thee, that thou art the Son of the great Shaddai !— Wherefore art thou come to torment me, and to cast me out of my possession? This town of Mansoul, as thou very well knowest, is mine by right of conquest; I won it in the open field: and "shall the prey be taken from the mighty, or the lawful captive be delivered?”— 2. This town of Mansoul is mine also by their subjection. They have opened the gates of their town unto me, they have sworn fidelity to me, and have openly chosen me to be their king. They have also given their castle(4) into my hands; yea, they have also put the whole strength of Mansoul under me, Moreover, this town of Mansoul hath disavowed thee yea, they have cast thy law, thy name, thy image, and all that is thine, behind their back; and have accepted, and set up in their room, my law, my name, my image, and all that ever is mine. Ask else thy captains, and they will tell thee, that Mansoul hath, in answer to all their summonses, shewn love and loyalty to me; but, always disdain, despite, contempt, and scorn to thee aad thine. Now, thou who art the Just One, and the Holy (and shouldest do no iniquity) ́depart, then, I pray thee, from me, and leave me to my just inheritance peaceably.' This oration was made in the language of Diabolus himself; for although he can speak to every man in their language, (else he could not tempt them as he does,) yet he has a language proper to himself, and it is the language of the infernal cave, or black pit. Wherefore the town of Mansoul (poor hearts!) understood him not: nor did they see how he crouched and cringed while he stood before Emanuel their prince. Yea, they all this while took him to be one of that power and force that by no means could be resisted: wherefore while he was thus intreating that he might yet have his residence there, and that Emanuel would not take it from him by force, the inhabitants boasted (a) The heart. even even of his valour, saying, Who is able to make war with him? Well, when this pretended king had made an end of what he would say, Emanuel the golden Prince stood up, and spake; the contents of whose words follow. "Thou deceiving one, said he, I have in my Father's name, in my own name, and on the behalf and for the good of this wretched town of Mansoul, somewhat to say unto thee. Thou pretendest a right, a lawful right, to the deplorable town of Mansoul, when it is most apparent to all my Father's court, that the entrance which thou hast obtained in at the gates of Mansoul was through thy lies and falsehood: thou beliest my Father, thou beliest his law, and so deceivedst the people of Mansoul.* Thou pretendest that the people have accepted thee for their king, their captain, and right liege lord, but that also was by the exercise of deceit and guile. Now if lying, wiliness, sinful craft, and all manner of horrible hypocrisy, will go, in my Father's court (in which court thou must be tried) for equity and right; then will I confess unto thee, that thou hast made a lawful conquest. But alas! what thief, what tyrant, what devil is there, that may not conquer after this sort? But I can make it appear, O Diabolus, that thou, in all they pretences to a conquest of Mansoul, hast nothing of truth to say. Thinkest thou this to be right, that thou didst put the lie upon my Father, and madest him (to Mansoul) the greatest deluder in the world? And what sayest thou to thy perverting, knowingly, the right purport and intent of the law? Was it good also that thou madest a prey of the innocence and simplicity of the now miserable town of Mansoul? Yea, thou didst overcome Mansoul, by promising to them happiness in their transgressions The wicked constantly contemn the truth of God; they will not come to the light, lest their deeds should be reproved, John iii. 20. Lord, cast this lying spirit out of every heart, and set up thy kingdom on the ruins of the Destroyer's. gressions against my Father's law, when thou knewest, and couldst not but know, hadst thou consulted nothing but thy own experience, that that was the way to undo them. Thou hast also thyself (O thou master of enmity!) of spite defaced my Father's image in Mansoul, and set up thy own in its place, to the great contempt of my Father, the heightening of thy sin, and to the intolerable damage of the perishing town of Mansoul. "Thou hast moreover (as if all these were but little things with thee) not only deluded and undone this place; but by thy lies, and fraudulent carriage, hath set them against their own deliverance. How hast thou stirred them up against my Father's captains, and made them to fight against those that were sent of him to deliver them from their bondage !