Departure of Mr. Valiant-for-Truth for the Celestial City.

him over.

The last words of Mr. Honest were,

"Grace reigns!" So he left the world.

After this, it was noised abroad that Mr. Valiantfor-Truth was taken with a summons by the same post as the other; and had this for a token that the summons was true, that "his pitcher was broken at the fountain." Eccles. xii. 6. When he understood it, he called for his friends, and told them of it. Then said he, "I am going to my Father's; and though with great difficulty I got hither, yet now I do not repent me of all the trouble I have been at to arrive where I am. My sword I give to him that shall succeed me in my pilgrimage, and my courage and skill to him that can get it. My marks and scars I carry with me, to be a witness for me, that I have fought his battle, who now will be my rewarder."

When the day that he must go hence was come, many accompanied him to the river side, into which as he went he said, "Death, where is thy sting?"And as he went down deeper, he said, "Grave, where is thy victory?" So he passed over, and all the trumpets sounded for him on the other

side.

Then there came forth a summons for Mr. Standfast. This Mr. Standfast was he that the pilgrims found upon his knees in the Enchanted Ground, and the post brought it him open in his hand: the contents whereof were, that he must prepare for a change of life, for his Master was not willing that he should be so far from him any longer. At this Mr. Standfast was put into a muse. "Nay," said the messenger, "you need not doubt of the truth of my mes-. sage; for here is a token of the truth thereof-Thy wheel is broken at the cistern." Then he called to him Mr. Great-Heart, who was their guide, and said unto him, "Sir, although it was not my hap to be much in your good company in the days of my pilgrimage, yet since the time I knew you, you have

Departure of Mr. Standfast for the Celestial City.

been profitable to me.-When I came from home, I left behind me a wife and five small children: let me entreat you, at your return, (for I know that you go and return to your Master's house, in hopes that you may be a conductor to more of the holy pilgrims,) that you send to my family, and let them be acquainted with all that hath and shall happen unto me. Tell them, moreover, of my happy arrival at this place, and of the present and late blessed condition that I am in. Tell them also of Christian and Christiana his wife, and how she and her children came after her husband. Tell them also of what a happy end, she made, and whither she is gone.-I have little or nothing to send to my family, except it be my prayers and tears for them: of which it will suffice if you acquaint them, if peradventure they may prevail.'

When Mr. Standfast had thus set things in order, and the time being come for him to haste him away, he also went down to the river. Now there was a great calm at that time in the river; wherefore Mr. Standfast, when he was about half way in, stood a while, and talked to his companions that had waited upon him thither: and he said,

"This river has been a terror to many; yea, the thoughts of it also have often frightened me: now, methinks, I stand easy; my foot is fixed upon that on which the feet of the priests that bare the ark of the covenant stood, while Israel went over this Jordan. Josh. iii. 17. The waters, indeed, are to the palate bitter, and to the stomach cold; yet the thoughts of what I am going to, and of the conduct that waits for me on the other side, doth lie as a glowing coal at my heart. I see myself now at the end of my journey; my toilsome days are ended.I am going to see that head that was crowned with thorns, and that face that was spit upon for me. I have formerly lived by hearsay and faith; but now I go where I shall live by sight, and shall be with him.

Conclusion.

in whose company I delight myself. I have loved to hear my Lord spoken of; and wherever I have seen the print of his shoe in the earth, there I have coveted to set my foot too. His name has been to me as a civet box; yea, sweeter than all perfumes. His voice to me has been most sweet; and his countenance I have more desired than they that have most desired the light of the sun. His words I did use to gather for my food, and for antidotes against my faintings. He has held me, and has kept me from mine iniquities; yea, my steps have been strengthened in his way."

Now, while he was thus in discourse, his countenance changed; his "strong man bowed under him;" and, after he had said, "Take me, for I come unto thee," he ceased to be seen of them.

But glorious it was to see, how the open region was filled with horses and chariots, with trumpeters and pipers, with singers and players on stringed instruments, to welcome the pilgrims as they went up, and followed one another in at the beautiful gate of the City.*

As for Christiana's children, the four boys that Christiana brought, with their wives and children, I did not stay where I was till they were gone over. Also since I came away, I heard one say they were yet alive, and so would be for the increase of the church in that place where they were, for a time.

