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was loth to lose his money.) Mistrust ran up to him, thrusting his hand into his pocket, pulled out thence and, a bag of silver. Then he cried out, Thieves! Thieves! With that Guilt, with a great club that 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 city 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 a shift to scrabble on his way. This was the story.' Hopeful. But did they take from him all that ever he had? Christian. No: the place where his jewels were, they 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. Hopeful. 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?

Christian. 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 endeavor, that they missed of that good thing.

Hopeful. But it must needs be a comfort to him, that they got not his jewels from him.

Christian. It might have been great comfort to him, had he used it as he should; but they that told me the story, said, that he had made but little use of it all the rest of the way; and that because of the dismay that he had in the taking away his money: indeed he forgot it a great part of the rest of his journey; and besides, when at any time it came into his mind, and he began to be comforted therewith, then would fresh thoughts of his loss come again upon him, and those thoughts would swallow up all.

* 1 Pet. iv. 18.

† 2 Tim. i. 14.

Hopeful. Alas, poor man! this could not but be a great grief to him!

Christian. Grief! ay, a grief indeed! Would it not have been so to any of us, had we been used as he; to be robbed and wounded too, and that in a strange place, as he was? It is a wonder he did not die with grief, poor heart! I was told that he scattered almost all the rest of the way with nothing but doleful and bitter complaints; telling also to all that overtook him, or that he overtook in the way as he went, where he was robbed, and how; who they were that did it, and what he lost; how he was wounded; and that he hardly escaped with his life.

Hopeful. But it is a wonder that his necessity did not put him upon selling or pawning some of his jewels, that he might have wherewithal to relieve himself in his journey. Christian. Thou talkest like one upon whose head is the shell to this very day: for what should he pawn them? or to whom should he sell them? In all that country where he was robbed, his jewels were not accounted of; nor did he want that relief which could from thence be administered to him. Besides, had his jewels been missing at the gate of the Celestial City, he had (and that he knew well enough) been excluded from an inheritance there; and that would have been worse to him than the appearance and villany of ten thousand thieves.

Hopeful. Why art thou so tart, my brother? Esau sold his birth-right, and that for a mess of pottage;† and that birth-right was his greatest jewel; and if he, why might not Little-faith do so too?

Christian. Esau did sell his birth-right indeed; and so do many besides; and by so doing, exclude themselves from the chief blessings, as also that caitiff did: but you must put a difference betwixt Esau and Little-faith, and also betwixt their estates. Esau's birth-right was typical; but Little-faith's jewels were not so. Esau's belly was his god; but Little-faith's belly was not so. Esau's want lay in his fleshly appetite; Little-faith's did not so: Besides, Esau could see no further than to the fulfilling of his lusts: For I am at the point to die, (said he;) and what good will this birth-right do me?' But Little-faith, though it was his lot to have but a little faith, was by his little faith kept from such extravagancies, and made to see and prize his jewels more, than to sell them as Esau did his birth-right. You read not any where that Esau had faith, no, not so much as

* See Christian's own explanation of this expression, in the subsequent Heb. xii. 26. Gen. xxv. 32.

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a little; therefore no marvel, if, where the flesh only bears away (as it will in that man where no faith is to resist,) he sells his birth-right and his soul and all, and that to the devil of hell; for it is with such as it is with the ass, who in her occasions cannot be turned away.* When their minds are set upon their lusts, they will have them, whatever they cost; but Little-faith was of another temper; his mind was on things divine; his livelihood was upon things that were spiritual, and from above; therefore, to what end should he that is of such a temper, sell his jewels, (had there been any that would have bought them,) to fill his mind with empty things? Will a man give a penny to fill his belly with hay? or can you persuade the turtle-dove to live upon carrion like the crow? Though faithless ones can, for carnal lusts, pawn, or mortgage, or sell what they have, and themselves outright to boot; yet they that have faith, saving faith, though but a little of it, cannot do so. Here, therefore, my brother, is thy mistake.

Hopeful. I acknowledge it; but yet your severe reflec tion had almost made me angry.

Christian. What! I did but compare thee to some of the birds that are of the brisker sort, who will run to and fro in untrodden paths, with the shell upon their heads. But pass by that and consider the matter under debate, and all shall be well betwixt thee and me.

Hopeful. But, Christian, these three fellows, I am persuaded in my heart, are but a company of cowards. Would they have run else, think you, as they did, at the noise of one that was coming on the road? Why did not Little-faith pluck up a greater heart? He might, methinks, have stood one brush with them, and have yielded when there had been no remedy.

