276

Great-heart's battle with Maul, the Giant.

also he had a good heart of his own, or else he could never have done it.* (q)

Now they drew towards the end of the way; and just there where Christian had seen the Cave when he went by, out thence came forth Maul, a Giant. This Maul did use to spoil young Pilgrims with sophistry; and he called Greatheart by his name, and said unto him, 'How many times have you been forbidden to do these things? Then said Mr. Great-heart, "What things ? What things! quoth the Giant; you know what things: but I will put an end to your trade.' 'But pray,' said Mr. Great-heart, before we fall to it, let us understand wherefore we must fight." (Now the women and children stood trembling, and knew not what to do.) Quoth the Giant, 'You rob the country, and rob it with the worst of thieves." "These are but generals,' said Mr. Great-heart, 'come to particulars, man.'

Then said the Giant, Thou practisest the craft of a kidnapper; thou gatherest up women and children, and carriest them into a strange country, to the weakening of my Master's kingdom.'-But now Great-heart replied, I am a servant of the God of heaven; my business is to persuade sinners to repentance; I am commanded to do my endeavour to turn men, women and children "from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God ;" and if this be indeed the ground of thy quarrel, let us fall to it as soon as thou wilt.'

Then the Giant came up, and Mr. Great-heart went to meet him and as he went he drew his sword; but the Giant had a club. So without more ado, they fell to it, and at the first blow the Giant struck Mr. Great-heart down upon one of his knees; with that the women and the children cried : so Mr. Great-heart, recovering himself, laid about him in a full lusty manner, and gave the Giant a wound in his arm;

* Part i. p. 89.

(9) The discouragement of dark temptations is not so formidable, in the judgment of experienced Christians, as the snares connected with them: for, while numbers renounce their profession, to get rid of their disquietude; many are seduced into some false doctrine that may sanction negligence, and quiet their consciences by assenting to certain notions, without regarding the state of their hearts, or what passes in their experience; and others are led to spend all their time in company, or even to dissipate the gloom by engaging in worldly amusements, because retirement exposes them to these suggestions. In short, the enemy endeavours to terrify the professor, that he may drive him away from God, entangle him in heresy, or draw him into sin; in order to destroy his soul, or at least ruin his credit and prevent his usefulness. But circumspection and prayer constitute our best preservative; through which, they who take heed to their steps escape, while the heedless are taken and destroyed, for a warning to those that come after

Great-heart kills him.

277

that he fought for the space of an hour, to that height of heat, that the breath came out of the Giant's nostrils, as the heat doth out of a boiling caldron.

Then they sat down to rest them, but Mr. Great-heart betook himself to prayer; also the women and children did nothing but sigh and cry all the time that the battle did last.

When they had rested them and taken breath, they both fell to it again; and Mr. Great-heart with a full blow fetched the Giant down to the ground. Nay, hold, let me recover,' quoth he: so Mr. Great-heart let him fairly get up. So to it they went again, and the Giant missed but little of breaking Mr. Great-heart's skull with his club.

Mr. Great-heart seeing that, runs to him in the full heat of his spirit, and pierced him under the fifth rib'; with that the Giant began to faint, and could hold up his club no longThen Mr. Great-heart seconded his blow, and smote the head of the Giant from his shoulders.-Then the women and children rejoiced, and Mr. Great-heart also praised God for the deliverance he had wrought.

er.

