a little crooked lane. Here, therefore, they met with a very brisk lad that came out of that country, and his name was Ignorance. So Christian asked him from what parts he came, and whither CHRISTIAN AND IGNORANCE HAVE SOME TALK. he was going? IGNOR. Sir, I was born in the country that lieth off there a little on the left hand, and I am going to the Celestial City. CHR. But how do you think to get in at the gate? for you may find some difficulties there. IGNOR. As other good people do, said he. CHR. But what have you to show at that gate, that the gate should be opened to you? IGNOR. I know my Lord's will, and have been a good liver; I pay every man his own; I THE GROUNDS OF IGNORANCE'S HOPE. pray, fast, pay tithes, and give alms, and have left my country for whither I am going.* CHR. But thou camest not in at the Wicket-gate that is at the head of this way; thou camest in hither 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 he breathed his native air. So long as any sinner thinks he can do any thing towards making himself righteous before God, his name is Ignorance, he is full of self-conceit, and destitute of the faith of Christ. * Now, is it not very common to hear professors talk at this rate? Yes, and many who make a very high profession too: their hopes are plainly grounded upon what they are in themselves, and how they differ from their former selves and other sinners, instead of what Christ is to us, and what we are in Christ. But the profession of such is begun with an ignorant, whole, self-righteous heart; it is continued in pride, self-seeking, and self-exalting; and will end in awful disappointment. For such are called by our Lord thieves and robbers: they rob him of the glory of his grace, and the gift of his imputed righteousness. that thou art a thief and a robber, instead of getting admittance into the city. HE TELLETH EVERY ONE HE IS BUT A 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 FOOL. 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 man in all our parts doth 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 next way into the 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 ;" 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." What! shall we talk 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 HOW TO CARRY IT TO A FOOL. Let Ignorance a little while now muse 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 a man whom seven devils had bound with seven strong cords, and were a-carrying him back to the door that they saw on the side of the hill. 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, THE DESTRUCTION OF ONE TURN-AWAY. and damnable apostate." CHRISTIAN TELLETH HIS COMPANION A 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 Little-Faith; 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 Broadway-gate a lane called Deadman'slane; 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 sleep now there happened at that time to come BROADWAY-GATE DEAD-MAN'S-LANE. D Matt. xii. 46. Prov. v. 22 * O beware of a light, trifling spirit, and a wanton behaviour. It is often the forerunner of apostacy from God. It makes one tremble to hear those who profess to follow Christ in the regeneration, crying, What harm is there in this game, or in the other diversion? They plainly discover what spirit they are got into. The warmth of love is gone, and they are become cold, dead, and carnal. O how many instances of these abound! down the lane from Broadway-gate, three sturdy rogues, and their names were Faint-heart, Mistrust, and Guilt, three brothers; and they spying Little-Faith where he was, came galloping up with speed. Now, the good man was just awakened 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 clout, and had neither power to fight nor fly. Then said Faint-heart, Deliver thy purse; but he making no haste to do it (for he was loath to lose his money,) Mistrust ran up to him, and thrusting his LITTE FAITH ROBBED BY FAINT- hand into his pocket, pulled out thence a bag of silver. Then he cried out, 66 Thieves, thieves!" With that, Guilt, with a great club that THEY GET AWAY HIS SILVER, AND KNOCK HIM DOWN 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 dwells in the town of Good Confidence, they betook themselves to their heels, and left this good man to shift for himself. Now, after a while, Little-Faith came to himself, and, 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? Where there is a faint heart in God's cause, and mistrust of God's truths, there will be guilt in the conscience, and but little faith in the heart; and these rogues will prevail over and rob such souls of the comforts of God's love, and of Christ's salvation. O how many are overtaken by these, in sleepy fits and careless frames, and plundered! Learn to be wise from others' harms. LOST NOT HIS BEST THINGS. CHR. No; the place where his jewels were, they LITTLE-FAITH 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. 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.* LITTLE FAITH FORCED TO BEG TO HIS JOURNEY'S END. * HOPE. But is it not a wonder they got not from him his certificate, by which he was to receive his admittance at the Celestial Gate ? HE KEPT NOT HIS BEST THINGS BY HIS OWN CUNNING. 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.t By his jewels, we may understand those radical graces of the Spirit-faith, hope, and love. By his spending-money, understand the sealing and earnest of the Spirit in his heart, 2 Cor. i. 22. Of this divine assurance, and the sense of peace and joy in the Holy Ghost, he was robbed; so that though he still went on in the ways of the Lord, yet he dragged on but heavily and uncomfortably; for though safe in Jesus, yet he was not happy in himself. O how much evil and distress are brought upon us by neglecting to watch and pray! + What was this good thing? His precious faith, whose author, finisher, and object is precious Jesus. And where he gives this precious gift of faith, though it be but little, even as a grain of mustardseed, not all the powers of earth and hell can rob the heart of it.— Christ prayed for his disciple, that his faith should not fail, or be |