Bible Stories and Religious ClassicsWells, Philip P. (Philip Patterson)
Religion
Bible Stories and Religious Classics
Wells, Philip P. (Philip Patterson)
Bible stories, English -- Juvenile literature; Christian literature for children
Now was Christian much affected with this deliverance from all the
dangers of his solitary way; which dangers, though he feared them much
before, yet he saw them more clearly now, because the light of the day
made them conspicuous to him. And about this time the sun was rising,
and this was another mercy to Christian; for you must note, that though
the first part of the Valley of the Shadow of Death was dangerous, yet
this second part, which he was yet to go, was, if possible, far more
dangerous; for, from the place where he now stood, even to the end of
the valley, the way was all along set so full of snares, traps, gins,
and nets here, and so full of pits, pitfalls, deep holes, and shelvings
down there, that had it now been dark, as it was when he came the first
part of the way, had he had a thousand souls, they had in reason been
cast away; but, as I said, just now the sun was rising. Then said he,
"His candle shineth on my head, and by his light I go through darkness."
In this light, therefore, he came to the end of the valley. Now I saw
in my dream, that at the end of the valley lay blood, bones, ashes, and
mangled bodies of men, even of pilgrims that had gone this way formerly;
and while I was musing what should be the reason, I espied a little
before me a cave, where two giants, Pope and Pagan, dwelt in old time;
by whose power and tyranny the men, whose bones, blood, ashes, etc., lay
there, were cruelly put to death. But by this place Christian went
without much danger, whereat I somewhat wondered; but I have learned
since, that Pagan has been dead many a day; and as for the other, though
he be yet alive, he is, by reason of age, and also of the many shrewd
brushes that he met with in his younger days, grown so crazy and stiff
in his joints, that he can now do little more than sit in his cave's
mouth, grinning at pilgrims as they go by, and biting his nails because
he cannot come at them.
So I saw that Christian went on his way; yet, at the sight of the old
man that sat at the mouth of the cave, he could not tell what to think,
especially because he spoke to him, though he could not go after him,
saying, You will never mend till more of you be burned. But he held his
peace, and set a good face on it, and so went by, and catched no hurt.
Then sang Christian:
Oh, world of wonders (I can say no less),
That I should be preserved in that distress
That I have met with here! Oh, blessed be
That hand that from it hath deliver'd me!
Dangers in darkness, heaven, hell, and sin,
Did compass me, while I this vale was in;
Yea, snares, and pits, and traps, and nets did lie
My path about, that worthless, silly I
Might have been catch'd, entangled, and cast down,
But since I live, let Jesus wear the crown.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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