When this was done, they among them erected a pillar, and fastened the Giant's head thereon, and wrote under it in letters that passengers might read:

'He that did wear this head, was one

That Pilgrims did misuse ;

He stopp'd their way, he spared none,
But did them all abuse :

Until that I Great-heart arose,
The Pilgrim's guide to be:
Until that I did him oppose,

That was their enemy.' (r)

Now I saw that they went to the ascent, that was a little way off cast up to be a prospect for Pilgrims, (that was the

(r) This Giant came out of the cave, where Pope and Pagan had resided. He is therefore the emblem of those formal superstitious teachers, and those speculating moralists, who in protestant countries have too generally succeeded the Romish priests and the heathen philosophers, in keeping men ignorant of the way of salvation, and in spoiling by their sophis try such as seem to be seriously disposed. These persons often represent faithful ministers, who draw off their auditors, by preaching 'repentance towards God, and faith towards our Lord Jesus Christ," as robbers and kidnappers: they terrify many, (especially when they have the power of enforcing penal statutes,) from professing or hearing the gospel, and acting according to their consciences; and they put the faith of God's servants to a severe trial. Yet perseverance, patience, and prayer will obtain the victory; and they that are strong will be instrumental in animating the feeble to go on their way rejoicing and praising God. But thongh these enemies may be baffled, disabled, or apparently slain, it will appear that they have left a posterity on earth to revile, injure, and oppose the spirit

278

The Pilgrims discourse about the Battle.

place from whence Christian had the first sight of Faithful, his brother.)* Wherefore here they sat down and rested; they also here did eat and drink, and make merry, for that they had gotten deliverance from this so dangerous an eneny. As they sat thus and did eat, Christiana asked the Guide if he had got no hurt in the battle? Then said Mr. Great-heart, 'No, save a little on my flesh; yet that also shall be so far from being to my detriment, that it is at present a proof of my love to my Master and you, and shall be a means, by grace, to increase my reward at last.'

Chr. But was you not afraid, good Sir, when you saw him come with his club ?

'It is my duty,' said he, 'to distrust my own ability, that I may have reliance on Him that is stronger than all.'t

Chr. But what did you think, when he fetched you down to the ground at the first blow?

"Why, I thought,' quoth he, that so my Master himself was served, and yet he it was that conquered at last.'

Mat. When you all have thought what you please, I think God has been wonderful good unto us, both in bringing us out of this Valley, and in delivering us out of the hand of this enemy for my part, I see no reason why we should distrust our God any more, since he has now, and in such a place as this, given us such testimony of his love as this,

Then they got up and went forward.-Now a little beforethem stood an oak and under it, when they came to it, they found an old Pilgrim fast asleep: they knew that he was a Pilgrim by his clothes, and his staff, and his girdle.

So the Guide, Mr. Great-heart, awaked him; and the old gentleman, as he lifted up his eyes, cried out, "What's the matter? Who are you? and what is your business here ?'

Gr.-H. Come, man, be not so hot, here is none but friends. -Yet the old man gets up, and stands upon his guard, and will know of them what they were. Then said the Guide, My name is Great-heart; I am the Guide of these Pilgrims, which are going to the Celestial Country.'

Then said Mr. Honest, I cry your mercy; I feared that you had been of the company of those that sometime ago

did

ual worshippers of God in every generation. The Club with which the Giant was armed, may mean the secular arm or power, by which opposers of the gospel are generally desir ous of enforcing their arguments and persuasions. "We have a law, and by our law he ought to die :" this decision, like a heavy club, seems capable of bearing all down before nor can any withstand its force, but those who rely on Him that is stronger than all.

Honest from the Town of Stupidity.

279

rob Little-faith of his money; but now I look better about me, I perceive you are honester people.' (s)

Gr.-H. Why, what would or could you have done, or helped yourself, if we indeed had been of that company?

Hon. Done! why I would have fought as long as breath had been in me; and had I so done, I am sure you could never have given me the worst on't; for a Christian can never be overcome, unless he should yield himself.

"Well said, father Honest,' quoth the Guide: for by this I know thou art a cock of the right kind, for thou hast said the truth."

Hon. And by this also I know that thou knowest what true pilgrimage is: for all others do think, that we are the soonest overcome of any.

Gr.-H. Well, now we are happily met, let me crave your name, and the name of the place where you came from P

Hon. My name I cannot: but I came from the Town of Stupidity; it lieth about four degrees beyond the City of Destruction.

