Conversation of Ignorance with the Pilgrims.

through that same crooked lane; and therefore I fear, however thou mayest think of thyself, when the reckoning day shall come, thou wilt have laid to thy charge that thou art a thief and a robber, instead of getting admittance into the city.

IGNOR. Gentlemen, ye be utter strangers to me, I know you not; be content to follow the religion of your country, and I will follow the religion of mine. I hope all will be well. And as for the gate that you talk of, all the world knows that it is a great way off of our country. I cannot think that any men in all our parts do so much as know the way to it; nor need they matter whether they do or no, since we have, as you see, a fine pleasant green lane that comes down from our country the nearest way.

When Christian saw that the man was wise in his own conceit, he said to Hopeful whisperingly, "There is more hope of a fool than of him," Prov. xxvi. 12; and said, moreover, "When he that is a fool walketh by the way, his wisdom faileth him, and he saith to every one that he is a fool." Eccles. x. 3. What, shall we walk further with him, or outgo him at present, and so leave him to think of what he hath heard already, and then stop again for him afterwards, and see if by degrees we can do any good to him? Then said Hopeful

"Let Ignorance a little while now muse
On what is said, and let him not refuse
Good counsel to embrace, lest he remain
Still ignorant, of what's the chiefest gain.
God saith, those that no understanding have,
Although he made them, them he will not save."

HOPE. He further added, It is not good, I think, to say so to him all at once; let us pass him by, if you will, and talk to him anon, even as he is "able to bear it."

So they both went on, and Ignorance he came after. Now when they had passed him a little way, they entered into a very dark lane, where they met

Christian relates the History of Little-Faith.

a man whom seven devils had bound with seven strong cords, and were carrying him back to the door that they saw on the side of the hill. Matt. xii. 45. Prov. v. 22. Now good Christian began to tremble, and so did Hopeful his companion: yet as the devils led away the man, Christian looked to see if he knew him; and he thought it might be one Turn-Away, that dwelt in the town of Apostacy. But he did not perfectly see his face, for he did hang his head like a thief that is found. But being gone past, Hopeful looked after him, and spied on his back a paper with this inscription, "Wanton professor, and damnable apostate." Then said Christian to his fellow, Now I call to remembrance that which was told me, of a thing that happened to a good man hereabout. The name of the man was LittleFaith; but a good man, and he dwelt in the town of Sincere. The thing was this:-at the entering in at this passage, there comes down from BroadwayGate a lane called Deadman's-Lane; so called, because of the murders that are commonly done there; and this Little Faith going on pilgrimage, as we do now, chanced to sit down there, and slept; now there happened at that time to come down the lane from Broadway-Gate three sturdy rogues, and their names were Faint-Heart, Mistrust, and Guilt, three brothers; and they, spying LittleFaith where he was, came galloping up with speed. Now the good man was just awaked from his sleep, and was getting up to go on his journey. So they came up all to him, and with threatening language bid him stand. At this Little Faith looked as white as a sheet, and had neither power to fight nor flee. Then said Faint-Heart, "Deliver thy purse;" but he making no haste to do it (for he was loth to lose his money) Mistrust ran up to him, and thrusting his hand into his pocket, pulled out thence a bag of silver. Then he cried out, "Thieves! thieves!"

Little-Faith attacked by Thieves.

With that Guilt, with a great club that was in his hand, struck Little-Faith on the head, and with that blow felled him flat to the ground; where he lay bleeding as one that would bleed to death. All this while the thieves stood by. But, at last, they hearing that some were upon the road, and fearing lest it should be one Great-Grace, that dwelt in the city of Good-Confidence, they betook themselves to their heels, and left this good man to shift for himself; who, getting up, made shift to scramble on his way.-This was the story.

HOPE. But did they take from him all that ever he had?

