Friends.

righteous overmuch, and such men's rigidness prevails with them to judge and condemn all but themselves. But I pray, what, and how many, were the things wherein you differed?

Br. Why they, after their headstrong manner, conclude that it is their duty to rush on their journey all weathers; and I am for waiting for wind and tide. They are for hazarding all for God at a clap; and I am for taking all advantages to secure my life and estate. They are for holding their notions, though all other men be against them; but I am for religion in what, and so far as, the times and my safety will bear it. They are for religion when in rags and contempt; but I am for him when he walks in his golden slippers, in the sun-shine, and with applause.

HOLD-THE-WORLD. Ay, and hold you there still, good Mr. By-ends; for, for my part, I can count him but a fool, that having the liberty to keep what he has, shall be so unwise as to lose it. Let us be wise as serpents. It is best to make hay when the sun shines. You see how the bee lieth still all winter, and bestirs her only when she can have profit with pieasure. God sends sometimes rain, and sometimes sunshine; if they be such fools as to go through the first, yet let us be content to take fair weather along with us. For my part, I like that religion best which will stand with the security of God's good blessings unto us for who can imagine, that is ruled by his reason, since God has bestowed upon us the good things of this life, but that he would have us keep them for his sake? Abraham and Solomon grew rich in religion. And Job says, that a good man shall lay up gold as dust; but he must not be as the men before us, if they be as you have described them.

SAVE. I think that we are all agreed in this matter; and therefore there need no more words about it.

MONEY. No, there need no more words about this matter indeed; for he that believes neither scripture nor reason, (and you see we have both on our side,)