tion that causeth to err from the words of knowledge." Prov. xix. 27. I say, my brother, cease to hear him, and let us "believe to the saving of the soul." Heb. x. 39.

A fruit of an honest heart.

CHR. My brother, I did not put the question to thee for that I doubted of the truth of our belief myself, but to prove thee, and to fetch from thee a fruit of the honesty of thy heart. As for this man, I know that he is blinded by the god of this world. Let thee and I go on, knowing that we have belief of the truth, "and no lie is of the truth." 1 John ii. 21.

HOPE. Now do I rejoice in hope of the glory of God. So they turned away from the man; and he, laughing at them, went his way.

They are come

ground.

I saw then in my dream, that they went till they came into a certain country, whose air naturally tended to the Enchanted to make one drowsy, if he came a stranger into it. And here Hopeful began to be very dull Hopeful begins to and heavy of sleep; wherefore he said unto Christian, I do now begin to grow so drowsy that I can scarcely hold up mine eyes; let us lie down here, and take one nap.

be drowsy.

Christian keeps him awake.

CHR. By no means, said the other; lest, sleeping, we never awake more.

HOPE. Why, my brother? Sleep is sweet to the labouring man; we may be refreshed if we take a nap.

CHR. Do you not remember that one of the Shepherds bid us beware of the Enchanted Ground? He meant by that, that we should beware of sleeping; "Therefore let us not sleep, as do others, but let us watch and be sober." 1 Thess. v. 6. .

He is thankful.

HOPE. I acknowledge myself in a fault; and had I been here alone, I had by sleeping run the danger of death. I see it is true that the wise man saith, "Two are better than one." Hitherto hath thy company been my mercy, and thou shalt have a good reward for thy labour. Eccles. iv. 9.

Ah, these short naps for pilgrims! The sleep of death, in the enchanted air of this world, usually begins with one of these short naps.

CHR. Now, then, said Christian, to prevent

To prevent drow

drowsiness in this place, let us fall into good siness, they fall to discourse.

HOPE. With all my heart said the other.
CHR. Where shall we begin?

HOPE. Where God began with us. you please.

CHR. I will sing you first this song :—

good discourse.

Good discourse prevents drowsi

ness.

But do you begin, if

When saints do sleepy grow, let them come hither,
And hear how these two pilgrims talk together:
Yea, let them learn of them, in any wise,
Thus to keep ope their drowsy slumb'ring eyes.
Saints' fellowship, if it be managed well,
Keeps them awake, and that in spite of hell.

CHR. Then Christian began, and said, I will

The Dreamers'
Note.

They begin at the

conversion.

ask you a question. How came you to think beginning of their at first of so doing as you do now ?

HOPE. Do you mean, how came I at first to look after the good of my soul?

CHR. Yes, that is my meaning.

HOPE. I continued a great while in the delight of those things which were seen and sold at our fair; things which, I believe now, would have, had I continued in them still, drowned me in perdition and destruction.

CHR. What things were they?

HOPE. All the treasures and riches of the world. Also I delighted much in rioting, revelling, drinking, swearing, lying, uncleanness, Sabbath-breaking, and what not, Hopeful's life that tended to destroy the soul. But I found before conversion. at last, by hearing and considering of things that are Divine, which indeed I heard of you, as also of beloved Faithful, that was put to death for his faith and good living in Vanity Fair, that "the end of these things is death." Rom. vi. 21-23. And that for these things' sake "cometh the wrath of God upon the children of disobedience.". Ephes. v. 6.

CHR. And did you presently fall under the power of this conviction ?

Hopeful at first shuts his eyes against the light.

HOPE. No, I was not willing presently to know the evil of sin, nor the damnation that follows upon the commission of it; but endeavoured, when my mind at first began to be shaken with the Word, to shut mine eyes against the light thereof. CHR. But what was the cause of your carrying of it thus to the first workings of God's blessed Spirit upon you?

Reasons of his resisting of the light.

HOPE. The causes were, 1. I was ignorant that this was the work of God upon me. I never thought that, by awakenings for sin, God at first begins the conversion of a sinner. 2. Sin was yet very sweet to my flesh, and I was loath to leave it. 3. I could not tell how to part with mine old companions, their presence and actions were so desirable unto me. 4. The hours in which convictions were upon me, were such troublesome and such heart-affrighting hours, that I could not bear, no not so much as the remembrance of them upon my heart.