CHR. No; the place where his jewels were they never ransacked: so those he kept still. But, as I was told, the good man was much afflicted for his loss; for the thieves got most of his spending money. That which they got not, as I said, were jewels; also he had a little odd money left, but scarce enough to bring him to his journey's end; 1 Pet. iv. 18; nay, if I was not misinformed, he was forced to beg as he went, to keep himself alive (for his jewels he might not sell ;) but beg and do what he could, he went, as we say, with many a hungry belly the most part of the rest of the way.

HOPE. But is it not a wonder that they got not from him his certificate, by which he was to receive his admittance at the Celestial Gate?

CHR. It is a wonder: but they got not that; though they missed it not through any good cunning of his; for he, being dismayed with their coming upon him, had neither power nor skill to hide any thing: so it was more by good providence than by his endeavour that they missed of that good thing. 2 Tim. i. 14. 2 Pet. ii. 9.

HOPE. But it must needs be a comfort to him that they got not his jewels from him.

CHR. It might have been great comfort to him,

Conversation of Christian and Hopeful.

had he used it as he should: but they who told me the story said, that he made but little use of it all the rest of the way, and that, because of the dismay that he had in taking away his money. Indeed he forgot it a great part of the rest of his journey; and besides, when at any time it came into his mind, and he began to be comforted therewith, then would fresh thoughts of his loss come again upon him, and those thoughts would swallow up all.

HOPE. Alas! poor man; this could not but be a great grief to him.

CHR. Grief! aye, a grief indeed. Would it not have been so to any of us, had we been used as he, to be robbed and wounded too, and that in a strange place, as he was? It is a wonder he did not die with grief, poor heart: I was told that he scattered almost all the rest of the way with nothing but doleful and bitter complaints: telling also to all who overtook him, or that he overtook in the way as he went, where he was robbed, and how; who they were that did it, and what he lost; how he was wounded, and that he hardly escaped with life.

HOPE. But it is a wonder that this necessity did not put him upon selling or pawning some of his jewels, that he might have wherewith to relieve himself in his journey.

CHR. Thou talkest like one upon whose head is the shell to this very day: for what should he pawn them? or to whom should he sell them? In all that country where he was robbed, his jewels were not accounted of; nor did he want that relief which could from thence be administered to him. Besides, had his jewels been missing at the gate of the Celestial City, he had (and that he knew well enough) been excluded from an inheritance there, and that would have been worse to him than the appearance and villany of ten thousand thieves.

HOPE. Why art thou so tart, my brother? Esau

Character of Little-Faith.

sold his birthright, and that for a mess of pottage; Heb. xii. 16; and that birthright was his greatest jewel: and if he, why might not Little Faith do so too?

CHR. Esau did sell his birthright indeed, and so do many besides, and by so doing exclude themselves from the chief blessing also, as that caitiff did: but you must put a difference betwixt Esau and Little Faith, and also betwixt their estates. Esau's birthright was typical, but Little Faith's jewels were not so. Esau's belly was his god, but Little-Faith's belly was not so. Esau's want lay in his fleshy appetite, Little-Faith's did not so. Besides, Esau could see no further than to the fulfilling of his lust: "For I am at the point to die (said he) and what good will this birthright do me?" Gen. xxv. 29-34. But Little-Faith, though it was his lot to have but a little faith, was by his little faith kept from such extravagances, and made to see and prize his jewels more than to sell them as Esau did his birthright. You read not any where that Esau had faith, no not so much as a little; therefore no marvel, if where the flesh only bears sway (as it will in that man where no faith is to resist) if he sells his birthright and his soul and all, and that to the devil of hell: for it is with such as it is with the ass, "who in her occasion cannot be turned away;" Jer. ii. 24; when their minds are set upon their lusts, they will have them, whatever they cost. But Little-Faith was of another temper; his mind was on things divine; his livelihood was upon things that were spiritual and above; therefore to what end should he that is of such a temper sell his jewels (had there been any that would have bought them) to fill his mind with empty things? Will a man give a penny to fill his belly with hay? or can you persuade the turtle-dove to live upon carrion, like the crow? Though faithless ones can, for carnal lusts, pawn, or mortgage, or sell what they have, and themselves outright to boot, yet