Conversation of Tender-Conscience and the Matrons

religion on the credit of flesh and blood, their carnal passions are made the standards of its practice: and whatsoever thwarts their lusts, is banished their conversation. Hence it comes to pass, that what at first was esteemed dull und unpleasing, is, by degrees, slighted and neglected, till at length it is become the object of their scorn and derision, as you see experimented in the House of Mirth this evening.

YOUNGEST MAT. And that which is the more surprising is, that these very persons pretend to be honourers of the cross, and disciples of Jesus Christ: their house is built as near the cross outwardly as ours is; and yet, at the same time, they are enemies to those who tread in the steps of him who suffered that ignominious death for our sakes.

Aye, said Tender-Conscience, the three young men told me they were going towards the heavenly City as well as I, and if I would repose myself in the House of Mirth this night, they would bear me company on the morrow; but as soon as they perceived I would lodge in the House of Mourning, they turned their compliments into scoffs, their pretended civility into real rudeness, and their feigned pious purposes into open profaneness; railing at you, and your house, and all your guests: deriding and laughing at me for a fool and madman, like those Greeks to whom the cross of Christ was foolishness, and all that bore any affection to it were esteemed as the offscouring of all things. Such was my entertainment among them; for whereas before they were merry in the house, singing, dancing, and playing on instruments of music; so soon as the three young men gave intimation to them of my design, they forsook their melody, and came running out of the house to mock and deride me, ranting and roaring, and raising great laughter, while I sat weeping by the cross.

ELDEST MAT. It is worth one's observation, to see by what degrees men arrive at that ridiculous vanity, as well as notorious impiety. First, they let loose the reins of their wanton humour in trivial and small matters, delighting in nothing so much as a jest or droll in ordinary conversation; thus having habituated and used themselves to a jocular vein, they can hardly forbear to play the wag with things of more serious imortance, as the affairs of justice and the public estate; then being as it were steeled and hardened in this wanton humour, they t last fall to mocking and jesting at the most holy and religious things, verifying the saying of the wise man, "He who contemns. little things, shall fall by little and little." Certainly vain mirth and excessive laughter do but raise a dust in the eves of the

respecting the People of the House of Mirth.

soul, and interrupt her more serene and steady prospect of better things; and the most innocent jests may be reckoned like mushrooms, which, when well ordered and spiced, may indeed do no harm, but which can do no good. Whatsoever habit the soul gets, it is hard to remove it; and the habit of excessive laughter is most difficult to be overcome, because it is a faculty essential to our nature to laugh: and he that gives way to it, and to common jesting, betrays his mind to an unmanly lightness, and an habitual vanity, which afterwards he will find difficult to root out. And therefore seasonable was the advice of the apostle Paul, when he counselled the Ephesians, Eph. v. 4. " to avoid foolish talking and jesting;" and the Thessalonians, 1 Thess. v. 22, " to abstain from all appearance of evil." Now what was said to them, no doubt was written for our instruction; and all Christians are obliged to observe their sage counsels in this as well as other matters, and not to pick and choose what counsels we please to obey, as if we would compound with God for quarter or half performance of his will. And though this prohibition of vain jests and foolish mirth seems to be of small moment with some, yet it is good to observe every tittle of the word of God with great reverence; and you have done the part of a wise man in forsaking the House of Mirth, and coming to the House of Mourning; for they think this life to be but a pastime, or market for gain, Isa. v. 12, 13. They drink wine in bowls; the harp and the viol, and the timbrel and pipe, are in their feasts; but they regard not the work of the Lord, neither consider the operation of his hands therefore hell hath enlarged herself, and opened her mouth without measure, and their glory, and their multitude, and their pomp, and he that rejoiceth among them, shall descend into it.

YOUNG. MAT. Neither is it less worthy of remark, by what artifices and misrepresentations the people belonging to the House of Mirth do endeavour to affrighten travellers from coming to our house, bringing an ill name upon it, and telling them we are sad melancholy folks, nothing to be heard here but sighing and lamenting, and groaning; and that many poor travellers have been driven to despair in this place, and made away with themselves. Whereas there is nothing of this true; for our sorrow is not worldly sorrow, which bringeth death, but mourning and repentance unto life, which needeth not to be repented of. In our sighing we rejoice, and in our tears w smile, as it is written, " They that sow in tears shall reap in joy;" and the deepest of our groans are but forerunners of the

Tender Conscience leaves the House of Mourning.

soul's triumph over sin and death; and there is so near a neigh. bourhood between this kind of grief and the most exalted plea sure, that it is hard to distinguish between the one and the other. While our eyes rain tears, the clouds that cause them are scattered from our hearts; and that very tempest of sighs and groans which threatens to rend our breasts in pieces, doth but sweep and cleanse the air of our souls, and render it more calm and serene than it was before; thus springeth light from darkness, peace from war, and life from death. And so far is this house from leading any into despair, or to be the occasion of any destroying themselves, that, on the contrary, many that have come from the House of Mirth in that condition, when their means were all spent in rioting and vain mirth, have de sired harbour with us, and in a little time have recovered their judgment, reason, and sense again, and have gone away full of comfort and satisfaction.

Now by this time it grew too late, and they broke up company, causing one of the household to shew Tender-Conscience to his lodgings, having wished him a good repose: he, returning them hearty thanks for their good counsel and edifying discourse, took his leave for that evening, and went to rest. In the morn ing he rose early, and prepared for his journey, being extremely pleased with the entertainment he found in this place.