CHR. Then, as it seems, sometimes you got rid of your trouble.

HOPE. Yes, verily, but it would come into my mind again, and then I should be as bad, nay, worse than I was before. CHR. Why, what was it that brought your sins to mind again?

HOPE. Many things; as,

When he had lost his sense of sin, what brought this again.

1. If I did but meet a good man in the streets; or,

2. If I have heard any read in the Bible; or 3. If mine head did begin to ache; or,

4. If I were told that some of my neighbours were sick; or, 5. If I heard the bell toll for some that were dead; or,

6. If I thought of dying myself; or,

7. If I heard that sudden death happened to others;

8. But especially, when I thought of myself, that I must quickly come to judgment.

CHR. And could you at any time, with ease, get off the guilt of sin, when, by any of these ways, it came upon you ? HOPE. No, not I, for then they got faster hold of my conscience; and then, if I did but think of going back to sin

(though my mind was turned against it), it would be double torment to me.

CHR. And how did you do then ?

HOPE. I thought I must endeavour to mend

my damned.

life;

for else, thought I, I am sure to be

CHR. And did you endeavour to mend ?

HOPE. Yes; and fled from not only my sins,

When he could no longer shake off his guilt by sinful courses, then he endeavours to mend.

but sinful company too; and betook me to religious duties, as prayer, reading, weeping for sin, speaking truth to my neighbours, &c. These things did I, with many others, too much here to relate.

CHR. And did you think yourself well then?

HOPE. Yes, for a while; but at the last, my trouble came tumbling upon me again, and that over the Then he thought neck of all my reformations.

66

himself well.

Reformation at could

help, and why.

not

CHR. How came that about, since you were now reformed? HOPE. There were several things brought it upon me, especially such sayings as these: "All our righteousnesses are as filthy rags." Isa. lxiv. 6. last "By the works of the law shall no flesh be justified." Gal. ii. 16. When ye shall have done all those things, say, We are unprofitable," Luke xvii. 10; with many more such like. From whence I began to reason with myself thus: If ALL my righteousnesses are filthy rags; if, by the deeds of the law, No man can be justified; and if, when we have done ALL, we are yet unprofitable, then it is but a folly to think of heaven by the law. I further thought thus: If a man runs a hundred pounds into the shopkeeper's debt, and after that shall pay for all that he shall fetch; yet, if this old debt stands still in the book uncrossed, for that the shopkeeper may sue him, and cast him into prison till he shall pay the debt.

His being a debtor by the law troubled

him.

CHR. Well, and how did you apply this to yourself?

HOPE. Why, I thought thus with myself: I have, by my sins, run a great way into God's book, and that my now reforming will not pay off that score; therefore I should think

still, under all my present amendments, But how shall I be freed from that damnation that I have brought myself in danger of, by my former transgressions ?

CHR. A very good application: but, pray, go on.

things in his best

HOPE. Another thing that hath troubled me, even since my late amendments, is, that if I look narrowly into the best of what I do now, I still see sin, new sin, mixing His espying bad itself with the best of that I do; so that now duties troubled I am forced to conclude, that notwithstanding my former fond conceits of myself and duties, I have committed sin enough in one duty to send me to hell, though my former life had been faultless.

him.

CHR. And what did you do then?

This made him

break his mind to

Faithful, who told

HOPE. DO! I could not tell what to do, until I brake my mind to Faithful, for he and I were well acquainted. And he told me, that unless I could obtain the righteousness of a man that never had sinned, neither mine own, nor all the righteousness of the world could save me.

him the way to be

saved.

CHR. And did you think he spake true?

HOPE. Had he told me so when I was pleased and satisfied with mine own amendment, I had called him fool for his pains; but now, since I see mine own infirmity, and the sin that cleaves to my best performance, I have been forced to be of his opinion.

CHR. But did you think, when at first he suggested it to you, that there was such a man to be found, of whom it might justly be said, that he never committed sin ?

At which he

HOPE. I must confess the words at first sounded strangely, but after a little more talk and company with started at present. him, I had full conviction about it. CHR. And did you ask him what man this was, and how you must be justified by him?

In modern editions, this has been altered to "sin enough in one day." But in any period of time, selecting that duty in the discharge of which we have felt the most pure, there has been a mixture of sin. "For there is not a day, nor a duty; not a day that thou livest, not a duty that mercy should come after to take away thy iniquity." [52] These are solemn and humbling reflections.

thou dost, but will need that