Christian. That they are cowards, many have said; but few have found it so in the time of trial. As for a great heart, Little-faith had none; and I perceive by thee, my brother, hadst thou been the man concerned, thou art but for a brush, and then to yield. And verily, since this is the height of thy stomach, now they are at a distance from us; should they appear to thee, as they did to him, they might put thee to second thoughts.

But consider again, they are but journeymen thieves; they serve under the king of the bottomless pit; who, if needs be, will come in to their aid himself, and his voice is 'as the roaring of a lion.' I myself have been engaged as this Little-faith was, and I found it a terrible thing. These

*Jer. ii. 24.

three villains set upon me; and I beginning like a christian to resist, they gave but a call, and in came their master; I would (as the saying is) have given my life for a penny; but that, as God would have it, I was clothed with armor of proof. Ay, and yet, though I was so harnessed, I found it hard work to quit myself like a man; no man can tell what in that combat attends us, but he that hath been in battle himself.

Hopeful. Well, but they ran, you see, when they did but suppose that one Great-grace was in the way.

Christian. True, they have often fled, both they and their master, when Great-grace hath but appeared; and no marvel; for he is the King's champion: but, I trow, you will put some difference between Little-faith and the King's champion. All the King's subjects are not his champions; nor can they, when tried, do such feats of war as he. Is it meet to think that a little child should handle Goliath as David did? or, that there should be the strength of an ox in a wren? Some are strong, some are weak; some have great faith, some have little; this man was one of the weak, and therefore he went to the wall.

Hopeful. I would it had been Great-grace, for their sakes!

Christian. If it had been he, he might have had his hands full: For I must tell you, that though Great-grace is excellent good at his weapons, and has, and can, so long as he keeps them at the sword's point, do well enough with them; yet if they get within him, even Faint-heart, Mistrust, or the other; it will go hard, but they will throw up his heels. And when a man is down, you know, what can he do?

Whoso looks well upon Great-grace's face, shall see those scars and cuts there that shall easily give demonstration of what I say. Yea, once I heard that he should say, (and that when he was in the heat of combat,) 'We despaired even of life.' How did these sturdy rogues, and their fellows, make David groan, mourn, and roar? Yea, Hamen and Hezekiah too, though champions in their days, were forced to bestir them, when by these assaulted; and yet, notwithstanding, they had their coats soundly brushed by them. Peter, upon a time, would go try what he could do; but though some do say of him, that he is the prince of the Apostles, they handled him so, that they made him at last afraid of a sorry girl.*

Besides, their king is at their whistle; and is never out of hearing; and if at any time they be put to the worst,

* See Maft. xxvi. Ixix, &c.

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he, if possible, comes in to help them: And of him it is said, The sword of him that layeth at him cannot hold; the spear, the dart nor the habergeon: he esteemeth iron as straw, and brass as rotten wood. The arrows cannot make him fly, sling-stones are turned, with him, into stubble: darts are counted as stubble; he laugheth at the shaking of a spear.* What can a man do in this case? It is true, if a man could at every turn have Job's horse, and had skill and courage to ride him, he might do notable things: For his neck is clothed with thunder: he will not be afraid of the grasshopper; the glory of his nostrils is terrible; he paweth in the valley, rejoiceth in his strength, and goeth out to meet the armed men. He mocketh at fear, and is not affrighted, neither turneth back from the sword. The quiver rattleth against him, the glittering spear and the shield. He swalloweth the ground with fierceness and rage, neither believeth he that it is the sound of the trumpet. He saith among the trumpets, ha, ha; and he smelleth the battle afar off, the thundering of the captains and the shoutings.'t

But for such footmen as thee and I are, let us never desire to meet with an enemy; nor vaunt as if we could do better, when we hear of others that they have been foiled; nor be tickled at the thoughts of our manhood; for such commonly come by the worst when tried. Witness Peter, of whom I made mention before; he would swagger, ay he would, as his vain mind prompted him to say, do better, and stand more for his Master than all men; but who so foiled and run down by these villains, as he?

When therefore we hear that such robberies are done on the King's highway, two things become us to do: First, to go out harnessed, and to be sure to take a shield with us; for it was for want of that, that he that laid so lustily at Leviathan could not make him yield; and, indeed, if that be wanting, he fears us not at all. Therefore, he that hath skill hath said, 'Above all, take the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.'t

It is good also that we desire of the King a convoy, yea, that He will go with us himself. This made David rejoice when in the valley of the shadow of death; and Moses was rather for dying where he stood, than to go one step without his God. O my brother, if He will but go along with us, what need we be afraid of ten thousands that shall

Job. xli. 26. 29.
Psalm xxiii. 4.

tJob. xxxix. 19, &c.

Exod. xxxiii. 15.

Ephes. vi. 16.

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