Shall it be my lot to go that way again, I may give those that desire it an account of what I here am silent about; mean time, I bid my reader

FAREWELL.

* And now, reader, let me inquire if the beautiful gate of the city does not awaken all your attention? Let us mark well the life and death of the pilgrim his life commences with a clear knowledge of, and faith in his Redeemer-he looks to, and lives upon him; and concludes his well-spent life by dying in him, when he shall eternally enjoy him.

THE

PILGRIM'S PROGRESS.

PART III.

me.

AFTER the two former dreams concerning Christian and Christiana his wife, with their children and companions' pilgrimage from the City of Destruction to the region of glory, I fell asleep again, and the visions of my head returned upon I dreamed another dream, and, behold, there appeared unto me a great multitude of people, in several distinct companies and bands, travelling from the City of Destruction, the town of Carnal-Policy, the village of Morality, and from the rest of the cities, towns, villages, and hamlets, that belong to the Valley of Destruction; for so was the whole country called that lay on this side of the Wicket-Gate which the man Evangelist shewed unto Christian; and so was also that country called that was situate wide of the gate, on the right, hand and on the left, extending itself along by the walls and borders of that region, wherein lay the way to the heavenly country. This was the name of that province, even the Valley of Des

truction.

Now I saw in my dream, that all the highway roads and lanes, that led from the Valley of Destruction towards the gate of the way of life, were full of people, travelling towards the gate; and some of them walked along very vigorously, others halted, and grew very weary, through the most violent heat of the season, which then made them even ready to faint; for it was in the hottest time of the year, and the sun burnt up the herb of the field, and scorched the poor travellers so, that many of them were forced to sit down and rest themselves; and in the night-time many of them returned back again to their old habitations; others, more hardy than the rest, went till they came to the Slough of Despond, where Pliable forsook b 14

EC

Tender-Conscience sets out on Pilgrimage.

Christian, and there falling into the filth and mire of that place, were so disheartened, that they returned in whole droves to their own dwellings again; and very few there were that would venture through the, slough; yet some got very dexterously over the steps, without being in the least bemired, whilst others, through heedlessness and ignorance, missing those steps, were forced to wade through the dirt, which was very deep, and made their passage exceeding painful; but at length, with much ado, they weathered the point and mastered the difficulties of that horrid quagmire, and got safe upon dry ground.

Among the rest of these travellers that got over this slough, I saw a young man of an amiable countenance walking by himself, after he had got clear of the slough; but he was all over bedaubed with the filth of that place, which made him go very heavily on; for what with struggling to get through, and what with the dismal apprehension he lay under during his passage, he was extremely weakened, and his joints loosened; besides, it was the nature of the dirt of this place to cause a trembling and disorder in the limbs of those that were defiled with it; and to whatsoever part of their body it stuck, there it would do them some injury. Now the young man being all over clammed with it, he went a very slow pace, his head hanging down, his hands quivering, and his feet tripping at the least uneasiness and ruggedness of the way; and a speck or two of the dirt being spattered near his eyes, made him dim-sighted, so that he groped along like one that is blind, and sometimes stepped out of the path.

In this condition he was, when at length I saw, in my dream, that he sat down upon the ground to bemoan his sad state, and wept bitterly: and, behold, a bright cloud hovered over his head, which gradually descending, overshadowed him, and out of the cloud a hand was reached forth, which, with the tears that ran like rivers from his eyes, washed the dirt off his face and his whole body, so that in a moment, as it were, his sight and strength were restored again; and a voice came out of the cloud, saying, Son of man, go on in the strength of the Lord thy God. So he was mightily comforted and refreshed after this, and began to rouse himself, being more nimble and active, more vigorous and strong, than ever he was before; and his eyes being also healed, he clearly saw the shining light that Evangelist shewed to Christian. Then he tript along over the plain, and made directly up to the shining light, by means