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timbrel and the pipe, are in their feasts; but they regard not the works of the Lord, neither consider they the operation of his hands. Therefore hell hath enlarged herself, and opened her mouth without measure; and their glory, and their multitude, and their pomp, and he that rejoiceth among them, shall descend into it."

Young Mat. Neither is it less worthy of remark, by what artifices and misrepresentations the people belonging to the House of Mirth do endeavour to frighten travellers from coming to our house, bringing an ill name upon it, and telling them we are sad melancholy folks, ,nothing to be heard here but sighing, lamenting, and groaning; and that many poor travellers have been driven to despair in this place, and made away with themselves, whereas there is nothing of this true; for our sorrow is not worldly sorrow, which bringeth death, but mourning and repentance unto life, which needeth not to be repented of. In our sighs we rejoice, and in our tears we smile; as it is written, "They that sow in tears shall reap in joy." And the deepest of our groans are but forerunners of the soul's triumph over sin and death; and there is so near a neigbourhood betwixt this kind of grief and the most exalted pleasure, that it is hard to distinguish betwixt the one and the other. While our eyes rain tears, the clouds that cause them are scattered from our hearts; and that very tempest of sighs and groans, which threatens to rend our breasts in pieces, does but sweep and cleanse the air of our souls, and renders it more calm and serene than it was before. Thus springeth light from darkness, peace from war, and life from death. And so far is this from leading any into despair, or to be the occasion of any destroying themselves, that on the contrary, many that have come from the House of Mirth in that condition, when their means were all spent in rioting and vain mirth, have desired harbour with us, and in a little time have recovered their judgment, reason, and sense again, and have gone away full of comfort and satisfaction,

Now by this time it grew late, and they broke up com pany, causing one of the household to show Tender-conscience to his lodging, having wished him a good repose, He, returning them hearty thanks for their good counsel

1 Isaiah y. 12. 14.

and edifying discourse, took his leave for that evening, and went to rest. In the morning he rose early, and prepared for his journey, being extremely pleased with the entertainment he found in this place; so that he burst out a singing in his chamber:

Blessed be God, who travellers doth guide,

And with his wings doth them from danger hide.
My foot had well nigh slipp'd, when I was led
Within the House of Mirth to take a bed:
But better things rememb'ring, I retir'd,
As by the grace of God I was inspir'd.

They laugh'd, I wept; they mock'd while I did wail;
And at the House of Mourning they did rail.
The House of Mourning solid joys does bring,
Whilst that of Mirth behind it leaves a sting.

Now whilst he was singing these last words, he heard a great noise without; and looking out of the window, he saw several that belonged to the House of Mirth, who had beset the House of Mourning, and demanded to have the man delivered to them that came in there last night. This put Tender-conscience into no small fright, so that he fell to prayer; and behold three shining ones appeared to him, and bid him be of good cheer, for they would deliver him out of his enemies' hands. Then one of them breathed on him, saying, "Be thou changed;" and he was immediately transformed, and became a new creature; and his face, which before looked meagre and pale, now became ruddy and shining, his eyes sparkling like diamonds, so that those who had seen him before, could not know him now. Then the second presented him with a change of raiment, clothing him in a white robe, whereas before he wore a crimson-coloured garment.The third also set a mark in his forehead, giving him such a roll with a seal upon it, as Christian had given to him so the three shining ones pronounced a blessing on him, and bid him go away in peace, for that no evil should befal him. Then Tender-conscience, acquainting the matrons with what had happened to him, and taking his leave of them, went boldly out with his crutch in his hand, and passed through the midst of the lyers in wait; and no man knew him, or had power to say, 'Who art thou? but he departed from them in peace, as the shining ones had foretold him.

CHAP. III.

Tender-conscience takes the wrong path, but quickly returns. He enters the cave of Good-resolution, and is conducted by him to Contemplation.

THEN I saw in my dream, that Tender-conscience

house, and of the lyers in wait; for he had still some dread remaining upon him, which spurred him to hasten out of their reach. Thus he walked, till he came to the foot of the hill Difficulty; aud having drank nothing that day, he stooped down, and drank of the spring that ran by the bottom of the hill. Then he sat down a while, and considered which way to go: for there were three paths, one right up the hill, and the other two went round by the bottom of the hill, to the right and to the Jeft. That path which went straight up the hill was very steep and cragged, and that which went round the bottom on the left hand was broad and even, curiously shaded with rows of trees on each side, and the springs winding along by the path-side, which was very pleasing and inviting; and the path on the right hand was also smooth and even, shady and pleasant, and seemed to wind about upwards: so that Tender-conscience, thinking this path would bring him to the top of the hill as well as the steep one, he made choice of it. Now, the name of this path was Danger, and the name of the other on the left hand was Destruction: so he went in the path of Danger, which brought him up round by the side of the hill into a great wood, which he entered, the path leading him through the middle of the wood. Now the wood seemed very pleasant and delightful at the first entrauce, the birds singing in the trees, and the wind ruffling the leaves, made a very sweet harmony, and the path was green and smooth; but, as he walked farther in, the trees overshadowed it, and stood so thick, that it seemed dark. and dismal. Moreover, he heard the howlings and roarings of wild beasts; for the wood was infested by wolves, bears, leopards, dragons, and other fierce creatures of prey, which made Tender-conscience to tremble for fear, and his heart failed within him, so that he immediately

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Good-Resolution inviting Tender-Conscience into his Cave.-Paar 313.

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