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THE MAN WITH THE MUCK-RAKE,

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them they also carried it lovingly to Mercy, and bid them all welcome into their Master's house.*

After a while, because supper was not ready, the Interpreter took them into his significant rooms, and showed them what Christian, Christiana's husband, had seen some time before. Here therefore, they saw the man in the cage, the man and his dream, the man that cut his way through his enemies, and the picture of the greatest of all; together with the rest of those things that were then so profitable to Christian.

This done, and, after those things had been somewhat digested by Christiana and her company, the Interpreter takes them apart again, and has them first into a room, where was a man that could look no way but downwards, with a muck-rake in his hand there stood also one over his head with a celestial crown in his hand, and proffered him that crown for his muckrake; but the man did neither look up nor regard, but raked to himself the straws, the small sticks, and dust of the floor.

Then said Christiana, I persuade myself, that I know somewhat the meaning of this; for this is the figure of a man in this world: is it not, good Sir?

Thou hast said right, said he, and his muck-rake doth show his carnal mind. And, whereas thou seest him rather give heed to rake up straws and sticks, and the dust of the floor, than do what he says that calls to him from above, with the celestial crown in his hand it is to show, that heaven is but as a fable to some, and that things here are counted the only things substantial. Now, whereas it was also showed thee, that

*Here is joy indeed, which strangers to the love of Christ intermeddle not with. Believer, did you never partake of this pleasing, this delightful sensation, on seeing other poor sinners like thyself, called to know Jesus and follow him? Surely this is the joy of heaven; and if thou hast this joy, thou hast the love that reigns in heaven. O for a spread and increase of this spirit among Christians of all denominations.

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THE SPIDER ON THE WALL!

the man could look no way but downwards, it is to let thee know, that earthly things, when they are with power upon men's minds, quite carry their hearts away from God.

Then said Christiana, O! deliver me from this muck-rake.

That prayer, said the Interpreter, has lain by till it is almost rusty: "Give me not riches," is scarce the prayer of one of ten thousand. (a) Straws, and sticks, and dust, with most are the things now looked after.

With that Mercy and Christiana wept, and said, "It is, alas! too true."*

When the Interpreter had showed them this, he had them into the very best room in the house (a very brave room it was :) so he bid them look round about, and see if they could find any thing profitable there. Then they looked round and round; for there was nothing to be seen but a very great spider on the wall: and that they overlooked.

Then said Mercy, Sir, I see nothing: but Christiana held her peace.

But, said the Interpreter, "Look again :" she therefore looked again, and said, "Here is not any thing but an ugly spider, who hangs by her hands upon the wall." "Then," said he, "is there but one

* The emblematical instruction at the Interpreter's house, in the former part, was so important and comprehensive, that no other selection equally interesting could be expected, some valuable hints, however, are here adduced. The first emblem is very plain, and so apposite, that it is a wonder any person should read it, without lifting up a prayer to the Lord, and say, ing, "Oh! deliver me from this Muck-rake." Yet alas, it is to be feared, such prayers are still little used, even by professors of the Gospel; at least they are contradicted by the habitual conduct of numbers among them, and this should very properly lead us to weep over others, and tremble over Qurselves. Reader, didst thou, like these pious pilgrims, never shed a generous tear, for thy base and disingenuous conduct towards thy Lord, in preferring the sticks and straws of this world, to the unsearchable rickres of Christ, and the salvation of thy immortal soul.

(a) Prov. xxx. 84

THE RIDDLE THEREOF EXPLAINED.

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spider in all this spacious room?" Then the water stood in Christiana's eyes, for she was a woman quick of apprehension: and she said, " Yes, Lord, there is more here than one: yea, and spiders whose venom is far more destructive than that which is in her." The Interpreter then looked pleasantly on her, and said, "Thou hast said the truth." This made Mercy blush, and the boys to cover their faces; for they all began now to understand the riddle.*

ces."

Then said the Interpreter again, 'The spider taketh hold with her hands (as you see,) and is in king's palaAnd wherefore is this recorded, but to show you, that how full of the venom of sin soever you be, yet you may, by the hand of faith, lay hold of, and dwell in, the best room that belongs to the king's house above?

I thought, said Christiana, of something of this; but I could not imagine it all. I thought, that we were like spiders, and that we looked like ugly creatures, in what fine rooms soever we were; but that by this spider, this venemous and ill-favoured creature, we were to learn how to act faith, that came not into my thoughts; that she worketh with hands; and, as I see, dwells in the best room in the house.-God has made nothing in vain.

Then they seemed all to be glad; but the water stood in their eyes: yet they looked one upon another, and also bowed before the Interpreter.

He had them then into another room, where was a hen and chickens, and bid them observe a while. So one of the chickens went to the trough to drink, and

The author did not mean by the emblem of the spider, that the sinner might confidently assure himself of salvation, by the blood of Christ, while he continued full of the poison of sin, without experiencing and evidencing any change; but only, that no consciousness of actual guilt, and inward pollution need discourage any one from applying to Chrict, and fleeing for refuge, "to lay hold on the hope set before them," that thus the sincere soul may he delivered from condemnation, cleansed fully from pollution, and so made meet for those blessed mansions, into which no unclean thing can find admission.

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