business was. Accordingly one went and told Shaddai and Emanuel his Son, that the lord-mayor of the town of Mansoul stood without the gate of the King's court, desiring to be admitted into the presence of the Prince, the King's Son.* He also told the lord-mayor's errand, both to the King and his Son Emanuel. But the Prince would not come down, nor admit that the gate should be opened, but sent an answer to this effect, Jer. ii. 27, 28. They have turned their, back unto me, and not their face; but now, in the time of their trouble, they say unto me, Arise and save us. But can they not now go to Mr. Carnal-Security, to whom they went when they turned from me, and make him their leader, their lord, and their protector? And now in their trouble they visit me, from whom in their prosperity they went astray.'

This answer made my lord-mayor look black in the face; it troubled, it perplexed, it rent him sore, Lam. iv. 7, 8. And now he began to see what it was to be familiar with Diabolonians, such as Mr. Carnal-security was. When he saw that at court (as yet) there was little help to be expected, either for himself or friends in Mansoul; he smote upon his breast, and returned weeping, and all the way bewailing the lamentable state of Mansoul.

When he was come within sight of the town, the elders and chief of the people of Mansoul went out at the gate to meet him, and to salute him, and to know how he had sped at court. But he told them his tale in so doleful a manner, that they all cried out and mourned and wept. Wherefore they threw ashes and dust upon their heads, and put sackcloth upon their loins, and went crying out through the town of Mansoul; which when the rest of the townsfolk saw, they all mourned and wept. This therefore was a day of rebuke, trouble, and anguish to the town of Mansoul, and also of great distress.

After

* Humble, fervent prayer is effectual for obtaining aid from Jesus the good Physician, to heal the wounds which sin hath made.

After some time, when they had somewhat recovered themselves, they came together to consult again what was yet to be done; and they asked advice, as they did before, of the Rev. Mr. Godly-fear; who told them, that there was no way better to do than to do as they had done, nor would he that they should be discouraged at all with what they had met with at court; yea, though several of their petitions should be answered with nought but silence or rebuke; for, said he, it is the way of the wise Shaddai, to make men wait, and to exercise patience; and it should be the way of them in want, to be willing to stay his leisure, Ps. xxv. 3. xxvii. 14. xxxvii. 7. lxii. 5. Lam. iii. 26. Hos. xii. 6.

Then they took courage, and sent again, and again, and again; for there was not a day nor an hour, that went over Mansoul's head, wherein a man might not have met upon the road one or other riding post from Mansoul to the court of King Shaddai, and all with letters petitionary (s) in behalf of, and for the Prince's return to, Mansoul. The road, I say, was now full of messengers going and returning, and meeting one another; some from the court, and some from Mansoul; and this was the work of the miserable town of Mansoul all that long, that sharp, that cold that tedious winter, Cant. ii. 11. Jer. iii. 12, 24.

Now you may remember that I told you before, that after Emanuel had taken Mansoul, yea, and after he had new-modelled the town, there remained, in several lurking-places of the corporation, many of the old Diabolonians, that either came with the tyrant, when he invaded and took the town, or that had there (by reason of unlawful mixtures in their birth, breeding, and bringing up,) their holes, dens, and lurking-places in, under, or about the walls of the town: some of their names are, the lord Fornication, the lord Adultery, the lord Murder, the lord Anger, the lord Lasciviousness,

(s) Groaning desires.

the

the lord Deceit, the lord Evil-eye, the lord Blasphemy, and that horrible villain the old and dangerous lord Covetousness; these, with many more, had yet their abode. in the town of Mansoul, even after Emanuel had driven Diabolus out of the castle.*

Against these the good Prince granted a commission to the lord Will-be-will and others, yea, to the whole town of Mansoul, to seek, take, secure, and destroy, any or all that they could lay hands of, for that they were Diabolonians by nature, enemies to the Prince, and those who sought ruin to the blessed town of Mansoul. But Mansoul, did not pursue this warrant, but neglected to apprehend, secure, and destroy those Diabolonians; wherefore what do these villains, but by degrees take courage to shew themselves to the inhabitants of the town; yea, and as I was told, some of the men of Mansoul grew too familiar with several of them, to the sorrow of the corporation, as you will hear more in time and place.

