Conduct of the Pilgrims at the Fair.

Now, as I said, the way to the Celestial City lies just through the town where this lusty fair is kept; and he that will go to the City, and yet not go through this town, "must needs go out of the world." The Prince of princes himself, when here, went through this town to his own country, and that upon a fair-day too; yea, and as I think, it was Beelzebub, the chief lord of this fair, that invited him to buy of his vanities; yea, would have made him lord of the fair, would he but have done him reverence as he went through the town: yea, because he was such a person of honour, Beelzebub had him from street to street, and shewed him all the kingdoms of the world in a little time, that he might, if possible, allure that Blessed One to cheapen and buy some of his vanities; but he had no mind to the merchandise, and therefore left the town without laying out so much as one farthing upon these vanities. This fair, therefore, is an ancient thing, of long standing, and a very great fair.

Now these pilgrims, as I said, must needs go through this fair. Well, so they did; but, behold, even as they entered into the fair, all the people in the fair were moved, and the town itself, as it were, in a hubbub about them; and that for several reasons: for,

First. The pilgrims were clothed with such kind of raiment as was diverse from the raiment of any that traded in that fair. The people of the fair, therefore, made a great gazing upon them: some said they were fools'; some, they were bedlams; and some, they were outlandish men.

debasing the work and glory of Christ, were totally rejected by us, and banished from us. But, alas! these proud unscriptural notions too much prevail among us.

Evidence against Faithful.

somewhat varying in form; the contents whereof was this:

"That they were enemies to, and disturbers of, their trade: that they had made commotions and divisions in the town, and had won a party to their own most dangerous opinions, in contempt of the law of their prince"."

Then Faithful began to answer, that he had only set himself against that which had set itself against Him that is higher than the highest. And, said he, as for disturbance, I make none, being myself a man of peace the parties that were won to us, were won by beholding our truth and innocence, and they are only turned from the worse to the better. And as to the king you talk of, since he is Beelzebub, the enemy of our Lord, I defy him and all his angels.

Then proclamation was made, that they that had aught to say for their lord the king against the prisoner at the bar, should forthwith appear and give in their evidence. So there came in three wit nesses, to wit, Envy, Superstition, and Pickthank they were then asked, if they knew the prisoner at the bar? and what they had to say for their lord the king against him?

Then stood forth Envy, and said to this effect: My lord, I have known this man a long time, and will attest upon my oath before this honourable bench, that he is

JUDGE. Hold, give him his oath.

So they sware him.-Then he said, My lord, this man, notwithstanding his plausible name, is one

5 You see your calling, brethren. Has no such indictment been ever brought against you? Then it is to be feared, that ye are idle in the ways of the Lord; ye want love to his name, fervency for his truth, and zeal for his glory and the good of precious souls.

Evidence against Faithful.

of the vilest men in our country; he neither regardeth prince nor people, law nor custom; but doeth all that he can to possess all men with certain of his disloyal notions, which he in the general calls "principles of faith and holiness." And, in particular, I heard him once myself affirm, that Christianity and the customs of our town of Vanity were diametrically opposite, and could not be reconciled. By which saying, my lord, he doth at once not only condemn all our laudable doings, but us in the doing of them.

JUDGE. Then did the judge say unto him, Hast thou any more to say?

ENVY. My lord, I could say much more, only I would not be tedious to the court. Yet if need be, when the other gentlemen have given in their evidence, rather than any thing shall be wanting that will dispatch him, I will enlarge my testimony against him. So he was bid to stand by.

Then they called Superstition, and bid him look upon the prisoner: they also asked, what he could say for their lord the king against him? Then they sware him; so he began:

SUPER. My lord, I have no great acquaintance with this man, nor do I desire to have further knowledge of him; however, this I know, that he is a very pestilent fellow, from some discourse that the other day I had with him in this town; for then,

The Spirit of wisdom asks, "Who is able to stand before envy?" Prov. xxvii. 4. Envy is the very temper of the devil. It is natural to us all. But why should the children of this world envy God's children? for they are strangers to the spiritual good they enjoy. They neither seek them, nor care for them, but laugh at and deride them. Herein the very spirit of Satan is manifest. He envied Christ, because he was the Son of God; he stirred up Judas to betray him, and the Jews for envy delivered him, Matth. xxvii. 18. And the same spirit works in all the children of Satan against the children of God.

Evidence against Faithful.

talking with him, I heard him say that our religion was naught, and such by which a man could by no means please God. Which saying of his, my lord, your lordship very well knows what necessarily thence will follow, to wit, that we still do worship in vain, are yet in our sins, and finally shall be damned: and this is that which I have to say7.

Then was Pickthank sworn, and bid say what he knew in behalf of their lord the king against the prisoner at the bar.

PICK. My lord, and you gentlemen all, this fellow I have known of a long time, and have heard him speak things that ought not to be spoke; for he hath railed on our noble prince Beelzebub, and hath spoken contemptibly of his honourable friends, whose names are the Lord Old-Man, the Lord Carnal-Delight, the Lord Luxurious, the Lord Desire-of-VainGlory, my old Lord Lechery, Sir Having-Greedy, with all the rest of our nobility: and he hath said, moreover, that if all men were of his mind, if possible, there is not one of these noblemen should have any longer a being in this town. Besides, he hath not been afraid to rail on you, my lord, who are now appointed to be his judge, calling you an ungodly villain, with many other such villifying terms, with which he hath bespattered most of the gentry of our town.

7 Superstition, or false devotion, is a most bitter enemy to Christ's truth and his followers. This man's evidence is very true: for, as the lawyers said of Christ's doctrine, Master, thus saying thou reproachest us also," Luke xi. 45, so false worshippers, who rest in forms, and rites, and shadows, are stung to the quick at those who worship God in the spirit, rejoice in Christ Jesus, and bave no confidence in the flesh. Such a conduct pours the utmost contempt upon all the will-worship, and doctrines, and superstitions, of carnal men.

• As soon as the awakened sinner says, "O Lord my God, other lords besides thee have had dominion over me, but by thee

Faithful's Defence.

When this Pickthank had told his tale, the judge directed his speech to the prisoner at the bar, saying, Thou renegade, heretic, and traitor, hast thou heard what these honest gentlemen have witnessed against thee?

FAITH. May I speak a few words in my own defence.

JUDGE. Sirrah, sirrah, thou deservest to live no longer, but to be slain immediately upon the place; yet, that all men may see our gentleness towards thee, let us hear what thou, vile renegade, hast to say.

FAITH. I say then, in answer to what Mr. Envy hath spoken, I never said aught but this, that what rule, or laws, or custom, or people, were flat against the word of God, are diametrically opposite to Christianity. If I have said amiss in this, convince me of my error, and I am ready here before you to make my recantation.

As to the second, to wit, Mr. Superstition, and his charge against me, I said only this, that in the worship of God there is required a divine faith; but there can be no divine faith without a divine revelation of the will of God. Therefore, whatever is thrust into the worship of God that is not agreeable to divine revelation, cannot be done but by a human faith, which faith will not be profitable to eternal life.

As to what Mr. Pickthank hath said, I say (avoiding terms, as that I am said to rail, and the like)

alone will I make mention of thy name," Isa. xxvi. 13, many officious Pickthanks are always ready to bear testimony against him: and a blessed testimony this is: "Blessed are ye when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you, falsely, for my sake," Matth. v. 11. If we be real disciples of Christ, we shall, as he did, testify of the world that the works thereof are evil; and the world will hate us for his sake, John vii. 7.

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