* All these things, and very many more, thou hast done against thy light, and in contempt of my Father, and his law: yea, and with design to bring under his displeasure for ever the miserable town of Mansoul. I am therefore come to revenge the wrong that thou hast done to my Father, and to deal with thee for the blasphemies wherewith thou hast made poor Mansoul blaspheme his name; yea, upon thy head, thou prince of infernal cave, will I require it. "As for myself, O Diabolus, I am come against thee by lawful power; and to take, by strength of hands, this town of Mansoul out of thy burning fingers; for this town of Mansoul is mine, O Diabolus, and that by undoubted right, as all shall see that will diligently search the most ancient and most authentic records, and I will plead my title to it to the confusion of thy face. "First, *Satan's power over men has produced a lamentable enmity against their own mercies. But the children of God, as they are not their own, but redeemed by a price divinely great, so they are taught to glorify their God and Saviour in all things This is their reasonable service; and this alone will bring happiness and peace, in life and death. See Rom. xii. 1. "First, For the town of Mansoul, my Father built and fashioned it with his hand. The palace also, that is in the midst of the town, he built for his own delight. This town of Mansoul, therefore, is my Father's, and that by the best of titles; and he that gainsays the truth of this, must lie against his soul. "Secondly, O thou master of the lie, this town of Mansoul is mine: "1. For that I am my Father's heir, his first-born, and the only delight of his heart, Heb. i. 2. John xv. 16. I am therefore come up against thee in mine own right, even to recover mine own inheritance out of thine hands.* "2. But further, As I have a right and title to Mansoul by being my Father's heir, so I have also by my Father's donation, John xvii. His it was, and he gave it me; nor have I at any time offended my Father, that he should take it from me, and give it to thee, Isa. 1. 1. Nor have I been forced, by playing the bankrupt, to sell or set to sale to thee my beloved town of Mansoul. Mansoul is my desire, my delight, and the joy of my heart. heart. But, I have "Mansoul is mine by right of purchase. bought it, O Diabolus, I have bought it for myself. Now since it was my Father's, and mine as I was his heir, and since also I have made it mine by virtue of a great purchase, it followeth, that by all lawful right the town of Mansoul is mine; and that thou art an usurper, tyrant, and traitor, in thy holding possession thereof. Now the cause of my purchasing it was this: Mansoul had trespassed against my Father. Now my Father had said, that in the day they broke his law, they should die: now it is more possible for heaven and earth to pass away, than for my Father to break his word, Matt. v. 18. Wherefore when Mansoul had sinned indeed by hearkening * By the fall of Adam, man became dead in trespasses and sins; consequently his restoration could only come through the love of God. hearkening to thy lie, I put in and became a surety to my Father, body for body, and soul for soul, that I would make amends for Mansoul's transgressions: and my Father accepted thereof. So when the time ap pointed was come, I gave body for body, soul for soul, life for life, blood for blood, and so redeemed my beloved Mansoul. 4. Nor did I this by halves; my Father's love and justice, that were both concerned in the threatening upon transgression, are both now satisfied, and very well content that Mansoul should be delivered. 5. Nor am I come out this day against thee, but by commandment from my Father; it was he that said unto me, Go down, and deliver Mansoul. "Wherefore be it known unto thee, O thou fountain of deceit, and be it also known to the foolish town of Mansoul, that I am not come against thee this day without my Father. "And now, said the golden-headed Prince, I have a word to the town of Mansoul (but so soon as mention was made, that he had a word to speak to the besotted town of Mansoul, the gates were double-guarded, and all men commanded not to give him audience;) so he proceeded, and said, O unhappy town of Mansoul, I cannot but be touched with pity and compassion for thee. Thou hast accepted of Diabolus for thy king, and art become a nurse and minister of Diabolonians against they sovereign Lord. Thy gates thou has opened to him, but hast shut them fast against me; thou hast given him a hearing, but has stopt thine ears to my cry he brought to thee thy destruction, and thou didst receive both him and it; I am come to thee bringing salvation, but thou regardest me not. Besides, thou hast with sacrilegious hands taken thyself, with all that was mine in thee, and hast given all to my foe, and to the greatest enemy my Father has. You have bowed and subjected yourselves to him, you have vowed and sworn yourselves to be his. Poor Mansoul! what shall |