Well, when the Diabolonian lord perceived that Mansoul had, through sinning, offended Emanuel their Prince, and that he had withdrawn himself and was gone, what do they but plot the ruin of the town of Mansoul? Accordingly they meet together at the hold of one Mr. Mischief, who was a Diabolonian, and here consulted how they might deliver up Mansoul into the hands of Diabolus again. Now some advised one way, and some another, every man according to his own likeing. At last my lord Lasciviousness proposed, that some of the Diabolonians in Mansoul should offer themselves for servants to some of the natives of the town; for, said he, if they do so, and Mansoul shall accept them, they may for us, and for Diabolus our lord, make the taking of the town of Mansoul more easy than otherwise it would be. But then stood up the lord Murder,

of

It must not be supposed that after the conversion of a person all is done, the converted have still to combat the world, the flesh, and the devil; but the Lord has promised to give grace and glory, Ps. xxxiv. 11.

Murder, and said, This may not be done at this time, for Mansoul is now in a kind of rage, because, by our' friend Mr. Carnal-security, she hath been once ensnared already, and made to offend against her Prince; and how shall she reconcile herself unto her Lord again, but by the heads of these men? Besides, we know that they have in commission to take and slay us where ever they shall find us; let us therefore be wise as foxes: when we are dead, we can do them no hurt; but while alive, we may.

Thus when they had tossed the matter to and fro, they jointly agreed that a letter should forthwith be sent away to Diabolus in their name, by which the state of the town of Mansoul should be shewed him, and how much it is under the frowns of their Prince; we may also, said some, let him know our intentions, and ask his advice in the case. So a letter was presently framed, the contents of which were these:

"To our great lord, the prince Diabolus, dwelling below in the Infernal Cave.

O great Father, and mighty prince Diabolus, we the true Diabolonians, remaining in the rebellious town of Mansoul, having received our beings from thee, and our nourishment at thy hands, cannot with content and quiet endure to behold, as we do this day, how thou art dispraised, disgraced, and reproached among the inhabitants of this town; nor is thy long absence at all de lightful to us, because greatly to our detriment.

"The reason of this our writing to our lord, is, that we are not altogether without hope that this town may become thy habitation again, for it is greatly declined from its prince Emanuel, and he is departed from them; yea, and though they send, and send, and send after him,

to

* Thus are sinners leagued with hell against their own souls. May the lord, by his word and Spirit, break the horrid confederacy.

"It is an evil and bitter thing to depart from the living God."

to return to them, yet can they not prevail, nor get good words from him.

"There has been also of late, and is yet remaining, a very great sickness and faintings among them; and that not only upon the poorer sort of the town, but upon the lords, captains, and chief gentry of the place [we only, who are Diabolonians by nature, remain well, lively and strong;] so that through their great transgression on one hand, and their dangerous sickness on the other, we judge they lie open to thy hand and power. If therefore it shall stand with they horrible cunning, and with the cunning of the rest of the princes with thee, to come and make an attempt to take Mansoul again, send us word, and we shall to our utmost power be ready to deliver it into thy hand. Or if what we have said, shall not be thought best and most meet to be done, send us thy mind in a few words, and we are all ready to follow thy counsel, to the hazard of our lives, and what else we have.

"Given under our hands this day and date above written, after a close consultation at the house of Mr. Mischief, who is yet a live, and hath his place in our desibrable town of Mansoul."

When Mr. Profane (for he was the carrier) was come with the letter to Hellgate-hill, he knocked at the gate for entrance. Then did Cerberus the porter (for he was the keeper of that gate) open to Mr. Profane; to whom he delivered his letter which he had brought, from the Diabolonians in Mansoul. So he carried it in, and presented it to Diabolus his lord, and said, Tidings, my lord, from Mansoul; and from our trusty friends in Mansoul.

Then came together Beelzebub, Lucifer, Apollyon, with the rest of the rabble there, to hear what news from Mansoul. So the letter was read, and Cerberus stood by. When the letter was openly read, and the contents thereof spread into all corners of the den, com

mand