Now whilst he was singing in his chamber, he heard a very great noise without; and looking out of the window, he saw several of those that belonged to the House of Mirth, who had beset the House of Mourning, and demanded to have the man delivered to them that came in there the last night. This put Tender-Conscience into no small fright, so that he fell to prayer, and, behold, three shining ones appeared to him, and bid him be of good cheer, for they would deliver him out of his enemies' hands. Then one of them breathed on him, saying, "Be thou changed;" and he was immediately transformed, and became a new creature; and his face, which before looked meagre and pale, now became ruddy and shining, his eyes sparkling like diamonds; so that those who had seen him before could not know him. Then the second presented him with a change of raiment, clothing him with a white robe; whereas before he was in a crimson-coloured garment. The third also set a mark in his forehead, giving him such a roll, with a seal upon it, as Christian had given to him. So the three shining ones pronounced a blessing on him, and bid him go away in peace, for that no evil should befal him. Then Tender-Conscience acquainted the matrons what had happened to him, and taking

Tender-Conscience gets into the Path of Danger.

his leave of them, went boldly out with his crutch in his hand, and passed through the midst of the liers in wait, and no man knew him, or had power to say, Who art thou? but he departed from them in peace, as the shining ones had foretold him.

So

Then I saw in my dream that Tender-Conscience walked a great pace, till he was out of sight of the house, and of the iers in wait; for he had still some dread remaining upon him, which spurred him on to hasten out of their reach. Thus he walked till he came to the foot of the hill Difficulty; and having drank nothing that day, he stooped down and drank of the spring that ran by the bottom of the hill. Then he sat down awhile, and considered which way to go; for there were three paths, one right up the hill, and the other two went round by the bottom of the hill on the right hand, and to the left. The path which went straight up the hill was very steep and cragged, and that which went round the bottom on the left hand was broad and even, curiously shaded with rows of trees on each side, and the path on the right hand was also smooth and even, shady and pleasant, and seemed to wind about upwards; so that Tender-Conscience thinking that this path would bring him to the top of the hill, as well as the steep one, he made choice of it now the name of this path was Danger, and the name of the other on the left hand was Destruction. he went into the path of Danger, which brought him round by the side of the hill into a great wood, which he entered, the path leading him through the middle of the wood. Now the wood seemed pleasant and delightful at the first entrance; but as he walked farther in, the trees overshadowed it, and stood so thick that it seemed dark and dismal; moreover he heard howlings and roarings of wild beasts, which made Tender Conscience to tremble for fear, so that he immediately returned again by the same way which he came in; till at length he came to the spring at the bottom of the hill Difficulty, and there sat down again to consider which way he should go; at length, with much musing, he called to mind that saying, "Narrow is the way that leadeth to life, and few there be that find it;" and again, "Broad is the way that leads to death, and many there be that enter in thereat." So he viewed the path that led directly up the hill, and it was exceeding narrow; and the other two paths that went round by the bottom were very broad; upon which he presently concluded that he must take the steep and narrow path, how difficult soever it seemed to flesh and blood. So up he went, panting and gasping for breath, so tiresome

way;

Tender-Conscience meets with Good-Resolution.

was that and by the time he had got half way up the hill he was very much spent, and grew so faint and giddy, by reason of the great height and steepness of the ascent, that he was ready to tumble down backwards again. At length he came up to a place where was a cave in the side of the hill, and at the mouth of the cave sat a man, whose name was Good-Resolution. Now he seeing Tender-Conscience coming up the hill panting and gasping, and almost beat off his legs, saluted him in this manner :

GOOD-RESOLUTION. Brother, I see that thou art weary and faint, therefore I pray thee turn in here with me into this cave, and rest thyself awhile; and when thou hast refreshed thyself, and gathered strength, then go forward in the name of the Lord. I am placed here by the King's order, to administer relief to poor tired pilgrims.

Then said Tender-Conscience, Sir, I thank you for your kind invitation, which I gladly accept of, for indeed I am quite spent, and my heart fails me.

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So he went along with the man into the cave, and they sat down together in seats cut out of the solid rock. Now I saw in my dream, that the room where they sat was pure baster, and did let in certain sky-lights at the top, which gave Tender-Conscience a view of the many rare pieces of antiquity cut out of the rock, Heb. xi. 4, 5, 7, 8. There were the figures and representation of many famous worthies, and renowned men of old, who through faith had done many marvellous things. There was the representation of Abel offering a greater and more acceptable sacrifice than Cain: and of Enoch, who walked with God, and was translated without seeing death; and of Noah, who was an hundred and twenty years in building the ark to the saving of his household, and the kinds of all living creatures. Many more things were represented, as the famous acts of Joshua, Gideon, Barak, Sampson, Jephthah, also of David, Samuel, and the prophets, who through faith subdued kingdoms, wrought righteousness, obtained the promises, stopped the mouth of lions, quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, waxed valiant in battle, and turned to flight the armies of the aliens.

The whole room where they sat was adorned with such kind of figures as these, which Tender-Conscience viewed with a great deal of delight.

Then Good-Resolution, seeing Tender-Conscience so mightily refreshed with the things he had seen, told him that he had