forgiveness. If she be suffered to go on as she begins, we shall lose her as we have lost her Husband. This, you know, might have made me take heed, and have provided when provision might have been had.

Well, said Mercy, as, by this

MERCY MAKES GOOD

neglect, we have an occasion mi- USE OF THEIR nenistered unto us to behold our own

GLECT OF DUTY.

imperfections, so our Lord has taken occasion thereby to make manifest the riches of his grace: for he, as we see, has followed us with unasked kindness, and has delivered us from their hands that were stronger than we, of his mere good pleasure.

Thus now, when they had talked away a little more time, they drew near to a House which stood in the Way, which House was built for the relief of Pilgrims, as you will find more fully related in the First Part of these Records of the Pilgrim's Progress. So they drew on towards the House (the House

TALK IN THE

HOUSE ABOUT

CHRISTIANA'S

GOING ON PIL

GRIMAGE.

of the Interpreter); and when they INTerpreter's came to the door, they heard a great talk in the House; then they gave ear, and heard, as they thought, Christiana mentioned by name; for you must know that there went along, even before her, a talk of her and her children's going on Pilgrimage. And this was the more pleasing to them, because they had heard that she was Christian's wife, that woman who was, some time ago, so unwilling to hear of going on pilgrimage. Thus, therefore, they stood still, and heard the good people within commending her, who, they little thought, stood at the door. At last Christiana SHE KNOCKS knocked, as she had done at the Gate AT THE DOOR.

THE DOOR IS
OPENED TO

before. Now, when she had knocked, there came to the door a young damsel, THEM BY IN- and opened the door, and looked, and behold, two women were there.

NOCENT.

Then said the damsel to them, With whom would you speak in this place?

Christiana answered, We understand that this is a privileged place for those that are become Pilgrims, and we now at this door are such; wherefore we pray that we may be partakers of that for which we at this time are come; for the day, as thou seest, is very far spent, and we are loath to-night to go any further.

Damsel. Pray, What may I call your name, that I may tell it to my Lord within?

Chr. My name is Christiana: I was the wife of that Pilgrim that some years ago did travel this way; and these be his four children. This Maiden also is my companion, and is going on Pilgrimage too.

Then Innocent ran in (for that was her name), and said to those within, Can you think who is at the door? There is Christiana and her children, and her companion, all waiting for entertainment here. Then they leaped for joy, and went and told their Master. So he came to the door, and, looking upon her, he said, Art thou that Christiana whom Christian the good Man left behind him, when he betook himself to a Pilgrim's life?

JOY IN THE HOUSE OF
THE INTERPRETER
THAT CHRISTIANA IS
TURNED PILGRIM.

Chr. I am that Woman that was so hard-hearted as to slight my Husband's troubles, and that left him to go on his journey alone; and these are his four

children: but now I also am come; for I am convinced that no way is right but this.

Int. Then is fulfilled that which is written of the man that said to his son, "Go, work to-day in my vineyard;" and he said to his father, "I will not; but afterwards repented and went."1

Then said Christiana, So be it, Amen. God make it a true saying upon me, and grant that I may be found at the last of him in peace, without spot, and blameless.

Int. But why standest thou thus at the door? Come in, thou daughter of Abraham: we were talking of thee but now; for tidings have come to us before, how thou art become a Pilgrim. Come, Children, come in; come, Maiden, come in! So he had them all into the house.

OLD SAINTS GLAD

TO SEE THE YOUNG
ONES WALK IN GOD'S

So, when they were within, they were bidden to sit down and rest them; the which when they had done, those that attended upon the Pilgrims in the House came into the room to see them. And one smiled, and another smiled, and they all smiled, for joy that Christiana was become a Pilgrim ; they also looked upon the boys; they stroked them over their faces with the hand, in token of their kind reception of them; they also carried it lovingly to Mercy, and bid them all welcome into their Master's House.

WAYS.

After a while, because supper was not ready, the Interpreter took them into his

THE SIGNIFI

CANT ROOMS. Significant rooms, and shewed them what Christian,

1 Matth. xxi. 28, 29..

Christiana's husband, had seen some time before. Here, therefore, they saw the Man in the Cage, the Man and his Dream, the Man that cut his way through his Enemies, and the Picture of the biggest of them all, together with the rest of those things that were then so profitable to Christian.

This done, and after those things had been somewhat digested by Christiana and her company, the Interpreter takes them apart again, and has them first

THE MAN WITH

THE MUCK-RAKE

EXPOUNDED.

into a room where was a man that could look no way but downwards, with a Muck-Rake in his hand; there stood also one over his head, with a Celestial Crown in his hand, and proffered him that Crown for his Muck-Rake; but the man did neither look up nor regard, but raked to himself the straws, the small sticks, and dust of the floor.

Then said Christiana, I persuade myself that I know somewhat the meaning of this; for this is a figure of a man of this world: Is it not, good Sir?

Thou hast said the right, said he, and his Muck-Rake doth show his carnal mind. And whereas thou seest him rather give heed to rake up straws, and sticks, and the dust of the floor, than to do what he says that calls to him from above, with the Celestial Crown in his hand, it is to shew that Heaven is but as a fable to some, and that things here are counted the only things substantial. Now, whereas it was also shewed thee that the man could look no way but downwards, it is to let thee know that earthly things, when they are with power upon men's minds, quite carry their hearts away from God.

Then said Christiana, Oh! de- CHRISTIANA'S PRAYER liver me from this Muck-rake.

AGAINST THE MUCK

That prayer, said the Inter- RAKE. preter, has lain by till it is almost rusty;

"Give me

not riches," is scarce the prayer of one of ten thousand. Straws, and sticks, and dust, with most are the great things now looked after.

With that Christiana and Mercy wept, and said, It is, alas! too true.

When the Interpreter had shewed them this, he had them into the very best room in the house; (a very brave room it was :) so he bid them look round about, and see if they could find any thing profitable there. Then they looked round and round;

OF THE SPIDER.

for there was nothing to be seen but a very great Spider on the wall; and that they overlooked.

Then said Mercy, Sir, I see nothing. But Christiana held her peace.

But, said the Interpreter, look again; she therefore looked again, and said, Here is not any thing but an ugly Spider, who hangs by his hands upon the wall. Then said he, Is there but one Spider in TALK ABOUT all this spacious room? Then the water THE SPIDER. stood in Christiana's eyes, for she was a woman quick of apprehension; and she said, Yea, Lord, there are more here than one; yea, and spiders whose venom is far more destructive than that which is in her. Interpreter then looked pleasantly on her, and said, Thou hast said the truth. This made Mercy to blush, and the boys to cover their faces; for they all began now to understand the riddle.

8 Prov. xxx. 8.

The