Gr.-H. Oh! are you that countryman then? I deem I have half a guess of you: your name is old Honesty, is it not So the old gentleman blush'd, and said, 'Not Honesty in the abstract: but Honest is my name, and I wish that my nature may agree to what I am called.'

But, Sir," said the old gentleman, how could you guess that I am such a man, since I came from such a place ?' (t) Gr.-H. I have heard of you before, by my Master; for he knows all things that are done on the earth: but I have often wondered that any should come from your place, for your Town is worse than is the City of Destruction itself.

(s) The allegory requires us to suppose, that there were some places in which the Pilgrims might safely sleep; so that nothing disadvantageous to the character of this old disciple seems to have been intended.—An avowed dependence on Christ for righteousness, a regard to the word of God, and an apparent sincerity in word and deed, mark a man to be a Pilgrim, or constitute a professor of the gospel: but we should not too readily conclude every professor to be a true believer.-The experienced Christian will be afraid of new acquaintance; in his most unwatchful seasons he will be readily excited to look about him; and will be fully convinced that no enemy can hurt him, unless he is induced to yield to temptation and commit sin.

(1) Honesty in the abstract seems to mean sinless perfection.-The Pilgrim was a sound character, but conscious of many imperfections, of which he was ashamed, and from which he sought deliverance. The nature of faith, hope, love, patience, and other holy disposi fions is described in scripture, as a man would define gold, by its essential properties. This shews what they are in the abstract : but as exercised by us, they are always mixed with considerable alloy; and we are richer or poorer in this respect, in proportion to the degree of the gold or of the alloy which is found in our characters..

280

Honesty's Behaviour to the Pilgrims.

Hon. Yes, we lie more off from the sun, and so are more cold and senseless; but was a man in a mountain of ice, yet if the Sun of Righteousness will arise upon him, his frozen heart shall feel a thaw. And thus it has been with me. (u) Gr.-H. I believe it, father Honest, I believe it; for Í know the thing is true.

Then the old gentleman saluted all the Pilgrims with a holy kiss of charity; and asked them of their names, and how they had fared since they had set out on their pilgrimage.

Then said Christiana, 'My name, I suppose, you have heard of; good Christian was my husband, and these four were his children.'-But can you think how the old gentleman was taken, when she told him who she was! He skipped, he smiled, and blessed them with a thousand good wishes; saying, 'I have heard much of your husband, and of his travels and wars, which he underwent in his days. Be it spoken to your comfort, the name of your husband rings all over these parts of the world; his faith, his courage, his enduring, and his sincerity under all, has made his name famous.-Then he turned him to the boys, and asked of them their names, which they told him. And then said he unto them, 'Matthew, be thou like Matthew the publican, not in vice but in virtue. Samuel,' said he, 'be thou like Samuel the prophet, a man of faith and prayer. Joseph,' said he, 'be thou like Joseph in Potiphar's house, chaste, and one that flees from temptation. And James, be thou like James the Just, and like James the brother of our Lord."* Then they told him of Mercy, and how she had left her Town and her kindred to come alone with Christiana and with her sons. At that the old honest man said, 'Mercy is thy name: by mercy shalt thou be sustained, and carried through all those difficulties that shall assault thee in thy way, till thou shalt come thither, where thou shalt look the Fountain of mercy in the face with comfort.'

All this while the Guide, Mr. Great-heart, was very well pleased, and smiled upon his companions.

Now, as they walked together, the Guide asked the old gentleman, 'If he did not know one Mr. Fearing, that came on pilgrimage out of his parts ?'

*Matt. x. 3. Psa. xcix. 6. Gen. xxxix. Acts i. 13, 14.

(u) The Lord sometimes calls those sinners, whose character, connexions, and situation, seem to place them at the greatest distance from him: that the riches of his mercy and the power of his grace may be thus rendered the more conspicuous and illustrious.